Friday, April 20, 2012

2013 ACURA RDX AWD TECH











AUTO ADVISOR GROUP
BRUCE HUBBARD


DETROIT  April 19, 2012

Acura brought in a team of product managers and PR staff to Detroit I order to  introduce  the newly improved RDX.  They have just taken any problems of the previous model and made it even better.  Acura states they capture vibrant couples with the smaller SUV. They come to the RDX Acura states because of prestige, styling, fuel economy, space and utility plus performance!

The interior as is shown has new soft surfaces and excellent appointments. The center stack is easy to use and has everything one needs. New for the RDX is a better camera system that comes on when backing us. Actually you can zoom out to wide or even have a top down view. Ideal for trailering or when parking. No auto parking system as is offered by some of the competition.









The previous model was one of the first luxury vehicles to offer a turbo charged four-cylinder engine. No longer offered for they felt the six-cylinder was the way to go. It has improved fuel economy.  The new engine once on the highway can go down to four or three cylinders through electronics. The Acura system is called Variable Cylinder Management that works automatically depending on driving conditions.  Funny how all manufacturers seem to be doing what Acura did a few years ago by using four cylinder and even three cylinder turbo charged engines. Acura gave us figures showing they get better fuel economy than the BMW X3 or the Audi Q5.

The new engine delivers 273-horsepower with 251 foot pounds of toque@5,000 from the  3.5-liter V-6 engine. I noticed that the engine is very smooth. Fuel economy of the new V-6 picks up as much as 5 mpg highway over the previous 2012 RDX.




The RDX had plenty of power on the highway and when I needed to merge quickly it responded immediately.  The new model handles the bumps of Michigan roads better than the previous 2012 version. The Acura staff showed us two new pistons used to soften the ride and deliver superb handling.  Excellent system.

The 2013 RDX has a 6-speed transmission with paddle shifters included for those who love to manually control shifting.  I did notice some lag with the transmission but then again I only drove the vehicle for an hour during my “first” drive.  I did not drive the FWD version. I drove the upgraded tech model of the RDX that included all-wheel-drive.

The AWD system includes an improved motion adaptive EPS system. Oversteer and understeer are corrected automatically.  Great control on slippery surfaces, rain, snow or ice.

I asked the product manager why no trailering package or figures? She stated that they can only tow small loads. I indicated their “weekend” drives should allow a person to move more gear with a small trailer. Or even move a small personal watercraft. I moved behind and XKE a jet-ski. Acura dealers do offer roof racks for the RDX ideal for carrying gear.

The 2013 RDX  rides on the same frame as the 2012. But the sheet metal has been changed to improve looks. Fender wells are more pronounced. The front grill is smaller and the skin has been smoothed out.  Acura high-tech style!

Inside the RDX’s cabin is quiet in part thanks to the low rolling resistance tires. Seating for driver and front passenger is excellent.  The driver gets an 8-way power adjustable seat. Driver and passenger get heated seats. The steering is better thanks to electrical power steering gear box.  The steering wheel  has a tilt and telescoping steering column offer adjustability for most heights and body types.

I asked the team from Acura why they do not offer blind spot monitoring , adaptive cruise control or even lane departure control? They stated if customers demand it perhaps in the future it would be available.

The 2013 RDX AWD TECH model I drove included a great navigation system with voice recognition and multi-view camera plus a 10-speaker Acura/ELS audio system, GPS-linked climate control, SMS texting support, and Pandora app functionality. 

Our two row SUV delivers plenty of cargo space as my photos show. With 26.1 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, 61.3 cubic feet with the seats folded flat, and 76.9 cubic feet including under-floor storage. 







I liked the fact that the RDX comes with a full size spare tire.

Acura Smart Luxury –value that exceeds expectation with  advanced technology the PR department kept repeating.

The pricing of the 2013 RDX AWD Tech model was $39,420 plus $895 destination bringing the MSRP to $40,315. The FWD version with the Tech package sells for MSRP $38,925.  I did not drive the FWD version as stated previously. When we get the RDX models for a long term drive we will update impressions including all tech figures.



Photos by Bruce Hubbard

Auto Advisor Group
Brucehubbardphotography.IFP3.com

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