WRXtranceformed

Hi all, wow its been a while since I have been on this site! It looks like the last time I logged on was November of 2011 right before I sold my TL-S. Well we're back in the Acura family again as we purchased and are picking up a mint 2012 RDX AWD with tech package tomorrow. A birthday gift for my wife and much needed for our family as her Elantra was a great little car but not so good for when we visit our family up in the mountains of WVA!

Here are some dealership pics, will maybe post up a few more when we take delivery:









I initially liked the MDX a lot more but I am glad we pulled the trigger on this RDX as it's one of the most fun CSUVs I've ever driven. We also looked at a 2013 and 2014 but overall did not like the softness of the vehicle nor the "downgraded" AWD system. Plus as soon as I saw you could get a tune for this car I was sold I feel super comfortable that this car will last for a long time and get us where we need to go through mud sand and snow.

As for my car, I sold the TL-S for a CTS 3.6DI Premium which was okay and traded that in a year and a half later on the Jag. It's been one of the best all around cars I've ever owned. It also doesn't leave the garage much so we will be using the new RDX to the fullest

My wife has been browsing the forums already and this may be her first foray into the car forum world, so you may see her post up on here as well. Looking forward to acquiring and contributing knowledge to the Acura community again!

MrsWRX

Hey everyone! We're excited to be picking up our RDX tomorrow! Then, the fun will begin. Tint, tune, wheels, etc.

mrgold35

Man!! That looks like a super clean RDX. I have both (RDX and MDX) and the RDX is a lot more fun to drive around town. It has better 360 visibility, shorter and easier to park, plenty of TQ, easy cargo access, better mpgs and a little more front leg room for me (6'3" tall). I would recommend Hondata for $300+shipping, it will increase the fun factor of the RDX (along with mpgs).

You need to find some curves to put the sh-awd to work. I've had my RDX in the mountains of Colorado on I-70 on Eisenhower pass at +11,000 feet and the RDX was a beast up and down the mountain. Turbo is the way to go for TQ and high altitude driving.

superblast

It looks really sharp in the pictures, nice find! I think you'll be very happy with the RDX.

I bought a used 2007 Tech in 2010 and love the car. I was recently entertaining the idea of replacing it with a first gen refresh and even had a 2010 picked out but it turned out to be a hurricane Sandy car that somehow made it's way to Texas.

I've had the 2nd gen RDX as a loaner a couple of times and it's just not the same car anymore. A couple of weeks ago I had a refreshed 2016 loaner while I was getting my serpentine belt and spark plugs replaced. Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice vehicle and I like a lot of the updates to it. It drives very nice and has strong, linear acceleration. It's just missing the fun factor that the turbo and SH-AWD bring. It drives more like a minivan now. I still think the first version of the first gen is by far the best the car has looked too. I only wish I could mix the two together to get the fun plus the upgraded features.

WRXtranceformed

Thanks guys! We have been super pleased with the purchase so far. After taking it to the dealer to address some warranty items, most of which seem to be pretty common on these (broken headlight seal, blown speaker, etc.), they gave us a 2015 RDX loaner. It completely reaffirmed our decision to go with the 2012 instead. Superblast is right it feels like a totally different vehicle, aesthetically and from the drivers standpoint. The new RDX just feels more like a "Honda" if that makes sense. My wife completely hated the newer version!

The car surprised us a bit on the way home, I think we averaged almost 28mpg on the trip, now getting closer to 19/20 with mixed city driving and keeping the foot in the boost a little It is a surprisingly fun vehicle to drive and I could see why people like to throw a few mods at them. Thankfully my car is the mod money pit so no huge plans for this thing. We picked up some wheel locks because chrome Acura rims seem to beg for it to end up on blocks somewhere, also snagged OEM all weather mats and a Weathertech sun shade. Got tinting scheduled for next week and may cover the headlights in clear Lamin-x or similar material to protect the UV coating from peeling (like we saw on a lot of used RDXs). We gave it a full interior detail yesterday including a Pinnacle / Lexol leather treatment because the seats were DRY, but it's also very likely I will pony up for a full paint correctional. There is a lot of spider webbing, scratches and a few spots with buffer burn.

Beyond that, side step rails and possibly mud guards, swap the license plate lights to LEDs and maybe a CP-E intake that I was looking at last night :P The one thing I am looking forward to is the fall / winter when the weather finally cools down. You can feel this engine heat soak like crazy right now and it's pronouncing the turbo lag.

RDX10

WOW looks mint! Congratulations on the great purchase, you have probably bought the most bullet proof version too as they had 6 years to perfect it. Though I personally prefer the pre-facelift model, this still looks really slick and I like the leather in the refresh RDX

WRXtranceformed

Thank you!! Yeah it was a blessing finding this one in such good condition, with low mileage and the options / color combo we wanted. I am definitely with you on the styling; I prefer the back of this car definitely to the new gen but like the front of the first gen and new gen better than the "beak" on this one. It is growing on me, I want to Plastidip / black out the beak but my wife likes it.

And regarding the leather I def agree, we like these seats a lot more than those in the 2013+. I am a little spoiled because the leather in my XFR is of much, much higher quality but a day outside in the heat after a cleaning and Lexol treatment has these seats in much better shape. If the previous owner had this car another 15k miles before she turned it in, these seats probably would have already started to crack...hopefully we caught it right in time. The conditioning process on the middle console and the side armrests made a MASSIVE difference.

MrsWRX

Thanks guys, we LOVE the 2012! As my husband stated above, though, we had the loaner fully loaded 2015 RDX with tech package for 4 whole days and I HATED it. That's not even a strong enough word. Listen, I get that it gets better gas mileage now, smoother acceleration, and that they changed the body style to appeal to more people, but that apparently meant that they downgraded the actual interior. It no longer feels like an Acura. It feels and looks like a Honda on the interior. Actually, I take that back, most of the fully loaded Honda line up is actually nicer and more thoughtfully laid out on the inside than the new RDXs. In my opinion, they completely missed it on the new RDX line. If they took the luxury and thoughtful layout of the first generation and paired it with the body and engine of the new RDX they would have a winner. But that's not the case. I seriously hope that in the next several years they get their stuff together so that I actually want to purchase another RDX when this one is done (which hopefully is a long long long time) .

One big problem with the new RDX that I have yet to see on any forum anywhere has me absolutely floored. Maybe because their aren't many women on these forums. But then again there aren't many women like me who grew up restoring antique cars. Anway, I'm only 5'2, but I have driven everything...a Yukon, Land Cruiser, Expedition, and Jeep to other vehicles I've rented for travel and I have NEVER had the issue that I had in the new RDX... and that is that at the highest setting I could get the seat I still could not see comfortably enough over the dash and out the side windows to feel comfortable driving very far. In order to feel like I could safely see enough I would have needed a booster seat. I'm dead serious. I do not have this problem in my 2012 RDX and I have NEVER had it in any SUV or car. Even my husband and the salesman agreed that you sit much much lower in the new RDXs compared to the first gen. And the fact that they decided to unnecessarily jut the nav screen and gauge cluster so far up above the dash makes it all that much worse and takes away from your field of vision out the front.

Functional deep console, replaced with a shallow nearly useless console. Lockable console, gone. Ergonomic/intuitively placed steering wheel controls, gone. Great looking high contrast easy to read gauge cluster, gone. Comfy good looking ergonomic leather center console, gone and replaced with hard plain console rest. Decent seat controls and positioning, gone. Thick ergonomic comfortable steering wheel, gone and replaced with thin uncomfortable wheel. Large functional side pockets on the doors, replaced with a pocket 1/3 the size. Mini storage compartments (with hinged lids) on the front doors, gone.

Also, many of the leather accents on the doors and other places were replaced with plastic. Our 2012 is carpeted up the side of the floor to the dash and not only looks nice, but makes it so that we don't have scratches etc on our floor walls. The new gen has easily scratched plastic there right where all of your passengers are inevitably going to gouge it with their shoes and you could already see the damage on the loaner we had with only 11,000 miles. I feel like the luxury and thoughtfulness that makes Acura what it is has been cast aside in the new models for more fuel efficiency and affordability. That's now we have ever bought our Acuras.

