A Vehicle Test Engineer Interested in Purchasing the RDX
05-23-2007, 07:41 AM
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Cruisin'
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A Vehicle Test Engineer Interested in Purchasing the RDX
Hi all,
Since leaving the States four years ago, I have been working as a vehicle test engineer somewhere in the East for a global car company that I would not name here: well, it is definitely not Honda.
Now, I am to return to the States to do my advanced degree, and have researched for a car that me and my wife would like to own, the first for our family. Fortunately, being a vehicle test engineer has its own perks, like getting to evaluate quite a few competitors' vehicles by driving in the field.
One of the vehicles that I had the chance to drive 'extensively' was the Honda Legend, aka Acura RL in the States. Although there were good points and also bad points, I was really pleased with how the SH-AWD worked. Well, one of our engineers dealing in vehicle dynamics pushed the car to its limits and was not that pleased, but for me, I was able to see it GRIP on the curves were a normal car would oversteer. Also, the interior quality and etc were excellent, the audio was superb (8 out of 10), and the paddle shift was a joy to operate.
Hence, in the search for our new car, the RDX came to my mind. Now it seems that the RDX, due to ferocious competition in the US market, is not faring well in terms of sales, understandable if one looks at its MSRP and the competition's.
However, since I have experienced the SH-AWD in its true flavor, I am very interested in purchasing one (over a Toyota RAV4 V6, which engine btw is the same one as the Lexus ES350 that I highly regard from our test fleet).
Since we will be heading off to the Northwestern part of the NY state, I am wondering what is the price of the RDX over there. Also, I am willing to travel far to the neighboring states for a good deal: I have read the online sites extensively regarding the price of RDX, most of which indicate that it is currently at or below invoice by a few hundred. If there are any members in the state of NY, PA or NJ that can recommend us a dealer that you had a good deal, please let us know.
FYI, I am interested in the non-Tech, base version of the RDX. It is ironic, since one of the main jobs that I do is evaluating the IVNS (In Vehicle Navigation Systems), and I think the PNDs do a very good job.
Sincerely,
Led.
Since leaving the States four years ago, I have been working as a vehicle test engineer somewhere in the East for a global car company that I would not name here: well, it is definitely not Honda.
Now, I am to return to the States to do my advanced degree, and have researched for a car that me and my wife would like to own, the first for our family. Fortunately, being a vehicle test engineer has its own perks, like getting to evaluate quite a few competitors' vehicles by driving in the field.
One of the vehicles that I had the chance to drive 'extensively' was the Honda Legend, aka Acura RL in the States. Although there were good points and also bad points, I was really pleased with how the SH-AWD worked. Well, one of our engineers dealing in vehicle dynamics pushed the car to its limits and was not that pleased, but for me, I was able to see it GRIP on the curves were a normal car would oversteer. Also, the interior quality and etc were excellent, the audio was superb (8 out of 10), and the paddle shift was a joy to operate.
Hence, in the search for our new car, the RDX came to my mind. Now it seems that the RDX, due to ferocious competition in the US market, is not faring well in terms of sales, understandable if one looks at its MSRP and the competition's.
However, since I have experienced the SH-AWD in its true flavor, I am very interested in purchasing one (over a Toyota RAV4 V6, which engine btw is the same one as the Lexus ES350 that I highly regard from our test fleet).
Since we will be heading off to the Northwestern part of the NY state, I am wondering what is the price of the RDX over there. Also, I am willing to travel far to the neighboring states for a good deal: I have read the online sites extensively regarding the price of RDX, most of which indicate that it is currently at or below invoice by a few hundred. If there are any members in the state of NY, PA or NJ that can recommend us a dealer that you had a good deal, please let us know.
FYI, I am interested in the non-Tech, base version of the RDX. It is ironic, since one of the main jobs that I do is evaluating the IVNS (In Vehicle Navigation Systems), and I think the PNDs do a very good job.
Sincerely,
Led.
05-23-2007, 04:29 PM
#3
Safety Car
interesting comments.
Pushed the RL to is limits and was not pleased because SH-AWD had bad handling characteristics, or was not pleased because SH-AWD did well in comparison to other AWD products, perhaps ones made by his employer?
I have seen reviews where they say SH-AWD really works well, but Honda has short changed it, at least in the RL, with the soft suspension. If they put a more BMW like suspension it the RL (can you say A-Spec?) the RL might have garnered a better review.
Pushed the RL to is limits and was not pleased because SH-AWD had bad handling characteristics, or was not pleased because SH-AWD did well in comparison to other AWD products, perhaps ones made by his employer?
