romer

Master47

For us, my wife and I, we haven’t owned an Acura since my 2005 TSX I kept for nearly 10 years and loved. The RDX is for her, a replacement for her 2008 Infiniti G35X with 125k miles. We buy and keep cars forever. She wanted a small SUV that would fit more “stuff” and have 2nd row legroom for our two growing kids AND not feel too large to drive. We have a Fathom Blue Advance pkg. on order.

Mostly in order of importance, I'd say for us it was:

$ value for the whole package vs. the competition (QX50, RX350, XC60, X3, Q5 we cross shopped)
2nd row legroom was the most in its class
All the “right” technology with updated look and feel (maybe in 10 years it will still be somewhat respectable)
My wife feels comfortable driving it
Past good experience with Acura

Hou-RL

All those thing above and power train reliability I have had with Honda/Acura products in the past. This is my daily driver and I drive a lot so I wanted something that could give me all of these features.

acuraada

Value and reliability (hopefully based on track record)

I purchase and drive my car for about 10 years. My previous cars have been a BMW and Benz. While they didn't cause a lot of issues but I always trade them off to avoid expensive repairs.
I am cross shopping too those exact same EU counterparts. If Acura didn't have the value pricing, BMW would probably be my choice. However, a similarly equipped BMW would be about 5-8k more.

Master47

jcardona1

For me it was styling first and foremost. You can get the features and performance from most car manufacturers these days give or take a few thousands bucks but if the styling isn't there, I'm not interested. If this new RDX looked like the 2018 model, I would have never even considered it regardless of features. The 2018 is incredibly drab and boring and is not something I'd want to drive. Heck, I'm still not fully convinced on the rear styling of the 2019. The front is awesome and unique compared to other crossovers but from the back, it almost looks like every other Kia/Nissan/Hyundai/Mazda on the road. I feel like they could have done better. But I will still be an owner in the next 4-5 months.

acuraada

Everyone has their own tipping point. In my opinion, there is nothing on the Acura 2019 RDX that makes it stand head above shoulder from its counterpart. Almost every feature it has from safety to performance are met if not best by others.

ELS 3D? Check: B&O, B&W
AcuraWatch? Check: almost everyone has their own system. In fact, both Volvo and Infiniti scored better on LKA/Adaptive cruise control
Performance? Check. From own personal test drive, BMW still bests Acura in handling.
Luxury interior? Check. GLC has this category beat hands down. real wood and metal, all that.
Fuel Economy? Check. Certainly not the top here.
Cargo space? RDX may take the crown here, especially with the underfloor storage. But BMW has the 40:20:40 split which is very very handy.
Styling? I believe styling is always personal and subjective. beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

So why am I here looking at RDX? Because in my research, its probably the best choice when it comes to an avg of all features. It seems to hit on every category well. If it didn't take the first place in one category, it is usually a close 2nd or 3rd. It's the best all-around CUV and the price value is the tipping point for me.

Stew4HD

Value, price, styling, Acura's known reliability.

The most bang for my $

TLMDXRDX

For me it's the total value proposition that the RDX offers. It's an compact-level luxury crossover that drives like a sports sedan but has the space of a mid-size SUV and offers all of that with a great exterior design, a modern tech-focused interior, and all for thousands less than competitors. It's unusual for Acura to excel in all aspects of a vehicle, especially the exterior design piece. I cross-shopped the RDX with the BMW X3 (and X5), Audi Q5 and Jaguar F-Pace, and I had the RDX finishing a close 2nd in design behind the F-pace. That's right...the RDX's exterior is much nicer than the BMW and Audi.

Outfitter

acuraada

It's really interesting on hearing everyone's opinion on the exterior. Btw all those choices (GLC, X3, XC60, RDX, Q5..) I think XC60 exterior has the best design. Those Thor Hammer headlights beat out Jewel eye anytime...

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i'm a geek....I enjoy the fact that they used a special high strength steel to stiffen up like 80% of the chassis because race car.

in other words; the technical prowess impressed me the most.

