TL Dream

Hi all

I have a 06 TSX and my wife has an 09 RDX. My wife wants a new CUV of some sort, so we looked at the new RDX. It was quite nice, but just missing something. They took the sport that the first gen had and traded it for more soft things and a higher price. This made us consider looking at other cars.

The NX F Sport was nice, but not worth the money.

The X1 is new this year and we both found it to be very nice. Good mix of sport and comfort. I've never owned or driven a modern BMW. When I max out the X1 I find the price (MSRP) is not far off from the advanced RDX. I would max them out too since the compelling reason to upgrade the car is to pick up new features like BSM (not on the BMW) and ACC.

Has anyone here considered the X1 vs the RDX or am I blazing a trail here? Any thoughts on this would be helpful.

We tend to keep cars at least 6 years. Buy not lease. I'm handy and find all the service on the Acura line easy to do. The little I looked at the BMW seems that it's exactly engineered, but that's not to say it's complex.

JMS71585

Before I purchased my '13 RDX, I was looking at the BMW X3. The X3 was comparable in size and I thought the X1 was too small and looked like a glorified wagon in my opinion. But, that was the older body style of the X1.

2014RDX

Owning a BMW past it's warranty period is a bad move. Maintenance and repairs will kill your wallet.

RDX10

Have you considered the lincoln mkc? It is seriously nice for the price. 2.3 turbo like your 09 rdx, but with much more power and lighter...also has features not available on the 2016 rdx like pano roof, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, magnetic adjustable shocks, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel, 20" wheels...etc.

If I was buying a new luxury/premium suv in that price range, I would take a serious look at the mkc

mrgold35

I have the same combo you have and decided to add the MDX to the mix.

I would lean more towards a used 2015 MDX Adv sh-awd since it would be the same price as the brand new 2016 RDX ADV. You get the same 6AT, same mpgs, and the same tech level. Added benefits of more room without mpg penalty (5-7 passenger, 3500-5000lb towing), few extra luxury touches, a few more hp, and sh-awd (programmed way better compared to 1st gen RDX).

For me, I would gain more with a used MDX compared to a brand new (smaller) X1 or RDX. This is assuming the family might grow or lifestyle might change and you need the extra room down the road like me.

BC01191980

The X1 looks nice but is a little cramped

I still have a hard time looking at the BMW grill.

BMW look like a giant bull nose

Sculldog3

Don't think the MKC is lighter...it's close, but still about 100 lbs more than the RDX...

TL Dream

I agree. The old X1 looked bad. I didn't care for the look of the new one either until I saw it in person. It may be one of those cars that doesn't have a good angle for photos. Or maybe the details get lost in the shadows.

Service is the big unknown. While I agree some BMWs are lemons (looking at you 335), it's not like Acura is without flaws either (looking at you RDX compressor). Free service for 4 years has some value, but for me not as much. I can do the service myself often in less time than it takes to drive to and from a dealer. It's a factor that is hard for me to get down on paper. The RDX will have hundreds of $$$ in service in the first 4 years. It's not like the BMW will be free though. They say the transmission fluid is lifetime, but the going opinion is to change it at 50k miles- a service not covered by BMW since it's not in the manual.

Seems "free" is more like prepaid.

Mike

TL Dream

Thanks for that tip. I'll add it to the list!

TL Dream

I used to really care about the details of how my car looked from the outside. Now I care much more about how the inside looks and feels since that's where I spend my time. I agree the kidneys aren't the best, but the headlights work very well and the drag coefficient must be quite low considering the 30+mpg on the highway. I'm not saying I'd drive a yugo or that really ugly Pontiac from the 90s...I can't think of the name of it, but it was that hatch back minivan crap one. It can't be an ugly car, but I really need the interior to be nice. Sporty but comfortable. Damn. I must be getting old.

I'm 6'1". The front fit me fine in the X1 with lots of room to spare. The pano made it feel even bigger. The back seat had several inches of leg room and that was before I adjusted the seat back further. Rear storage seemed very close to our current RDX, but I'd expect that wo a spare tire (!). In general I was shocked at how spacious the car felt. Neither of us have BMIs over 24, so maybe that's part of the reason. I bet larger people would find the seats too small or narrow.

