jhr3uva90

So, I had a 2014 RLX w/P-AWS and the Tech package as a loaner car for 3 days. It is a very nice car. I noticed that the features that I liked the most about the RLX are also on the 2013 ZDX. If there are any 2013 ZDX owners out there, could you please give me your opinions about the following? Thanks.

-- ELS Audio System (especially with Bluetooth streaming)
-- Heated/Cooled Seats (which the RLX Tech doesn't have)
-- Blind Spot Warning
-- Backup Camera (does it also come with rear sensors?)
-- SH-AWD (which I think is a major shortcoming of the RLX/P-AWS)
-- Folding Mirrors (do they automatically fold when you lock the car?)

lumpulus

-- ELS Audio System (especially with Bluetooth streaming)
I'm a talk radio guy mostly, but it's a great system, I had it in my '06 RL as well, but this is better because you can have autoburn music to the onboard HDD(at 15GB it's way too small.)

-- Heated/Cooled Seats (which the RLX Tech doesn't have)
I can only speak for the heating part as I picked up the ZDX at the end of January, but they heat up FAST, something I thought was lacking in my RL..when I say FAST, I mean you feel heat on your butt in less than 30 seconds.

-- Blind Spot Warning
I HATE this , I know how to drive, so it's an insult to me...problem is, when I turned it off, it gives you a light telling you that. It's distracting, extremely distracting. Others may like it, but I don't like any type of driver aid that dumbs down the driver. I drive in the metro Boston area daily, so it's always beeping and chirping. I would also never get CMBS or would turn it off. Can you tell I hate it?

-- Backup Camera (does it also come with rear sensors?)
The sensors are there for the LDW system, you can turn the lines off if wanted, and there are 3 views(fisheye, normal and straight down) that you switch by hitting the Nav enter button. VERY handy. The only down side is I came from an Infiniti M35X(RL engine blew and I had to find an AWD car quick) and the gradient lines in the M35 camera turned when you turned the wheel. I really liked that.(it was about the ONLY thing I liked about the Infiniti)

-- SH-AWD (which I think is a major shortcoming of the RLX/P-AWS)
Since I got SH-AWD in my RL I have been in love with it. The ZDX system is just as good. my G/F has a new '14 RDX(we got the ZDX and RDX at the same time) and had it in her '07 RDX as well. At this time the only car I would replace the ZDX would be the SH-AWD RLX.

-- Folding Mirrors (do they automatically fold when you lock the car?)
They do not and I find that pretty stupid. I'm usually a 1/2 mile down the road when I see they are still folded in.

Hope that helps!

jhr3uva90

This is very good information!

The folding mirrors don't fold automatically? That is stupid! I'm glad there is a push-button fold, at least. The ZDX is pretty wide and parking spots around here tend to be narrow (because they were made when cars where smaller, I guess).

lumpulus

The wide flanks make backing into my garage an interesting event....with the RL it wasn't an issue at all, but it looks like I have inches to spare with the ZDX. It is shorter though, so that's a plus.

Yeah, I don't get why they didn't give you more options with the folding mirrors. All you can do is, push button, they fold, push button again, they deploy.

jhr3uva90

Acura should have made the folding mirrors automatic on the ZDX like on the RLX. Oh well, I'm just glad the ZDX has that feature, considering how wide it is. Too bad the new MDX does not have folding mirrors.

lumpulus

When I was bored at lunch today I was trying to read up on the features, and found this little gem on a dealership website

"A button on the left side of the dash will fold the mirrors back, making it easier for the ZDX to fit in tight parking spaces or inside garages. You can set the mirrors to automatically extend out again when the ZDX is started."

Needless to say, that second sentence piqued my interest. I downloaded the owner's manual, and the only reference to folding mirrors is on page 143, and it says NOTHING about this "automatic" extension, so I called Acura customer relations. I talked to a very nice lady who put me on hold several times to "research" the issue, and finally came back to say she'd have to call me back. They tried to blame it on me using my Driver 1 preset, at first.

Here's what I think.....the sentence in bold is on quite a few Acura Dealership sites, so it's probably boilerplate marketspeak.(Google it and see.)

I think the way to "automatically" extend the mirrors on startup is to;

1. Park and push button to fold mirrors
2. Turn ignition off.
3. Push mirror fold button again. Mirrors stay folded because power is off.
4. Start car, mirrors extend.

jhr3uva90

I think that is an oversight on Acura's part.

lumpulus

Acura Customer Relations called me back(left a message on the phone# I told them I would not be checking instead of the one I requested them to) and blamed the dealer network for this "misleading" information. Anyway, the steps I described in Post #6 work, and I guess technically you can call that "automatic".