MrOktsx

Haven't seriously looked at an Acura product in well over a decade. I previously owned a 2008 TSX (new) and owned it for roughly 4 years before owning a Volvo S60 and currently a 2017 Mazda CX5 GT AWD.

After some thought and some disappointing visits to Mazda service I thought I'd give Acura a try again. I really missed the "royal " treatment I received while owning both my Acura and Volvo.

After well over a decade of Acura not producing a single product I thought attractive (Acura shield / beak years were stylistically brutal) I really think they've hit a homerun with the overall styling of the 3rd Gen RDX.

I was looking at a loaded '20 SH-AWD Advance RDX. Acura has made some seriously bad decisions with this car.

First, the wheels on the Advance are HIDEOUS. They look like something from a 10 year old Honda.

Second, I don't like the wood on the doors, dash and center armrest area. I understand that it's real wood but with Graystone leather, Acura should have gone with a gray drift-wood. The best option would have been for Acura to make wood trim a stand-alone option. I'd much rather have the aluminum trim.

Third, Graystone leather isn't offered on the White Pearl. And new for '20, Graystone isn't offered on the Lunar Silver, either. I prefer a light colored exterior and interior. Acura has made this nearly impossible to achieve on the Advance RDX.

Lastly, the tech in this car is pretty confounding and not very intuitive. I'm fairly tech savvy but this stuff has an enormous learning curve.

Still considering a Modern Steel with Graystone leather. Just not sure.

OliveBread

There's a number of cars you can try out -- that's the point of test drives. Maybe a Lexus NX series, Audi Q5 series, Volvo XC60 series, Mazda CX5 series, BMW X3, Hyundai or Kia might fit your needs.

Hopefully you find something that fits your bill.

DriverOne

Why don't you get an A-Spec? That would give you what most people think are nice looking wheels and it would give you aluminum on the interior. I forget if it gives you more color combos on the interior, since I already knew what color I wanted and didn't bother looking around. Also, no offense, but the tech has like no learning curve. You might hate it in the end, but it's pretty simple to learn how to use.

JAB00

Definitely the wheels on the Advanced trim aren’t good. I have A-spec RDX without regrets. Tech has not been difficult to operate.

oblio98

I went with an A-Spec for the black trim and wheels. The Advance wheels downgrade that model considerably. I can't believe they did not change them for 2020.

MrOktsx

No. I would lose some of the equipment that I currently have on my current car (headsup display, heated rear seats) and the colors of the interior are too polarizing or dark. Even the headliner is dark on the A-Spec.

DriverOne

Well, look at it this way: cars are all compromises. So did you like the ride quality? Probably that's the most important part, right? And coming in second, what I've always said is that the value of the Acura is what sells it. Like you said, it comes with a lot of stuff. I've said before on here, it's not the leader in class in any one category, but it's usually second or third and often for tens of thousands of dollars less. You can get a better car, for sure, but it will cost you substantially more. Make sure you can live with the tech, since it's a major complaint people have had on here, however.

NooYawkuh

I've come to prefer the True Touch interface to a touch screen. For many of the most commonly used functions, I don't even have to take my eyes off the road to look at it or execute. Maybe it could be improved but after spending a few months with it, I've come to realize it's pretty well thought-out. If they were to add optional/configurable voice prompts (via future software update), I wouldn't have to take my eyes off the road at all to execute a function. In any event, it seems to be the interface of choice for the next generation of Acuras.

The downside is how much dash and console "real estate" the whole interface takes up. I would like a change tray, side-by-side cup holders and an inductive charging pad. The driving mode selector is so prominent because it's meant to be used. If you're going to leave it in Comfort all the time, get another car. This car is meant to be "driven".

tecwerks

AMEN, Sport+ for me 24/7

DrWoo

I agree with you on the brown wood with the graystone interior. We initially were looking at a blue exterior Advance, but it only came with the graystone interior and we hated the brown wood trim with the gray. The wood looks fantastic with the espresso interior, so we wound up with that in a white Advance. I looked at several other brands before buying the RDX, and all offered blue with a brown interior. Why Acura doesn't is a mystery.

