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Consumer Report is the only media that continues to criticize Acura's decision to move to a push button shift systems and the only media that called out the waste of realestate for the giant drive dynamic button that will probably get seldom usage. CR doesn't get incentives from the vendors, they are not afraid to piss off advertisers. So they call it as they see it.
Let's be real here.
CR may be the most prominent reviewer to consistently call out Honda on the push-button shifter, but they aren't the only one. I have yet to read a positive professional review of that choice.
I find the push-button shifter more tolerable in the 2019 RDX than in my previous Pilot because the shifter is mounted up higher, closer to my line of sight, so I don't have to look at the floor to shift. I think that's probably part of what Acura had in mind with their "Precision Cockpit". But don't even get me started on whether it is possible or advisable to "shift by feel" with the thing.
I won't fault CR for their opinion that controls for commonplace heavy machinery should be somewhat standardized. People do occasionally need to drive a car they haven't spent years "adapting to". The machine should serve the human, not the other way around. And humans depend on consistency.
CR may be the most prominent reviewer to consistently call out Honda on the push-button shifter, but they aren't the only one. I have yet to read a positive professional review of that choice.
I find the push-button shifter more tolerable in the 2019 RDX than in my previous Pilot because the shifter is mounted up higher, closer to my line of sight, so I don't have to look at the floor to shift. I think that's probably part of what Acura had in mind with their "Precision Cockpit". But don't even get me started on whether it is possible or advisable to "shift by feel" with the thing.
I won't fault CR for their opinion that controls for commonplace heavy machinery should be somewhat standardized. People do occasionally need to drive a car they haven't spent years "adapting to". The machine should serve the human, not the other way around. And humans depend on consistency.
Fair points.
That said - the UX for car shifters has never been static. They used to be on the steering column years ago. Change always has an adaption window. CR's complaint was that they they couldn't plop down in the seat and take off - fair enough but people are able to adapt to simple changes over a brief period of time and that's really all we're talking about here.
Personally I think the job of a car reviewer is to review and have opinions so they will often times look for something to complain about. I always felt that's why the two screen setup was continually panned by reviewers as confusing. Anyone who spends a few weeks with the (now defunct) two screen setup not only learned how to use them but many grew to appreciate the advantages.
The same could be said about the lane watch monitor they're moving away from. I thought it was great, I still do (my wife has a 2016 CRV that has it and I love it) and it's beyond me how anyone could be confused by the functionality.
To add context I was an Acura owner but bought a 2011 Audi Q5 in ‘11. Superior to the RDX at that time. A superb car, I just loved it. But I hated the dealer service and my ‘11 had a potential oil consumption issue. It also didn’t have safety features. So back to Acura last year. I was so pleased...but the lackluster interior was a letdown. The engine and transmission was not great, just too rough in the mountains. The ‘19 came out and I jumped. It really compares to more expensive cars. The touchpad does require some familiarity, but for about $41k for the Tech, it really feels more expensive. The Advance would be my choice but the tech is a great value, which is the one I chose. At week 3 still loving it.
That said - the UX for car shifters has never been static. They used to be on the steering column years ago. Change always has an adaption window. CR's complaint was that they they couldn't plop down in the seat and take off - fair enough but people are able to adapt to simple changes over a brief period of time and that's really all we're talking about here.
Personally I think the job of a car reviewer is to review and have opinions so they will often times look for something to complain about. I always felt that's why the two screen setup was continually panned by reviewers as confusing. Anyone who spends a few weeks with the (now defunct) two screen setup not only learned how to use them but many grew to appreciate the advantages.
The same could be said about the lane watch monitor they're moving away from. I thought it was great, I still do (my wife has a 2016 CRV that has it and I love it) and it's beyond me how anyone could be confused by the functionality.
Disagree on multiple points. I have gone from 3-on-the-tree-AT to 5-speed manual on the floor to 4AT or 5AT shift levers on the center console or the dash to 6AT lever on the console to Honda push buttons and now Acura push buttons. I adapted rapidly and mostly got along with all of them except the push buttons. ( Although the silly fake-gates on some of the AT shifters were clunky, including on the 2005 MDX we still have after 14 years ).