I could seriously go on and on about how much I disliked the new RDX, but I will say, there were a few pros:

-The multi view backup camera.
-Some of the new phone integration features.
-Better gas mileage.
-Slightly better/smoother acceleration.

Overall, I feel like the luxury and thoughtfulness that makes Acura what it is has been cast aside in the new models for more fuel efficiency and affordability. That's not why we have ever bought our Acuras. That's not why anyone has ever bought Acuras. You buy Acura for the extra luxury, thought, durability, and performance. And I really hope again, that by the time we're ready to purchase again, that I can see a CUV or SUV in their lineup that makes me want to stay in the Acura Family.

RDX10

If your rdx was black or white, I can see plasti dipping the grill for sure, but being the color it is, I am not sure it would look right. Conversely you could plastidip the surround and leave the middle part or even paint the surround body color and the leave the center piece alone.

Oh for sure, I am mostly pretty disappointed with the quality of the leather in Acura's previous vehicles, but the latest generation of Acura's has mostly rectified that. Though probably still not as nice as a jaguar (not surprisingly or expected). I heard the leatherique brand of products is also capable of working miracles on leather. I can't ever understand how people don't take care of their vehicles, especially when purchasing new.

RDX10

Well I will say this YOU GO MRSWRX!!!!

I absolutely agree with all of your point about the interior and exterior changes and everything in between. I feel like the old RDX had this little punchy pokey character that I love about it. The interior is really thoughtfully laid out and the dash cluster layout is simply amazing (save for useless stupid +\- boost gauge).

I LOVE the super deep central storage bin and I really really really like the hinged mini storage bins in the doors, PERFECT for a phone or mints or a thousand other little things. I have to admit though that I would have liked the 3.5 V6 a lot more than the 2.3 turbo due to the smoothness and dependability and fuel economy, but I bet it would have lead to a crap load of nose heavy driving dynamics.

I will argue though that I feel that the interior of the new RDX is actually of higher quality than the previous RDX. The first gen RDX was not bad at all, but the new one has much more soft touch materials and is much quieter and smoother as well. The nav screen is WAY better rendered in the new RDX, the controls seem more logically laid out in the center dash as well and the new 6 speed transmission is a MAJOR step up imho compared to the old 5 speed. But all in all, I do see the new RDX as a step Backwards not forwards like it should have been.

schen72

The problem with the 1st gen RDX is that it was too much of an enthusiast's car. The 2nd gen design appeals to more people, and the RDX became one of Acura's best sellers. I like to think of the RDX as almost a sports car but for someone who can't afford to have a dedicated sports car.

RDX10

Haha "problem" really depends on who's angle you look from. From an enthusiasts perspective, it was a perfect move, from the company's perspective, it wasn't the best move. I agree that making it purely for fun and sporty driving wasn't winning sales, but I don't like how they decided to completely remove any essence of sport from the RDX.

It drives like a front heavy fwd vehicle now, even in AWD form. Acura should have made some form of adaptive dampener system and kept the SH-AWD with the current RDX, but also kept all the other changes they made. I don't feel that the new RDX is ugly, it is actually really good looking from some angles, but still too soft and mushy now.

WRXtranceformed

It is black but I am with you, I would probably leave the Acura symbol and dip everything around it, maybe hit it with a coat of clear dip. But yeah MrsWRX likes it so I am fine with the way it is

Yeah financially I see why they did it, it just makes me happier you can still scoop these up with low mileage and enjoy the "fun" version for a long time. On the second point, you can also do what we did and get both

RDX10

Oh, I thought it was grey pearl. Then yes I would try blacking out the surround and then using the gloss spray and making the surround shiny. It would actually look really nice and help to mute it a bit.

Nice jag! I am a huge fan of their current design language. Can't wait till the F-Pace comes out.

