romer

An earlier post by someone who seemed quite distraught about the RDX purchase prompts me to ask 2016 owners, how are you doin? Are you liking the RDX? Is it what you hoped/expected? Would you do it again knowing what you know now? Etc. Etc.

There may be another thread along this line but I haven't seen it or else no one has responded to it in quite a while.

So--general impressions and satisfaction levels so far is the question. I'll weigh in too soon but I'm a very new owner and need a few more miles to be fair minded. Let's just say so far so good.

cbrcolin

We Have a 2015 RDX that my wife drives most of the time, Love it very much, Favorite Acura or Honda we have had, had about 8. We went on a long trip of about 2000 miles not too long ago, very comfortable. Got the AWD Tech.

Puma Jim

Wife and I have had accords for years. In July we upgraded to a 16 RDX and love it! No regrets and would not do anything any different. My wife in the past could care less what we had for vehicles but now she is hooked on the RDX advance package

ceb

On forums it is common to hear about complaints and issues and some people gripe about things that others find immaterial.


It is uncommon to hear people post about positive things. It is easy to say "the rear suspension is noisy" but why would someone post "the rear suspension is very quiet"?


Accordingly (with the few exceptions of the fanbois who can find no fault with a product - like our very own rocky), you need to weigh the positive comments heavier than the negative ones.


I think you are referring to one poster who positively hated the car. He had a few minor things with it along with the common ills of the earlier RDX's and just went off on the car. I can do the same with BMW.


If you get an average build RDX, combined with a decent dealer, then you'll be very happy with the car - assuming that the RDX style vehicle is what you wanted.

012TL-GLM

We've had our 2016 RDX AWD Advance since the end of June, almost 4000 miles so far

Generally very happy with the vehicle.

Pros
Plenty of power
Comfortable seats
Great brakes
Decent stereo (not nearly as refined as our previous TL or MDX)
Great MPG for vehicle this type

Cons
Hate where the fuel door release is located - small complaint but it annoys me to no end
Head unit is slow to boot and slow to respond - most of the time the radio presets don't display properly, either completely blank or jibberish - changing inputs usually resolves the issue
Plugging in an apple phone takes over the system from the already connected android phone via bluetooth. This drives me insane on long drives. As soon as my GF plugs in her iphone for charging purposes the car switches everything over to it.

ceb

Simple solution - use a separate car charger istead of using the USB.

012TL-GLM

that would be a work around, not a solution. simply a poor design choice by Acura

Puma Jim

We do have the same issue with radio presets not always showing. Annoying but usually fixes itself by turning off and on. Wonder if Acura will come out with a fix as a few others have the same problem

ceb

Many cars are like that. Most GM vehicles (I know the Equinox and CTS) and Ford (Fusion) do the same thing.


The USB port is actually a poor choice to charge modern phones. Like USB ports on computers, they are low amps (1A) while most iPhones and Androids are happiest with 2.1A to 2.4A.


The 1A won't even keep up with most navigation apps on the phone and will continue to drain battery even when plugged in.

Desert Ridge

Have had my RDX advanced for three months. In that time, I've traveled over 5000 miles in it. All the tech is really appreciated. I use all of it and it makes the driving experience much more relaxed and comfortable than other cars I've owned.

Love the motor and the trans.

It is a small car. I wanted a small car. There is plenty of room inside. But, with our deteriorating roadways, it doesn't handle the bumps like a car that weighs two thousand pounds more and has a 20" longer wheel base. But, I didn't want a tank, I wanted a reliable, smaller car.

I shopped for almost two years while waiting for Honda to get their tech to market. I bought what I thought was the very best car for me. I have not changed my mind about it being the best car for me after owning it and driving it.


No complaints. No problems. Everything is better than Honda claimed it would be.

speed817

exactly what he said

JACN

3 weeks so far so good. There are a few things that I wish were done differently but they're not deal breakers.

As for charging, the USB is used with a 16GB USB stick. We have proper 2A car to USB converters. One in the cubby hold in front of the shifter, the other in the armrest.