After 3 years and almost 80k miles of Honda Pilot push buttons I never came to peace with them. Not only was their location cumbersome and distracting, but they were unreliable. When I ask a transmission to shift from forward to reverse, I expect it to shift. Not think about it and then do it if it's convenient. I have a dog for that. Maybe that individual car had an underlying electronics problem, but who knows.
So far the push-buttons in 2019 RDX are better located and more reliable. So I'll accept them as part of the package. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer something different. And it doesn't mean I'm intrinsically resistant to change or "slow to adapt".
We have had the 2-screen Acura infotainment for 4 years in our 2014 MDX. Hate it. Have always hated it. Will always hate it. Too darn many things buried in menus gawd knows where. And the Nav input is truly pathetic. Too bad, cuz I'll have to pry that 6-speed AT shift lever out of my wife's cold dead hands like a rifle from Charlton Heston. She's gonna ask to be buried in that car.
I had LaneWatch in the now-retired 2016 Pilot. Hated it. Too distracting. Have BSI in 2014 MDX and now 2019 RDX and it's great. Zero "adaptation" required; it's perfectly intuitive.
Some user interfaces are just better than others. And sometimes UI has to wait for the underlying tech to catch up. Radar to detect approaching vehicles. In a car, not a battleship. How cool is that?
Professional reviewers have the benefit of sampling many, many vehicles. They get to see the best and the worst and everything in between. Even when I disagree with their conclusions, or decide to ignore them, I can usually see their point. But every car is a compromise. That's just the way it is.
My wife still has trouble with the electronic shift lever in my BMW. You can see her thinking through when to push the side button or the top button, and which way is drive and which reverse. We drove MTs for thirty years, and she never had a problem, and never had a problem with any other ATs along the way either. She has a problem with the non-standard cruise control as well, and must specifically remember which hidden stalk it is and how it works.
I think the two-screen in her current Accord is dumb, but it is not a problem. The unusual shifter in the Bimmer is a problem for her. The various control idiosyncrasies are why she still does not like to drive the car. When she does drive the car, it is usually to spell me on long trips, and when she gets going, she enjoys the power, ride, brakes, and the actual driving experience. But she is never comfortable. This is a concern for me in this RDX.
OK....just for the record, I'm not some "old-over the hill-guy" who is resistant to change. I'm a commercial pilot (now a charter pilot) and deal with technical changes all the time and ever changing cockpit multi-function displays. I began flying when the most sophisticated instrument was LORAN (early marine based GPS transmitters) so believe me I'm used to and comfortable with all sorts of change. The same is true as an automobile driver, I've seen plenty of change in 50 years of owning cars and have no issues with adapting. I daily use a MAC, PC, iPhone and 2 iPads. So, at 66 years of age I'm not some old fuddy duddy. But I do like good design and (as Buckminster Fuller wrote: "Form follows function". The big diving mode knob is too big and a waste of space for a seldom used item, the push button shifter looks streamline but is Acura really serious when they claim they removed the typical shifter to make it easier to reach over and place things (like purses) on the passenger seat?.....how about the constantly lit passenger airbag light on the center console (unless someone is sitting on the seat?......the inability to permanently disable the auto start stop feature, the non-LED rear turn bulbs....current issues with the nav zoom or lack of it......and more etc etc
Don't get me wrong, the RDX is a very nice looking SUV and something I might be interested in BUT NOT the first year. I'll wait and watch to see what changes they make in the 2020 model. Mostly I'm curious as to how much Acura "listens" to their customers, you know the people that actually drive the car daily and not just the engineers and stylists. In the $45M to $50M price category there are a number of competing SUV's to choose from.....ALL are a compromise. To me the Auto stop start and the navigation screen issues are the most serious deal breakers......so I'll just keep looking and reading and test driving. I want to thank the current owners for their comments and reviews of their 2019 RDX's its very informative.
