Stump

Tried to find an existing thread along this line, couldn't (apologies if one exists), so thought I'd throw one out there...

In general, 95% or so of everything i love...few things tho that i will bring up, please add yours:

Note: these are nits, but fun for discussion i thought...

• Map pocket cup holders...a 12oz normal water bottle will not stay upright upon reasonable acceleration
• Glove box is just that, a shelf suitable for gloves
• Car jumps forward when not fully warmed up when shifting from park to reverse (ie high rev)
• Bit of a hard edge on left interior door handle support right where one's left knee would rest when leg is bent at 90 degrees (on a long drive this was a pain)
• Non-adjustability of daylight running lights; and manual (non voice) input to nav when moving
• Rear vents to back passengers would be nice..
• Rear cup holders in arm rest are so shallow they will toss any tall bottle upon a medium speed turn

Many of these are the compromises necessary to fit into a price point, understood. Having listed the above, and having owned both generations of MDXs, this vehicle addresses most of the issues I had with the larger variant, and I frankly enjoy more than them. IMO, Acura has cleverly hit a sweet spot that meets the wider swath of consumers intended.

weather

Good post and happy to see you are enjoying your new RDX.

I am surprised the "non height" adjustable passenger seat did not make it to the top of your list! That is my biggest gripe, followed by a close second with the poor USB key audio interface that will not play songs in the advertised "random" fashion. I can't believe that people so smart to develop a complex vehicle as the RDX is (VCM, etc) and they can't get a better audio interface for USB memory stick. If I could ever speak to someone at Acura about this flaw, I'd be a happy man. I already called Acura customer support and wrote a letter but you know where that get you.

Actually...come to think of it, I am more pissed off about the USB thingy than the height adjuster since I listen to music alot more than I ride along with a passenger

CoachRick

So far, the passenger seat height is a non-issue for us. I'm surprised there aren't more complaints of the center console storage bin/lid...very odd design...capacious, but that little shelf is sad.

I can't be the only one disappointed with the looseness of the windows when partially lowered. I've turned in surprise more than once after hearing the rattle-y din that accompanies the closing of the door when the windows are down a couple of inches. I haven't checked with the dealer on this; but I'll certainly bring it up at the first service.

I do miss the rear seat vents(our doggie loves a cold breeze in her face), a 12v outlet in the cargo area(bicycle pump, among other things) and some decent cubbies throughout the cabin.

Overall, we're very pleased with the RDX. The Nav is wonky; but coming from Volvo, we're used to wonky.

dc5k20z1

my only gripes so far is
- the glove box...... that thing is a joke.
- rear suspension clunking over manhole covers or bumps at moderate speeds 25-49 mph


Not having a height adjustment on the passenger seat is no issue, the center console shelf/storage is no issue, and no rear vents i dont care.

dc5k20z1

i also have the looseness of the windows when i have them cracked a couple inches. No issue when driving; they seem pretty secure, but closing the door.... yea you can hear them rattle

CoachRick

Last vehicle I had with that much 'play' in the windows was a '91 Miata ! Even a 90s VW Cabrio and three Volvo C70 convertibles were tighter with the windows lowered a bit. I'm hoping there's a spacer/guide missing.

fleuger99

Love the vehicle so far. Only issues are all minor.

-No height adjustment on passenger front seat
-No rear air vents for my dogs. We'll see the impact of that in the hot summer.
-Level area when rear seats are folded flat. There is about a 3 - 4 inch height variance between cargo floor and folded seat backs. This is my biggest gripe

BlackDogRDX

The iPhone 5 issue seems to be somewhere in pergatory between Apple and Acura but it's certainly an annoyance. Hopefully this will get off the list of shame soon. Otherwise I'd add;

- Play in the windows when opened half-way
- Rumble/vibration when VCM is engaged
- Rain buildup on the rear view camera

There's obviously plenty of features that would be nice if it had but that's a whole different thread.

hand-filer

For me its:
1. The clunking rear suspension (since corrected with self concocted remedy)
2. Poor sound insulation and the resulting road surface noises.
3. The vibration/rumble when VCM activates.
Everything else I can live with.

