We purchased the RDX in Sept 2018 and since day 1, we felt the air conditioning in the car isn't that cold compared some other cars we have. We took it to the dealer and I think they recharged the A/C system around October but the air coming out still isn't as cold as my 05 Nissan or 08 Lexus. The wife's theory is the air doesn't blow as cold in this new car since there's cooled seats that complement the A/C system. Any thoughts?

 

The seats don't use AC to cool, they merely blow cooled air from the floor area up, into the seats.

My RDX can push a lot of air. Are you using ONLY AUTO or do you change the fan speed?

 

The seats actually don’t blow air into your body it sucks air from where your sitting into the seat, I wonder if this could be modded to be turned around and if it would make much difference

 

The AC is terrible. Just another known problem with this car.

 

I don't have an issue with my AC. Try closing the rear seat vents to give more airflow to the front?

 

I agree the a/c is inadequate. On warmer days I run it full blast and it just manages to cool the cabin enough by the time I am at the destination.

 

My A/C works very well, cools down immediately. Even with temps in the upper 90's with high dew points. I am quite pleased with the performance of the ventilated seat as well.

 

I also bought my 2019 Acura RDX last September 2018. Here in Hawaii Five-O, the temps are in the mid-high 80's. The AC has been very good to me.

 

We typically use auto only. It can push quite a bit of air but the air itself isn't as cold as we'd like even when the temperature is set to "Lo".

 

That was an issue to me.. You would to run auto and LO to get cold air.. Go up two degrees and you get warm air..

 

my AC is cold but it doesn't make the cabin as cold as my 2013 accord does.

 

NOT TRUE!

I live in one of the hardest places to cool a car, Tucson AZ. Over 100 degrees for over 5 months a year, and the RDX's A/C will cool great. I have noticed if you use the AUTO setting, the air from the vents will start to warm a bit as the inside temperature reaches the "set point". If you want COLD air blowing on you, set it to LO, and use the fan speed to vary the inside temp. Setting it to LO will also deactivate the automatic idle stop function.

 

I have a 2016 Mercedes GLC 300. One of the HVAC mode choices is defrost and dash. My wife's RDX does not have this mode option I find that there is a huge amount of heat that comes off the much larger RDX windshield. This is just another example that the RDX has a long way to go to compete with other luxury brands. Overall I like the RDX, but things like the HVAC mode and no digital speedo are two quick examples that show the RDX design team did a very poor job of benchmarking the competition. Throw in limp mode and other quality issues and they start to outweigh the good features.

 

I had the weak a/c complaint as well, but since then I replaced the cabin filter. Noticeable difference in a/c output. FYI.

 

I am probably pretty demanding when it comes to AC performance compared to probably most people. Currently live in sunny Florida where it has been at least mid 90's every day for month on end with very high humidity. I drove a lot of the competitors to this car as well as up and down the Hondacura line.

For me the RDX clears the minimum acceptable AC capability bar but not by a huge margin. It was far better than the Passport/Pilot/MDX/Ridgeline in this capability and better than the CRV. Having said that it is nothing to write home about. A RAM pickup I had would freeze your b@lls off if left on low for long enough. Even at idle it was ice cold. This is one area where most of the Hondacura lineup are pretty week (at idle) other than the hybrids. At one dealership they remote started the MDX when it was about 99F out. It was at least 5 min before we got into the car and I can't say it was impressively cool. It was tolerably cool. After running on the highway for about 5 min it was acceptably cool. Even after a 20 min test drive I never saw the need to take it off low.

My RDX will get acceptable cool at idle. On the road if over about 10-15 min I start to dial the temp back up to the low 70's and generally I'm comfortable also in part to the cooling of the seats. The lack of cooling was another reason that steered me away from the Passport/Pilot/MDX series. Even a cheap Toyota or Ford kicks my RDX's butt though when it comes to AC performance. We have a Toyota Corolla and at idle, it is colder inside than my RDX after 15 min on the highway. It is an almost black car too and my RDX is lighter in cooler than it. I am sure the pano roof isn't helping much either with heat soak.

We have another car with a larger pano roof. Even at 110F in Vegas the AC in that car easily kept up even at idle. Not sure the RDX would unless on a roll.