37teez......I agree with your comment about the multi-function screen on the dash, it does looks like it's glued on. For the life of me I can't understand why Acura didn't design it to look like it's actually designed to be part of the dash and not just an afterthought. I mean IF you are going to "re-design" then why does it look like an afterthought? In fairness, Acura isn't alone in this type of poor design, in fact most screens look like they are just "glued on". On the other end of the spectrum are the new Alfa's.....wow what a beautiful design and placement of their 'info screen"....it's designed into the dash! I'm not interested in an Alfa but it is a beautiful, well thought out placement/design.
I predict in years to come we'll look back at these types of screen placements the same as we do when we recall under dash AC units and door lock buttons on the window sills and ask "why?".
Come on Acura, incorporate the screen into the dash with good design and class!
They wanted the screen to be higher on the dash so the drivers eye can move more naturally from the street to the screen. So that drove the screen to be higher. If they kept it high and covered it with the dash, the dash would be way too high. It is just a a trade off. Maybe someone will come up with some sort of sun shade to put over it.
They wanted the screen to be higher on the dash so the drivers eye can move more naturally from the street to the screen. So that drove the screen to be higher. If they kept it high and covered it with the dash, the dash would be way too high. It is just a a trade off. Maybe someone will come up with some sort of sun shade to put over it.
And it is not as if the X3, Q5, and GLC have a big ol’ screen perched up there.
At first, I thought it was weird and looked tacked on, but it does put the screen closer to the drivers line of sight which is safer than looking further down at the dashboard. Adding to Madd Dog's list, the CX5, Lexus RX and NX and of course Teslas. The RDX looks better integrated to me than most other cars.
I have to glance down at the GPS in my 2002 RX300. In my old e36 M3 which has no GPS, I use Waze on a Nexus7 tablet in landscape mode on a window mount putting it roughly in the same spot the RDX has it.
They wanted the screen to be higher on the dash so the drivers eye can move more naturally from the street to the screen. So that drove the screen to be higher. If they kept it high and covered it with the dash, the dash would be way too high. It is just a a trade off. Maybe someone will come up with some sort of sun shade to put over it.
Probably easier to service if it’s not truly built on as part of the dash. Makes it an easier swap out.
Don't get me wrong, the RDX is a very nice looking SUV and something I might be interested in BUT NOT the first year. I'll wait and watch to see what changes they make in the 2020 model. Mostly I'm curious as to how much Acura "listens" to their customers, you know the people that actually drive the car daily and not just the engineers and stylists. In the $45M to $50M price category there are a number of competing SUV's to choose from.....ALL are a compromise. To me the Auto stop start and the navigation screen issues are the most serious deal breakers......so I'll just keep looking and reading and test driving. I want to thank the current owners for their comments and reviews of their 2019 RDX's its very informative.
Totally agree with your points. Acura is trying too hard with the 2019 RDX... That Dynamic Drive button and button push shift all scream insecurity. Trying to proof that it is not just another Honda...
[QUOTE=Rob175;16253737 To me the Auto stop start and the navigation screen issues are the most serious deal breakers...... [/QUOTE]
I don't care for stop/start either and would prefer not to have it but it seems like more and more cars are coming standard with it. I think it would be a mistake to call it a deal breaker though as we will be greatly limiting our choice of vehicles.
I don't care for stop/start either and would prefer not to have it but it seems like more and more cars are coming standard with it. I think it would be a mistake to call it a deal breaker though as we will be greatly limiting our choice of vehicles.
I test drove an Advance yesterday. I don't see the big deal at all about the stop/start. Yes, I did noticed it switch over for maybe a second after sitting at a light, but certainly was not bothered by it at all. A deal-breaker? Not just NO, but NO (bolded and underlined) WAY...speaking for myself, of course.
I test drove an Advance yesterday. I don't see the big deal at all about the stop/start. Yes, I did noticed it switch over for maybe a second after sitting at a light, but certainly was not bothered by it at all. A deal-breaker? Not just NO, but NO (bolded and underlined) WAY...speaking for myself, of course.
