2020 Acura RDX Review: Acura Returns To Its Roots

Turbocharging, torque-vectoring, and dynamic design nudge Acura back onto the right track

Christian Wardlaw | 

Apr 24, 2020 | 6 min read

Christian Wardlaw

A one-time leader at blending Japanese engineering with appealing design, Acura is tapping into its original success formula with the 2020 RDX. After nearly a decade of wandering away from design choices that inspired Acura loyalists, car models such as ILX, TLX, and RLX struggled to attract customers despite being relative values in their respective classes. Meanwhile the brand’s SUVs did gangbusters business. The compact RDX and midsize MDX were, and still are, some of the most popular luxury vehicles in America. And that’s why Acura chose the latest version of the RDX to usher in what it says is the “beginning of a new era” for the brand.

Designed, engineered, and built in America, the RDX is the first Acura to adopt the automaker’s Precision Crafted Performance brand ethos and deliver it to the showroom floor, making it a crystal ball into the future of Acura.

Does the RDX achieve its objectives? When Acura tossed us the key to a 2020 RDX A-Spec, we decided to find out for ourselves if the substance matches the hype.

Christian Wardlaw

Not just a fancied-up Honda

Acura and Honda share lots of bits and pieces, but the RDX utilizes an exclusive new platform. A turbocharged engine sits under the hood, a 10-speed automatic powers the front or all four wheels, and the latest version of Acura’s torque-vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) returns to give the popular RDX proper performance credentials.

It’s also packed with tech features designed to help the RDX stay competitive in a crowded segment. The crossover SUV is the first model to get the automaker’s new True Touchpad Interface (TTI) infotainment system, along with the next-generation AcuraWatch advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) and a brand-new premium sound system.

Certainly, this is not a fancied-up Honda CR-V.

Christian Wardlaw

Amazon-Compatible Infotainment

With the RDX, Acura also takes a new approach to its interior design. The company sticks with a dual-cockpit, waterfall-style dashboard, but resolves its side-by-side infotainment display screen with a more sophisticated single-screen offering, which includes natural voice recognition and TTI.

Basically, TTI is a curved touchpad on the center console that represents a 1-to-1 relationship with what appears on the dashboard’s display. The idea is that you push or swipe, scroll or pinch, in the corresponding touchpad location. While certainly an improvement over the remote touch interface found in some of the competition, it takes time and a bit of retraining to use successfully.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard, and if you’re wondering whether or not a Wi-Fi hotspot is available with the RDX, the answer is yes. You can even request that Amazon deliver packages to your Acura’s trunk, rather than at home, thanks to Key by Amazon technology.

Quality, Comfort, and Kansan Topography

Every RDX has a standard panoramic glass sunroof to bathe its luxurious cabin in natural light. Front sport seats offer up to 16-way power adjustment, and are available with both heating and ventilation. Back seat comfort, however, is hampered by a low and flat bottom cushion and an odd backrest angle. Also, Acura’s use of a single floor mat stretching the width of the cabin makes cleaning up difficult without depositing what’s on the mat onto the carpet beneath.

While the passenger compartment is roomy, the RDX’s cargo space places the SUV solidly in compact territory. Behind the rear seat, you’ll find 29.5 cubic feet of volume and a maximum of 58.9 cu.-ft. with the back seat folded down. It does fold flat, one benefit of a seat cushion design reminiscent of Kansan topography.

Tech Designed to Keep You On The Road. Literally.

The Acura RDX is loaded with safety features. From its underlying design and engineering to its 10.5-inch head-up display and surround-view camera system, this Acura seeks to prevent accidents, and protect in the event one occurs. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), it earns a Top Safety Pick+ rating.

Every RDX is equipped with AcuraWatch, a suite of ADAS that includes adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow and full-stop capability, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning with lane keeping assist, and a road departure mitigation system, designed to keep you from unintentionally running off the road.

This latest AcuraWatch suite is an improvement over previous Acura offerings. In terms of both refinement and accuracy, the RDX’s AcuraWatch systems prove superior to the 2020 MDX and TLX. However, out on the road, they still lag behind some competitors in terms of seamlessness and ability to operate in the background without drawing attention to themselves.

Christian Wardlaw

The Acura RDX is now...fun?

Driving the Acura RDX is an engaging experience, thanks in no small part to drivetrain and suspension enhancements.

With 272 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 280 lb.-ft. of torque cresting from 1,600 rpm to 4,500 rpm, the turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder delivers plenty of oomph across the engine’s rev range. Thanks to its torque-vectoring capability, SH-AWD is largely responsible for putting a smile on any enthusiastic driver’s face.

Plant the accelerator pedal coming out of a corner, and the outside rear wheel digs in and points the RDX down the next straightaway.

The transmission is armed with 10 gear ratios and always picks the right one. In the Comfort driving mode, it may be a little lazy about downshifting, but switching to Sport mode solves that problem.

Every RDX includes variable-ratio steering and a sport-tuned suspension, but Acura reserves adaptive damping, the ability to change suspension settings to match real-time road conditions, to the Advance Package trim. Without it, the RDX A-Spec exhibits excess body motion on imperfect pavement, as dips and other undulations bring the SUV’s added weight and taller center of gravity into sharp focus.

The reality is that for most people, most of the time, the Acura RDX delivers the combination of sporty driving dynamics and value that has made it such a consistently popular choice.

Christian Wardlaw

The Verdict: Headed in the Right Direction

Acura’s new design themes and improved technologies may lure back former brand loyalists. And the return of turbocharging and SH-AWD to the RDX shows renewed commitment to engaging driving dynamics, along with the quality and dependability for which Acura is known.

With that said, the RDX may face some bumps ahead. The decision to use TTI—rather than a more familiar interface—could prove a challenge, and the RDX A-Spec’s adventurous drivers would benefit from adaptive damping, were it included with the model.

Otherwise, the RDX delivers the value, quality, and appeal that made its predecessor so popular, combined with enough dynamic enhancements to nudge Acura back onto the right track.

VEHICLE STATS:

2020 Acura RDX
Trim: A-Spec

MSRP*
Base: $38,825
As Tested: Starting at $45,025

Selected Specifications:
Fuel Economy (city/hwy/combined): 21/26/23 (A-Spec AWD)
Power: 272 at 6,500 rpm
Torque: 280 at 1,600 rpm to 4,500 rpm
Seating Capacity: 5

Advanced Safety Systems:
AcuraWatch suite of driving assistance and collision avoidance systems
Blind Spot Information System (including Rear Cross-traffic Alert)
Surround View Camera

Other Key Trims*:

*MSRP does not include $1,025 destination charge.

Christian Wardlaw

Chris says his first word was "car." For as long as he can remember, he's been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. He is a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but is most passionate about the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. He began his career as the editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com in the 1990s, and for more than 30 years has created automotive content for CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, the New York Daily News, and others. Chris owns Speedy Daddy Media, has been contributing to Capital One Auto Navigator since 2019, and lives in California with his wife, kids, dog, and 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata.