2020 Acura RDX Road Test and Review

20rdxprofileaction2sessions ・ Photo by Ron Sessions

While most luxury brands offer three, four, a half-dozen or more SUVs in their lineups, Acura has just two. Junior to the mid-size MDX, the compact 2020 Acura RDX is positioned to resonate with younger buyers transitioning out of sport sedans. With sporty design cues adapted from the Precision Concept show car and the production NSX supercar, the RDX rolls with 14-element LED jewel-eye headlamps, a big diamond pentagon grille, a coupe-esque floating roof, a choice of 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels, and available Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. New to the third-generation RDX (introduced in 2019) are an upgraded infotainment system, a push-button shifter, and an expanded suite of safety and driver-assistive systems.

Including the $1,025 destination charge, the front-drive 2020 RDX starts at $38,825. The $42,025 RDX with Technology adds niceties such as leather, navigation, and blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring. $45,025 brings the A-Spec with blacked-out trim, 20-inch wheels, and leather-and-suede upholstery. The $46,925 Advance adds adaptive shocks, a surround-view camera, and a head-up display. AWD is available on all trims for a $2,000 upcharge. The RDX was the best-selling Acura SUV in 2019, and competitors include the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Lexus NX, and Mercedes-Benz GLC. 

Turbo Power

The 2020 Acura RDX continues with the 272-hp 2.0-liter turbo VTEC four-cylinder introduced with the 2019 model. It’s mated to a 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters. A quick-spooling turbocharger helps the engine develop all of its 280 lb-ft of torque at a just-above-idle 1,600 rpm. This means low-rpm and midrange throttle response is quite healthy and stays that way all the way to 4,800 rpm.

The 10-speed automatic has a much wider ratio spread than previous gearboxes, with an extra-low first gear for quick acceleration from rest and taller top gear ratios for more relaxed cruising and improved fuel economy. The RDX can reach 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds. EPA-estimated combined fuel economy is 22 mpg city/27-28 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined for front-drive RDXs and 1 mpg lower for AWD models. An active sound system increases the intensity of the engine sound through the vehicle’s speakers when the Sport or Sport+ drive modes are selected. The RDX tosses the traditional fore-aft PRNDL shifter with a set of NSX-inspired shifter buttons on the console. The shifter buttons take a while to learn but work well enough once you can operate them without looking down there.

Photo by Ron Sessions

NSX-Inspired Cockpit

While most luxury brands offer three, four, a half-dozen or more SUVs in their lineups, Acura has just two. Junior to the mid-size MDX, the compact 2020 Acura RDX is positioned to resonate with younger buyers transitioning out of sport sedans. With sporty design cues adapted from the Precision Concept show car and the production NSX supercar, the RDX rolls with 14-element LED jewel-eye headlamps, a big diamond pentagon grille, a coupe-esque floating roof, a choice of 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels, and available Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. New to the third-generation RDX (introduced in 2019) are an upgraded infotainment system, a push-button shifter, and an expanded suite of safety and driver-assistive systems.

Including the $1,025 destination charge, the front-drive 2020 RDX starts at $38,825. The $42,025 RDX with Technology adds niceties such as leather, navigation, and blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring. $45,025 brings the A-Spec with blacked-out trim, 20-inch wheels, and leather-and-suede upholstery. The $46,925 Advance adds adaptive shocks, a surround-view camera, and a head-up display. AWD is available on all trims for a $2,000 upcharge. The RDX was the best-selling Acura suv in 2019, and competitors include the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Lexus NX, and Mercedes-Benz GLC. 

Photo by Ron Sessions

True Touchpad Interface

Directly between the driver and the pushbutton shifter is the RDX’s infotainment controller. Acura calls it the True Touchpad Interface.

The control touchpad is roughly the size of your palm and resides on the center console precisely where you might rest your right hand when it’s not on the steering wheel. It features absolute positioning that corresponds directly to the dashtop 10.2-inch infotainment screen. So if you want to select an icon at the lower left portion of the screen, simply tap the corresponding area of the touchpad. Many other carmakers with out-of-reach, non-touch-sensitive infotainment screens have launched different remote controllers with console-mounted rotary knobs, mouses and such with varying success, but the RDX’s touchpad solution is fairly intuitive once you get the hang of it. Interestingly, the RDX keeps a dedicated, dash-mounted analog rotary knob for adjusting volume and a pair of buttons for tuning.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Screen Gems

As for the high-definition 10.2-inch landscape-format color screen itself, it has two sections like the touchpad, with a large one on the left that can accommodate up to eight customizable icons and a smaller one on the right that gives greater detail on the selected icon. It’s easy to shuffle content from one screen to the other and you can import your own icons.

