Acura Revitalizes RDX for Different Buyer

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – At its 2006 debut, Acura executives hoped the RDX cross/utility vehicle would appeal to “Jason.”

A 30-year-old “urban achiever,” Jason was pulling in $100,000 a year and liked sporty driving, but needed more space than the average sport sedan affords to haul around buddies and cargo for his active lifestyle.

Instead, Jason must have opted for a BMW X3, Mercedes GLK or Audi Q5, or decided he could live with a sedan after all, as Acura says the average RDX buyer was more like, say, “Bob and Nancy.”

Per Acura data, an RDX owner has a median age of 53, a $163,000 annual household income and more often than not is married without kids at home.

So, rather than fight the facts, Acura has retooled the entry CUV for the older demographic.

This has resulted in a more forgiving suspension, lighter steering and an overall more comfortable driving experience.

It also means a change to a quieter, naturally aspirated 3.5L V-6 from the first-gen RDX’s raucous and polarizing 2.3L turbocharged four.

As evidenced here by a spin in a ’12 model, the personality-laden, sportier original RDX still is fun to drive, and we’ll miss those ultra-bolstered seats. But the second-gen model, arriving now at U.S. Acura dealers, is quite good, too, and better sets apart the entry-luxury CUV from the competition.

Acura is betting empty-nesters, as well as younger dual-income-no-kids shoppers, will embrace the ’13 RDX’s new softer side, as well as its fuel economy and performance.

Styling, however, remains a weak point for Acura.

The German models have cleaner, rounder surfaces than the angular RDX. Those models also lack the pointy-nose “power plenum” grille, which continues to divide the American motoring populace.

The new RDX interior remains clean and attractive, although the flat dash of the previous generation is more distinctive than the vertically protruding navigation screen in the new model.

Materials are so-so: The headliner is finished in thick, circular knit fabric. The leather on the gray seats is soft, but the X3 here for comparison has even softer leather, in a fetching ivory shade accented by black stitching.

The X3’s striking tiger-striped wood trim also outshines the RDX’s plain metal.

The RDX’s door pockets have varying amounts of flashing, but otherwise build quality is Acura-typical top-notch.

Fuel economy lives up to the hype: An AWD test vehicle returns 22.6 mpg (10.4 L/100 km) while climbing the steep Mazatzal mountain range here near Payson, AZ.

The ’13 model is rated at a combined 22 mpg (10.7 L/100 km) with all-wheel drive and 23 mpg (10.2 L/100 km) with front-wheel drive, up from 19 and 21 mpg (12.4 and 11.2 L/100 km) in ’12.

Closer to flatter metropolitan Scottsdale, a FWD RDX averages 27.0 mpg (8.7 L/100 km).

Average speed for both legs is 50 mph (80 km/h). Acura credits a slew of upgrades, including cylinder-deactivation technology and changed transmission gear ratios for the improved efficiency.

In its first Acura installation, Variable Cylinder Management, already in Honda’s Odyssey and Accord, switches undetected between 3-cyl., 4-cyl. and 6-cyl. modes in the RDX. There is no display as to which mode is active, perhaps to stifle those who may complain about not enough time in the low modes.

But RDX chief engineer Ichiro Sasaki says a new shift schedule stretches VCM’s operation range. For instance, when accelerating while cruising, the 6-speed automatic downshifts to 5^th earlier and holds the gear longer, usually while in 3- or 4-cyl. mode. However, 4^th gear seems better for those steep mountain climbs.

Also boosting fuel economy, as well as dynamic performance, are wider gear ratios for the 6-speed automatic, which replaces the outgoing RDX’s 5-speed. Low-rolling resistance Michelins, more fins on brake discs and a power-stingy fuel pump also help sip less gas, Acura says.

The ’13 CUV uses the Acura TL and Honda Accord’s 3.5L SOHC V-6 with intelligent variable valve timing and lift control.

The RDX benefits from friction-reducing measures such as a plateau-honed cylinder block and a low-tension belt system, which is applied with an overrunning alternator decoupler.

The V-6 generates 273 hp, a smidge higher than the Accord’s 271-hp peak but below the TL’s maximum 280 hp. The two sedans offer slightly more torque than the CUV.

Besides fuel economy, few differences exist in the driving feel between AWD and FWD models.

The AWD RDX’s additional 120 lbs. (265 kg) is imperceptible behind the wheel. But the electric power steering seems heavier at lower speeds in the AWD variant than in the FWD model.

Sasaki says his team tried to balance agile handling with a high-quality ride feel, and the new, less-jostling RDX achieves the mark.

The MacPherson-strut front suspension remains, but the rear switches from a multilink design to a trailing-arm, double-wishbone configuration. Acura engineers also add new Amplitude Reactive Dampers, with a second “reactive” valve that calms severe road inputs.

A lower center of gravity, greater vertical and lateral body rigidity, wider tire treads and a wheelbase that is 1.4 ins. (3.6 cm) longer than the current RDX also improve ride comfort.

As Acura points out, the ’13 CUV undercuts the comparably equipped X3 328i and Q5 2.0T.

But these more-expensive models outsold the previous RDX last year by about 10,000 units each, WardsAuto data shows. In this segment, customers appear willing to pay more for the prestige of a German brand.

But this is where changing the RDX’s driving character may work in Acura’s favor. If it couldn’t beat the Germans with the cheaper, sporty first-gen RDX, now there’s a clear alternative, for those who find the Beemer’s suspension too stiff or Q5’s steering calibration too tiresome.

This boosts Acura’s odds of success with the new, albeit softer, ’13 RDX.

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