2021 Acura RDX
I like this a lot better than the BMW 330i I just posted about a little bit ago.
The good:
I drove an earlier version of the RDX and was surprised at how well it handled. This one is also surprising in handling, especially in the stiffer suspension modes. The engine is also torquey at the lower end, meaning it drives like it's a fast vehicle despite not really having much more at the top end. That's kindof a plus and a minus. The gauges are pretty easy to understand, and there's plenty of information on display.
Seats are comfy, I like the auto-lift hatch, utility is good, storage is good, enjoyable to drive, keyless everything.
The bad:
Making you push the disable for the engine auto-shutoff is really annoying. The turbo introduces some lag at very low RPM. It's a short lag period, but it's a noticeably worse throttle response. Trying to avoid this lag, especially following a turn, is quite difficult. The vehicle has about a thousand gears, so the paddle shifters are basically useless for downshifting into a turn. It's very difficult to keep track of which gear you're in, and targeting the right one is not easy. Putting it in sport+ theoretically fixes this, but sport+ is more aggressive than I'm really looking on approach to a turn. Stiffening the suspension and getting ready to redline is not really what I have in mind. I compromised on switching to "S" from "D" with the button in the center console in order to get the right throttle response, and then pushing the button back to D after exiting the turn to prevent overly aggressive RPMs, but it's just not as easy to do blind as grabbing the shifter and pulling it into sport mode and popping it back out like I can do in my FX or old 330i. So the transmission here is annoying on turn exit. And that's partly because of the turbo. Takeoff in 1st gear is also basically never satisfying because of the turbo.
When you really ring the car out, it doesn't have a ton of power. It's fast enough, but it feels faster than it is because the power is at the low end.
Also the infotainment situation is a mess (with two separate touch pads that are hard to use).
One more bad thing, it's a running shoe.
Verdict:
Overall, I actually kind like it. I've been living with it for a while, and while it is a compromised vehicle, it's got some real upside. I don't like it better than my '08 FX35, though, so I don't really see myself owning one. I think if it were an EV it would cure up my problems. Throttle response and gear selection are my two big holdups, and when this thing is an EV it might really force me to take notice.