Stump

I generally find sound insulation in the RDX excellent, somewhat surprised to see you have listed. I know increasing the overall cabin quietness was a design point in the 2013 redesign.

hand-filer

It may have been a design point, but I think they have a way to go before I would consider this car quiet.
I am using my Mustang, my brothers 2011 Equinox and the 2013 Ford Escape as reference. They are all quieter.
It's comparable to the 2013 Santa Fe which I also found to be noisy.

Stump

Another one i just thought of...where does one put their change? My solution was to hijack the rear front cup holder with an old lexus ashtray that works great (but something i need to remove when i have a passenger...bit of a pain)

Stump

wow...surprised at your take, must admit. I say its as quiet as my MDXs, if not quieter...but we all have different points of reference, and sensory organs...be interested in others thoughts (altho it does sound a bit like a separate thread perhaps)

CoachRick

The road noise is greater compared to our '10 Volvo XC60; however, the wind(ow) noise is less--except in a Texas cross-wind. The higher pitched road to tire noise on concrete is quite loud, while the road noise on asphalt is not bad at all, IMO.

blSwagger

Someone else said that they could have made it all flat, but Acura chose to lower the cargo area by 3-4 inches to make loading/unloading easier. The downside is that when you put the back seats down, it's not flat. The other negative is that even with the back seats up, the last few inches of the cargo floor have a ramp so that when you fold down the back seats, the floor is smooth (but not flat).

CoachRick

I've been hauling around two 'ashtray' inserts forever...one from a '91 Miata, the other from a '01 Tribute. They fit nicely into the cup holder; but need to be stowed elsewhere if you need both slots for drinks, etc. Then it goes into the large console bin. Our Volvo C70 has four cupholders in the console(2 front, 2 smaller in rear). That's very convenient for the change-holder insert.

Stump

Air flow...help me here, as i may be ignorant. But how does one get non-fan assisted air flow thru the vents? when i turn the fan off, all flow seems to stop. With other vehicles, flow would continue, and i could stop via manually closing the vents. With the RDX, it appears that if you just want outside air flow, you turn fan to position one, and then turn A/C off. But sometimes we might like even less flow or no fan noise...is there another way?

Domm

Anyone have any complaints about their brakes? They seem to be very sensitive and even the slightest tap, they make the car jerk forward. They also produce a crazy amount of brake dust. The front rims are coated in dust a day after I washed the car.

I'm thinking about bringing it in to see what they can do about it.

hawkeye62

I have only two complaints, the lack of height adjustment on the passenger side and the awful nav system. Actually my wife is the one who complains about the seat. But the nav system is my complaint. I have a Garmin Nuvi that beats the RDX nav like a drum. And it only cost about $360.

I don't have the rear clunking sound. I have purposely driven over speed bumps fast to try and produce the sound, but all I get is the thump, thump of the tires hitting the bump.

Regards, Jim

dcpc08161992

****
You must have top of the line Garmin... but my $100 Garmin beat the RDX in term of useability as well. Yeap, I throw one in the bin of my RDX.

Why in the world is the NAV almost useless when the car is in motion?

Pulling to the side of the road is not safe! Have you ever felt the 18 wheelers passed by you on the highway when you pulled to the side of the road.

Pulling in an unknown neighborhood is not safe either! Oh, and convenience of pulling into a neighbood is amazing.

Entering a destination at a stop light and the light turns greeen in amid of entering destination is super annoying as well.

Try voice command to enter a destination is just as fun as talking to a two years old.

OK, that is my biggest complaint about the NAV.

CoachRick

Another approach is to require the rear seats to be flipped forward in order for the seat backs to lie flat...glad that wasn't the plan. Did the Gen I RDX require the rear seat 'flip' before folding the seatback down? I've actually never been in a Gen I.

dc5k20z1

Yea coming from an RSX and TL as well as driving a couple different model years of camrys and honda pilots, I have to say the steering and braking is VERY sensitive. When I test drove the vehicle I couldnt believe how sensitive the car was. After awhile I actually come to really enjoy it, for some reason the car just feels more luxurious, comfy and responsive.

The brake dust however; I would say is not a big issue. It could just be that new brake pads produce more dust until broken in after awhile especially for oem pads. It could just be the compound used for oem pads. You can change the pads to something that is more ceramic coated...

dc5k20z1

try changing the mode before you turn off the fan. Put the "mode" to your face and then turn off the fan. Air flow should still flow from outside.