I have seen reviews where they say SH-AWD really works well, but Honda has short changed it, at least in the RL, with the soft suspension. If they put a more BMW like suspension it the RL (can you say A-Spec?) the RL might have garnered a better review.
05-23-2007, 06:35 PM
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I remember what happened: they took the Legend/RL out to a Proving Ground (PG) and thrashed it at high speeds (>60mph) and one of the wheels got off the ground. At this point, I think, since SH-AWD distributes the torque to the one with no traction, the car lost much of its dynamics. Of course, this is not one of the normal driving conditions.
Nevertheless, SH-AWD has very good handling, and works great in roads with lots of curves. However, in normal road conditions, the V6 does not seem to produce sufficient power - 290hp?- when starting from standstill. Nevertheless, I liked the car inside and out very much, especially seen from my field. Frankly, I look forward to the next RL, and with RDX and MDX, Honda is doing fine with SH-AWD. Too bad we don't have RDX in our fleet.
Nevertheless, SH-AWD has very good handling, and works great in roads with lots of curves. However, in normal road conditions, the V6 does not seem to produce sufficient power - 290hp?- when starting from standstill. Nevertheless, I liked the car inside and out very much, especially seen from my field. Frankly, I look forward to the next RL, and with RDX and MDX, Honda is doing fine with SH-AWD. Too bad we don't have RDX in our fleet.
05-24-2007, 07:19 AM
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Well, it really does not matter which school you go to, as long as it you get at least a Bachelors degree in engineering or science. For me, I went to one of the top three engineering schools in the US-or so say the US News-, but as long as you have enough passion to apply to a car company, it will work out.
As for how you become a vehicle test engineer, I think it is quite easy-the moment you enter a car company, HR or senior management will ask you which department you want to go, say vehicle testing and they will know.
Many first-time automotive engineers do not exactly know how car companies are run: the R&D side can be divided into two parts-design and test. Design is where you do CAD and CAE etc, and test is where you test a prototype, mass production and competitors' vehicles. I am in marketability team, which job is to 'act' as real world customers and give feedback to design people. We many times appear in the media as the people who drive camouflaged cars, the ones in black cladding and stuff and get shot at by camera wielding people...
BTW, when we buy competitors' vehicles, we rarely crash them. We just use the NCAAP etc test results, and the ones we crash are mostly our cars. Competitors' vehicles are either
1) tested in the real world as a reference for our existing cars, or
2) teared apart into pieces for cost analysis : CAT, or Cost Analysis Team does that.
I do the former.
We currently have a few Hondas, one the previous gen. CR-V, and also the Honda Legend (aka Acura RL). We did test Accords (2.4). I do not know how the results for each of them went, since I only do electric and electronics evaluations. Hence, I really cannot say much about SH-AWD system, as it really deals with dynamics. However, the PQ(perceived quality) on Honda vehicles are in general very good, with great finishes. Also, the electric and electronics system on recent Hondas are above average.
In fact, I hate to say this, Toyota cars are regarded as the most well rounded cars, but as engineers, or many young engineers regard Honda highly. I had the chance to drive the European version of Honda Civic (5 door hatch, diesel) in Europe - the very one that is rumored to be the next CRX? - , and the HMI (Human Machine Interface) part of the car was very advanced. The chief of the HMI department at XXXXXXX pointed out the Euro Civic as THE reference vehicle for HMI. You should have seen the curious and envious faces of the Europeans when I drove the Civic around the huge R&D center.
As you can see, not only in the markets but in other car companies' R&D, the huge H logo does pull strings in many peoples hearts. They really push the engineering limit, more so in fact some of its products may miss the market, but their spirit is nonetheless highly valued. In fact, come to think of it, we did not refer to Toyota Camry when testing middle sized sedans.
As for how you become a vehicle test engineer, I think it is quite easy-the moment you enter a car company, HR or senior management will ask you which department you want to go, say vehicle testing and they will know.
Many first-time automotive engineers do not exactly know how car companies are run: the R&D side can be divided into two parts-design and test. Design is where you do CAD and CAE etc, and test is where you test a prototype, mass production and competitors' vehicles. I am in marketability team, which job is to 'act' as real world customers and give feedback to design people. We many times appear in the media as the people who drive camouflaged cars, the ones in black cladding and stuff and get shot at by camera wielding people...
