206er

Wondering if anyone else has been debating grabbing a 2018 RDX soon or holding off for the 2019 RDX this summer?

For current 2018 RDX owners, would you buy your car again?

For what it's worth, I currently drive a 2014 ILX but my family is growing and we need to fit two rear facing car seats in the back seat. Our original next car plan was to go ev with the Tesla Model 3, but after Tesla delayed our delivery date yet again this week to early 2019, I ditched our day 1 reservation and have started looking at both the 2018 and 2019 RDX. One thing that puts me off about the 2018 RDX is mpg, which I assume the 2019 version will improve on. That said, it seems like good deals - purchase and lease - can be had on the 2018, and I assume the 2019 will continue Acura's reputation of offering the most luxury bang for the buck.

Thoughts?

Comfy

If you haven't already got an RDX yet and can wait until the mid year / fall, I don't see any gain in buying it now, unless you prefer the V6 engine (which is great anyway for its smoothness and power). I plan to keep mine for longer time precisely for the V6. But in general the interior of the car is dated and hopelessly so in the next five years. So yes, in your situation I would wait a few more months and buy the latest and greatest what Acura has to offer (you will probably pay similar money for them anyway).

jcross1231

Depends on whether you value price or performance and features. If the former, the '18 would be a great deal when they discount it after the '19s come out - if they ever do discount them. If you're looking for the latest technology and features, wait for the '19. I'm planning on waiting until about this time next year to see what the model line-up winds up being. I'd go for a hybrid if they do that. I'd like to trade before the warranty is up.

chickdr

They are already discounting 18's a lot. They did back in 16 when we got ours too. I would personally NOT buy again. No more Acura's for me after this one goes.

Comfy

kurtatx

I care about driving dynamics. As such, SH-AWD would be key for me. 2019

BLEXV6

The 2nd generation is quite good but the 3rd generation looks fabulous.

S1LV3R-S4MUR41

I wouldn't buy a 2018 at this point in the game. In my opinion, the current RDX is getting long in the tooth. Despite a fairly nice LCI, the current body has been running since MY2012. The second you see a 2019 RDX on the road, you will instantly think of how much you paid (still have to pay) for an older generation car. That being said, I don't mean to rail on peoples decisions - there are lots of people that are perfectly fine with driving something that isn't the latest model because they got a good deal on it. To each their own...

mrgold35

It would seem the 2018 or 2019 RDX would be kinda tight for two rear facing car seats along with additional baby gear in the hatch like a double wide or tandem stroller. I would compared the MDX, Honda Pilot, Honda Odyssey, or even the Honda Ridgeline to the 18 or 19 RDX to see it that will grow with your family for the next few years. Both the new Pilot and Ridgeline has the same sh-awd system, space, tech, towing, and Honda safety systems as the MDX; but, at RDX prices.

jrasero

I went from a 2016 RDX Base AWD to a 2016 ILX Premium due to garage size constraints at the time, living in NYC, and just wanting more features and I totally regretted it. This isn't to say that the RDX 2nd Gen by any means is a perfect car, far from it, but it is leaps and bound more quiet, smooth, and offers better utility compared to an ILX. I have always said the RDX is perfect for a 3-4 person family. Fitting car seats or a stroller is easy.

I lease my cars since I don't drive more than 10K miles a year and the ILX just hasn't been hitting residuals or selling so Acura offered to take back the car and pay off the last 5 payments. I thought of getting a 2018 TLX V6 SH-AWD Tech but the ZF9 transmission, AWD vibrations, poor residuals (53%), and the fact that the TLX only has .5" more rear legroom was concerning. Having owned a 2nd gen RDX before I loved the 3.5 6 speed combo, very quiet ride, and the utility of having a CUV so I decided to get a 2018 RDX AWD Advance sine one of my complaints about the 2016 Base I got was just too little tech features for the money. I got a 2018 because I got a good deal, was able to get an Advance edition, I was able to transfer my 11K unused miles to my new lease (only had to get 7.5K a year), the 2019 RDX while beautiful will probably go for MSRP and might not have been released in time before my ILX lease ended. Also I am also a little weary of getting any new gen tech and while I haven't heard anything bad about the Honda 10 Speed, I kind of want to see how they play out first. Also the car is getting longer and wider which will not fit in my garage or at least make it cumbersome to get out easily.