1Louder

In for the thread becasue I'd like to read the comments. I have a 15 TLX Tech (long time Acura owner - TSX, MDX, 12 RDX), but I'm one of those "very unhappy with the 9 speed" people. Lived through one tranny failure already in < 8K miles, considering trying to get out of my lease and into a 16 RDX Advance.

Only question I'd add to the OP's is what do people think about the road noise? My 12 is very noisy, as was the TSX (06), but the TLX is much quieter. I test drove a 16 RDX and it seemed comparable, but I didn't get into longer stretches of highway. Thoughts?

Ilovedoughnuts

We have a 16 RDX Tech AWD and road noise is minimal. Based on what people have been saying here i would agree with the positives. We have 4,000 miles on our RDX and have been happy with it. Everyone has their own set of standards and ideas of what is good and what isnt. For us we drove the 16 RDX several times before purchasing. We only had a minor door seal problem that warranty covered. All is well now.

romer

I had a first generation RDX which had road and wind noise at high levels. It also had a fairly harsh ride and subpar gas mileage. It had a sporty and spirited driving experience and was reliable. But I unloaded it and went away from Acura (I had a 2006 TSX prior and both Acuras were new). But two Audis later I'm back and was very mindful of the noise and ride of the 2016 RDX during test driving. It's a quiet car with a solid feel. Those things I can say after just a few weeks of ownership.

romer

BTW--I have AWD Advance and AcuraWatch Plus.

snorf

There are pros and cons to the RDX, but I'll just address the wind noise. We have a 2016 RDX advance and I can truly say this car has more wind noise than anything I've owned - at age 58. It's like driving with the front windows slightly cracked. Took it to the dealership and was told this is a characteristic of the vehicle. I rode with the service advisor in another 2016 RDX advance with 30 miles on the odometer and it sounded just like ours.

Acura155k

I've had my RDX AWD Tech with AcuraWatch for almost 5 months. Hit 12,000 miles today. The vehicle is rock solid and comfortable in just about every way. The safety tech is excellent. This was an excellent purchase which I highly recommend.

012TL-GLM

Certainly we agree that just because someone else is doing it doesn't mean its a great idea

I agree the cabin could be better insulated, but it is quieter than the majority of vehicles in its class. The MDX on the other hand is very sound proof. My '12 TL was worse than the RDX. Surprisingly my '15 Charger is very noise proof, until you go deep on the fun pedal...

JPSilver

We have '14 and '15 RDX. Number 19 and 20 Honda products. We like them but ride can sometimes be rough at low speeds. Would have at least one MDX if I had more room in garage.

BeanPaste

New owner to the Acura family of vehicles, bought a '14 RDX AWD w/no tech pkg and have really enjoyed the car. It is fun to drive and no issues to report after 10k miles. As mentioned in previous posts there is some wind noise but not enough to be annoying. Only two things I've found more annoying than the wind noise is the windshield wipers (driver's side when coming down throws water on the passenger side, it is like the wipers are fighting themselves) and transmission shift (which can be jerky at times).

Comfy

I have a 14 AWD tech and it has been the most satisfying car for me so far. We've done a bit more than 20,000 miles and have none of the problems mentioned by some others.
Now with the arrival of my second child, things are beginning to get a bit tight in the space department.
Then again that's not the RDX's fault. . Donno may be its time to think about a bigger car.
As they say nothing good lasts forever. .

1Louder

FWIW, when our family got bigger (2 kids), we found the third row seat was invaluable. When they were < 4 yrs old it wasn't so bad, but when they reached 5+ (and they were doing more with friends) they were too small to ride in front because of the air bag, but you can only fit three in the back. So if each child had a friend with them, we had to take 2 cars. We fixed that with a Honda Pilot, and then an MDX. We loved both those cars. Only regret was not getting the Pilot sooner.

hovbuild

I have hearing aids and they are whacked out by the noise canceling in our RDX I wish they elected to use insulation and real dampening systems instead of this.
This is the wife's car and I do like everything else about it except a little shake at idle when stopped in drive. After getting this the only thing to eliminate the noise and shaking was to buy a different brand for me.