TL Dream

That was the same thinking I had too! My wife really tried to like the MDX. She drove it and sat in it for a very long time. Her general feeling is that it's too big for her. I can respect that. I drive a TSX which is about as small as they come at Acura!

Our family is done growing with one 7 year old and no pets. It's hard for me to justify a larger car. I'd like an MDX very much, but now we're talking about a replacement for both cars!

Kaputnik

Sentiments of a lot of us. Just seems like a niche that has never really been filled, at least at a price point many of us are looking for.

Have you driven the X1? I have not, but I really like the way the earlier RDX has more of the solid, responsive German car feel. I for one really like the X1 and X3.

TL Dream

I have. It was one of those lets just cross this one off since its next to the Lexus dealer kind of things. I spent 20min reviewing the BMW website prior to our visit and had some idea of what it was all about. I didn't look at the X3 at all. Like I said, I've never like the X line. Just not my thing for some reason.

I can tell that little 4 is maxed out with the turbo, but they mated it to a beautiful transmission. It makes the RDX feel like a POS mid 70s TH350 with a shift kit (don't get me wrong, that's fun, just not in these cars. Again, getting older.). The engine had a nice note to it at higher revs and the 8 gears were smooth and smartly shifting. In normal driving there was even power without turbo lag. Well done turbos!! In Eco mode, they basically turn the gas pedal off with a floored overide switch for those "oh crap" moments. Sport mode made the steering quite tight and the power slightly more aggressive. I suspect they use the 8 gears to keep the power higher because the little 4 just can't give anymore than it already has.

I entered the freeway here in Boise by the mall and too a long wide sweeping uphill followed by down hill on ramp. That little 4T had me at 90mph in no time and at no point did the car falter around the bend. Very competent handling. The RDX took the same bend at nearly the same speed and acceleration, but just didn't seem as sure about it. Not bad. Just not SH-AWD of yore.

Road noise was acceptable. I bet if you ditched the $300 EACH (!) run flats you get a smoother quieter ride.

Turn radius was 3 parking spots. Tight.

Missing from the drive...BSM. Honestly in a car this size, I bet you could use the mirrors. The ACC was top notch. Backup camera super. I really liked the sonar image for parking. It also parallel parked well, but that's a feature I don't care about. My wife does very much though.

Of comic relief, the seatbelts failed at mile 35 on the odometer. A warning came on and asked use to contact service right away. Poor sales guy. I get it, new things can break too. Just a bad thing to happen. I bet it was just a sensor, but not at the buckle. I bet it was in the tensioner.

Like I said. Very compelling test drive. I was shocked at how quickly my Acura mind adapted to German interface. The infotainment screen was intuitive and controls well placed.

Mike

TL Dream

Oh,and another thing. Check out the 250ftlb at like 1500rpm. How? On on 4cylinder?! I don't think the 6 in the RDX makes this for at least another 1000rpm and with "only" 6 gears I bet that takes longer to achieve. I think the "high" torque at low rpm is what saves this cars bacon. Without it you'd be sitting at the line waiting for the turbos at 2300 rpm.

RDX10

Looked online and you are right! The mkc is 30 pounds heavier...but with the 6 speed, and more powerful direct iniected turbo, I am sure it feels like the mkc is 500 pounds lighter...really been meaning to test drive one for a while now. Btw talking about the 1G not 2G rdx.

Sure thing! I think you will be doing yourself a huge favor. It also has real wood trim and nicer leather than the rdx. X1 feels like a glorified wagon to me no offence and imho.

BC01191980

It seems that crossovers are the most popular ride

A lot of the models I see on the road have a turbo 4 cylinder and 8 speed transmission

Hopefully Acura will follow up and do this also

I got to test drive the nx during a special Lexus event and liked the vehicle, however it also didn't have 8 speed transmission

mindanalyzer

You could buy an BMW platinum extended warranty 7y/100k miles (good but quite expensive, almost 4K) or if you buy new you could always switch your insurance coverage to Geico and add Geico MBI (7k/100k miles with $250 deductible, covering almost everything for cheap). This is what I have

TL Dream

I found a guy on the YouTube that has some nice reviews. Alex on Autos. He has ones on the RDX, X1, and MKC. I found his opinion of the 2 I've tried close to mine, so it seems like a good resource for me.

