After Acura’s successful introduction to the SUV world with the MDX, the RDX is here to represent the company in the luxury compact SUV sector. With an attractive design, high-quality cabin and great engine, we are in for one premium ride.
Taking a look at the exterior, we are immediately greeted by a beautiful five-spoke grille integrated with the company’s standard sleek LED headlights. The flashy front fenders melt into the sides as the attractive design accents continue and the window lines elegantly merge with the body, giving the car a unique upscale character. The large wheels compliment the more spacious look and bring us to the backside where the c-shaped tail-lights and the dual tailpipes, along with glossy black accents finish off the premium look of the car.
All of this is already creating an incredible design and we haven’t even taken a look inside. The Acura RDX has a very elegant and attractive interior with a luxurious heated steering wheel, modern paddle shifters and metallic brake and accelerator pedals.
Well supported seats with strong leather upholstery and distinctive stitching await the passengers. Despite this being a compact model, the leg and head room is quite impressive. Being able to comfortably seat 5 people, you would easily forget that you aren’t riding in a full sized SUV.
The passengers are in for a far bigger treat than just great legroom. The RDX is jam-packed with features that are sure to spoil you with convenience and comfort. Infotainment screens allow for watching your favorite movies as the acoustically insulated windows keep external noise to a minimum and the heated seats keep you nice and comfy. Premium 12 to 16-speaker audio system is available and it’s capable of satisfying even those who consider themselves audiophiles. Last, but not least the RDX has an incredibly panoramic sunroof.
Acura’s engineers have also made sure that the driver is just as spoiled with features as the passengers. Push-button start, adaptive cruise control, multiview backup cameras and an optional heads-up display are just a few things that the RDX offers.
Most of the car’s electronic features are controlled through Acura’s True Touchpad Interface. Going away with cursors, the designers have made a conscious choice to make the infotainment controls as intuitive as possible. Rather than fiddling around with a traditional cursor, the user would just tap the area of the touchpad that directly corresponds to the same area on the display.
The AcuraWatch package of safety features includes all of the usual suspects: forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and blind spot detection.
But what about the performance? Does the RDX’s premium feel extend to the performance?
It absolutely does!
The RDX has a 2L, 4 cylinder turbocharged engine on the newer models and a 3.5L V6 engine on the older ones. Featuring a 5 to 10-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive, this compact SUV delivers quick steering, fluid handling and quite the punch when accelerating. Included in some models is the Integrated Dynamics System that gives you four drive modes: Comfort, Snow, Sport and Sport Plus. Each mode is carefully designed to best tweak the performance of the car to match the driver’s needs and current terrain.
With all of this, it’s easy to see that Acura has done it once again. Creating another affordable luxury vehicle for their fleet that allows the owner to enjoy being spoiled with opulence without breaking the bank or needing to sacrifice any of the design pillars that make a car great. With reasonably priced and curated packages, you are able to quickly pick the one that suits you best and offers the features you most care about.