The best driver’s cars have good on-center feel that gives you a sense of where the wheels are and how they’re responding – or will respond – to your input. What’s Missingįor me, the missing piece in the ride and handling puzzle is steering feel. There’s little roll, even when you change direction quickly, assisted by the clever SH-AWD system. The RDX rides very well on its sophisticated adaptive dampers. The more relevant question is however: is the RDX the dynamic driver’s car that Acura wants us to think it is? Calgary, Alberta, is sadly lacking in either tire-shredding skid pads or dusty desert racetracks, so I’m unable to substantiate those specific performance claims! The car was large enough to accommodate four passengers and their luggage on an airport run during the test week.ĭriving Impressions: 2019 Acura RDX on the RoadĪcura’s current TV commercial for the RDX shows it pulling donuts around a skid pad and racing Baja-style along a twisty desert road. The trunk, too, is a little narrow but surprisingly practical due to a decent amount of underfloor storage. The 16-way adjustable, heated and ventilated seats of the Platinum Elite model are extremely comfortable and rear legroom is good. The RDX’s cabin is beautifully built and full of very high-quality materials, including ash wood trim – good enough to worry any of the RDX’s luxury rivals. With a 10-speed gearbox to shift through, however, the novelty soon wears off. Steering-wheel paddle-shifters are fitted if you want to a manual shift option. We’re still not quite convinced that buttons are the best alternative to a regular shifter – a rotary dial, Fiat Chrysler or Jaguar Land Rover style, seems to be a more elegant alternative. The nicely styled centre stack also incorporates regular push-buttons for the HVAC controls, a prominent and slightly out-of-place volume control for the high-end ELS Studio audio system, and buttons to operate the transmission. We like the principle, although it took time to get accustomed to the pad, which needs a push-button-style shove rather than a touchscreen-style tap to complete the desired operation. True Touchpad works through relative positioning – if you slide your finger to the top-right of the pad, for example, the cursor moves to the app icon or function control that’s top-right of the central screen.Ī push of the pad the selects the icon or operates the function. The screen’s high position and its simplified, app-based functions are aimed at minimizing driver distraction. It’s controlled by Acura/Honda’s new True Touchpad Interface, which is designed to marry smartphone-style intuitive control with the safety and practicality concerns of an in-car installation. The old dual-screen design is gone from the instrument panel, replaced by a 10.2-inch landscape screen that sits high in the center, BMW-style. How each customer responds to a car’s styling is a question of personal preference, but I would suggest that, while the latest RDX is more distinctive than the old model, the restrictions of SUV packaging and aerodynamic necessity mean that it’s not quite as radical as Acura might want it to be.Ģ019 RDX Interior: New Look Instrument Panel We’ve been seeing that for some time on SUVs from other brands including Nissan, Lexus and GMC. The front and rear detailing is nice, too, but there are also some me-too elements such as the chrome insert in the C-pillar to create the illusion of a floating roof. There are styling themes here from the attractive Acura Precision Concept that was first shown at the Pebble Beach Concours in 2016, such as the side crease that rises from behind the front wheel arch to the rear light cluster. We tested a top-of-the-line Platinum Elite model, which retails for C$57,161 and is roughly equivalent to the SH-AWD with Advance Package in the US (US$47,400).Īlso see our picks for 2018 Best Luxury SUV & Crossovers | Acura RDX Redesign: Bolder LookĪcura has gone for a bolder look for the new RDX. It features the return of the torque-vectoring SH-AWD drivetrain (standard in Canada, optional in the USA) and the same 272-horsepower, 2-liter turbocharged engine and 10-speed transmission that’s found in the latest Honda Accord – no V6 for now. The new RDX replaces a vehicle that’s been on sale since 2012. ![]() The brand’s new tagline is ‘Precision crafted performance’ and the all-new, 2019 RDX luxury compact SUV is the first model to be developed according to the new mantra. The arrival of the NSX in 2016 was the first sign that Acura was attempting to get back to some of the dynamic, driver-focused ethos that was a characteristic of early cars like the Integra. Review of the Platinum Elite Model: Top-of-the-Line 2019 RDX
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