So my answer is I would wait for the 2019 to be released so you can physically compare the two Gens, and if you feel that the 2018 is still a great car and exactly what you need go for that baring you can get a good price on one. Otherwise the 2019 RDX looks like it is going to sell tons of units and be a very great car with huge refinement upgrades. I went with the 2018 since my hand was a bit forced due to leasing, since Acura's don't lease amazingly to begin with and I don't think the 2019 will be any better initially, plus "luxury" wise I am fine with the 2018 Advance and still find it more refined than any Honda, Kia, Toyota, ect. The Advance would have been great with Apple.Android, panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel. In the end the 3.5 is just awesome to drive, so it will be interesting to see how good Acura tuned the Turbo with ten speed since I was not a huge fan of the 8 speed DCT.

jrasero

I just leased a 2018 RDX AWD Advance and while I got a "good" deal, 14% off MSRP I wouldn't say it was an amazing deal or one that made the 1% rule. With that being said RDX's are not at this time being heavily discounted like we saw with the TLX's last year. Maybe this will happen but my opinion is that Acura will probably just let their stock dwindle down without restocking until the 2019 come out providing small discounts on the 2018's. Honda/Acura doesn't do huge incentives often

As per the Sport Hybrid, they got to drop the Hybrid moniker. I think the Sport Hybrid is an awesome system that not only provides increase performance but better MPG, but there is a huge stigma over the word Hybrid. Honestly the Sport Hybrid is the only trim I would consider a MDX in since the ZF9 has been so bad in that especially.

206er

Why no more Acuras?

206er

We live in the middle of a major city and our townhouse has a small 1-car garage, so anything much bigger than the RDX probably wouldn't fit. I'm not interested in street parking since our neighbors have a knack for smacking each other's cars while parallel parking. Honestly, the only big hold ups I have with the current RDX are gas mileage and antiquated tech. Since 99% of our driving is city driving, a V6 scare me but I'm not sure how much it will differ from a turbo 4.

As for interior space, I think the RDX will be fine. It's bigger than the smaller Tesla sedan we were going to buy, and I was able to fit 2 rear facing car seats and our stroller in that car, and even have room in the frunk for groceries (got to drive one for a a few hours).

206er

Thanks! I'm sick of our ILX, but we bought it after the lease ended as a band-aid solution until our Tesla was to be ready so all we can get out of it is poor trade-in value or probably a few grand from a private party sale. How has gas mileage been for you driving in the city?

RDX10

206er

Thanks! We're super conservative drivers, so we'll definitely be utilizing way more 4 cylinder than turbo.

As for tech, that's good to hear. We've always felt like our ILX was behind the times, but the super great lease deal we got on it to be begin with offset those concerns. Now tat we one the car, have 1 car seat in the back and will need another one back there soon, I can't stand it. Also doesn't help that we were expecting our next car to be a Tesla I guess.

jrasero

I live in NYC (Pelham Bay Bronx) so I have gotten as low as 17-18 MPG but that is when it's almost all stop and go traffic and I am in Manhattan. It really depends on your average speed but I average around 22-23 MPG, I do a lot of short errand runs. Compare this to the NX200T the RDX stacks up pretty well considering it has a V6.

I didn't mind the ILX with DCT since it was a decent car to whip around but everyone else who road in it hated it, just too loud, choppy, and no way rear facing car seats can fit into that.

BTW let us know how the model 3 is. What options did you get in yours? MKBHD did a semi review on one and he was pointing out it easily reach north of $50k+ when properly optioned out. Is Tesla offering leases for the 3?

RDX10

Tech

Exactly why I bought my 2017, thinking that models usually last 5 years, although the 2nd gen lasted 6 years.

