We recently had the opportunity to try out the 2019 Acura RDX Elite. The last time we drove an Acura was in the summer when we went camping. It sure was nice to be driving a luxury, five-seater SUV; especially since the 2019 model has been completely redesigned.
As soon as we got in the Acura RDX we went “whoa, this is different!”. Things are definitely different, especially for us with our driving an SUV that is very simplified and less techy when compared to this. We wanted to know, has the 2019 Acura RDX been changed for the better?
THE 2019 ACURA RDX ELITE IS LOADED WITH TECH
Maybe it was because it is winter that a lot of this tech won me over, but I was very impressed by a couple of key things. Being able to turn the car on with the remote engine start made a huge difference when the snow came through where we live. I was able to warm the vehicle which helped with clearing ice and snow off the window, plus I wasn’t freezing when getting into the car.
The RDX also has different Dynamic Drive Modes you can put the car into while driving. One of these includes Snow. The different modes allow you to select how you want the vehicle to respond when on the road. Putting the vehicle into Snow, meant there was control over how much power went to each wheel. While driving through the snow and icy condition I never had an issue. I felt confident in the vehicle and safe while driving.
Just in case you are wondering, the other Dynamic Drive Modes to go with the ten-speed transmission are Comfort, Sport, and Sport +. There is a lot of power in this vehicle and it sounds fantastic!
INSPIRED BY FIGHTER JET TECHNOLOGY
Another favourite feature for us is the Heads-Up Display which was inspired by fighter jet technology. This was the first time we’ve had this in a vehicle and it is definitely a good change. While you have your usual stuff displayed on the multi-information display, plus your mileage and all of that. What is shown in the Heads-Up Display allows you to see what is going on with the vehicle, without looking down.
It makes a huge difference being able to keep your eyes on the road right ahead of you, while also seeing what your car speed is thanks to the digital speedometer. Your navigation directions are also shown turn-by-turn through the Heads-Up Display. Having each step of the directions right in front of me was a huge help.
FUEL ECONOMY
Fuel economy is something that my husband and I consider to be extremely important in vehicles, especially newer models. When we make the change to a new vehicle, we want to know that it has fantastic mileage because the price of gas is not getting any better where we live.
The RDX is promoted at being 11 in the city, 8.6 on the highway, and 9.9 combined. We found that in the city the RDX was averaging 12 and on the highway, we went down to 11. Overall it was always around that 11 mark. For a newer vehicle, this is not any better than what we are driving currently.
This is something that I would love to see improved on, or at least an Eco Mode be installed to try and improve the fuel economy. I would like to see better gas mileage in the RDX, especially since it requires a premium when filling up. This already puts the vehicle at a higher cost in gas.
WHAT THE INSIDE IS LIKE
Right away our whole family loved the interior of the RDX. The kids were won over by the large panoramic moon roof. There is something about a massive window over their heads when in the car that calms them down. Maybe it’s because they can see everything around them?
The one we drove had a gorgeous espresso coloured interior where you can see a lot of attention to detail has been given. The driver and passenger seats both had multiple options for adjusting them. This meant that not only was the driver comfortable while in the vehicle but so was the passenger. Anyone else ever wonder why the passenger vehicle in some cars does not adjust as much? Not an issue in this vehicle, everyone is comfy! Dare I mention the legroom? This is almost always an issue for us, not in this vehicle. We had two car seats in the back, the girls had their legroom, and we were able to move our seats back and be comfortable ourselves.
In the RDX you will now find the True Touchpad Interface™. This is one thing that I am finding to be hit or miss with different people who have driven this vehicle. For my husband and me we both really liked it. The RDX has a display screen that is mounted up high in the center dash. To control it there is an innovative touchpad that uses absolute positioning. Say you touch the top left of the touchpad, that will correspond directly to the top left of the display.
The new True Touchpad Interface™ is standard and all trims of RDX. It’s very user-friendly and only takes a few seconds to figure out how it works. No more fighting with turn dials to get through the display. It’s located exactly where the drivers right-hand rests on the center console of the vehicle, which makes it easily accessible when needed.
Having said all that, I truly dislike the Touchpad interface and found it very distracting. If you watched my Instagram LIVE when I did the vehicle walk-around, you would have seen me using the interface. (follow me on Instagram for live vehicle walkarounds and story posts about family cars regularly)
If you love music, then the audio system will definitely win you over. All of the music we had playing sounded fantastic thanks to the multiple speakers throughout the vehicle creating a surround sound experience. Everyone in the vehicle is completely immersed in the music. My youngest was able to hear all of her favourite songs clearly, I didn’t hear a request once for “turn it up, I can’t hear it!”, everything sounded as it should.
DEFINITELY A GREAT FAMILY VEHICLE
After test driving the 2019 Acura RDX for a week, we can definitely see why it would make a great family vehicle. There are some things we would like to see Acura continue to improve on, like the fuel economy. If you are looking for something that is stepping it up a notch compared to other SUVs on the market, this is it. I lost track of how many times we said that we did not want to give this vehicle back.
[…] us started this month, Tamara Goyette recently took a fancy new SUV for a spin. In her review of the 2019 Acura RDX Elite, she points out that things are “definitely different” in this luxury SUV, especially […]