Also try to put the mode to the vents along the windshield (defog) and turn off the fan. No outside air should come through the vents on the dash beside the radio


I havent tried this with the rdx but past vehicles worked

CoachRick

I studied on this a bit today. Put the mode in 'dash vent' setting, turned off fan. With decent road speed, there was a flow of outside air wafting from the vents...not as fast as some other vehicles I've driven, but there would be some 'fresh' air coming in and no fan noise.

its_ikon

i agree about the glove box. there is no room for anything in there except my registration and some napkins. as for no rear vents, i bought the car without them and most cars these days don't have rear vents for whatever reason.

drive an audi and you will see a night and day difference in brakes. audi brakes gripped really good to where i think the brakes could be improved, but improvement means softer and softer compounds give off more brake dust. audi is notorious for brake dust and you couldn't make it but a few days after washing the car and having wheels coated in dust. you can try posi-queit pads as those will give off less, but might be harder compared to the acura which will effect braking distance.

blSwagger

The Q5 driving next to me yesterday had really loud, squeeky brakes.

saxman48

Was at the local Acura dealer yesterday checking out a Forged Silver Metallic and noticed the flat black rear frame of the driverss door and front window frame of the passenger door. Does this maintain a decent look after months of exposure? Or was I looking at protective tape over the surfaces?

My wife's '06 TL has glossy black surfaces on these window frame member that still look great after 7 years.

weather

^^^ You are correct, it is not the glossy finish but indeed the flat black finish. ONly time will tell how it ages.

Stump

...arrive at a destination whilst on the phone, and upon turning off engine the call dies...unlike my last car ( vw golf tdi)

fleuger99

Mine does not die, it transfers the call back to my phone from the BT.

hand-filer

As does mine, my Stang' and my previous 2 vehicles.

Stump

Yes...should have been clearer... HFL dies, not call ....very inconvenient was my point. Would like to continue/end call after having turned engine off, instead of fumble for handset and not enjoy benefits of HFLink speaker/mic convenience.

bh9712

If you want to continue using hands-free when you turn the car off, just put the car in neutral rather than park when you turn it off - the HFL continues to work - just remember to put the car in park and to push the Start/stop button again before you get out.

I_Like_Scotch

My gripes, in order of annoyance:

1. Clunking rear suspension,
2. Engine vibration in VCM and when the vehicle is in too high a gear at part throttle,
3. Surging forward/backward when engine is cold and put into gear,
4. iPhone constantly gets dropped for a second then reconnected.

Otherwise love the vehicle.

LoyalAcuraFan

I've had my RDX for three weeks. I love the car, but do have several complaints.

1. No passenger seat height adjustment.
2. No rear seat vents.
3. Backup camera gets water on it during wet weather.
4. No lane change camera feature. The Honda Accord has this. You'd think Honda's luxury division would too.
5. Forged Silver Metallic plays trick with your eyes. I like it when it appears light blue. But other times, it's silver. Acura's color selection has been severely lacking in recent years. There's no grey interior either.

danmangto

Then your RDX must have issues.. I've driven many high performance late model Mustangs and they are crude in comparison to the new RDX. Esp that solid rear axle on any roads with imperfections.. I do love the V8 sound esp with modified exhaust.. that hides the thumping from the rear solid axle, LOL!

danmangto

My 2 door GTO (performance car) has rear vents in the back of the center console for the rear passengers.. Too bad the RDX didn't get them.. but it wasn't a deal breaker.

danmangto

It's new for 2013 on Acura that you must have the car in park or being going very slow to manually use the controls on the NAV. My wife's 2011 Oddy touring has the same exact NAV as the new RDX and you can use it at any speed. I will agree, I prefer my cheap Tom Tom and I didn't want the built in NAV, but I had to get it in order to get the other features I wanted in the Tech package

danmangto

The VCM is characteristic of the vehicle. I don't notice it that much. If you drive the other Honda 3.5 V6 they do the same thing. I think the RDX actually is smoother than the others. The worst was an 08 Accord V6 I had... the VCM would get pretty bad at times. That was the first generation. The cylinder shutoffs in some Hemi V8 CHrysler cars can get quite bad as well.. the older ones. It saves gas.

danmangto

I think the RDX USB is decent...If you think the Acura USB is bad.. try buying/driving a late model Chrysler car.. where a lot of the USB/Tech stuff has far more issues than the RDX.