MrOktsx

If I decide to buy an RDX, your combination of interior and exterior would probably be my compromise. I just don't understand Acura's decision to not have Graystone leather available with white. In my opinion that's what luxury brands are all about: choice and customization.

mathnerd88

Wheels are easy to change out. Tech isn't. Just sell your Advance wheels on ebay and pick something else up.

anoop

Agree the wheel on the Advance will take some getting used to. But it's the only way everyone will know you have an Advance!

I personally think the wood looks OK even with the gray, but if you want white with a lighter interior, what is wrong with beige? I too would have preferred gray.

The tech implementation is pretty bad. The UI team at Acura either needs an overhaul or some serious training. I don't typically use many of the features, but when I do I'm usually frustrated.

BTW, does anyone know if it's possible to disable carplay so I can have my phone plugged in to the arm rest without have carplay show up on the screen?

If you are looking at alternatives check out the GLC 300 which is being updated for 2020.

Stew4HD

The wheels may not be the prettiest but HUD and the seats make the Advance really nice. After a year of ownership, the color combo I chose still hits the mark. I do wish Acura would let us swap out the wheels for those that want to.

I am just fine with the look of the wheels but I'm in the minority here on that count.

NooYawkuh

Fortunately, I've never gotten too hung up on rims and wheels, or styling in general. At least not enough to go out and spend thousands to replace them.

These wheels are round enough and they hold up the car.

Wander

I got over my wheel fetish after I put a nice set of super flashy aftermarket wheels on my new cherry red Honda Prelude ( arguably the first Acura ).

Some local crooks liked the wheels too, so they relieved me of both the wheels and the car.

NooYawkuh

Don't like 9th and 10th gear, huh?

My point was the driving mode selector was meant to be used. A lot. That's why they made it so prominent on the console. And I use it every chance I get. When I'm just cruising on the highway, I generally leave it in Comfort. Sometimes Sport, depending on traffic and other conditions. Around town, I'm mostly in Sport. Better throttle response and feel when cornering. On more open secondary roads with little or no traffic, I go to Sport+. And for when I want to get crazy, there's the paddle shifters.

I generally only go from D to S on the transmission in Sport+ but I should try it more in Comfort and Sport. I haven't really figured out the advantages of sequential transmission in those two modes.

Haven't used Snow yet but I can't wait.

catalytic_ca

Isn't that configuration done on the phone? You should be able to disable CarPlay from launching with a setting (Settings > Carplay)?

anoop

I posted and later started another thread correctly titled. I got the answer there which is to go to settings -> connections and disable it there, in the car not the phone.

catalytic_ca

Thanks for reporting back anoop… didn't see that thread.

anoop

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...arplay-981000/

Stew4HD

I don't think I've switched mine out of Comfort mode more than a couple of times in the time I've had mine. I just don't see the need to myself. It's plenty peppy for me. Again, that's just me. I don't care for the harsher shifting in Sport mode

mathnerd88

Yeah I wouldn’t switch my car to sport +. The range of miles per full tank is already low as it is.

I’m coming from an Infiniti G37x, which had a 20 gallon tank and I always get around 450 miles per full tank. My RDX has around 370 miles per tank on Comfort mode. It would be even less on Sport +.

dugums

I find myself changing the drive mode quite a bit too. I feel like the range between Comfort and Sport+ was well considered so that all modes can be used reasonably (though I may have widened the extremes just a hair). I initially didn't like the huge drive mode knob and all the space they allotted to the Auto Stop/Start button, but in practice, I definitely use them more than I did on my last car. On my last car, I had to menu jump to enable/disable Auto Stop/Start and select Drive Mode, which resulted in me almost always keeping the Auto Stop/Start disabled and the car set to Comfort to avoid harshness when on a bad road. The easy access makes driving more enjoyable as I can adjust as road conditions and traffic do, which is often where I am.