I will never buy an suv that isn't at least a little sporty, I just can't live with all the wallowy crap and the spongy suspension. It is possible to have fun in an SUV, just gotta find the right one!

schen72

If they kept the SH-AWD system, the price would just be too high to be competitive, and truthfully, the target demographic just doesn't care. I finally saw a MMC RDX on the street, and it does look very sharp now, with the thin LED strip for DRL. I hope this means Acura is no longer going to implement DRL by simply turning on the LED headlights. It always bothered me in that it would prematurely wear out the LED bulbs.

RDX10

I have to disagree with that, the RDX competes in the compact luxury SUV class and most of its' competition are a few thousand more expensive similarly equipped, but most have advanced AWD systems (Xdrive, quattro, and 4matic). So adding the SH-AWD system shouldn't effect sales, but should lead to a more premium and composed driving experience.

BUT, with all that said, I agree. People who buy the RDX, or really any crossover are rarely buying for the driving experience and I am sure the RDX is competent enough. I haven't driven it yet, but from most reviews, it delivers a firm and controlled driving experience which is good enough.

I also agree, the newest RDX is actually looking pretty slick, I think it now looks like how it should have looked all along.

WRXtranceformed

First "mod" other than all weather mats and updating the nav: 6k LED license plate bulb swap. Step by step how-to is in the DIY section

Before:

After:

Jakes_tl

Congrats on the RDX! That is one very sweet Jag!

RDX10

This is definitely a mod I plan to do, this along with led or hid projector fogs and something led for the tail lights. Possibly going to get some led light tubes and make a line around the edge of the tail lights. If not, then those led bulbs that spread out like a 5 point star/spider/bullet point.

EDIT: I hate how dead this part of the forum is, really sucks because I have been on really active forums in the past and it was awesome. But thankfully it appears to have been REALLY active in the past and that has yielded fantastic DIY's.

WRXtranceformed

Thanks man! I stretched its legs a little when I took it to the golf course this morning...it loves this cooler weather
I agree, even the Jag forums are more active than this one but that's alright maybe some of us newcomers can breath some life into it

RDX10

I used to be on a Touareg forum and that forum is actually really active, the Touareg also sold in tiny number compared to everything else, so I am a little shocked at how dead it is here. The Touareg costs nearly twice as much but has more aftermarket support thanks to sharing good bones with the porsche cayenne and audi q7.

I am hoping that as the RDX resale value lowers and becomes more affordable to the younger crowd, we can get more members to join and hopefully bring the forum back. Thankfully we have a few members on here who really went to great lengths to improve this vehicle. If it hadn't been for these members, we would not have had a crap ton of after market parts currently available.

WRXtranceformed

Yeah that would be awesome to see things keep going...one thing going against the community is that Acura made the newer versions into more of a mommy-mobile and made them less appealing to driving enthusiasts. Unfortunately that demographic generally isn't big into modding cars so we might just end up being a weird automotive niche. But I'm cool with that I absolutely love this car.

How did you like the Touareg? We didn't seriously consider any German cars because we are keeping this until the wheels fall off and I didn't trust a German car to not cost a ton of money in the long run. I did briefly look at the SQ5 earlier this year as well as the Porsche Macan S but again I didn't want to own either of those out of a warranty period.

RDX10

Yeah it is very unfortunate that Acura turned the new RDX into a mom mobile. Kinda sucks because it would have been bad ass to see a twin turbo V6 RDX with SH-AWD and I agree, no offense intended, but if you see some of the things being discussed on the second gen RDX forums in terms of mods.....it is such a shame.

LOVED the Touareg, it was awesome, it honestly was hard to find a hard plastic part in the interior. The steering wheel and gauge cluster and shifter were lifted out of the bently. Real wood and real leather everywhere. Used to shock my friends because I would be going 120 on the highway and they couldn't tell. It drove amazing in the snow as well. But of course, reliability was complete shit excuse my language. I put $4k into it and still had some other issues. The new generation of German vehicles is different though, mine was an 07, the new Touaregs are nearly bullet proof.