Fury63

Meto

It came down to the Acura RDX and the Volvo XC60 for me and in the end, value for the dollar won the war. The same vehicle decked out by Volvo would have cost quite a bit more and I wasn't 100% on board with the reliability of the Volvo when Acura is known for it.

ChrisBesu

The germans have become either "too expensive" or "not good enough"......and more and more unreliable.

acuraada

Regarding Germans not being reliable.... Not so sure about unreliable, that's actually quite a reminisce of the 90s. But it is in general more expensive to fix if you are using OEM parts.

I've personally known MDX and Q5 owners. MDX suffered everything from infotainment systems to shock issues where the Q5 ran scratch free. Also aware of a year old owner of XC90, zero issues, none like the issues the 2019 RDX is facing now (Hatch moaning to infotainment crashes)

Remember, reliability scores are only reported via survey from owners over a long-term period. Past performance is not indicative of future, especially when the car has been redesigned inside out with new manufacturing process

mrblase

Cross shopped all the competitors in this class since April. Every one is a compromise on what my perfect car would be. It was down to the Alpha Stilvio (reliability issues) and the Infinity QX50 (CVT and terrible infotainment system) but I just wasn't excited about either so I didn't pull the trigger when I saw some info about the 2019 RDX, which was coming out in June. I asked my local dealer to contact me when they had some. June 2nd I test drove an RDX Advance model. I drove it hard! Had the salesmen nervous during the test drive. I have some road racing experience and this vehicle was amazing and had the performance I was looking for but the reliability (I hope) of Honda Motor Corp. It's as fast as the Stilvio and the SH AWD just propels you out of fast corners. The cabin has supercar styling in my opinion. I've been in a lot of exotic cars and this cabin reminds me of some of them and is so comfortable that it makes me forget that I'm in a SUV. I went back with my wife and son and let them test drive it. My wife loves the car especially the seats and all its adjustability and just the comfort in general, which was a big plus in my decision. Add in the feature set of the Advance model and the price being $4-8K less than any of the competition and I bought one. I've put 1,800 miles on it including a trip from the coast of Connecticut to Lake Champlain in Vermont, keeping the highway speed between 60-70 MPH during the break-in period and achieved 28.6 MPG for the 750 mile trip. Better than the 26 MPG that I always got in my Nissan Rogue and a hell of a lot more fun and comfortable to drive. All the features worked as expected but there is a learning curve to some of them. Last point is every one of the competitors quoted me service charges of $200-300. None could give reasonable explanation of why an oil change and inspection should cost that much. My Acura dealer sold me a prepaid service package of 8 oil changes, tire rotations and inspections for $275 or a little over $34 a service.

fodder

I was shopping for a peppy, safe, quiet, car with HUD and comfortable seats - for the passenger as well as the driver. I was actually on a Lincoln Nautilus forum (was hoping it would finally add HUD) and someone mentioned the all new RDX. I have been shopping for a while and had written the RDX off in 2018. I decided to check it out again and was immediately drawn to the fact it now had a HUD. Then I saw the new turbo figures, and that met the "peppy" requirement. It has been rated quiet (at least in the Advance in Comfort) and the new design emphasizes safety. When my wife sat in the 16 way seat and said it was very comfortable, I was sold, especially at a price much cheaper than other brands I was shopping. The Audi Q5 did not have enough storage for me in the cabin or the rear. I couldn't even find enough room for jumper cables which I haven't left home without in 56 years of driving. The floating console storage and the rear storage under the deck is outstanding in the RDX. I was a little worried about the infotainment but I picked up the touch pad pretty quickly in the test drive visit.
All this was great, but without this forum, I would not have had the confidence to buy. All of you contributors really help make the decision easier. While some problems have been reported, compared to other brands, they are relatively minor (other than the incandescent bulb in the turn signal, of course). I placed an order 2 days ago for an Advance AWD in Gunmetal with Ebony.
I know we have a few grammarians on this site that can be bugged by people like me, but I would like to compliment all of the people who mention the OBD-II and state it as OBD 2 which is correct as the numbers are Roman numerals. On the Audi forum, it has become the OBD eleven. It just proves how smart Acura buyers are.

