16. Acura RDX

 

 

 

10 Minutes for confusion? It was just 5 minutes into my first test drive that I determined that was a bit of a masterpiece - another 5 minutes and I was comfortable using it. Hardest thing about it is learning the menu system and what's where - and that's no different than any other infotainment system.

 

I thought it was pretty telling when they are talking about compact SUVs and then complaining about leg room. I am a tall guy and the seat is all the back and reclined some. I have had 2 normal sized grown men in the back seat and they were surprised at the leg room.

As for the touchpad, I liked it right away. Much easier to use than the "mouse" in the Lexus .

 

You can only laugh at the hipocracy of the negative review comments they try to point out. Touchpad is a 10 minute learning curve, and the backseat is very roomy, this is a tweener, i.e. bigger than RAV 4 / CRV, but smaller the MDX, X5, etc.

 

Today Consumer Reports pulled their recommendation for the RDX, along with the Tesla Model 3.

 

I read this when it came out. It is a bit skewed when they add specific models of the same car. Example GLC300 or AMG GLC300, technically is the same car, but different engines and setups.

If you really look into this, the Acura comes in at the bottom half of the top ten with a budget of $80k and under!!! Not bad value if you ask me.

The RDX is a top 5 car in its price class, with MB, BMX, Audi, and Volvo. Alfa, Lexus, Range/Jaguar, Cadillac and Infiniti round out my top 10.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of these 10 cars

 

Really?

Do you have a link?

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...bility-issues/

 

I've been annoyed no end with my Infotainment system, especially when they went from D.1.0.4 to D.1.0.7, but I still love my car and would not give it up for something else. I don't really care what reviewers say. I already have it!

<expletive deleted> them!

 

From the above CR notice:

Hmmmm. I guess the D.1.0.7 software is V2. Did that come out in "fall"? IMHO nothing really changed until D.1.1.2 (V3?) that just came out in February. I guess that's "late fall".

Here's hoping Acura gets its s### together so we will have less of these issues going forward.

And maybe they will get the message that they should thoroughly test their vehicles BEFORE they start selling them.

 

Seems like every car maker has mechanical issues ironed out and it's all electronics, electrical, convenience features they need to work out.

Who's going to buy the BMW X3 since they are more reliable than the Acura RDX now? Picking the BMW over the Honda because it is more reliable. What a time to live in...lol

 

Perhaps it's too soon for me to really know, but I have had my 11/18 built RDX just one month now, and about 1,500 miles. Not one issue, (even with that infotainment system) except not being able to initially get the D.1.1.2 update when it was released...which I soon got an email saying it was going to be delayed a few days...which it was, and I now have it. I really love this car, don't care what the reviewers say...well yes I do, but... well....not really!

 

I'm getting a little weary of these claims that the updates cure everything from impotence to the heartbreak of psoriasis when they can't be bothered to distribute said updates north of the border.

 

I swear the rear seat has more leg room than the 2nd row in the MDX or Pilot. I'm 6'2" and I know I would be completely comfortable back there on a long trip.

 

Can folks comment on the current gen X3 reliability? Local dealers are discounting the X3 heavily and I am really interested. My dad was a mechanic and he always advised against European cars, so I have never owned one...

 

You know why the Brits never built TVs? They couldn't figure out a way to make them leak oil.

 

 

BMW covers the first few years of maintenance - seems like they are aiming for people that lease. If you plan on keeping the car for 10+ years you're probably right.

 

 

It's funny, both X3 and RDX are made in the USA. Hell even the design engineering are in states for RDX. There is nothing Japanese about the car

 

Uh, no. I traded a 3rd-gen Pilot for 2019 RDX Advance and the Pilot was much more spacious in 2nd-row, particularly because the bench is higher and the roof is much higher. The 2nd-row seating position is very different, so it's not valid to simply compare the "leg room" measurement.

Our 3rd-gen MDX also is roomier overall in second row, than 2019 RDX, although the relatively low bench is better for little people than adults for long-distance travel, IMO. The lack of thigh support could be taxing on a long trip, according to my leggy 6'0" son. I think 2019 RDX is very similar in this regard.

I think we are done with long family road-trips, or I wouldn't have downsized to RDX. Not saying it can't be done in RDX, but it would be a much tighter squeeze than MDX or ( especially ) Pilot.

 

So Consumer Reports thinks the RDX is unreliable because of infotainment issues eh. No wonder no Acura model is being recommended by them...lol. Kinda feel sorry for Acura. They had the dual screen setup and people found it to be hard to use, so they are unreliable. Now they did a full overhaul of the infotainment system. There are some bugs for some people, and so the car is considered unreliable. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

I think Acura needs to get Google to be more serious. The infotainment system is an Android device and Acura hugely depends on Google for its development. How often do you have to do a hard reset on your phone? This is pretty much what's going on with this system. It will take updates after updates to be refined so that it's up to speed with most bugs removed. It's a pain but this seems to be the price one has to pay if one wants to be somewhat up to date with their infotainment system. That in itself is ironic as these new electronic devices are designed for rapid obsolescence anyways. Just look at how often people buy a new iPhone or Android phone.

 

The 3G RDX had been out 8 months or so. How can they decide reliability with that short of time span? ... hmmmm.. just pondering

 

so, we should take these publications with a grain of salt?

 

You might be on to something!

 

The only thing I can think of is that they had an unusually high number of complaints.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...liability-faq/

How Is the survey conducted?
Consumer Reports’ Survey Department conducts the survey each year. In the survey, we ask members to note any problems with their cars that occurred in the past 12 months. They are asked to identify problems that they considered serious (because of cost, failure, safety, or downtime). We ask them to include problems covered by warranty, but not the ones resulting from accident damage or due solely to recall. Respondents check off problems from a list of trouble areas, ranging from the engine and transmission to climate system, brakes, electrical system, and power accessories. They also tell us specifically what their experiences were to help us understand precisely what problems they are having. (See the full list of trouble spots below.)

 

 

I think they also look at past history and probably a bit from their experience. I know they did not like the touchpad so that probably would deduct points haha..