The SQ5 is actually a dream vehicle for me, but I don't think I would purchase it. I may lease it, but I would never purchase. The engine, the transmission, the drive train all scare the heck out of me. This is why I am incredibly thankful that the RDX came with a turbo engine and SHAWD. It gets German handling in a reliable compact japanese package.

I still didn't buy an RDX yet, I am waiting for a good 2007-2009 tech package to come up, they are so rare, get snapped up in minutes and usually WAY over priced (like 17k for a model with nearly 100k miles or more).

I am glad you are enjoying your so much! i really hope to enjoy mine as well.

WRXtranceformed

Nice! The Touareg came up as a competitor to the Grand Cherokee which we were cross-shopping...I didn't realize how well those things do off-road. The electricals are what always concern me about German cars and yea I felt the same way about the Audi in the long run...lots of complicated things that could go wrong. We even looked at the Cherokee Trailhawk but the disastrous 8-speed transmissions in those scared me away.

I think you will be really happy with the turbo RDX, we love it and I love it more than I thought I would. Good luck with the search; as someone who has bought two cars online "sight unseen" I would recommend you open up your geographic filter as much as you can. We bought this RDX 6 hours away near my hometown in VA. If you wait on local dealers to "find" or get what you want in stock you will be waiting a long time...and even then it could be a while. I looked at XFRs for 6 months, even flew to Dallas to test drive one before I found the perfect example I bought from a dealer in Milwaukee.

RDX10

Oh for sure, the Touareg is incredibly capable off road, but can't hold a candle to the 2004-2010 touaregs that had locking differentials, air suspension, and low range gear boxes and transfer cases. The new ones employ fully electrical off-road techno whizardry, no longer mechanical. But they get the benefit of sitting on a very advanced platform and AWD system. Of for sure, Germans only build vehicles good for the 2-3 year lease period or 50k kms. Then everything falls apart and crap hits the fan and your turbo fails, your timing chain fails, your differential cakes up. This is why I am going japanese this time around, a few X-hundred dollar repairs are WAY easier than many X-thousand dollar repairs.

I can't lie, those jeeps are incredibly nice on the interior, they are well put together and the design and layout is gorgeous. The exterior though......and that 9 speed has a horrendous reputation, too bad Acura is using it in their current MDX and a couple others.

I have been searching province wide, so that would cover around 3-5 U.S states, I don't like cars from eastern Canada because they use a crap ton of salt, and british Colombia cars tend to be more expensive and way too far. I don't bother with the local dealers because they mark up garbage all the time. I am currently searching a very reputable dealer auction as well as multiple classified websites. I did find a PERFECT one (one owner, 09 tech, all records and even one year warranty remaining) but the owner is being a jerk and won't budge even a little on price, so I won't bother with people like that.

WRXtranceformed

Got the tint done on the front two windows and also had the guy do Xpel on the headlights / foglights to prevent them from delaminating / fogging in the future. He also did my Jag headlights:

Flawless install 2 days later:






Unfortunately I lost a battle with a plastic pillar in a narrow parking deck over the weekend, so will be dropping $1200 into the repair in a few weeks. I am super anal and careful with my cars but unfortunately 3 of the 4 times I have ever accidentally damaged a vehicle myself have been in parking decks...I have a bad record with them. The damage is to the rear driver side wheel arch, you can't really see it in the pic but it is there. Nothing like picking up a new car (to us) and damaging it within the first month!

Other than that it has been fantastic, my wife loves driving it around. We're taking it on another adventure this weekend

mrgold35

I did the 3M clear bra on the front, headlights and side mirrors. That stuff still makes my front end look new and clear headlights in the southwestern sun after +5 years. I also did the LED lights in the interior and hatch to brighten it up at night. I have the taupe interior and the regular lights were too dim for me. I wouldn't do the LED replacement in the sun visor because they are waaaaay too bright and you might affect your night vision (learned the hard way).

I was debating about upgrading my HIDs to Osram Xenarc 66240 D2S CBI Bulbs ($140 Pair, Amazon). I did this on my MDX and it was about 25%-35% improvement in visibility.

CraZyDan

Nice, I wish I knew about putting Xpel on the headlights before they went yellow =(