2019 Acura RDX Road Test and Review

2019 Acura RDX White Front Quarter ・ Photo by Miles Branman

One in four vehicles sold within the luxury automotive sector is a compact SUV. That’s the only data point you need to appreciate the opportunity (and challenge) Acura faces with the introduction of its redesigned RDX. Every premium brand wants a piece of the action, and most have completely overhauled their models to compete effectively. To this point, the Acura RDX has fared rather well: More than 375,000 units have been sold since 2006, making the RDX the most successful nameplate in the segment thus far.

The Japanese marque cites comfort, power, and value as the most attractive characteristics of its previous-generation RDX, but it admits dynamic styling and performance were lacking compared to German rivals. With the redesigned RDX, Acura seeks to liven up this crossover’s look and feel to align with the company’s “precision crafted performance” battle cry.

What’s New for 2019

As an all-new generation, the 2019 Acura RDX is re-imagined from the ground up. Built on a bespoke vehicle architecture (not shared with sister-brand Honda’s CR-V), the new RDX boasts Acura’s latest iteration of SH-AWD (super handling all-wheel drive), eye-catching bodywork, a unique touchpad interface for the infotainment, an available A-Spec performance trim, a 10-speed automatic transmission, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and numerous NVH-reduction strategies.

The new RDX also comes standard with a host of driver assist technologies. Adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, collision mitigation braking, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation, a forward collision warning, and lane departure warning, LED daytime running lights, and automatic high beams are all standard. The Tech Package adds front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, and a rear cross-traffic alert. The Advanced trim tacks on a surround-view camera and head-up display warnings.

Photo by Miles Branman

Exterior Styling

The worst mistake an automaker can make when tangoing in a dense segment is to style safely. A quick glance needs to leave a lasting impression on potential customers — at least long enough for them to pull out their smartphone or power up their computer for some research. Fortunately for Acura, the 2019 RDX makes an impact. Falling in line with Acura’s redesigned TLX, the RDX wears a wide Diamond Pentagon grille between narrow jewel-eye LED headlights. Standard 19-inch wheels and a defined side garnish strike a sharp profile. At the rear, acute C-shaped LED taillights are paired with dual chrome exhaust ports.

A-Spec models dial up the aggression with 20-inch Shark Gray wheels, unique front and rear bumpers, dark tinted headlights and taillights, LED fog lights, gloss black exterior accents, and larger dual oval exhausts. The RDX looks most comfortable in A-Spec clothing, standing apart from BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz’s modest design languages. Infiniti’s reborn QX50 has similar curb appeal, albeit with softer curves rather than the RDX’s hard creases.

Photo by Miles Branman

Interior Comfort and Convenience

The RDX’s fresh design works its way into the cabin, layering gloss black, brushed metal, stitched leather, and soft-touch materials in a captivating arrangement. A tri-level center stack splits the driver and front passenger compartments like a sports car, with storage and connection ports down below. A standard panoramic sunroof brightens the entire cabin, making the already spacious interior feel that much more so. Shorter front doors allow for a larger rear door opening to ease access to the second row. Once inside, all but the tallest rear passengers will find sufficient leg and headroom. Dual-zone climate control and 12-way power heated front seats come standard on the base RDX, but higher trims add front seat ventilation and rear seat heating.

A-Spec models add perforated leather wrapping for the steering wheel, aluminum interior trim, microfiber suede inserts, a red instrument panel, black headliner, ambient lighting, and sport pedals. With 30 cubic ft of space behind the second row, only the Infiniti QX50 tops the RDX in cargo capacity (by 1 cubic foot).

Photo by Miles Branman

Powertrain and Fuel Economy

Every new RDX is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to a new 10-speed automatic transmission. Its rating of 272 horsepower is down slightly to last year's V6, but torque is up considerably at 280 lb-ft. Front-wheel drive is standard, but Acura’s latest iteration of SH-AWD is available for $2,000. Power delivery and gear changes are smooth, with no discernable torque delay. Acura estimates a 0-60 mph sprint of 5.8 seconds for AWD-equipped models, making it among the quickest SUVs in its segment.

The EPA estimates that front-drive RDX models will return 22 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 24 mpg combined. AWD versions take a small mpg hit, earning 21 city, 26 highway, and 23 combined.

Photo by Miles Branman

Driving Dynamics

To make the RDX more dynamic, Acura utilized a stronger, lighter platform, retuned the suspension and steering, and added the company’s latest SH-AWD system. Advanced trims go a step further with adaptive dampers that adjust ride firmness based on driving behavior.