I headed over to the Lincoln URL and built a MKC. Loading on the features to get it in the ball park of the RDX pumped the price all the way up to $49,000 (!). Just to be clear, I'm looking for AWD, tech package to include navigation, phone integration, ACC, rear camera, BSM, Pano roof, and other goodies that polish off the ride. I know many are happy with the base model, but for some reason I get pulled into the fancy buttons and such.

This price alone makes me scratch my head some. It would have to be quite nice for me to justify a Ford. Of concern, the soft springs. I've enjoyed the stiff ride of the RDX gen1 - for the most part. Sometimes it gets old getting knocked around. The dampers I'm sure are fun to adjust, but at the end of the day, they are just dampers. The springs will still bounce. One way to know for sure....drive it!

ThermonMermon

I am cross shopping the X1 and RDX. Although, i have been looking for awhile now, as I have lost a few bidding wars in the housing market and still in the city.

Here is my shortlist:

X1 dash layout and pano had a nice airy feel. Definitely drove better than the RDX. In short - I liked it very much. You need to be quite particular over the options list though, because it gets up there pretty quick. The rear cargo is about the same as RDX. Still on the fence though because the RDX really offers class leading rear leg room, which is huge on baby seats. I also like the option to purchase after leasing, and IMO, I would never consider buying a BMW off lease.

RDX - Cant justify the lease with tech on a new one. Preferring CPO - but the CPO market is currently dead until they fix the airbags.

2016 Edge - Top pick, IMO. Roomiest, and you get all the bells and whistles. Pano roof is a huge plus. Again, would not purchase post lease. But they are now starting to roll out competitive lease deals.

2016/7 Mazda CX9 - This would be my top pick, by far, however, I have a feeling the wife would not want to drive a 200" long car. Will see what happens when it comes out in a few months. Luckily, the reviews say that it drives much smaller, but still, parallel parking and maneuvering could be problematic. No need for the third row, but the extra cargo space wont hurt - esp. when it gets 28 highway MPGs and drives smaller than it is. Also the best looking car on my list too. Checks the box for lease/own in regards to reliability and maintenance costs. No pano though.

RDX10

Interesting. The mkc starts at 39k while the rdx starts at 41k here. But top off an mkc and rdx, and the mkc becomes about 5k more expensive. However that does include a bunch of features not even available on the rdx. I am using the mobile site, so a little less control over specifics, but I bet I could get them within the same price with the mkc still having more features.

Rawyzf

Good stuff here, appreciate people taking time to post.

We currently have a 2011 Mazda CX9, which has 2 payments left on it. So, starting to do some research on a smaller SUV. We've settled on 1 kid and 1 dog, so we really don't have the need for that full 3rd row SUV anymore. I have a truck, so no need for extra space for hauling, etc.

At the 2015 Auto show, we really liked the RDX. With the info in this thread, I am going to look at the X1 as well. That didn't even cross my mind. I've always been a closet fan of BMWs, just not a fan of the typical/stereotype you get driving one. (which I admit seems to be true more often than not) We'll also check out the MKC.

Auto show starts here on the 12th, so we'll visit that again and look a little more seriously now that we're about ready to make a move.

As far as the packages go on the RDX, I'm not understanding them. I know we want AWD, but with each package/price point you go up, does it include the previous package, or do you lose stuff as well?

hand-filer

I would pass on the MKC. It's a derivative of the Escape platform which is a derivative of the Focus platform. All 3 are plagued with quality issues. It looks like the MKC is maintaining the status quot:

Lincoln MKC Reported Issues - Lincoln MKC Forum

ThermonMermon

^^

The MKC rear seat is super tight. It is a dressed up Ford Escape with a less useful interior. You will be paying a $10k premium for a MKC over the Escape, although, you will obviously walk away with better features. To me, I dont appreciate the Lincoln badge enough to justify it. It's similar to Toyota vs Lexus. You may be able to swallow the premium to get into a Lexus...but to get a Lincoln over a Ford...not sure about that.

If rear legroom is not a priority for you, then I would highly recommend looking at the XC60. That was one of our top picks, but the rear bench killed the deal. The build quality is like a tank.

Rawyzf

Going to have to be a full day at the Auto show I guess.

RDX10

Lol MKC gets no love on this forum! I personally would still go and test drive it, being based on the escape is not a good enough reason for me not to consider it personally. But honestly, I didn't expect it to start at 39 and go all the way to 56k...that is insane! Just opting for the 2.3t adds 11k to the price tag automatically (though you get a bunch of standard tech).

