trackappraiser

A quick review on our 2016 RDX with Acura Watch for anyone interested.

Miles: 11,3xx
Service performed: A1
Scheduled costs: $99
Non-scheduled expenses: $0
His mileage - 29
Her mileage - 22
Average mileage - 23+
In a word: steadfast

So we purchased our RDX near the end of May this year and have put on a little over 11,000 miles since then. It's a base model with Acura Watch package and we've had the one scheduled A1 service performed so far. We've collected a few dings/scraps from out in the wild but nothing unexpected. Some things I've really grown fond of: the headlight cutoff and luminosity. Yowza these headlights are awesome at night with great clarity. At first I thought they were aimed too high but I've never once received a flash and I've drive in front of our car in my GTI and did not feel they were blinding either. So Acura has done some impressive optic magic! I was on the fence about the Acura Watch package but having the novelty wear off and judging it as a liveable option I gotta say I dig the features - it's just flat out cool having the car pay attention with me, of course nothing to rely on but when someone does something stupid up ahead and the car and I are both thinking "brakes" it's pretty trick to see it behind the steering wheel. With that being said, none of the systems are precise enough to put any sort of stock into and I believe they could have used another year or two in gestation before coming to market. Consider it a version 0.5. The LKAS places the car accurately maybe 70% of the time and the adaptive cruise control has a binary attitude with the gas pedal - I use the cruise control the least of the systems because I believe it's unsafe for the following cars behind us - I think there is a higher chance of getting rear ended by some dipwad who isn't paying attention due to the sharp deceleration the RDX experiences with the cruise control because it didn't anticipate the slowing traffic up ahead. Feels like an on/off switch.

Overall, if you can appreciate novelty of the features I think there's enough substance to make the investment worth while. MSRP would suggest it's around $1,000 difference - I think with some haggling you can get it for around $800 delta over base/tech and I would buy again even if just for the collision mitigation braking system at that price.

Some things I don't like about the car include the weak seat heaters, that the brakes are squeaking at 11,000 miles, and the unnecessary aggressive dampening or spring rate over speed bumps. I've also noticed our radiator fan will kick on-off-on-off-on-off in 10-20 second intervals for perpetuity when the car is hot and being driven at low speeds or standing still. I asked the tech about it during the first scheduled stop, they assured me the bearings are greased for life and can withstand the usage. But I'm skeptical and suspect a possible electrical short in the system. Of course they couldn't replicate it so I'm going to record it on the phone and bring it to another service department for corroboration. It would make much more sense to cool the radiator down to a low ambient temperature and let it rise again than keep it at a threshold with constant fan switching. I'm also perplexed by the suspension - it's relatively taut when driving around, which isn't bad per se but the crash/harsh articulation we experience when driving over speed bumps at reasonable speeds is eye-opening. I think Acura could have put in a little more R&D into chassis and dampening specifications.

So there ya have it. We feel, without a doubt, it is the right family vehicle for us. We'll catch ourselves gazing at an NX F-sport every now and then but the reality is: the interior space of the RDX is just right and there have been a few instances where we wished for more cargo room! The NX would have hurt day one, an RX is the only consideration moving forward but at a significant price delta to the RDX.

I absolutely love the depth of power across the rpm range, especially at freeway speeds - long live the V6. It actually highlights how under-tire'd the RDX is (I know, not a sports car ). The transmission has been flawless so far. I'm also happy we went with the more traditional dash board on the base model - as much as I embrace our brave new technocratic world but I was not and still am not impressed with the tech package interface - much like the Acura Watch system, could have used another year or two in development. To those that dig it, right on. I was also delighted to hear about the cost of the scheduled service. We brought the car in between 7,500 and 8,000 miles for the service and I was bracing for a $200+ bill so I was surprised and delighted by the $99 otd tab for work done. With a coupon or two I'm sure $70-80 would have been manageable.

Now.. where can I get a new NSX for 75% off msrp to match the RDX in the garage?