BTW, when we buy competitors' vehicles, we rarely crash them. We just use the NCAAP etc test results, and the ones we crash are mostly our cars. Competitors' vehicles are either
1) tested in the real world as a reference for our existing cars, or
2) teared apart into pieces for cost analysis : CAT, or Cost Analysis Team does that.
I do the former.
We currently have a few Hondas, one the previous gen. CR-V, and also the Honda Legend (aka Acura RL). We did test Accords (2.4). I do not know how the results for each of them went, since I only do electric and electronics evaluations. Hence, I really cannot say much about SH-AWD system, as it really deals with dynamics. However, the PQ(perceived quality) on Honda vehicles are in general very good, with great finishes. Also, the electric and electronics system on recent Hondas are above average.
In fact, I hate to say this, Toyota cars are regarded as the most well rounded cars, but as engineers, or many young engineers regard Honda highly. I had the chance to drive the European version of Honda Civic (5 door hatch, diesel) in Europe - the very one that is rumored to be the next CRX? - , and the HMI (Human Machine Interface) part of the car was very advanced. The chief of the HMI department at XXXXXXX pointed out the Euro Civic as THE reference vehicle for HMI. You should have seen the curious and envious faces of the Europeans when I drove the Civic around the huge R&D center.
As you can see, not only in the markets but in other car companies' R&D, the huge H logo does pull strings in many peoples hearts. They really push the engineering limit, more so in fact some of its products may miss the market, but their spirit is nonetheless highly valued. In fact, come to think of it, we did not refer to Toyota Camry when testing middle sized sedans.
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05-25-2007, 01:08 AM
#8
thanks for the help. im a high school senior and i want to major in automotive engineering but colleges around here dont offer that so im thinking of just taking mechanical engineering. for some reason automotive engineering seems to be a very hard major to major in. i have even thought of getting certified as a technician. but do you think i should so major in mechanical or just general engineering?
05-25-2007, 10:40 AM
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It is better to be specific in your major, as you seem to have your sight in the automobile industry. Potential employers would love to see you being specific, hence do mechanical engineering for four years and get a bachelor's degree. As for getting certification for technician, you can do that as you study, like by joining SAE clubs that will give you some tinkering skills and such. BTW, take some electronics classes as well, as electronics field is fast becoming a vital part of automobile business.
Oh, btw, automotive engineering is a branch of mechanical engineering. ME is somewhat a tough major- but not as much as EECS or Chem.E, I guess? - due to covering a wide area of studies from statics, dynamics, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, solid dynamics etc. Frankly, if they sound tough, you can also go for industrial engineering, which manages industrial operations. But man, if you like cars, go for ME. Just put time and energy, and I guarantee you it will work out, as it has been for me. Best of luck!
Last, one more bit of advise: do double major if you can, and try to take business major as well if you can...or take Chinese classes! China is quickly becoming the next heavy weight in cars, it may sound weird but it is so true! I have recently driven a Citroen C4 built in China, and the fit and finish was very good, comparable to that of France. I know all of this may be a tall order, but prepare yourself well, and live to reap the rewards, and get to drive a Porsche - ok, the new NSX.
Oh, btw, automotive engineering is a branch of mechanical engineering. ME is somewhat a tough major- but not as much as EECS or Chem.E, I guess? - due to covering a wide area of studies from statics, dynamics, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, solid dynamics etc. Frankly, if they sound tough, you can also go for industrial engineering, which manages industrial operations. But man, if you like cars, go for ME. Just put time and energy, and I guarantee you it will work out, as it has been for me. Best of luck!
Last, one more bit of advise: do double major if you can, and try to take business major as well if you can...or take Chinese classes! China is quickly becoming the next heavy weight in cars, it may sound weird but it is so true! I have recently driven a Citroen C4 built in China, and the fit and finish was very good, comparable to that of France. I know all of this may be a tall order, but prepare yourself well, and live to reap the rewards, and get to drive a Porsche - ok, the new NSX.
05-28-2007, 02:04 AM
#10
if local colleges offered automovtive engineering, then i would jump on that, but since they dont then ill just major in ME. i was thinking of maybe getting certified as a techincian after i get my bachelors so that i can have some auto experience. its my dream to work in the automotive industry. and if i have to go in as a mechanic, then ill still be happy. thanks for helping me out. hope for you to see my name in the industry in years to come.
05-28-2007, 11:25 AM
#11
luvs redheads!
This was a good read.
I have a passion for engineering and cars and attended one of the top engineering schools in the country only to realize that i didnt fit in and i couldn't handle all the math and memorization. I am more hands on. I can come up with great ideas and ways to build things however i cannot do all the angles etc in CAD and know what formulas to use.
