gardel

Hello all, I bought a 2011 FWD and even though we like the car in general, we cannot stand the stiffness of it anymore. The ride is ok for short commutes, but going on the interstate is way to bouncy for our taste. Lots of wind and road noise too. My tsx is softer than this. At any rate, I am thinking about replacing the car and need good advise. Does anyone know if the 2013 CRV or 2013 Rav4 would have a better ride? I also looked at the Toyota Venza. Those 3 cars are on my budget. I obviously cannot afford a german car and not really interested in something bigger either. Help!!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

TEST Drive them!!!!
seriously, we are all different with DIFFERENT tolerances for stiffness.

the RDX was made this way and going the way of softer Toyota or lexus would be ideal, BUT YOU DONT KNOW unitl you test drive them for yourself, preferably on your regular commute

Kaputnik

What justnspace said. I love the stiffness of the RDX because it is what makes it handle like almost no other SUV, although mine is SH-AWD.

When I shopped for the RDX, I also test drove a 2012 (V6) and 2013 Rav4. They were softer for sure, but even noisier than the RDX. I also couldn't deal with the lack of power in the 2013+ RAV4s. The RDX was just so much tighter, solid feeling and more elegant. That said, the CRV and RAV4 are excellent cars that might suit you better than your FWD RDX. Give 'em a try and report back.

Tomtwtwtw

It's probably fair to say that anything from Toyota will ride softer than the 1G RDX.

mrgold35

The "stiffness" of the RDX is what I really like also. The RDX feels like an extension of me instead of being isolated from the outside environment like my in-law's Rav4. I use my ears, hands, and back/bottom to hear the road noise and feel/read the road condition. If you like to drive A to B with no fuss, the RDX can be a little much because she is always ready to hammer every nail.

My MDX is a very good compromise of the luxury and sporty world with sh-awd and magnetic shocks/struts with comfort/sport modes. Even the tech version of the MDX will have same if not more tech, luxury, and handling compared to the CRV or Rav4. You mpgs will not be that much different than the 11 RDX. I would look at how much $$ you are going to spend and compare all the vehicles in that price range for the best bang for the buck.

I only had my MDX since Jan/14 and ended up putting over 20,000 miles per year because it really expanded and supported what we could do as a family so much easier than when we just had the RDX as the primary vehicle.

gardel

Thanks for the responses. I understand the newer Rav4 (2013-16) is somewhat better on noise and performance. At some point in my life I owned a Corolla, and even though it was an excellent car, I hated every minute of it. Way too blah in all aspects. That said, I own a TSX and enjoy it, but not for long trips. I am looking for a family hauler and commuter for the wife. I will try both the Venza and Rav4. Not interested in the CRV though.. seems to be a rough ride, and not god looking either. I rather keep the RDX if that would be the case. Thanks to all for the replies!

Jdrum1

I always find it funny when people complain about the RDX's rough ride. I daily drove my s2000 for about a year, then went to a 90's 4Runner (with some mild suspension mods). After those two, the RDX is like riding on a cloud!

Your replacement options are sooooo boring!!! Good, but boring!

Kaputnik

I have the same situation - drove Toyota 4x4 pickups for 20+ years until 2014 (damn I still miss that truck!), and have an S2000 for weekend fun. Ya, the RDX feels quiet and cloud-like to me too.

That's why I opted for the RDX over a much newer 2013 RAV4. I liked the RAV4 quite a bit, but I knew I would quickly get bored with the driving experience. The 2012 V6 RAV4 had a sh--tload of power, but was an outdated, tinny rattle box, sort of like my old Tacoma, w/o the s-load of power

DRR98

We have a '92 GMC Sierra Sport pickup (150k mi), a '98 C5 Vert (125k mi) and our '11 RDX (110k mi). They are all sprung stiff. And our RDX is a bit quieter than the vert.