Absolutely, having seen the 2019 "Prototype". I lucked in because there are so many things about it I don't like. But those are personal choice issues.

chickdr

With all the issues we have had with our 16, no way I would buy another one. Going to another brand next time around.

mrgold35

How much of an overlap is there between your ILX lease ending and when the 2019 RDX hits the road? Since you lease, their might be other choices to fill the gap if you want to give the 2019 RDX time to workout any bugs. It is unbelievable the amount of SUVs/CUVs available around the same price point like:
- Audi A4 allroad, Q3, Q5
- GLC or GLA
- BMW X1, X2, X3, X4
- XC40, XC60, V60
- E-Pace, F-Pace
- Discovery Sport
- Evoque
- Stelvio
- QX30, QX50, QX60
- Lincoln MKX
- Caddy XT5
- Lexus NX, RX
- 2018 or 2019 RDX

jrasero

Well unless you get a fabulous deal or just love some of the following cars you can easily cross off the GLA, Discovery Sport, Evoque, QX30, MKX, XT5
GLA is a piece of crap overpriced FWD Mercedes, GLC would be a much better fit wise for you
Discovery Sport at $50K base lacks even the basic power lift gate and gets probably the worst MPG out of all these listed cars. The only redeeming factor is the optional third row.
Evoque and even the E-Pace are on the smaller side in their segment. The Evoque has the terrible ZF-9 transmission. Financing or leasing they aren't great deals
XT5 just a frumpy re-badged Equinox that balloons to $50K+, luckily GM does does throughout some great incentives
QX30 while a better value than the GLA, they are basically the same car. Putting car seats in this or the GLA is tight.
MKX terrible leasing car/brand unless Ford/Lincoln has some nice incentives out. Will be refreshed shortly so either wait and look at the refresh or get a good deal on a current gen. Personally I think this is one of the more underrated cars

mrgold35

Still leaves a lot of choices on the table even if you exclude all from your above list if a short term 3 yr lease for a city mostly CUV with awd is all you need. You can almost double the pick from list if you include the other brands from Honda, Toyota, Subie, Mazda, Ford, or GM around the same size. The 18 RDX isn't that much bigger than the Mazda CX-5 inside and out.

206er

We bought our ILX after its lease ended, assuming that we would just drive it until the Tesla was ready. Unfortunately, Tesla's delivery estimate continues to be a moving target, so we canceled our reservation after the 3rd delay since we need a new car soon (last estimated delivery date was pushed to early 2019).

So a current lease is not a constraint for us - we are free to replace our ILX at any time. I'm inclined to stay with Acura since Honda/Acura has always produced good reliable cars (and sorta down on going with an American company base don prior reliability issues), and the 2019 RDX looks amazing on many levels. That said, I'm remotely worried about size since we have a small garage and live and do most of our driving in a city.

I really appreciate all of the feedback as I'm trying to make the best next car choice possible for our family!

jrasero

If you are leasing there are two theories: get the best car/brand possible that fits your needs or get a car more based on the best deal possible, sometimes the two can coincide but not always. I highly recommend looking into lease hacker and checking out their forums. A lot of people, dealers, and brokers post on there. There are a lot of great posted deals which may not be 100% obtainable but give a good baseline. While I stuck with Acura since they offer millage rollover, which is huge IMO and not many leasing companies offer this, if I had to start over fresh I probably would just have taken the best deal possible whether it been a Volvo or a Mercedes or anything in between. BTW Acura's don't tend to lease well despite their above average residuals since Acura Financial can be pretty stingy with the MF at times and they are pitiful with incentives. It will be interesting to see what they throw at the 2018 RDX since when I bought they were only giving out $2750. I doubt they throw out incentives like they did for the 2017 TLX's. Also I can't imagine the 2019 sell much bellow MSRP if at all and incentives should be pretty slim and with all the new tech IMO I could see the MSRP rising since a RDX AWD Base starts at $37500, I could see Acura easily pushing this to $39K and change MSRP (Topspeed.com also projects a $39,900 MSRP)

If you don't plan to keep this car beyond your lease, really go wild in whatever you get since things like reliability and maintenance are really non factors in leasing. Also don't be afraid to lease a demo vehicle, some of the best deals come from people scoring lightly driven BMW demos that just lease out fantastically with zero down.