Stew4HD

To me, that is the beauty of the system, we can change the way the RDX drives to meet our needs/wants!

Midnight Mystery

Doubt it makes too much difference unless you're on the highway...

370 miles range is about what I average on my 2007 RDX.

kitt9000

It rarely gets mentioned here much, or by Acura themselves for that matter, but I often use the drive mode selector as well. Much of the time it is to adjust the advance model's adaptive suspension, which really does make a difference here on the roads of LA. On the highway or smooth roads, I leave it on sport or sport plus and enjoy the feel of the road. On bumpier local city roads, I often put into comfort and the difference it makes is very noticeable and makes the ride much more comfortable.

I've never had adaptive suspension on any of my cars prior to this RDX, but now would not buy/lease another without this feature.

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

When I was looking around, I was looking for what was the closest to the 2006 ML Mercedes I was driving. I wasn't "Ready" to give up the N/A V6 engine for a 2.0T but it was by far the best choice made.

I have driven the Lexus NX and Audi Q5. My daily is a 2018 BMW X3, so I can only speak on experience from what I personally driven and from reading reviews / watching a ton of YouTube videos. I did a lot of research on most of the vehicles on the list including the RDX. The RDX was high on the list but I was not happy with the issues they were having. I wanted the A-spec exterior but the Advance package. So it was a no go. The Audi was one of my least favorites. The styling (inside and out) did nothing for me. Drove great, but I couldn't look past the styling. I spoke to my friend who was a master ASE Audi technician and he told me that they were more reliable than the previous generation but was concern because of the warranty work they were coming in for. The Lexus was great all around but had some horrific performance and trunk space was way too small. The last one I drove and really didn't think I was ever going to be a BMW owner, EVER.. was a 2018 X3. The 1st one I drove was nearly loaded, like heads up display, driving assist plus package, heated steering wheel, wireless charging pad ect. It was a CPO vehicle, 9,000 miles and they wanted a firm 43K and I really didn't want light tan interior. After a month of searching I found one but without the heads up display and driving assist plug package, other wise loaded.

Been driving it since Jan and I've been part of a few BMW forums / groups. I will say, knock on wood, they are solid. The B48 engine is completely new (B48 and B58 is used in the new supra) and build much better. The power is plenty for stock. I love how the gauge cluster changes it's look based on the drive mode. Easy to use navigation and or other controls. Wireless charging pad is a must in my opinion (on any car if offered). The adaptive LED headlights are fantastic at night. Fuel economy is about 32-35 highway and about 23-26 local. I have the real leather package which comes with the ambient interior lighting package. It adds a nice touch to the interior. The pano roof is huge on the car. Some negative things. The seats have a ton of adjustments, but it is a common issue trying to find that "Right" spot. On a long drive I feel as if I need to adjust my body some. In Sport Plus mode, the car is a bit on the aggressive side with lighting quick shifts, not harsh but not the smoothest either. I spend 90% of my time in Eco plus mode. The trunk space is okay. The interior can get very hot due to the size of the pano roof during summer, but the A/C does a great job cooling it down. BMW has a ton of aftermarket support on these vehicles. There are many piggyback systems and reflash tunes that really wake the car up. There are a ton of "coding" stuff that can be done. Overall, i'm happy with it.

Again, this isn't to tell you to tell OP to buy a BMW, but I was never a BMW fan and I was highly impressed. Just providing my own personal experience.

rpdoodle

I'm a little later to the party, but am about to close on a Lunar Silver RDX Advance and just wanted to comment on the wheels. To me, this car is an almost perfect combination of luxury, features, tech, and style and the wheels were almost the deal breaker. I'm going from a '16 SQ5 and just can't justify continuing to pay $10k more for the same features (in some cases, $30k more for features and power / speed) but I do want to be able to appreciate the look of what I'm driving.

Others have said it and I completely agree...the Advance wheels look like some old Honda throwback wheel covers. I would have rather had realistically priced options or even the BASE wheels! With all that said, I've seen these same rims powder coated black or dark gray and they look 100x better! If I don't just buy some third party alternatives, that may be the direction I go. Hell...if I can work it so I'm not paying "dealer's fees" tonight, I may just do it with the money I save there! Any thoughts on the powder coat option?