RDX10

For what its worth my MDX has a harder ride than my RDX did by a long shot and I have the ADS shocks and it is always in comfort mode. The RDX was a very controlled but well dampened ride, the MDX on the other hand is rigid as hell, I can feel any bumps on the road. Currently have Goodyear assurance tires on there, cannot wait to swap them for some Michelin latitude tires because I am certain it is the hard and LOUD compund on the tires contributing to the hard ride.

Oh and mine was the 2007 RDX with the supposedly hardest ride.

mrgold35

I usually keep my ADS in sport mode on my MDX. It is just too bouncy at low speeds in comfort mode. I also had 20" conti DWS (soft walled tires) on my MDX for +50,000 miles and just switched to 20" conti DWS 06 tires with a little stiffer sidewall. I still put the MDX sport mode at 1-2 levels below my RDX; but, the MDX is a lot smoother over normal bumps in the road (expansion joints, bumps, uneven surfaces, etc...). I can feel the sh-awd working pretty hard with the extra mass and higher center of gravity on the same turns with the MDX.

I did take my Eibach springs off my RDX about a year ago when I replaced the front/rear struts/shocks (OEM fronts/KYB rear). I also added the Progress RSB for the RDX on the last group buy. Other than being back to OEM ride height, the combo seems to feel and handle very nice for a sporty CUV.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

just different tolerance levels for different ppl.
I love the way I modded my car to be stiff, but when passengers get in, they complain...

gardel

More than tolerance, to me is preference. I am ok driving a sporty ride to work, but I want to be able to take a road trip and feel fresh after many hours of driving. That is Not going to happen with any Acura, unfortunately. Audi or Benz, or even BMW 5 series have the perfect balance between sportiness and comfort. Japanese made cars, in my opinion, have too much road noise. I drove Mercedes, Volvo, Audi, Saab, Acura, Honda, Toyota, Renault, Peugeot and Volkswagen in my life. My daily driver is an acura TSX, lots of fun to drive around town, but Not for more than 2 hours in the highway. All the other cars I mentioned had, in general, much better ride than my beloved tsx and rdx. I don't like floaty rides either, but again, for a long trip I rather get bored than achy.

RDX10

I think in your case it is a combo of a few things. The first thing being that the 2010 elite got the ADS shocks retuned for a larger range between sport and comfort. My comfort mode is not floaty, but when cornering I can feel excessive body roll however in sport mode body roll is almost non existent so I know it works. Possibly the comfort mode is more comfortable in the nee ones, otherwise the dampening feels the same for the most part with the biggest difference being the elimination of vibration in comfort mode.

Another thing is that you have better roads in the south with milder weather, it is pothole city here due to all the frost and the rapidly changing hot and cold conditions here. Lastly I beleive the compound on my wheels is very very hard, on the road I can hear loud thrumming when driving which indicates hard tires as well I like to keep mine inflated at 38psi which is on the harder side I know.

I want to clarify though that it is not harsh. Yes it feels somewhat rigid, but it is never harsh or uncomfortable so please don't misenterpret that.


OP back to your topic, I suggest selling the rdx and buying either a lexus or a Mercedes Benz or even a Lincoln. Your model is supposed to be one of the more comfortable models in the 1G RDX range and there isn't much you can really change. Even look at a 2G RDX, very very comfortable.

Kaputnik

Agreed on the German cars. But since you said they are out of your budget, it does look like something RAV4-ish is your option. Better ride (what about hours-long seat comfort?), but not much difference if any with road noise, and you will sacrifice a significant amount of power. That is something that actually wears on me during a long road trip.

Jdrum1

I really don't miss my 4Runner. I made the mistake of going for the cooling looking 2nd gen, instead of the more reliable 3rd gen.

People always give Toyota accolades for reliability, but the 3VZE engine (in combination with the A34H transmission/t-case) was a head-gasket eating disaster.

Found oil in the coolant, and off to trade for an RDX!

Damn, it did look cool though.....