jrasero

Without a doubt. One of the biggest reasons why my father would never be a lease candidate is not really because he drives more than 15K a year (but is an issue) but more so he is such a loyal Honda guy. Leasing really is about opportunity, sometimes Acura, particular model, trim, or even region is just not going to lease out well. Plus Acura rarely falls into the 1% rule for leasing. Also some of the brands you mentioned like Toyota, Ford, and GM simply have better leasing incentives and rebates more often. IE whatever reason the RAV4 Hybrids just aren't moving in the North East and there are some great deals on that car. The BMW i3 due to incentives can go as low as $100 with nothing down depending on your state. If you don't get hung up on brands, Lincoln had awesome zero down leases. I looked over at the TLX forum the other day and someone made a really great point that Infiniti and the Q50 just offers better incentives. Countless times I have heard former and even current Acura owners moan about how the TLX would be competent with a twin turbo V6, well Lincoln (even Ford w/ Fusion Sport) offers one but for various reasons people ignore the brand, but if you told me I could get a 400HP MKZ for what a TLX is going for take my money.

Kaputnik

Deal or not, buying a "new" 2018 seems like a lot of money for a 6-year old model. But there should be some great deals on lightly-used, CPO 2016s, which is the exact same vehicle. A nice way to save 10-15 grand. I suspect 30k miles on one of these amounts to nothing in terms of longevity.

206er

I guess it comes down to evaluating our criteria against what's available or coming on the market. We plan to lease since I'm pretty sure that a lot of manufacturers will be transitioning to electric vehicle offerings in the next 3-5 years, so buying a gas car now seems eh. Also, tech seems to be moving a lot faster than ever, and our ILX, which has always been meh in my opinion, feels ancient.

We need a bigger car than our ILX that can accommodate 2 rear facing car seats for a while with me in the front seats at 6'2", and would prefer a luxury car (comfortable heated seats, leather/leatherette for kid spills, quiet ride, decent tech, reliably good build quality), and mpg as good or better than our ILX.

My wife, who actually likes our ILX and drives it more than me (I bike commute daily), liked the RDX we test drove because she thinks it seems like a bigger and better version of our ILX. We also test drove a 2018 CR-V EX-L and it's a good car but neither of us really cared for it. The V6 gas mileage of the RDX kind of scares me, but the size might be just right for us.

We and some family/friends have had poor experiences with Fords, Cadillacs, and Chevys, so we're kinda of down on American brands in general. We drove a Hyundai sedan on vacation a few months ago and it was ok comfort-wise, but not something I'd want to be committed to for 36 months or more.

I guess we're leaning 2019 RDX over 2018 RDX at this point unless some super deal emerges in the Seattle area that mitigates my mpg concern. Hopefully it isn't too big, or reviews end up being terrible.

Comfy

jrasero

That's why even with the 2019 on the horizon I leased a 2018 Advanced. Alternatively if I waited the 2019 RDX, a BMW X1, Audi Q3 were my top leasing picks or buying a 2018 Forester 2.0 Touring.

The BMW X1 was one of my top choices due to size, but lease wise it currently has no incentives, 5.9% residual (36 month 10K), and has a MF that translates to 3.64% and requires a pretty high down payment to offset this, ouch. Plus typical Germans, they nickle and dime you for every option

Audi Q3 only incentive was $1000 loyalty, MF 3.4% APR, 60% residual a little better, Q3 packages don't nickle and dime as much since there are only two main packages but leasing for the car is not great by any means

Forester 2.0 Touring was an option for the 0% APR for 63 Months. The Forester by no means is a luxury car but the Touring is pretty well equipped and even has a panoramic sunroof and heated steering wheel, something the RDX lacks even on the Advance trim. It's 2.0 turbo is pretty awesome even though it is slower than the RDX. Forester is being refreshed this year so another car in refresh limbo, but car is supposed to ride on all new platform getting wider and longer like the RDX. Buying a Forester would have been one of my top options but one my wife refused to get a Subaru (she is kind of a snob) and the Forester just was louder and road harder than the RDX. I am 31 but I actually like softer riding cars and the 2018 RDX reminds me of a smaller toned down Lexus RX due to its comfort and quiet cabin. BTW the NX while a nice car luxury wise is slower and louder cabin wise than an RDX and provides less interior space. The new Lexus RX 350L 3 throw seems like a great alternative to the MDX albeit the third row on the MDX seems a lot more comfortable.