As far as the tech goes, the more buttons the better. I may be in the minority, but I HATE touchscreens. Beyond taking your attention off the road, the fingerprints...oh god...the fingerprints! I can't comment on the experience yet, but I've loved having the Audi wheel in a good spot for my hand with simple, intuitive response on the screen. And even having a little experience with the downright horrible Lexus interface, I like the concept Acura has put together. I want a LOT of tech in my cars, so even look forward to a little learning curve and then business as usual.

I couple things i find a little ridiculous at this point are the lack of wireless charging, paddle shifters, and the GIANT DYNAMIC WHEEL. I get that it's supposed to be used, but wow that's a LOT of real estate you could push the shifter buttons up into.

fiatlux

Haven't you seen the new Acura marketing slogan? "Less talk. More drive mode."

MXFanatic

I tend to agree that the dynamic wheel is too much for so little. I think the idea was to keep the 'brand' trend of RDXs. The last 2 models both had a large silver wheel in the dash.

Waetherman

I know there are people who just want the top of the line in whatever they buy, and that for some the extras on the Advance might be really appreciated. But for me, I didn't see anything on the Advance I really needed or wanted. The Tech is the sweet spot, IMO. Also, much better wheels.

acuraada

The advance could have been so much more. Better wheels, higher resolution 360 cameras, power folding side mirrors are features that should have been fixed/added in '20 but Acura's attitude remains the same: Why fix something that's selling "well"?

Madd Dog

Those three things would have bumped me up to the Advance. They could have kept the Tech wheels, and I wouldn’t have minded. The kicker for me was the lack of folding side mirrors, though. If they added that one thing, it would have tipped me over.

waahu

yeah, the Drive Mode knob is big but it could have looked better if they designed it better, less shiny silver paint. That said I like that it is there and easy to get to if I want to quickly change drive modes going into turn.....

waahu

it’s all trade offs. I’ve done research for car companies when they are determining final feature sets. They will do a lot of surveys asking owners to rank features, my guess is that HUD, ventilated car seats, adaptive suspension, etc ranked higher than folding mirrors. At the end of the day the RDX packs a lot of features, quality, and performance for the money.

in regard to the Advance wheels I wasn’t crazy about them initially but now like them a lot, they work well with overall body design

fiatlux

I totally get that it's good bang for the buck, and that makes sense for a car that's a value brand (think Hyundai, Kia, etc.). However, would it kill them to add these small things to the top of the line model? Or heck, use the Elite moniker and offer a true fully loaded trim for those who are willing to pay for it? I mean, they're building that stupid PMC model, so clearly they think there are people who will pay for an over-the-top trim.

It's hard to be taken seriously as a luxury automaker if you don't even include features like this on the top trim model. For instance, not every Mercedes comes with excessively opulent features like soft close doors, massaging seats, power side window shades, etc. but if I wanted to equip mine with those feature, I have the option to. Acura doesn't even give you that option, and yeah, I understand that it's because of cost control (production/tooling costs are lower if you only make a limited number of configurations), but still...if you want to be luxury instead of premium you have to satisfy your most demanding customers.

Waetherman

And there you have it. Acura is not here to satisfy the most demanding customers. It’s here to provide reasonably priced sport/luxury cars. The most demanding customers (something I do not aspire to be, btw) can go buy a top end Mercedes or Porsche, and have their whims catered to. Acura is able to offer something like the RDX because it comes in just three trims, and is otherwise standardized.

That said, I’m still befuddled by the fact that Canadians get retracting mirrors and USAmericans don’t.

Madd Dog

If you have a garage, folding mirrors are very important.

I have a garage, and they were a big bonus on my last car. For the top of the line trim, it is a big miss.

fiatlux

I guess Canadian owners have more discriminating tastes while American owners have lower expectations and are easier to satisfy.