2022 Acura RDX

It’s expressive and well-chiseled, and the RDX has finely tuned details that pull a decade’s worth of styling cues (finally) into coherent form. 

Acura fastens its caliper badge across the RDX’s grille like a belt buckle, frames it with thinly sliced LED headlights, and flows that into bulging fenders that cap 19-inch or 20-inch wheels. From there, the sailing roofline arcs gracefully toward rear roof pillars that cinch together with a belt of black and metallic trim. It’s a styling trick used by many SUVs to shrink their visual mass, and it works particularly well here.

Acura wraps the RDX interior in sober shades of gray and beige, but buffs it with wood or aluminum trim and synthetic or real leather. A 10.2-inch display studs the dash, but it’s not a touchscreen, and that’s a key reason the RDX’s console bristles with buttons and switches, from the saddle-backed transmission controller to the touchpad that governs said display. Most versions tend toward opulence, but A-Spec RDXs get black upholstery and red accents.

Most versions have all-wheel drive.

How fast is the Acura RDX?

It’s quick off the line, thanks to a 272-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 with 280 lb-ft of torque. On loan from the buzzy, blitzy Honda Civic Type R, the powertrain’s more muted turbo burble hits its torque peak at 1,600 rpm and flips neatly through its 10-speed automatic to usher in highway speeds with polite urgency. A drive-mode selector toggles from Comfort to Sport or Sport+ to speed up shifts, hang in gears, and melt the little fat from the throttle’s response.

Fluent in power, the RDX is fluid on the street. With 19-inch wheels, all-season tires, and a steady composure, it threads through esses with ease and without pistoning or jarring ride motions. With the A-Spec’s 20-inch wheels it’s less absorbent and generates more rear-seat passenger gripes, but Advance versions with their adaptive dampers filter off the big-wheel penalty and render the ride compliant once more. 

Front-drive RDXs will be more rare than those with all-wheel drive; Acura’s torque-splitting system can ship 70 percent of its power to the back wheels, then split it again across the rear axle to liven up handling in a wagon that sports 8.2 inches of ground clearance and a relatively wide track. The RDX would be low on our list for weekend exploring, though—unless that exploring has valet parking.

In back, the RDX can sit three across, though two will be on better speaking terms after the trip. With about 38 inches of leg room and a high roofline the RDX doesn’t leave 6-footers with chafed scalps or knees; again, the seats themselves could be angled better.

Fold the rear seatbacks down and the RDX’s 29.5 cubic feet of space expands to 58.9 cubic feet; add on a couple of cubic feet under the cargo floor for flatter objects, like laptop bags.

The RDX has active noise cancellation this year, and Advance editions get thicker glass to mute cabin noise. The classy cabin wears slivers of wood trim at the Advance level, too. Other models have a crowded dash with lots of controls, but there’s noticeable improvement over the cluttered Acura dashes of the recent past.

Rearward vision presents big challenges in the RDX; it’s the swoop at its tail. Blind-spot monitors cost extra on the base model, but we’d take them. Only the costly Advance edition gets a surround-view camera system, but all RDXs have automatic emergency braking.

The $40,345 RDX suits us well with its standard leather upholstery, power front seats, 19-inch wheels, 10.2-inch infotainment display, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. For another $2,200 Acura powers the rear wheels, too. But we would add the $2,650 Technology Package, which fluffs the list with parking sensors, blind-spot monitors, navigation, and premium audio.

How much is a fully loaded Acura RDX?

The $55,295 RDX PMC Edition heaps on luxury gear, from a head-up display to ELS audio, cooled front seats, and adaptive dampers.

We’re no fans of Acura’s Android-based, menu-happy infotainment system. More specifically, the touchpad interface drives us bonkers. The screen doesn’t accept touch inputs, and the pad’s disconnect with onscreen motions becomes distracting quickly. 

Acura covers all RDXs for 4 years or 50,000 miles, but doesn’t throw in free maintenance as competitors do.