GBR!

I haven't gotten one yet but my current lease is up in 3 months and the RDX is my first choice at this point. In order of importance for me...

1. The look of the A-Spec....if the A-Spec wasn't an option or the RDX didn't have a package that looked like that then I wouldn't be considering it.
2. The upgraded audio.

That's really it. There are other minor things that I like, of course, but without either of those two then I wouldn't be looking to get one. As stated, I lease because it makes sense for me (not a high mileage driver) and I value style and tech over whatever long term reliability a vehicle has. As a leaser all of my vehicles are always under full warranty.

TLMDXRDX

I was torn between the A-Spec and Tech model and ended up going with the Tech as my son may get this vehicle in 5 years when he gets his license. I didn't think he needed the fancy A-Spec. With that said, the A-spec is stunning in person, and in my opinion it looks sharpest in modern steel metallic. The only negative with that color is they only have the red interior this year.

As a side question, does GBR stand for Go Big Red?

oblio98

I've had Acura's for almost 2 decades, and was very disappointed when they dumped DVD-Audio. Sure, no one used it, and no one sold them, but I loved surround music and operate the largest surround sound forum on the internet, so I was pretty much down on the whole ELS system as my 17 RDX's audio system paled in comparison to my 14's, and older systems. When word came about the new 3D ELS system in the RDX my interest was peaked but there was little information regarding its surround capabilities. So I eagerly awaited it to arrive at my local dealership and they let me into a car armed with USB sticks and lots of test files. I found that it was in fact 5.1 capable with limitations, so I then looked at the rest of the car (which I was sure I would love), and I did, so I traded in my 17 a year early (for me) and bought the RDX. While I intended to buy an Advance to replace my 17 Advance, I just hated the wheels on the Advance and loved the black trim on the A-Spec, so I went for the A-Spec.

It's great, the audio is great, I love the car and I'm glad I leaped early.

Fury63

Madd Dog

GBR!

Yes sir

TLMDXRDX

Awesome to hear. Big Husker fan here too. We lived in Lincoln a few years and that is when I adopted the football team. My son and I will be making the 8-hour drive to Lincoln labor day weekend to watch the opening game. Now for those long trips I usually pay $100 bucks to rent a car for the weekend so I don't put too many miles on my car, but with the new RDX I just might want to enjoy a fun drive across the plains.

knhellesky

Interesting to see some Husker fans here (including myself)...still live here in the Big Red state.

So...I've been a loyal Honda fan for years (Accord, Odyssey, Pilot, Fit), and am looking for new vehicle. I'm currently looking at the Subaru Ascent as well. I haven't made a decision yet and doing as much research as I can. But I do love the new look of the RDX!

I'm not a big fan of the wheels on the Advance trim and wished they would have incorporated some features that I really like (e.g. power folding mirrors, an actual gear selector vs. the push button)

TLMDXRDX

What are the odds 3 Husker fans browsing the same thread and forum at the same time. Regarding the RDX, I agree with you about the Advance wheels which is why I ruled that out and was down to the A-Spec vs the Tech package. I ended up going with the tech package as we are considering giving my son this vehicle in about 5 years when he is able to drive, and I did not want to invest much more in a vehicle a new driver may use. I would recommend driving both and seeing what you think. The Tech model has more than enough in my opinion and has the nicer rims.