 

My Palisade will freeze your nuts off and the other day it was about 97 degrees and it took about 30 seconds after moving to get really cold... And the ventilated seats actually work right away and your seat gets nice and cool. This was another major complaint I had with my RDX as the AC never made the cabin feel comfortable as you had to run LO on Auto all of the time to just get close to comfortable. I never had the roof open ever when the sun was out as you would get baked. The claim of ventilated seats was a farce to me as well.. It just attempted to draw air away from your body, but failed miserably in hot weather.

 

There have been a lot of conflicting reports about the performance of the 2019 RDX air conditioning. Like other aspects of this vehicle, I think the reason is software. I measured the temperature of the different air vents under various conditions and found that it's not uncommon for the system to get confused and push 65 degree cool air out one vent at the same time as 95 degree hot air out of another! (This in a cabin that feels warmer than the setting).

The system is acting as if parts of the car are much colder than they are, and counteracting by blowing hot air.

The way around this is to set the control to “Lo” so the measured temperature is no longer a factor and the system will not blend in hot air.
In addition, turn the fan speed up to a good level to make sure the air is circulating.

I think most people will find the AC to be adequately powerful if forced to “LO”, though likely falling short of previous vehicles they may have owned. It's also pretty crazy that the automatic control is so broken - let's hope a software update can address this in the future.

 

Although I've never found Hondas AC to be super cold like a Toyota or GM, they are pretty good. But I have noticed that the AC in newer vars arent as strong as those of the early 2000's, or so it seems...

 

I have to say somehow typically Kia and Hyundai have figured it out how to make ice cold air even on their cheapest cars. I usually rent cars all over the world usually on a weekly basis and I can always depend on the Korean cars having great air. Hondacura is probably the worst of the Japanese companies.

I must have driven at least 15 Hondacuras before I bought my RDX during the hot Florida summer and none of them were remotely as good as the worst Kia or Hyundai I've driven lately. Honestly it was almost enough to keep me from buying any of them. I didn't want to have to drive 10-15 minutes down the highway just to get the car too call off. I do have to give Subaru dishonorable mention for a WRX I had. I would be sweating if the temps got much above about mid-80's.

Caddys are normally great and their AC seats are ice cold and tornado like. One of the few companies that I can't have the seat on max cool for long. Can't ever see myself owning one but I still respect how well they usually work.

 

Oddly enough I've never thought muck of Kia/Hyundai's AC. . .

Our 2007 Sportage would barley cool past the front seats.

I also have a 2011 Optima and the AC only works sometimes. At night or when I'm rolling fast. On a hot day, it takes 20+ minutes to cool the cabin. I think it needs repair but I plan on dumping the car so I don't care.

We rented a 2016 Elantra GT hatch and it did have pretty good AC. It also handled very well, was really fast when revved high and had plenty of features! 37 MPG was also a bonus!

 

I would say 2015/2016 is the inflection points on the Kia/Hyundais. Actually I noticed even the 2nd generation of the Kia Hamstermobile had pretty good AC. So maybe that was about 2014 at least with that car. Test drove the Kia Telluride and even in black on a hot day, at least 99F, it cooled down very quickly.

 

It likely has to do with the move to R-1234yf over R-134a. I agree that on my 20202 RDX, I feel the A/C performance is pretty poor. On crazy sweltering days, it will keep the cabin "comfortable" ... but it won't ever get to the point where I'll feel "cool," unlike many of my older cars. I only run the car on Lo ... from my understanding, you're just wasting A/C by using climate control. Your AC compressor knows On or Off ... it doesn't work any less not being cool. If I get cold, I'll turn the fan speed down or shut it off completely to give it a break.

 

I tend to do the same thing. Off/On a lot!

 

Geez......It's 2019.....you'd think very good automobile AC would be a given!........very dissapointing to learn it's not.

 

I bet a lot of heat radiates in from the panoramic moonroof. I wonder if a very dark ceramic tint would reflect a lot of heat away from the inside of the car and make it easier to cool. The shade on the car doesn’t stop the heat from coming through.

 

I plan on tinting the pano roof soon. We have another car with the pano roof and it just make the car a gigantic greenhouse even with the shade closed. Difference is on the RDX the AC isn't near as effective. I am always very careful where I park the car when not in a garage. I also bought the vent shades and leave the windows cracked. I also do the vent all the windows from the remote trick as I walk up on a really hot day.