I really hoped Acura would have brought over the CDX sooner since I think it would kill in North America since sub-compact crossovers are all the rage in the US, but there aren't many luxury or performance oriented ones.

There is one other car I forgot to look more was a Mazda CX-9 which my wife actually loves. The signature edition is absolutely beautiful and luxury/style wise is even on par if not better than the upcoming 2019 RDX. The signature CX-9 tops out at $45K which is were a mid-high 2019 RDX will be. I have never been a huge fan of the modern CX 3 and 6 due to power, while they handle great and have amazing style for their category they just lack balls to be honest. While the CX-9 isn't breathtaking fast 7.2 seconds for a car its size is only a second more than a RDX/MDX more or less. When I drove the CX-9 I was impressed with the turbo, however if size is an issue a three row crossover is a non starter.

206er

Great feedback everyone!

Any thoughts on the upcoming BMW X2 or Volvo XC40? They're both small, but seem like great cars for getting around the city, and occasionally over mountain passes.

jrasero

From what I can tell the X2 really is just a shorter, less ground clearance, sportier looking X1. They have the same engine and same rear legroom. I doubt the deals on a X2 will be better than a X1.

The XC40 I really like but there is no leasing info on it to my knowledge and I doubt lease incentives will be great. However a couple months ago Volvo had huge incentives even on their inscription models through Costco. Volvo does have their new "Care" program which is sort of a 24 month lease program that requires just a $500 deposit, all maintenance included, 15K miles a year, option to upgrade after 12 months, with $600 and $700 per month model (not including taxes or fees). However the kicker is insurance through Liberty Mutual is included. You also have the option to buy after the two years. Leasing gurus probably will hate this since there is no haggling involved and the car is only offered in two trims, but depending on your insurance premiums and if you (want) upgrade every 12-24 months this could be a better value/option.

S1LV3R-S4MUR41

I see some mention of the Q5 here. To be honest, I was always kind of curious what the Q5 would be like because so many people had touted it for it's refinement and sportiness. Long story short, I had one as an rental while my car was being repaired and I can say without a doubt that the Q5 is (imho) an incredible pile of turd. It was straight trash. Turbo lag, body swing, and the tacky red interior were too much for me. I almost went back to the enterprise and asked for a 320i instead. For those of you who were ever curious about trying out the Q5, do yourself a favour and try one. You will immediately appreciate the fact that you didn't sink money in to it. My protein powder dealer bought new S5 sport coupe and can't wait to get rid of it as well. The turbo lag and point and shoot mannerisms are junk. If I had to go German, I'd stick to BMW or Mercedes. Audi is definitely a pass, especially the Q5.

RDX10

Comfy

jajji

5K markup and they didn't allow a test drive? Wow. I test drove the RDX last week and the sales guy didn't bother to ask for my license. These guys are trash.

jrasero

I re-leased my 2018 RDX AWD Advance at the end of January and was debating waiting until my lease ended in June to get the 2019 but speculated (rightfully so) at least for leasing MF, incentives, and sale prices would be terrible for the 2019 models. Without a doubt the 2019 is a better car but you have to remember that the base model with AWD starts at $40295 with destination, which is a lot of money. I paid negotiated my 2018 Advance AWD to $39K. For me a 2018 Advance is better than a 2019 Base. Really the best value trim is Tech but that is $43495 which is almost what an 2018 Advance was MSRP. I think the Tech is a better car than a 2018 Advance and would get a 2019 Tech if I could get it for factory price and had third party financing or was paying cash.

MVD4912

wendtdc13

I was able to get a 2019 Tech AWD for $39,795 ($3700 off MSRP) in Illinois which was a great deal. I was very happy with this. I added on LED fog lights today which look amazing, rear bumper applique, cargo protector, premium floor mat, cargo tray and door edge film. Car looks stunning for this price.

Hou-RL

You are the first person I have seen to obtain below invoice pricing on a 2019 RDX AWD. We have been looking at pricing and the best anyone has been able to obtain was $2500 discount for the Advance. You should share this great information and dealer with others on the 3rd generation forum. I assue you we are ALL interested in knowing how this was negotiated.