I went into the mechanic field and now work back in my home town at an independant shop. I have not given up on engineering or racing and am currently building a high compression motor for my car and do racing on the side.
I have found out as long as you enjoy your surroundings and your job and are happy that is what matters and not to give up on your dreams.
Ps- I used to work at an acura dealership and had much fun in the RDX and the new tL-S.
I have a passion for engineering and cars and attended one of the top engineering schools in the country only to realize that i didnt fit in and i couldn't handle all the math and memorization. I am more hands on. I can come up with great ideas and ways to build things however i cannot do all the angles etc in CAD and know what formulas to use.
I went into the mechanic field and now work back in my home town at an independant shop. I have not given up on engineering or racing and am currently building a high compression motor for my car and do racing on the side.
I have found out as long as you enjoy your surroundings and your job and are happy that is what matters and not to give up on your dreams.
Ps- I used to work at an acura dealership and had much fun in the RDX and the new tL-S.
05-28-2007, 07:12 PM
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Well, actually, I am heading back to the States to get an MBA: for that, I am leaving the current company for good. Good chance that I may not return to the automotive R&D side for ever.
Like swift22, I found out that I was not too thrilled with ME during school: may be, I could have enjoyed industrial engineering more, since it is more on the soft side of things (i.e. GM's Vice Chair, Bob Lutz, did his under at our school and majored industrial engineering before getting his MBA, so you REALLY do not have to do the ME to join a car company and become a hot shot like him :P).
Although I love cars, I have come to understand that just because you love 'apples' does not mean that you will also love growing apple trees. Hell, I did enjoy getting to drive many reference vehicles and prototypes - some of them being driven in verge of extremes -, but I decided that this is not my way. However, there are many many ways you can contribute to the automotive industry, the most recent and twisting example being Cerberus, the PE firm that bought Chrysler. In the end, this industry too is about making money, and in the end, the one that wins the most money is the most dominant one regardless of how great and fashionable and fast and performance oriented your car may be.
In that regard, Japanese car companies, especially two which names starts with T and H, are in very strong position. Not mine, I guess. In the end, I enjoyed this ride that was Vehicle Testing Engineer, and as it is with all good things, it is now coming to an end.
However, I did enjoy flooring the Honda Legend - Acura RL, how it gripped the curves at 80-90 kph, the way it responded through the paddle shifters, the maddening growl of the VTEC - am I in a super bike or what? -, and it is the reason I am looking into the RDX: Honda cars, in many if not all cases (last gen. CR-V), are FUN when pushed. Yeah, I like apples, and prefer that mine be more greener than others.
Like swift22, I found out that I was not too thrilled with ME during school: may be, I could have enjoyed industrial engineering more, since it is more on the soft side of things (i.e. GM's Vice Chair, Bob Lutz, did his under at our school and majored industrial engineering before getting his MBA, so you REALLY do not have to do the ME to join a car company and become a hot shot like him :P).
Although I love cars, I have come to understand that just because you love 'apples' does not mean that you will also love growing apple trees. Hell, I did enjoy getting to drive many reference vehicles and prototypes - some of them being driven in verge of extremes -, but I decided that this is not my way. However, there are many many ways you can contribute to the automotive industry, the most recent and twisting example being Cerberus, the PE firm that bought Chrysler. In the end, this industry too is about making money, and in the end, the one that wins the most money is the most dominant one regardless of how great and fashionable and fast and performance oriented your car may be.
In that regard, Japanese car companies, especially two which names starts with T and H, are in very strong position. Not mine, I guess. In the end, I enjoyed this ride that was Vehicle Testing Engineer, and as it is with all good things, it is now coming to an end.
However, I did enjoy flooring the Honda Legend - Acura RL, how it gripped the curves at 80-90 kph, the way it responded through the paddle shifters, the maddening growl of the VTEC - am I in a super bike or what? -, and it is the reason I am looking into the RDX: Honda cars, in many if not all cases (last gen. CR-V), are FUN when pushed. Yeah, I like apples, and prefer that mine be more greener than others.
05-29-2007, 06:53 PM
#13
i am a very hands-on type of person and love working on cars but the thought of having a job as a mechanic with the stereotype of being dirty and underpaid made it my second dream job. becoming a vechicle test engineer sounds very appealing to me. i am currently taking a introduction to engineering job and i have to admit the amount of math and level of difficulty does make me want to rethink my decicion but ill try to work on it and if it doesnt work out then i can always fall back on being a tech.
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