Totally, agree, auto stop/start is no big deal, saves gas, can be turned off, and is found in more and more cars—I really don't understand all the complaints. This isn't a Porsche. I was prepared to hate the shifter, but it's really fine and I'm getting to like it. Rented a new Impala on a trip, nice car overall for a Chevy, and it had a regular floor shift but I had to look at it every time to make sure it got into gear. It's all electronic now, there are no physical notches like there used to be, so it might as well be buttons. At least the RDX has a very different style of button for each position.
OK....just for the record, I'm not some "old-over the hill-guy" who is resistant to change. I'm a commercial pilot (now a charter pilot) and deal with technical changes all the time and ever changing cockpit multi-function displays. I began flying when the most sophisticated instrument was LORAN (early marine based GPS transmitters) so believe me I'm used to and comfortable with all sorts of change. The same is true as an automobile driver, I've seen plenty of change in 50 years of owning cars and have no issues with adapting. I daily use a MAC, PC, iPhone and 2 iPads. So, at 66 years of age I'm not some old fuddy duddy. But I do like good design and (as Buckminster Fuller wrote: "Form follows function". The big diving mode knob is too big and a waste of space for a seldom used item, the push button shifter looks streamline but is Acura really serious when they claim they removed the typical shifter to make it easier to reach over and place things (like purses) on the passenger seat?.....how about the constantly lit passenger airbag light on the center console (unless someone is sitting on the seat?......the inability to permanently disable the auto start stop feature, the non-LED rear turn bulbs....current issues with the nav zoom or lack of it......and more etc etc
Don't get me wrong, the RDX is a very nice looking SUV and something I might be interested in BUT NOT the first year. I'll wait and watch to see what changes they make in the 2020 model. Mostly I'm curious as to how much Acura "listens" to their customers, you know the people that actually drive the car daily and not just the engineers and stylists. In the $45M to $50M price category there are a number of competing SUV's to choose from.....ALL are a compromise. To me the Auto stop start and the navigation screen issues are the most serious deal breakers......so I'll just keep looking and reading and test driving. I want to thank the current owners for their comments and reviews of their 2019 RDX's its very informative.
have you even sat in the car yet? that big driving knob you keep complaining about is actually not big at all except in the pictures, it surprised me how small it actually is. and the push button shifter has been used in the TLX since the 2015 model so it isn't something new, same with auto start/stop. you do realize auto start/stop is the direction most cars are headed?
non LED rear turn signals, really? seems like you just expect a perfect vehicle with all of your complaints.
Totally, agree, auto stop/start is no big deal, saves gas, can be turned off, and is found in more and more cars—I really don't understand all the complaints. This isn't a Porsche. I was prepared to hate the shifter, but it's really fine and I'm getting to like it. Rented a new Impala on a trip, nice car overall for a Chevy, and it had a regular floor shift but I had to look at it every time to make sure it got into gear. It's all electronic now, there are no physical notches like there used to be, so it might as well be buttons. At least the RDX has a very different style of button for each position.
I was definitely not "disturbed" by the gear shifter neither. It's fine, people -- you just have to understand how it works and use it for a while...shoot, I used it only during my brief test drive and I wasn't enclosed by this menacing wall of black cloud as I panicked about the whole situation. LOL
The driving mode knob is fine, too. Trust me, it's not like you have to use two hands to turn it like on a bank safe or something. LOL
have you even sat in the car yet? that big driving knob you keep complaining about is actually not big at all except in the pictures, it surprised me how small it actually is. and the push button shifter has been used in the TLX since the 2015 model so it isn't something new, same with auto start/stop. you do realize auto start/stop is the direction most cars are headed?
non LED rear turn signals, really? seems like you just expect a perfect vehicle with all of your complaints.
Some people just have to find fault, that's all. They want it all at a cheap price then would complain about the price being cheap.
have you even sat in the car yet? that big driving knob you keep complaining about is actually not big at all except in the pictures, it surprised me how small it actually is. and the push button shifter has been used in the TLX since the 2015 model so it isn't something new, same with auto start/stop. you do realize auto start/stop is the direction most cars are headed?
non LED rear turn signals, really? seems like you just expect a perfect vehicle with all of your complaints.