romer

I've had the car about 6 weeks and will weigh in down the road when I've had ample time to experience and reflect on the 2016 RDX (loaded). To date--I'm loving this car. The ride, handling, comfort, sound system, engine/transmission performance, and more, make me smile daily. In 2008 I bought a new RDX and it too was a great car--but its negatives were serious drawbacks (rough ride; poor gas mileage; terrible road noise). The 2016 negatives are not things that bother me. It does take some bumps at low MPH a bit roughly, but not terrible. But that is more than made up for by the overall ride in other situations. The footbrake is poorly located as it interferes with comfortably using the footrest. I'd prefer an electronic parking brake, or even a hand brake. But this again is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. The cabin is very quiet. Road noise is kept at arms length. I'm basing my assessment on my last two rides, a Q5 and A3 respectively. The RDX is not luxurious but it is nicely styled and tastefully done on the inside. I've figured out how to use a lot of the dashboard technologies but the navigation is still perplexing. I can't say how much is operator deficiency quite yet. The manual is not very helpful to me. The safety features such as blind spot and lane departure warnings are excellent. The active cruise control is not as fluid as the A3 but works fine overall. In short--there is a lot to like about the 2016 RDX. Stay tuned.

KeithL

GF has a 16 RDX Advance AWD, had a 14 before that, TSX and before that a 1G RDX. th 16 is awesome, the best by far, major refinement over the 14. 2500 miles so far, only complaints are the fact that you can not turn of the LKAS warning chime, I can on my TLX. Also AcuraLink sucks badly, other than that wonderful car.

othermike

Sure about that? I turned mine off (the Lane Departure Warning, that is) with the switch at lower left. So far, I don't use the LDW or the LKAS nannies.

In case the image below doesn't appear correctly, it's from page 294 of the owner's manual DVD.

dirleton

LDW can be turned off. And LKAS need not be turned on.

romer

One other plus for the RDX is the sun/moon roof. I much prefer the conventional style rather than the increasingly 'popular' panoramic sun roof. They allow too much light and heat in during summer for my preference. I had that on my two Audis and wasn't fond of it. I prefer to manage the light, heat and air rather than have that option taken away.

Comfy

+1 to that.

ceb

While I may actually agree that a standard moon roof has advantages, have you considered how foolish it sounds to identify the lack of an option as a feature?

Especially considering that the average Joe would find a panorama roof to be an advantage.

romer

Except on cars with panoramic roofs--you don't get the option of a traditional moon roof either.

JACN

Are you sure you're talking about LKAS? Because the only warning chime in LKAS is when you need to do some "steering input".

If you're talking about LDW, then you're correct, you can't just turn off the chime. However, you can turn LDW off altogether.

Also, if you turn off LDW, it stays off until you turn if back on. Even after you shut the RDX off. LKAS on the other hand must be turned on manually everytime you want to use it.

I believe the TLX and RDX function in exactly the same way.

KeithL

Yup figured it out. The TLX you can leave LDW on and turn the warning chime off and it shakes the steering wheel. RDX seems to just chime no shaking steering wheel.

Comfy

It would've been nice if Acura offered both styles of moonroofs. I would still prefer the traditional one.

ceb

Me too, but then again, I only use the moon roof as a place to place anything (cups, bags) as I'm getting in as I am not putting anything on my paint.

Kaputnik

Haha me too. It's where I usually put the polish or wax when doing the roof.

I'm embarrassed to say this is my second car with a sun roof and I've never opened either one, except to make sure they worked at purchase, or to clean the weatherstripping before selling.

KeithL

I can't think of the last time I opened the sun roof on most of my cars. To me a panoramic roof is less surface to wax ;-)

JACN

Went on a 1000km road trip for xmas. Got 7.5l/100km (31.3MPG) average. Impressive!

Also had some snow yesterday and it handle it perfectly. I did feel the rear tires grip from a hard start. I think this is the first time the rears have ever engaged. "Feeling" the rear tires grip is a bit weird. Instead of the car "squating", which is typical of many FWD cars, the rear sort of "lifted". Not sure how to explain it, but that's what it felt like.

dbarnhart

I use the moonroof quite a bit. I've found one rather unique use for it: I live in Phoenix, AZ. It gets hot here in the summer. When I come back to the car after parking it in the sun for a few hours, I open the windows and the moonroof. All that heat rushes out the open moonroof and the car cools down much faster.