The RDX is Acura’s compact luxury crossover offering on the US market and it might be the perfect choice for those looking to get one of the best values for their money. The car is well equipped, well built and it is one of the more comfortable crossovers around. New 2018 Acura RDX has been released on the market and it is mostly identical to its predecessor. In fact Acura increased the price slightly and that’s about it. The new car is with up to $180 more expensive than before which is not a huge increase. However, it means that the car is not really an upgrade worth getting for those who already own or lease one of the previous versions of the RDX.
Engine and specs
There is a single engine choice with the 2018 RDX. The car can be had with a 3.5 liter naturally aspirated V6 which boasts 279 horsepower and 252 lb-ft of torque. This is an older generation engine so it is not nearly as efficient as some of Honda’s newer V6 powertrains. This will drive either the front or all four wheels via an aging 6 speed automatic. The package is actually enough to get the RDX from 0 to 60 MPH in just 6.2 seconds which is definitely up there with the best in its class. However, the RDX will get under 20 MPG in the city and it will struggle to get past 25 MPG on the highway. It seems that its successor might receive Honda’s newer engines and transmissions but until then this V6 will have to do as it is the only option.
Interior design
The design inside the cabin of the 2018 Acura RDX is not as premium as we would like. The car looks mostly identical to the version released in 2012. This means it still has the same dual-screen infotainment system and the rather cheap plastics on the lower part of the dashboard. The infotainment has to be its weakest link. Because this is so old, it is one of the slowest to respond on the market and having two screens doesn’t really help with anything. It seems a big update is on its way but until then the 2018 car will rock this aging unit. With this small update Acura is offering as standard on the top end versions things like ventilated seats, remote start and a parking assist system with front and rear sensors.
2018 Acura RDX changes
The car is actually based on the older Honda CR-V. This means it shares most of the suspension components as well as the brakes with a rather old car at this point. Even so Acura managed to tweak the suspension in order to offer one of the better cars in its class. They achieved this by giving the RDX adaptive shocks and new springs over its cheaper sibling. The car is also heavier than the Honda so it feels a bit more planted to the road. For the 2018 version of the car Acura is now offering a more comprehensive safety package. This includes things like a frontal collision warning system, an adaptive cruise control system and rear cross-traffic alert. On top of that all cars come with a lane departure keep assist and a blind spot warning system.
Unfortunately Acura decided to keep the design of the RDX unchanged from the last year. Even though the car looks good with its angled LED headlights, pentagonal grille with the big chrome insert and the rear roof spoiler, it isn’t really on par with their newer cars. The 2018 Acura RDX does get a couple of new colors but that’s about it which is a real shame.
Read more on this site. http://www.thedrive.com/sheetmetal/10678/the-2018-acura-rdx-is-officially-on-sale
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