Acura Fanboy? that big driving knob is the largest button/dial on the console dash and gigantic compared to the volume button. I can just see an unsuspected passenger trying to change the volume and grabbed drive knob instead. Acura isn't the only one with dynamic driving modes, but it is the only one that made a prominent on the center dash. I have yet to hear anyone said "that's a well thought out design and I love it"
Just because you had an Acura with the push button system doesn't mean everyone else did. But wait, almost no one will argue about a regular shifter right?
Agreed on the start/stop and kudos to Acura to let us turn it off.
Have a little perspective for those of us coming new to Acura or returned Acura owners....
Uh, you do know that's not an Acura, right? And that the "dynamic mode" dial in 2019 RDX causes adjustments to steering effort, throttle response, shift schedules, and shocks ( in Advance), but does NOT SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION, right? Just checking.
Uh, you do know that's not an Acura, right? And that the "dynamic mode" dial in 2019 RDX causes adjustments to steering effort, throttle response, shift schedules, and shocks ( in Advance), but does NOT SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION, right? Just checking.
In the mist of drumming up some pix for the joke, I came across the follow, I guess I shouldn't complain about the push button shift system being new. It could have been a lot worse. Apparently, it's been around for a while on Chryslers!
Yep, Chrysler had electro-mechanical push buttons for their automatics from 1956 through 1964 and then went back to column shift for 1965. Edsel had them in the center of the steering wheel for 1958 and 1959.
Maybe they should put a flip-up red cover on the knob like Lambo does with the start button. Then it would be even more dramatic.
All joking aside, they could have just done a small IDS button like in the TLX/MDX and used the center knob for more conventional functions like volume or tuning.
In the mist of drumming up some pix for the joke, I came across the follow, I guess I shouldn't complain about the push button shift system being new. It could have been a lot worse. Apparently, it's been around for a while on Chryslers!
A friend many years ago had a DeSoto with that setup. Talk about unreliable - after about 3 years the individual buttons began to fail and you would sometimes have to go from P to D to N to D to N to D......... before it would decide to go into gear. Chrysler 'quality' hasn't changed a bit since then either.
The documentation strategy by Acura is reasonable in my opinion. Having a hard copy 600+ page manual in the glove compartment would just not fit or be usable while also trying to drive. The much smaller hard copy guide in the car is enough to operate the vehicle but not enough to fully understand a function. When you try to do something new and feel a little stymied, consult the bigger manual out of the car later on and next time try it again in the car. I have even printed a page or two out of the big manual and taken it along in the car for reference the next time I try to do something that is not coming naturally. Bottom line is that a fully featured vehicle with a lot of choices has a learning curve for many drivers. Maybe we need a simulator at the dealer to learn the vehicle much like a jet pilot has (I am being a little facetious on this). I do wish the manuals were more tailored for the specific country (Canada or US) and the trim level. It is cumbersome to have to pay attention to the optional feature footnotes. Copy and pasting the right boilerplate into the tailored manuals would not be a daunting task during the creation of the manuals.
I would still like to the ability to go through the manual on a tablet, or on a computer, or hardcopy and not have to sit in the car reading. But I think the infotainment idea is a good one too as an additional place to house documentation.
A FULL printed manual SHOULD BE included with each car..."no ifs, ands, or buts" about it. No reason it must be kept in the glove box, afterall there is plenty of storage in the rear.
BUT this sort of begs the point.....WHY DOES IT TAKE 600 plus pages to explain this car to the owner?? I bet a good editor (not product designers) could write a comprhensive manual that's half of that. A 600 page manual is insane....BUT should still be included with each car!
...BUT this sort of begs the point.....WHY DOES IT TAKE 600 plus pages to explain this car to the owner??...
Because it has to be explained to the lowest common denominator of intelligence and comprehension. If you don't use very small words and pictures you open yourself up to massive lawsuits. Remember the woman who burned herself placing a hot cup of coffee between her legs and got a $$$$ settlement from McDonalds as a result?
06-20-2018, 02:52 PM
