Some station wagons seem to be the best of both worlds – room for five and cargo, yet still fun to drive like the Cadillac CTS wagon, BMW’s 325xi, Audi’s A3 Avant, Volvo’s V50 and Mercedes-Benz’s E350.
But station wagons aren’t a big thing for some now that crossovers have hit the scene, although some drive like an SUV. That’s where Acura made a smart move back in 2007 with the compact RDX back in 2007, calling it a "5-passenger entry premium SUV."
Based on the Honda CR-V, but with Acura’s edgier look, technology and sporty driving ability, its aimed at a customer who wants “a stylish vehicle that offers a higher ‘eye-point’ (driving position) and more cargo flexibility than a sedan,” but also wants the “style, handling and performance of a sports sedan,” sayeth Acura’s press material.
Witness the “transformable utility of the RDX,” now not so alone in the world of sporty compact crossover SUVs anymore.
* RDXterior - The RDX’s birth dates back to 2005 at the Detroit auto show, when Acura unveiled the RD-X concept. Acura believed that the world needed a competitor in the then-new premium sporty crossover class’s sole occupant, the BMW X3. Now there’s Audi Q5, Infiniti EX35, Mercedes GLK350 and Volkswagen Tiguan.
The look was similar to a baby MDX, starting with Acura’s chiseled nose. In 2010, Acura added its new satin alloy guillotine blade grill over a set of slit lower intakes (one feeds the intercooler) with a matte bumper bar, flanked by silver-framed fog lights. Underneath, a pseudo-brush guard. The headlights are slits that flow into the edgy fender above flat-faced wheel fender flares over 10-spoke alloy wheels wearing Michelin Pilot 18-inch rubber. The rising belt line is matched with a softly curved edge that rises off the front fender, while a gentle channel gives the flanks under the chromed door handles some definition over the lightly cladded sill. In back, a spoiler shields the tinted rear window on a composite hatchback with huge LED taillights and a short rear overhang. Under it, twin steel-edged pipes sit in a black lower fascia and accent the edgy bumper. It’s a tight design with a balanced look and fairly short overhang, but nothing as earthshaking as some Acuras have been.
* Acura accommodations – Dark gray over light gray with some pewter finish, all done in padded or soft touch materials - subtle, yet nicely done. You spy the inset three-gauge design with a big central 180-mph speedometer with a trip computer that even shows torque split on the wheels, flanked by 8,000-rpm tach and turbo boost gauge to the left and gas gauge and gearshift indicator to the right, done in white numbers with blue trim. The three-spoke tilt/telescope steering wheel has audio, Bluetooth, cruise, trip computer and voice command buttons – what you’d expect on a vehicle whose emblem is a measuring caliper. The large satellite navigation/stereo/backup camera screen has a 6-disc CD/DVD player down low, plus a very good AM-FM-XM Satellite tuner with MP3 audio input on the system faceplate below, and a USB input for iPods and memory sticks in the top of the multi-level, very deep center armrest storage area. A slit LCD display at the center base of the windshield offers climate control temperature displays, air vent node, clock and stereo information. The good news – Acura’s voice command system controls almost every audio, phone, navigation and climate control function you need, redundantly backed up with the familiar turn and tap knob under the screen and the main (map, audio, menu, info and cancel) function buttons around it. There are also stereo controls underneath, and on the wheel. You can shut off the nanny that verbally confirms button choices as well as tattled when someone unbuckled in the front passenger seat.
The nicely bolstered perforated leather buckets up front had eight-way power adjustments for the driver, and were sporty, supportive and comfortable, with a great driver relationship to controls. Both had dual-level heating too, the driver getting twin memory pre-sets. For a compact, back seat room was good for two adults. The rear seats flip and fold to expand the decent cargo area in back to 60 cubic feet, all hidden under a security cover. Liftover was low, and the sub-woofer in a side rear bulkhead didn’t intrude on space. Fit and finish inside and out was solid, all switchgear working smoothly and either backlit or lit from a blue pinhole LED.
* Acura athletics – The 2.3-liter turbocharged/intercooled in-line four under the hood of our 1,800-mile-old test car was a first for Acura, and its 240-hp output was a blast to drive in, hooked to a 5-speed automatic with sport option and small soft-touch plastic SportShift paddles. The result – a bit of turbo whoosh and wastegate burble as he hit a very quick 60-mph in 7 seconds. A light throttle input means great passing power for a four with precise shifts, the gearing held to fourth in sport shift. The bad side – here’s a four that got V-6 mileage, only averaging 15-mpg on premium.
This small crossover drove like its size, nimble and very sure-footed thanks to (breathe deep) Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, which shifts power to the outside rear wheel to boost cornering and steering. It corners very well, pulling through with minimal body roll and decent grip, a firm set to the supple (independent front/independent multi-link rear suspension) that some thought was a bit too firm, and did offer some sideways jiggle if you cross a speed bump at an angle. It really was almost as nimble as some sedans I’ve tossed around. I have taken one off road as well, and despite no low range, the RDX handled dirt and grass trails OK. The power steering was precise and nicely weighted, while the 11.7-inch front/12-inch rear disc brakes offered a solid pedal feel and good stopping power with no fade after repeated use. It drives like a sports sedan, like an Acura should, with a compact feel.
For safety, dual-stage front airbags, front side airbags and side curtain airbags for front and outboard rear seats with rollover sensor.
* RDX revenue – Acura now offers a front-wheel-drive-only RDX that starts at $32,620. Our all-wheel-drive version with technology package(navigation with voice recognition, Real-Time Traffic with rerouting, Real-Time Weather, 10-speaker surround sound system and rear view camera) was $37,165 with drive-by-wire throttle, remote keyless entry, HomeLink, moonroof, standard 18-inch wheels and leather seats.
For comparison in a now crowded field of compact premium all-wheel-drive crossovers, the RDX’s closest competitors are still the 260-hp BMW X3 (about $38,000), the 270-hp Audi Q5 (about $42,000), the almost-300-hp Infiniti EX35 (about $35,000) or the 268-hp Mercedes-Benz GLK350 (about $36,000) They all drive beautifully, with some serious sport sedan-like abilities within stylish station wagon-like shapes. Some of those shapes don’t mean good back seat or storage room, though. You can also consider the Volkswagen Tiguan (about $32,000), cleanly done but not as sporty.
* Bottom line – Acura developed a great option to the
then-exclusive X3 back when. Now you have a whole menu of premium sporty SUVs to choose from. Despite being there almost first, the RDX is still a very capable asphalt burner that is agile and quick. That said, some of the competition above is all that, if for a bit more.
2011 Acura RDX SH-AWD Technology
Vehicle type - five-door compact sports utility vehicle
Base price - $36,495 (as tested: $37,165)
Engine type - turbocharged/intercooled 16-valve, DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder
Displacement - 2.3-liter
Horsepower (net) - 240 @6,000 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) - 260 @ 4,500 rpm
Transmission - 5-speed automatic with paddle shifting
Wheelbase - 104.3 inches
Overall length – 182.5 inches
Overall width - 73.6 inches
Height - 65.2 inches
Front headroom - 38.7 inches
Front legroom 41.8 inches
Rear headroom - 38.3 inches
Rear legroom - 37.7 inches
Cargo capacity - 27.8 cu.ft./60.6 w/rear seats folded
Curb weight - 3,942 pounds
Towing capacity – up to 1,500 lbs.
Fuel capacity - 18 gallons
Mileage rating - 17 mpg city/22 mpg highway
Last word - Sporty, high-tech and very satisfying, but gas mileage only so-so.
By Dan Scanlan - MyCarData
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