Comfy

Awesome write up man.

mrgold35

I have to give Acura a pat on the back for including the Acura Watch system on all the RDX trim levels. I was amazed how often I use my trimmed down version on my 11 MDX Adv; especially, when traveling out of town. Acura now needs to make cooled seats a dealer installed option for us living in the south/southwest.

carbonTSEX

Haha nice review, I find the heated seats work great, the heat up time is quick in ours and needs to be turned down eventually. Love the interface as it is user friendly and not a cluster fuck of buttons like my 2014 TL. My wife and I are coming up on 6000 miles since June and love it ever time we are in it. We see the NX on the road and just shake our heads "no" knowing we made the right choice.

As for the NSX, I spoke with my buddies at the dealer and the NSX starting MSRP is around $150k and top of the line will be around $300k. Pretty penny compared to other sports/exotic cars. They already have 8 preordered at my dealer.

aerospike16

Nice write up. I will say however that the fan 'on-off' thing is probably normal. My '16 RDX and my sister's '15 RDX both do the exact same thing.

I actually like the second screen quite a bit on the Tech/Adv models. Acura did it right with the RDX and ILX dual screens. Instead of making EVERYTHING controlled by the screen, they left the climate controls as hard-buttons (unlike the MDX/RLX/TLX). Pretty good balance imho.

Mr_MDX

Very good report! Thanks..

I'm surprised about the seat heaters. My 16's work just as well as any other car I've ever sat in. We once had a caddy too.

I suspect the fan off/on/off is normal. IMO both Honda's and Acuras turn off and on way too much. I've been noticing this on them for several yrs now.
What they ought to do is turn the fan on at 40% and then ramp up fan speed on an as needed basis.
When you notice this is the AC on by chance? (I turn mine off if the temps are cool outside and its fairly dry. Helps MPG)

I only have 900 miles on mine so far. And my only real complaint is actually something I see on all cars w/6+ speed transmissions. And that is that 1st gear is not held long enough for my style of driving. I really wish there was a way I could hold it in 1st as I turn a corner and then roll heavily into the throttle.

Oh and the His and Her MPG... same story here.

badboymn

my 2016 will be 5 months old. Love it. I did get squeaking in the breaks. Somethings going on

Chaptorial

Glad to hear you're enjoying the car. Excellent write up, thanks.

weather

trackappraiser...That was a great post! I agree with teh weak seat heaters and that seems to be widespread across all Acura products. I had a 2007 TSX, 2009 TSX, 2012 TL, a 2013 RDX and a 2014 ILX....All of which have weak seat heaters. Don't get me wrong, once you give them the chance to heat up, they are OK but they take forever to warm up compared to other brands. The whole point of having seat heaters is too warm up fast on a cold morning and sooth your hemoroids - not cause you some!

I didn't list the various Acura products to brag but simply to make the point that I have had several Acuras and ALL had the same issue.

JACN

Fan on-off is perfectly normal. My old civic used to do that all the time. And you feel, and hear, it a lot more in the civic than the RDX. Even after 100,000km, no fan problems what so ever.

Heated seats? No problem here. I find myself putting it on low after a relatively short time because it's "roasting my butt".

The only problems I've found with ACC is reaction time and the space it leaves. Even on the shortest setting it leaves enough gap for the crazy nut case Toronto drivers just jump into and cut me off. So the RDX has to hit the brakes to compensate and it flashes the "BRAKE" in the MID. It's not on/off as I thought it would be, it decelerates very smoothly and accelerates very smoothly. Perhaps even too smooth. I think it was programmed this way in orde to save fuel and wear. The on/off you're talking about is just when somebody suddenly cuts you off. I'm also no happy with the reation time. It seems so slow to react to changes ahead. Sometimes I find myself hitting the brakes myself because the ACC isn't reacting. But we have crazy drivers in Toronto who drive wayy to fast and leave almost no gap. So even the best computers would have a hard time with these nut jobs around here.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

if one understands the characteristics of the J-series motor, it's a fun engine!

lmacmil

So maybe in that situation, ACC should be off! :-)