waahu

2019 RDX Advance

I’ve had the RDX for about a year and a half and 20,000 miles (purchased July 2018). Below is my long term review as well as comparison to similar models when I was shopping back in summer 2018.

Audi Q5

When I purchased the RDX I traded in a 2011 Audi Q5 3.2 S Line, I loved that car. Drove great, looked great, had minimal problems over 100,000 miles. I was certain that I would just get another Q5. When the new generation came out in 2018 I got the new model as a loaner for the weekend. At the end of the weekend I couldn’t wait to get back to my old 2011. Not a good sign. Although smoother and quieter than my 2011 Q5, it just wasn’t as fun to drive, most notably the acceleration felt flat. The interior looked good at first, however after a while I noticed too much cheap plastic. I also did not like that the media screen looked like it was glued to the dash. I was disappointed that the exterior styling was very similar to my 2011. I tend to keep my cars 7-8 years so didn’t want to drive the same looking car for 14+ years….and didn’t like the thick body creases and fake exhaust on the new model.

Mercedes GLC

The smoothest drivetrain and suspension in the group. If you’re looking for a comfortable ride this is your car. It performs well but nothing exciting. I didn’t like how small the car felt inside and the driving position was too low with high window sills. Although the center console wood grain is beautiful it doesn’t provide for many locations to put phones, drinks, etc. Similar to the Audi I didn’t like how the media screen looks like it’s glued to the dash. The standard sound system is awful, you need to upgrade to the Premium sound system. Overall exterior styling is bland unless you go for the more expensive coupe.

Volvo XC60

When you go for the more expensive packages the Volvo has the best looking interior. In the less expensive trims the interior looks cheap with lots of silver painted plastic. The car drives very smooth and is comfortable. The seats are tied with the RDX for best in the group. Performance is blah, and handling on corners especially on a bumpy road doesn’t inspire confidence. The entertainment/navi is one of the best in the group.

BMW X3

The X3 was my second favorite next to the RDX. It performs well all around however I was disappointed that the X3 was less fun to drive than the RDX. I used to love to drive BMWs, even their base models had great dynamics however I don’t think that’s true anymore, you need to upgrade with a lot of performance options or go to the M series. Also the exterior styling on the X3 is pretty bland.

RDX

Acura did a great job with this generation of RDX. Great balance of comfort as well as fun to drive. In fact, when in Sport+ mode (with Advance adjustable suspension) the car dynamics change substantially. I found the RDX Sport+ mode is more fun to drive than competitors while in Sports or Sports+ modes. Although the knob on the dash is too big I like being able to flip to Sport+ mode quickly as I’m going into turns. Acceleration is strong, handling is solid, the car feels planted. To get the most of out of the SH-AWD you have to accelerate properly coming out of a turn, when you do it’s great, you can feel the rear wheel pushing you through the turn. The only drivetrain issue is the transmission which is slow to downshift coming out of turns (I use paddle shifter to force downshift) and can be choppy driving in slow traffic. In normal driving it upshifts smoothly. The interior looks great with quality materials throughout, it combines the feeling of spaciousness but still wraps around you. Tons of places to put stuff. The car has a lot of space all around including in the back, and under the rear deck. The sound system is fantastic with great range and solid lows, even after a year and half it continues to impress. The seats are very comfortable, I’m 6’3” about 205, the seats are big enough for me but still are adjustable to wrap around you. The exterior styling has a uniqueness which I like, all the others in this group the styling is conservative. Acura looks like they had fun with the exterior design with LED headlights and angular/flowing body lines. Initially I wasn’t crazy about the Advance wheel design, but I’ve gotten to really like their unique styling. Last but not least is the entertainment/Navi interface. Not sure what all the controversy is about the “true touch” interface, it took me all of 1 day to get used to it. It’s intuitive and is quick to get to what you need on the menu/screen. The ability to skip forward/backward songs on XM radio I use all the time (not sure if competitors have this capability). Only complaints are moving around on the Navi map can be tedious and the Entertainment system can be slow to respond. The only issues I’ve had was the entertainment system froze which occurred in the first few months. Acura has fixed this issue. The Acura App for remote starting is poorly executed, although it’s gotten better it still needs work. The best way to describe the RDX is everything works well together….the car is great for highway cruising where you can turn up the tunes and relax…when you want to have fun and drive aggressively the car responds….when you need the space to throw your bike in back the RDX accommodates. Except for the initial entertainment system freeze I have experienced no other issues with the car which is good for an early production car.