I was going to say xc60, but it is like 60-65k here. So way more than the rdx. Not worth it at all.

Rawyzf

60-65K is out of my wallets width.

I'm shooting for 45K tops, would like to be more around 40K.

RDX10

That is in Canada btw. So if you are in the states expect 10k less.

Rawyzf

Ah...ok, little better. But still a bit out of reach

RDX10

Just checked, a fully loaded (more loaded than rdx) r-design id about 47k. I would look at it too if I was you. But it can get up to like 55k with silly options like heated windscreen..etc.

CrimsonElan

MKC, you mean that POS which can be turned off or switch to reverse or parking while you just want to use the touch screen orm adjust center vent at 80mph?

mrgold35

Have you looked at the Audi Q3 or MB GLA? I think they have higher sells than the BMW X1. I've always been a closet Mazda and Audi fan. I would consider the new CX-9; but, the usual first model year issues concern me (especially with this new engine and shorter warranty period compared to luxury brands). I like Audi SUVs; but, the price really get up there for same bells and whistles as an Acura. I also hear rumors about problems with carbon build up with Audi's direct injection engines.

Short term - Lease anything
Short Term purchase - anything, keep until basic 3yr or 4yr warranty runs out
Long Term purchase after basic warranty runs out - I like to stick with Honda/Acura for the best balance or style, luxury, reliability, performance, and handling.

I decided to squeeze another 3-4 more years out of my vehicles to see if Acura inject more "sport" into its next-gen line up. If not, I might have to jump ship.

Comfy

As you move up the packages you'll keep all features from the lower trims. Anything else you see is the new / added feature for that model. You can pick and add AWD and Acura watch to base, tech, and advance models separately (Assuming you are in US).

ThermonMermon

CX9 FTW

TL Dream

That CX9 is sharp! I doubt my wife will go for it since she thought the MDX was too big. I'll dangle it in front of her though to see if she bites.

The MKC got crossed off. I managed to get the options down to about $45k and there is $2000 cash back right now. This puts is on par with the RDX. The ride was nice, but just not quite what I had in mind. The fit and finish was OK, but not as nice as the X1. Overall not a bad option, but the final vote was "I'm not driving a Lincoln". A Ford Edge would be ok though if it turned out to be the "best". Go figure!

One gem that stuck out at the gas pump the other day was the Macan. I see some 2015s going for under $50k. Hummmm....

In other news, the whole process may be put on pause until we get the airbag sorted out. I doubt many will pay for a car with a recall of that nature. Bummer.

ThermonMermon

^^ yeah, kind of funny that the Edge defaults to pack leader. I am hovering in that train of thought too.

The Edge actually drives the best. Not truck like at all. After all of our test drives, the wife found the Edge the best manageable, and the Grand Cherokee practically undrivable. It is a raised Ford Fusion with tight steering. Drives better than the X1 (while good, but a FWD biased Mini Countryman platform). You could get an Edge with navi and pano, etc. for about $40k if you option up the mid level SEL trim, or if you want fully loaded, you could get the Titanium trim for about $43k. (These prices are per the website builder after auto rebates).

The MDX has loose steering and drives like a truck. The CX9 is like half a foot longer than the MDX. I am hoping a wifey test drive in the CX9 helps persuade her.

Bobzmcishl

The Acura web site explains this fully in their model comparison for the RDX.

Bobzmcishl

Mazda has a good reputation for reliablity but I have been unimpressed by their dealerships which is why I tend to ignore their offerings.

Bobzmcishl

The Acura RDX in my mind, after looking at Audi, BMW, Lincoln, Land Rover, Volvo, and Cadillac is they hit the bank for the buck sweet spot. You give up a little luxury to the other brands but you get more optional equipment as standard. I also like the Acura dealerships. They train their staff well. Land Rover had a five year/five year maintenance deal that was appealing but the Edmunds and Consumer Reports evaluations really trashed the brand.

Kaputnik

Was ogling a grey one yesterday in the ski shop parking lot. Hands down the best looking small SUV, strictly IMO of course.

RDX10

Lol, are you mad or something? They had a recall and moved the button...that's not an issue anymore. Every new car has teething issues. They fixed it and moved on.