Our A-Spec test vehicle (equipped with AWD) holds a tight line through corners with minimal front-end pushing, but it's clearly fighting against a high center of gravity. As a result, some body roll betrays the SUV’s responsive steering and ample power. Braking is also a mixed bag, with short stopping distances after a lack of initial bite and a deep push of the pedal. Four drive modes — Snow, Comfort, Sport, and Sport + — adjust throttle mapping, shift timing, and steering weight noticeably, but not even the spiciest setting makes gear changes all that rapid. Indeed, the 2019 RDX is fun to drive, and we can award it “most improved,” for driving dynamics, but it comes shy of taking home top honors in the segment.

Photo by Acura

Technology and Safety Features

The new RDX’s interior shares certain aesthetic elements with the Acura NSX supercar, but you won’t confuse the two on the technology front. While the halo two-door makes do with a finicky touchscreen infotainment system, the RDX features an innovative True Touchpad Interface with a two-minute learning curve. Designed to respond like a smartphone, the console-mounted pad allows swipe, click, and scroll functionality to adjust an in-dash 10.2-inch display. The center monitor, split into a larger and smaller screen, boasts a completely customizable home screen so drivers can quickly access their favorite features.

Apart from a lack of pinch-and-zoom capability (desirable only for navigation control), Acura’s Touchpad system is wonderfully intuitive and quickly becomes second nature. Other tech highlights include a 7.2-inch driver instrument cluster, an available head-up display covering a massive 10.5-inches of windshield real estate, and a 16-speaker 3D sound system that’s among the crispest in-car audio setups we’ve experienced.

Photo by Miles Branman

Pricing and Packages

The 2019 Acura RDX comes with a long list of standard features at its entry-level price of $38,295 (including destination and handling fees). In addition to the aforementioned features, the base RDX includes 19-inch wheels, heated side mirrors, an acoustic glass windshield, keyless entry and ignition, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a nine-speaker premium audio system, a USB port, Bluetooth, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and Apple CarPlay. All-wheel drive is available on all trims for $2,000.

Upgrading to the Technology trim ($41,495) adds dark gray 19-inch wheels, premium perforated milano leather seats, smart key entry rear doors, a 12-speaker Acura ELS premium audio, navigation, and two rear USB charging ports. The performance-oriented A-Spec ($44,495) boosts features to include 20-inch wheels, black exterior trim, heated and ventilated 12-way front sport seats, microfiber suede interior trim, a unique steering wheel, aluminum trim, and a 3D sound system with 16 speakers. Atop the range, the Advanced ($46,395) adds 19-inch silver wheels, rain-sensing wipers, a remote link tailgate with hands-free open, acoustic front side glass, a rear camera washer, a head-up display, rear heated seats, a heated steering wheel, and natural olive ash burl wood trim.

Photo by Miles Branman

Highs and Lows

Highs: - Striking design to stand out from the luxury herd - Value-rich packages and numerous standard features - Well-damped ride and a quiet cabin - Punchy acceleration without torque delay - Intuitive new touchpad interface

Lows: - Not much initial braking bite - Noticeable body roll during hard cornering

Photo by Miles Branman

Competition

Among the new RDX's closest competitors, the Infiniti QX50 is the cheapest at $37,545. Meanwhile, the BMW X3 starts at $42,650. The RDX leads the charge on power and torque, trailed closely by the QX50 with 268 hp and 280 lb-ft. Fuel efficiency is another notch in the QX50’s column, with 26 mpg combined. The Audi Q5 and the RDX are tied in a race to 60 mph (at 5.8 seconds each).

If these were the only criteria that luxury buyers considered, it would be a clear showdown between Acura and Infiniti — but brand credibility carries a great deal of intangible weight. German luxury brands are ultimately more desirable and, in some cases, worth their premiums. All around performance, for example, is BMW’s domain. Styling, some would argue, is the arena of the Mercedes-Benz GLC. Despite offering feature-rich, attractive, and engaging compact SUVs, both Acura and Infiniti are still viewed as “entry-level luxury” players. We’d encourage buyers to take a good look at both the QX50 and RDX before shelling out thousands more for similarly equipped German models.

Photo by Mercedes-Benz

Our Take

Improved in every way one could hope (plus a few more), the 2019 Acura RDX is a seriously compelling SUV. More than just a great value, the redesigned RDX is responsive, technologically advanced, and endlessly comfortable.

It’s clear the RDX has long been a quiet force among the premium compact crossover segment, but the new generation will definitely make some waves.

Photo by Miles Branman