 

Read my post #12 in this thread. I am VERY picky about my car AC, and it works just fine here in one of the hottest cities in the country. I have no complaints. I have had new Mazdas that had ACs that would NOT cool the car, but the RDX can definitely keep up with the heat here, and even after the car has been sitting in 100+ degree sun all day. Pano roof shade closed, and no additional tinting except front door glass.

 

JB - it isn't that simple, it isn't just about temps. High humidity levels show up weak AC units very quickly. Florida gives you high temps and high humidity. For example Phoenix as in the mid 90's. and only about 13% humidity. Today we were close to 90 and about 80% humidity. I lived in Arizona for some time and why it isn't always a "dry heat" humidity levels never approach those in FL. This summer we often say high 90's were I live and humidity levels in the 80-90% range.

I'd rather be in 105 temps with low humidity than 95F with humidity in the 80's. My car says the same thing. I was in Death Valley with temps in according to the car thermometer saying 122 on the road and it kept the car pretty cool. That same car worked much harder to when the outside temps were 90 and 85% humidity.

Part of the job of the AC system is remove the moisture from the air. It is a lot harder to do that when it is very high humidity.

 

That’s actually not accurate, older vehicles yes used on or off type compressor, called a fixed compressor which engages a clutch to power the compressor, the compressor either ran or it didn’t but the RDX has what is called a variable displacement compressor, which means there is no clutch in the compressor, it simply changes the angle of the compressors swash plate, the more it adjusts it the more compression it offers, that’s why you will never notice a thump with the RDX when enabling the AC. So when you set it to a moderate temperature compared to outside it will adjust the compressor to be most efficient and still provide enough cooling to bring the temp to the required level. The more compression the more power it requires from the engine. So technically the AC compressor is always engaged but can have the plate angled to essentially not be compressing hardly anything, and the lower you set your temp the more power from the engine it will require to run the compressor, using the climate control actually is much more efficient then manually turning it on and off at the low setting

watch here:
and here

 

I may be wrong on this, I was almost certain I saw the specs for the Compressor in this vehicle but perhaps I was mistaken

 

This is some cool info here!

 

Your last sentence says it all. You are right, of course.

There is another part of this. Compare two RDXs sitting all day in 90 degree heat, one in FL and one in AZ. It is likely that the one in AZ has an actual higher inside temp, when the when both cars are entered. However, the FL car will take longer to feel cool, due to the humidity, which increases the heat index.

I lived in FL for 1.5 years, and absolutely couldn't deal with the humidity....so I know what you are talking about. You work up a sweat drying off after a shower. Your towel from that drying, is still wet 24 hours later when you shower again. It takes a much lower temperature to feel cool. Here with the low humidity, (I've seen it as low as 6%!) if we go away for a week, the water in our toilet bowls evaporate. Almost completely!

 

Really?


I'm from Louisiana (90% at all times) so tell me about humidity. It's hell to wax a car at night or when it's not sunny. I have had to use a hair dryer. LOL 😆

 

Ah, cool! Very informative post. Good to know for future reference.

 

I may be mis informed I swear I remember reading this, I will need to double check, can anyone else confirm this?

 

IMHO, the AC issue is partially FW related. The auto AC is too conservative, it probably needs to blow air +1 level harder and -2 degree colder. AC temperature also flunctuates too much with idle auto stop engaged...

Having said that, the vents could be larger with more angle of adjustment. This is definitely not the type of car that blows cold air to your body.

 

Try setting the auto temp to what feels cold, NOT what your brain says the temp should be set to. Try 2 degrees lower and you will get that "-2 degree colder" and +1 fan speed. Like shoe sizes, does it matter what number it says if it "fits"?

AC temp fluctuates with Idle stop engaged because the AC compressor is belt driven. When the engine shuts off, so does the compressor, hence no cooling...

 

That is one thing I miss compared to driving a hybrid, the AC still works great even when the engine is off. A hybrid version of the RDX could be pretty interesting. At least you should get very solid initial off the line acceleration.

 

Agree 100%. Electric compressor for cold air while stopped, and the torque from the electric motors provide very nice initial acceleration. Add the better mpg, and win win.

 

Should have mentioned "compared to the AC on other cars that blast cold air". I find I need to set the temperature on RDX lower than my other cars to get similar result.