The screen also is the display for the standard multi-view backup camera, plus navigation and seat controls on higher trims. The navigation system — standard in Technology, A-Spec, and Advance models — features 3D terrain mapping as well as real-time traffic conditions. Apple CarPlay cellphone mirroring is standard to run all of your familiar iPhone apps for access to music, messages, and maps, and Acura has recently made Android Auto available via an over-the-air upgrade. 4G LTE broadband connectivity with in-vehicle Wi-Fi for remote devices is standard.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Big View, Big Sound

All RDX trims come with a huge standard panoramic sunroof that brightens both the front and rear seats. Equally cheering are the audio systems available in the RDX. The base RDX comes with a standard nine-speaker AM/FM premium audio system with SiriusXM satellite radio and HD radio.

The Technology model upgrades to a 12-speaker Acura/ELS Studio system, and A Spec and Advance models include a rich-sounding, 710-watt, 16-speaker (including four speakers in the roof) 3D Acura/ELS Studio system engineered by Grammy-winning producer Elliot Scheiner. All are equipped with a speed-sensitive volume feature that adjusts for road and other background noise. That said, the RDX is fairly quiet inside thanks to an acoustic windshield and, on Advance models, acoustic front door glass as well.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Kickin' Back

The RDX doesn’t attempt to squeeze in a pint-size third-row seat for kids, so its back seat isn’t the penalty box it is in some compact SUVs. Rear seat headroom and legroom are nearly as generous as that offered in the front perches.

A folding center armrest adds a duo of cup holders, and all but the base RDX trim include a pair of USB ports for enjoying the standard Wi-Fi back there. The Advance trim adds a pair of outboard rear seat heaters. The rear seats easily fold flat for cargo-hauling duty via latches on the outboard edges of the seats or a pair of handles in the cargo area.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Roomier Than Cargo Pants

Acura’s junior crossover suv offers ample space for all the stuff we haul around these days. There’s 29.5 cubic feet of cargo space aft of the 60/40 split-folding rear seat and another 1.7 cubic feet of stash space for cameras, laptops, notepads, purses, and such under the cargo floor in a 6-inch-deep segmented bin. Fold the rear seat flat and cargo space increases to a generous 58.9 cubic feet.

The rear liftgate is power-operated, and a height-adjustable feature lets owners set the opening height to prevent banged noggins or bumps with low garage-door openings. The Advance trim adds hands-free operation with a foot kick under the rear bumper.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Driving Dynamics

Depressing the start button on the RDX’s dash puts the SUV in the default Sport mode, which delivers normal throttle response and shifting but slightly higher steering effort and damping rates (on Advance models with adaptive shocks). Sport+ mode quickens throttle response, keeps lower gears longer, and firms up the steering and adaptive shocks (if equipped), while also enhancing engine sounds. Snow mode slows throttle responses, upshifts sooner, and resets the front/rear proportioning on SH-AWD models for max traction.

The RDX uses more natural-feeling dual-pinion electric-steering that gives the driver more feedback. The variable-ratio gear has a slower ratio coming off center, aiding straight-line stability on the highway, and a faster one with increasing steering lock to improve around-town maneuverability. The base amplitude-reactive shocks damp vertical ride motions effectively. RDX Advance models with adaptive shocks adjust for varying road surfaces in real-time for an even better ride/handling balance. The four-wheel disc brakes deliver ample stopping power, but pedal response is sometimes a bit uneven. SH-AWD-equipped RDXs not only apportion drive torque according to available traction but also use torque vectoring to sharpen steering response by underdriving an inside rear wheel and overdriving the outside rear wheel in a turn.

Photo by Ron Sessions

Safety and Driver-Assistive Systems

In addition to a total of eight airbags, stability control, traction control, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, a tire-pressure monitor, and a multi-view backup camera with trajectory lines, the 2020 RDX comes standard with AcuraWatch: an extensive array of safety and driver-assistive systems that are often extra-cost on many competing European-brand SUVs. These include adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, a forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, automatic high beams, a lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and road-departure mitigation.

All but the base RDX trim feature standard blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring and both front and rear parking sensors. Advance models add a standard 10.5-inch color head-up display for road speed, traffic signs, turn-by-turn directions, and more in the lower part of the windshield. They also have a surround-view monitor (with a lens washer) that augments the standard backup camera, displaying an overhead view of the RDX and its immediate surroundings. The 2020 Acura RDX is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+, meaning it receives Good scores for crashworthiness in all major categories including moderate- and small-offset frontal impacts, side impacts, roof strength, and head restraints.

Photo by Ron Sessions

A Sportier Sport Utility

The 2020 Acura RDX goes head to head with some of Europe’s best without breaking the bank. Now in its third generation, the RDX compact luxury SUV offers striking NSX-inspired looks, good build quality, and a wide array of standard safety and tech features that can cost thousands more from the competition. With front-wheel drive or torque-vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, the two-row RDX delivers sharp handling and perky performance from its standard 272-hp four-cylinder turbo and wide-ratio 10-speed automatic.

The RDX with Technology is a particularly good value with its standard leather seating, 3D navigation, front and rear parking sensors, 12-speaker Acura/ELS premium stereo, and blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring.

Photo by Ron Sessions