At the end of the day these are all great cars/SUVs, you can’t go wrong, a lot depends on personal preference. I think the RDX is the best overall for performance, comfort, styling, and reliability. The fact that the RDX Advance costs about $10,000 less than competitors comparatively equipped made it a no brainer for me. What’s interesting is the RDX costs about the same as a comparatively equipped Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Edge, or similar. The RDX is clearly superior (except for towing) to those SUVs. Hope this is helpful for anyone considering the RDX.

flames9

nice write up...if your test driving the Volvo, u need to test drive at least the T6..I have the T8 and its not blah,lol

beancount1

“The ability to skip forward/backward songs on XM radio I use all the time (not sure if competitors have this capability).”

waahu - Didn’t know I had that capability with Siriusxm. How does that work?

acuraada

Nice write up, thanks for taking the time to provide a long term feedback!

MT-RDX

Not really skipping by songs, but you can repeat portions of the Sirius/XM broadcast, which is stored in the systems memory starting when you start the car. See the Owner's Manual at page 283 "Replay Function"

Ender519

REPLAY has been around for many years. I was a Sirius subscriber for some time and what replay does is buffer ~45 min of music only for the current channel. You can skip back all the way to end of buffer and forward to "live". If you switch channels the buffer resets. At the time it was THE thing to have and it's somewhat rare in Infotainment systems to have it. Or at least that was the case before.

Anyway, a few years back I started using steaming and never looked back. Cheaper, sounds better to me, can build a library, can listen to songs on demand, etc. I literally haven't even tried Sirius on my RDX, no offense to those that use it.

waahu

Thanks MT-RDX. Beancount when you're listening to SiriusXM there is a button next to Categories that says More. If you click it will reveal a menu that will overlay where the presets are. If you click on the back (<) button it will replay songs that were broadcast on your current preset. Each click of the back button goes to a a previous song or break between songs. For every preset it stores last 30 min of songs. You also have buttons for going forward, pausing, etc

waahu

Agreed the T8 is great

jcross1231

Very helpful review. I especially appreciate the comparison with other models. I'm about to start pursuing trading my '16 Advance in on a new on this month or more likely next. After hearing many of the horror stories, I was starting to have doubts. I have the feeling it's worth making the move, though.

acuraada

especially when you lease, 3 yrs of suffering max

TurtleTop

Great write up and I've totally noticed the choppy transmission in traffic. Are others seeing this as well? Seems really annoying and I usually drive in comfort mode. Any suggestions to mitigate this?

waahu

It seemed worse when I first got the RDX and it has gotten better over time to the point I don't really notice it anymore. Wondering how long you've had the RDX and if it might be worse during the initial break in period?

murdermaschine

Reading this reminds me very much of my experience and my semi regretful thread.

I wish I could have afforded to buy a fully loaded T8 or a model3 (yea I know different ends of spectrum there)

Ultimately the price with all the features and comfy seats won me over.

beancount1

Aha....I see it now. Part of the reason I wasn't aware of this is I always keep the audio on the smaller screen and the nav on the large screen. I change audio via the left wheel and apps on the steering wheel. Thanks.

TurtleTop

only two weeks so it's good to know there is light at the end of the tunnel 😇

B25Nut

Drive in Sport mode and it will be much less noticeable. I've seen no difference in MPG between the two modes.

waahu

Also, similar to my experience I’ve seen other comments that the transmission shifts more smoothly after break in period

hans471

While I have not had mine as long as some I did get it last March so I am not far from a year of owning this car. I have had it on several long cross country trips (as in thousands of miles) and have certainly had time to get to know it well. My wife doesn't care much about cars nor pays much attention to them but she has loved this car since the first time she sat in it. My brother, who is not a big car fan boy, got in it one day for the first time and he just kept touching parts and looking around with these big eyes wide open. He didn't know what an Acura was (he's a CR-V owner) but it was love at first sight for him. He kept raving about how much nicer it was than his new CR-V. The list of people who get this impression is long. It is, after all, a nice car. Its not the right car for everyone of course but to many its the best value out there in this class of cars. I looked at the competitors before buying this car but for the money nothing really compared.
I would buy this car again in a heart beat. No regrets at all, I feel it was the right car for me. YMMV as they say.