Text by John Biel
2022 Acura RDX A-Spec Advance
Specs
Class: Premium Compact Crossover
Miles driven: 432
Fuel used: 22.4 gallons
| CG Report Card | |
|---|---|
| Room and Comfort | A- |
| Power and Performance | B |
| Fit and Finish | B |
| Fuel Economy | B- |
| Value | B+ |
| Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup. | |
| Big & Tall Comfort | |
| Big Guy | B |
| Tall Guy | A |
| Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester. | |
| Drivetrain | |
| Engine Specs | 272-hp 2.0L |
| Engine Type | Turbocharged 4-cylinder |
| Transmission | 10-speed automatic |
| Drive Wheels | AWD |
Real-world fuel economy: 19.3 mpg
Driving mix: 60% city, 40% highway
EPA-estimated fuel economy: 21/26/23 (mpg city/highway/combined)
Fuel type: Premium gas
Base price: $51,300 (not including $1045 destination charge)
Options on test vehicle: Apex Blue Pearl paint ($500)
Price as tested: $52,845
Pros and Cons
The great: Athletic handling with a decently absorbent ride; competitive pricing; long list of standard comfort and technology features; generous passenger and cargo space for the class
The good: Interior fit and finish, power delivery and acceleration
The not so good: True Touchpad console-mounted infotainment interface is finicky and difficult to manipulate while driving; no stand-alone options
More RDX price and availability information
Overview
If you liked the 2019-21 Acura RDX, the manufacturer is hoping you’ll like the ’22 even more. That’s because while the premium-compact SUV sticks with the same platform it now sports some modest exterior appearance changes, added connectivity and safety-tech features, and a bit of enhancement to the driving experience.
We like the RDX at Consumer Guide, naming it one of our “Best Buys”—again. We find it a good value for its price considering its mix of driving dynamics, interior environment, and general refinement. The public seems to like it: It was Acura’s best-selling product in 2019 and 2020 until slipping behind the larger MDX by about 3000 units, according to Automotive News. We’ll assume, then, that Acura Division is pretty fond of it, too.
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Prices and Trim Levels
CG’s most recent RDX tester was one about as complete as any of them gets, an A-Spec Advance. Acura’s modus operandi is to treat trim levels like self-contained packages—higher ones building off the lower ones—so obtaining a particular desired feature requires buying into a level that has it. Three front-wheel-drive and five all-wheel-drive models are available, Advance and A-Spec Advance being AWD-only vehicles. An A-Spec Advance starts at $52,345 with delivery; a spray of Apex Blue Pearl paint added $500 to the bottom line of the test vehicle.
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Technology and Equipment
The most pronounced exterior tweak is a new lower-fascia/bumper cover that moves the look of the RDX closer to that of the MDX. Elsewhere around the vehicle, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone connectivity goes wireless, a wireless pad for device charging and “IconicDrive” ambient-interior-lighting system become available (both were on our tester), enhanced Active Sound Control and new front-fender liner are employed for a quieter cabin, and Acura says it has ramped up the difference in feel between drive modes. The standard AcuraWatch suite of safety features now includes lane-change assist, rear seatbelt-use reminder, and front and rear low-speed braking control to go with the existing adaptive cruise control, forward-collision and lane-departure warnings, lane-keeping assist, road-departure mitigation, and emergency automatic braking that this driver found to be pretty quick and aggressive.
RDX Advances come with adaptive dampers that continuously adjust fluid pressure in the shock absorbers in response to driving conditions, a process that’s also influenced somewhat by the selection of drive mode—“Comfort,” “Normal,” “Snow,” or “Sport.” Then, too, A-Specs come with 255/45R20 tires that are slightly wider and lower-profile than the rubber under other RDXs. With these features, ride quality throughout our test was very good, though admittedly firmer in Sport. Meanwhile, drivers enjoy good steering feedback that will make them feel connected to the road. The torque-vectoring “Super Handling All-Wheel Drive” apportions power from front to back as needed, and even between right and left rear wheels to sharpen cornering. In any mode, the RDX is a confident, pleasant handler.
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Engines
The powerteam is the same turbocharged 272-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and 10-speed automatic transmission that has motivated the RDX since 2019. This engine may not be quite the tiger that the V6 it replaced was, but it can still be counted on for good performance. (CG testing in 2020 clocked 0-to-60 mph acceleration in just below 6.6 seconds.) In Sport, there’s quicker response to accelerator inputs and the transmission holds off upshifts into the higher reaches of each range. The exhaust note comes through a little louder and sportier, too. Highway-speed cruising is easily maintained. EPA fuel-economy projections for the AWD A-Spec are 21 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 23 combined. When this driver put 221.7 miles on the test vehicle (40 percent in city-style motoring), he averaged 21.2 mpg.
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Considering its top-of-the-heap positioning, CG’s tester was brimming with stuff. A panoramic sunroof, full LED lighting (including fog lights and puddle lights), and hands-free tailgate are found around the vehicle. Front seats are heated and ventilated and power adjustable 16 ways; rear seats are heated. The climate system is automatic and dual-zone. A head-up display projects on a heated windshield. The ELS premium audio system plays through 16 speakers and the navigation system has voice recognition. The A-Spec contribution includes Shark Gray 20-inch alloy wheels, gloss-black exterior accents, and large-diameter dual exhaust finishers on the outside, with leather sport seats with black Ultrasuede inserts, black Ultrasuede dash-panel insert above the glove-box door, perforated-leather wrap for the heated steering wheel (in a new flat-bottom style), metal pedal trim, Ebony headliner, and dark-tinted brushed-aluminum interior accents.
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Cabin
Padded, soft-touch surfaces are well-distributed throughout the tastefully finished cabin, where there’s good leg- and headroom in both rows and even the chance of 3-across adult seating in back thanks to a flat floor. If anything seems crowded, it’s the center of the dash leading down to the console, packed as it is with numerous buttons and a display for the climate system, the selector dial for drive modes above the Honda/Acura button-and-lever transmission selector, and then the “True Touchpad” infotainment-system controller. The 10.2-inch info screen perched atop the dash is not a touchscreen, but oh, how we wish it were. What’s on the screen is supposed to correspond to an area on the console but this touchpad is, um, touchy. It took forever just to input radio settings because it’s easy to touch the wrong point or slide off to some other area of the screen. (One man’s opinion: There’s nothing better than directly tuning a station—with a knob, preferably—and then tapping a screen to save the setting. Boom! Done.)
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Storage
A generous 29.5 cubic feet of cargo space reside behind the back seats—which fold flat (in a 60/40 split) for 58.9 cubic feet of capacity. There are several storage bins under load floor, plus an open cubby at the left rear for incidentals. The glove and console boxes aren’t really large. There are hard-sided pouches behind the front seats, door pockets with bottle holders, and cup holders in the console and pull-down rear armrest.
Review
Unnecessarily busy infotainment aside, there’s way more to like about the Acura RDX than there isn’t—which must be why so many like it.
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2022 Acura RDX A-Spec Advance Pictures
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