Russell Dion

The interior is comparable to that of the other more prestigious luxury brands. Acura is really setting the bar for value. And maintenance is not as crazy as the German brands. The only thing that Acura could have done better was offer more engines.

acuraada

SK1124

-Price point
-Abundance of features on the top trim (platinum elite in Canada....i know my american friends are unfortunately missing some basic options like power folding mirrors on your advance trim)
-Reliability (want to keep it for a long time)
-Great balance between luxury and sporty
-the adaptive dampers systems is amazingly well done! and SH-AWD!
-sound system is great!
-the seats are amazing!
-cargo space is much better than most competitors
-Exterior and interior beauty

The biggest con as people have mentioned is the advance wheels. Luckily, you can get swapped out easily. Or take the route I did which was powder coating them black. I found my hate for them instantly went away after being powder coated. Shocking how much a simple colour change can do!

knhellesky

Did you do the powder coating yourself? Just curious on how that whole process work.

gtssenior

I was a first time Acura owner back in 2004 when I bought a new TL. I only had it in twice for minor repairs in the 14 years I had it and all of the other times I had it in was for normal scheduled maintenance. So the quality made me look first at Acura for another vehicle. My wants and needs have evolved from the 2004 TL, specifically...
- Vehicle that sat up higher to make it easier to get in and out of car as I grew older
- More cargo space
- Safety features
The 2019 RDX with Advance trim and SH-AWD meets that plus the clinchers were
- Liked the test drive
- Ergonomics behind the design of the vehicle systems
- Financing that was at a lower interest rate than I thought I could make on the money that I had planned to use to pay in full
- Overall appearance and impressions

SK1124

No. I had a professional do it. I wouldn't even know where to begin lol.

acuraada

catbert430

That's interesting because it seems like 80% of the contributors here have Advance; 19% have A-Spec; 1% have Tech.
I feel like I'm the only Tech owner while Acura expects 40% to be Tech.
Advance should be 25% of sales.

acuraada

ChiefG

We purchased our 2019 RDX Tech in Canyon Bronze two days ago. Amazing vehicle. We have been driving a 2007 MDX for 11 years and were ready for something new. We looked at the 2018 MDX and couldn't get used to the exterior styling. We looked at the competition, all of them, and couldn't commit either because of styling or cost. Saturday we went to Acura to see what a new RDX looked like and we didn't blink. It looks aggressive without looking like a cyber monster (RL350). Plenty of power and the interior is beautiful and it was significantly less money than the MDX.

Chief G

2007 MDX Tech
2019 RDX Tech

russianDude

Toyota cars have overall softer ride than Honda from my experience. Some like the stiffness, and others dont. It’s a pointless argument because it highly depends what you like.

fogdoctor

Drove all of the following (some several times) and could not find anything better. The big selling points were the seats in the advance, performance/ride/fuel economy for the price, and the cargo volume. The one thing that I did not count on was the ELS sound system - it is the best I have ever heard in any car.

• Audi Q5.- Too expensive for you get. I did not think the ride quality was that great. Also felt too nose heavy to me.
• BMW X4.- Drives well, felt balanced, pricey with options, and rear seats were not great. I liked other options better for less money.
• BMW X3 - Too small for me. Louder, less refined, too expensive for what it is. I can see how it appeals to people but I'm not in the target market.
• Lexus RX 350 - Liked it overall in the higher end trims but lacked content in the price range I was looking. OK value used but, in the end, I could not get over the way it looks and the wallowing in turns. The F-sport suspension was better but did not have the right ride/handling balance for me. Not having rear heated seats in the price range is silly - Excellent interior quality though.
• Lexus NX - Did not end up actually driving it. My 6'3" 15 year old did not fit in the back properly.
• Mercedes-Benz GLC.- This was a decent option but I am keeping it 6-10 years so I had some concerns about how it would hold up. Interior quality was excellent in the versions I drove.
• Volvo XC60.- I don't get it. Ride quality was not as good as the others and I did not think the interior was great. The version I looked at had some panel gap issues as well. The deal killer was the infotainment lag.
• Infiniti QX50.- This was a legitimate competitor with OK interior quality. Assembly did not seem up to par with the others. I liked it quite a bit but the ride is a little too firm fo rme.
• Lincoln MKC - Like it and you can get it cheap but too small for my needs.
• Cadillac XT5.- I liked it. Drove well, similar ride quality, similar materials, but had some odd cheap bits and it's not assembled as well as others.

Ludepower

Looks, size and price. Pretty much a poor mans Lexus RX350.

I didnt even consider german cars cause of questionable reliability and resale value.