Overview & Reviews

The Acura RDX is a small luxury crossover SUV with two rows of seats. The RDX has never been a bona fide class leader in performance or luxury, but like many Acuras, it's a well-rounded vehicle with numerous strengths. In reviews, we've praised various RDX models for their quick acceleration, confident highway cruising demeanor and composed handling. We've found the RDX's cabin to be both well-constructed and reasonably spacious, with exceptionally supportive front seats to boot. The RDX also enjoys a strong reputation for overall quality and reliability.

If you're shopping for an RDX, you'll find early models with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, standard all-wheel drive and unusually sporty handling. Later versions of the Acura RDX stand out for their added refinement, power and interior space, and there's also a front-wheel-drive version aimed at buyers in milder climates. Unlike some rivals, the RDX keeps shoppers' lives simple with a generously equipped base model and a straightforward, package-based options structure.

User Reviews:

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  Great crossover, a blast to drive. - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Josho - September 15 - 8:03 am

  This car is really fun to drive. Theres basically no turbo lag; hit the gas, and off you go. Its surprisingly quick. The real joy comes from the SH-AWD system, which helps you stick to the road in any conditions, but especially when things get slick. The gas mileage is a bit worse than advertised, but still better than most, if not all, SUVs. The standard RDX comes with so much standard, youre better off buying a 3rd party nav system, and saving a bunch on the sticker. With so much standard, why pay another $4K for bluetooth and a back-up camera? Overall, a great buy at the standard level!

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  Love my new RDX! - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Hunter - September 14 - 1:38 pm

  Just bought my Fully loaded RDX and its amazing! Beautiful inside and out. The tech is awesome and it practically drives itself. Love the way it handles - very easy to drive - no blind spots thanks to the warnings and collision prevention and its so easy to drive it almost handles more like a car than an SUV. Highly recommend! Love mine.

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  My first Acura - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Torr310 - August 22 - 9:30 am

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  Blows my former Lexus NXt200 Away - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Gary - July 22 - 11:30 am

  I owned a Lexus NXt200 for the last two years and have been a Lexus guy for 20 years. Still love their cars. However, I have been driving the the RDX for the last two months and can definitively say it is far and away a better car than the NXt for my money. In short: the RDX interior feels more luxurious; acceleration is much smoother; car is quieter; and the technology such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure and blind spot monitoring make long trips much less stressful. You almost feel like you are a pilot monitoring a plane on auto pilot versus constantly turning cruise control on and off and fighting your way through traffic. Its more like you glide your way through traffic on the interstate. Of course, no car is perfect and there is still room for tweaks and improvements. For example, if you are on the interstate in the left lane and going around a long curve the car senses the the car ahead of you in the right lane is actually in front of you and slows down unnecessarily. But this is a rare and minor annoyance, especially compared the the raft of positive attributes this car possesses. I highly recommend you check it out during your due diligence period when shopping for a mid-size SUV. I am extremely happy I did.

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  Best buy in its class - 2016 Acura RDX
  By hechtbj - July 15 - 4:57 am

  I took delivery a few weeks ago and am very happy with this decision. I looked hard at the Audi Q5, Lexus F sport, Infiniti Q50, Mercedes ML, Honda CRV, Range Rover Evoque, BMX X3 and Porsche Macan. When you put them all together and try to evaluate performance, reliability, value, and comfort, the 2016 RDX came out on top. I look forward to many years with this vehicle.

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  Happy w/ the 2014 RDX - Even Happier w/ the 2016! - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Stephanie - May 15 - 9:15 pm

  This is my 2nd RDX. My first was a 2014, which I was happy with, despite a few minor irritations. The 2016 took care of my irritations with added technology, specifically the blind spot and rear traffic warning sensors and changes in the technology package. The RDX has two good blind spots so the new tech is fantastic and solves the issues - and works beautifully. The 2016 feels heavier and drives smoother than the 2014. The steering feels better and more substantial, as well. It is also quieter with less wind noise and a smoother sunroof mechanism. I did purchase a wind deflector this time though. I love the 3D navigation viewing option and the 10-speaker sound system is wonderful. Ive had Acuras since 2000 - three TLs (2000, 2003 and 2008), the 2014 RDX and now the 2016 RDX. My 2000 TL had transmission issues, which were taken care of by the dealer even though the warranty had expired. Ive always been treated well by the Dealer (in South Orange County in California). I did not test drive competitors vehicles, but did a lot of research on the Lexus RX, Lincoln MDX, Mercedes GL and GLK and some of the BMW and Audi SUVs, which would have fit into my budget. At the end of the day, I could not justify a higher cost for the competitors (when comparing the multitude of packages available with the competition), even though they may be more prestigious in name and perhaps more luxury interiors. The value, quality and solid luxury of the Acura won out when I decided not to tie up more of my money and still have all the bells and whistles you get with the RDX.

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  35 more months to go! - 2016 Acura RDX
  By jrasero - May 12 - 2:01 pm

  Just leased a 2016 Acura RDX AWD Base. Picked it up on July 31st and have put over 500 miles on it so far. My purchase rational is comparing my parents Honda CRV EX-L Navigation versus a base RDX. First and foremost the biggest difference between the CRV and RDX besides the Acura beak is the great 3.5 liter motor which has plenty of kick and power unlike the whiny CVT. My father loves the great MPG on his CRV but hates the lack of power and secondly he hates the motor and wind noise. The RDX has great pickup, the exhaust notes are smooth and crisp, and cabin noise is much better than a CRV and equal to my 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The seats are comfy but the base comes with leatherette which is a little of a bummer, but the leatherette is still much better than the material used in an EX-L Honda. The base is pretty bare bones and really to get the most bang for your buck the Acura Watch is the best option to choice. Some standard features like blue ambient lighting, turn signals, power lift gate, backup camera, keyless entry, push to start ignition, and sunroof are all notable. The center stack and steering wheel still has way too many buttons. Visibility isnt great out of the back and getting Acura Watch w/ backup sensors would really help. For a luxury car I would like to have seen backup sensors and blind spot warning standard. Acura recommends premium fuel and on my first 2 tanks I have gotten 19 MPG average and 22 MPG average, hopefully after breaking in the motor and going for longer highway trips I will average 22-26 MPG. Steering is good but numb and ride comfort is okay. The RDX is firmer than I imagined and tends to bounce you around when going over bumps. Value wise the RDX is hard to recommend over the CRV unless your like myself or my dad who finds the CRV to be noisy and slow and you dont prioritize MPG. If the lack of power doesnt bother you a cheaper CRV is your bet.

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  Base 2007 Acura RDX (CAN) - 2007 Acura RDX
  By NemoUmbra - May 10 - 5:46 am

  Car drives nicely although the sportier ride can be a bit too harsh at times for normal day to day driving. Gas mileage has been quite reasonable (12.3L/100km or 19.1 mpg) but Ive had to watch the turbo indicator to use the turbo as little as possible. Hills seem to make the turbo kick in quite a bit as expected which really drains the gas quite quickly. Cruising at relatively high speeds while feathering the gas to keep up with traffic seems to make the turbo kick in oddly causing seemingly choppy driving. Blind spots are quite minimal as the mirrors and small size help counteract this.

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  Nice car - 2016 Acura RDX
  By AN - April 14 - 6:26 pm

  Excellent all around. Steering a bit soft. Paddle shifter really smooth, and really helps in winter conditions

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  Gorgeous but Tech Not!! - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Bunni - April 10 - 2:08 pm

  This RDX is gorgeous and unassuming! (Im still getting used to it as Ive owned it for less than 30 day.) I treated myself with the top of the line all the bells and whistles!! I love it!! The only issues I see is with the Navigation system and headlights. I traded a 2015 Jeep Cherokee and expected Acuras Navigation system to be superior, however to my surprise my Cherokees was far more superior and so intuitive. I didnt need to read the manual or look up any info regarding it. Also although Acura advertised the best headlights I cant see a difference from my 2015 Cherokee. As I said I do LOVE this SUV, the ride is very comfortable and I love the AWD and all the safety features. I think this is a great value and I plan to keep this SUV forever!!