Honda Car Forum

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on one with the tech pkg. The
missus likes the size of the Honda CR-V & I wanted something with more
power & goodies so the RDX seems like a decent compromise. Reviews
seem generally good, but the peaky turbo 4-cyl & bumpy ride seem to
come up a lot. Anyone have real-world experience?

TIA,
Dave

Dave - I bought the Tech just before Christmas. We have about 4500 km on it
now.

My first thoughts - I love it, and so do my family. My wife (almost 50) and
my sons (19 and 16) love to drive it.

We live in Saskatchewan (it is -33C here this morning, with a threat of
snow) We got it just prior to leaving on a ski/snowboard to Whitefish,
Montana (a 10 hour drive). I drove through the prairies and my 19 year old
drove it (aggressively) through the mountains the last three hours. It was
incredible riding and comfort, the tech sound system is great. My wife and
16 year old left a day or two later in her Acura EL. It was great going up
and down the mountain - a confident feeling with the SH-AWD. Upon our
return, my 16 year old drive it for the last 3.5 hours on the way home and
loved driving it.

The knocks on it are the "harshness" but the suspension is tight, a good
tight, and I like the feel and precision that this brings along with a
sports suspension. If I wanted to drive a sofa, I would have bought the
Lincoln Navigator. The CRV and RDX share the chassis, but otherwise, the RDX
is far more vehicle. It is tough for me to keep my foot out of the turbo -
it is just exciting and exhilerating to drive. It is a bit thirstier than I
wanted, but hey, when you enjoy every trip in it . . . anyway, entertainment
is pricey these days. I don't really notice peakiness, the torque curve is
actually pretty flat.

One or two minor annoyances - hand access to the pocket on the driver's door
is restricted when I have the seat positioned for me (I am 5'6"). This bugs
me a bit because there is no sunglass holder that my '04 Accord had. Also, I
wish they had a meaningful light in the cargo compartment and one or two
more power outlets. Others have noted that the passenger seat is not powered
and that there is no memory on the driver's seat. The driver's seat thing
would be nice - I don't care about the other because if I am in it, I want
to drive. My one other annoyance is that at 40-50 kph (25-30 mph) it shifts
to 4th gear and then seems to "lug" at about 1500 rpm. My preference is 3rd
gear at this speed at about 2000 rpm with correspondingly quicker response.
Sometimes I find myself manually shifting to 3 with the paddle.

Strong features - sporty handling and exhileration when driving. I don't see
myself getting tired of driving it. BTW, I am 54, so it is almost like being
a kid again. Not that the '04 Accord with V6 was a bad car - it was a great
car and the V6 was strong (220 kph or 140 mph) and quick, but not the
excitement that this provides.

Ask me more if you have any questions.

bob


"Dave Smith" <nobody@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:jitqr2pvro3v2nuicbb7tvn1d38v48tj4o@4ax.com...
> I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on one with the tech pkg. The
> missus likes the size of the Honda CR-V & I wanted something with more
> power & goodies so the RDX seems like a decent compromise. Reviews
> seem generally good, but the peaky turbo 4-cyl & bumpy ride seem to
> come up a lot. Anyone have real-world experience?
>
> TIA,
> Dave

On Jan 28, 11:24 pm, Dave Smith <nob...@nospam.com> wrote:
> I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on one with the tech pkg. The
> missus likes the size of the Honda CR-V & I wanted something with more
> power & goodies so the RDX seems like a decent compromise. Reviews
> seem generally good, but the peaky turbo 4-cyl & bumpy ride seem to
> come up a lot. Anyone have real-world experience?
>
> TIA,
> Dave

www.edmunds.com has a "forum" discussion for the RDX. Plenty of owner
input there; generally good reviews although some gripes re. low mpg.
I suspect Acura will have to offer the RDX at a discount this summer
if gas prices go back up (they will). Also be aware that Mobil 1
synthetic is required for the RDX; not a big deal if you do your own
oil changes but pretty expensive at the dealer.

Dave Smith <nobody@nospam.com> wrote in
news:jitqr2pvro3v2nuicbb7tvn1d38v48tj4o@4ax.com:
> I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on one with the tech pkg. The
> missus likes the size of the Honda CR-V & I wanted something with more
> power & goodies so the RDX seems like a decent compromise.

RDX is really expensive for what you get, isn't it? Also, performance vs.
mpg is poor and premium gas is required.

This may be a bad place to say so but the RAV4 V6 is generally superior and
a lot cheaper.

Check out Consumer Reports

Way more power, better gas mileage, regular gas.

rj

"sally" <sally@sally.com> wrote in message
news:Xns98CED54331C0Ds321@192.160.13.20...
> Dave Smith <nobody@nospam.com> wrote in
> news:jitqr2pvro3v2nuicbb7tvn1d38v48tj4o@4ax.com:
>> I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on one with the tech pkg. The
>> missus likes the size of the Honda CR-V & I wanted something with more
>> power & goodies so the RDX seems like a decent compromise.
>
> RDX is really expensive for what you get, isn't it? Also, performance vs.
> mpg is poor and premium gas is required.
>

On Sat, 3 Feb 2007 12:18:12 -0600, "papewe" <papewe@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>Dave - I bought the Tech just before Christmas. We have about 4500 km on it
>now.
>
snip
>
>Ask me more if you have any questions.
>
>bob

Bob,

Thanks for the excellent reply! We bought a Moroccan Red RDX on the
last day of Jan without the Tech Pkg. I personally would have enjoyed
that option, but this will primarily be my wife's car & she wasn't
interested in all gadgets - she says she can "turn on the heater or
tune the radio just fine with her right hand!" Luddite!

I share your impressions so far - stiff, sporty ride, great handling,
good power. We have a trip planned to Mt. Batchelor in central Oregon
next weekend so will get our first experience in snow. I picked up
two sets of the cable chains recommended in the manual, but still
think I'd like to upgrade to a set of Blizzaks.

Regard,
Dave Smith