What's New:
- Larger than the outgoing model with more room
- 2013 sees the exit of the 4 cyl turbo engine in favor of Honda's new DFI 3.5 V6 power plant (273HP)
- Also better MPG (while 4 cyl turbos return better MPG theoretically in most cases we spool up the turbo specially in US driving conditions and end up about the same in MPG as a very efficient V6)
- No turbo is also a good thing, less complex and less heat under the hood
- Over all more upscale (from sitting in one and compared to my buddy's last gen turbo RDX)
- FWD (Front Wheel Drive) and AWD (All Wheel Drive) are both available
- However it's the same AWD from the latest gen Honda CRV vs. the Torque Vectoring SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheels Drive)
- Good Acura info here
- Get the FULL 9 Page Spec Sheet PDF here
Potential Gotchas:
- Brand new 1st year design (if you read my last two entries on the blog, that could spell trouble)
- The new V6 engine while loosing the turbo adds DFI (Direct Fuel Injection)
- More on that in depth in a TechTalk post but cliff notes below:
- Direct Fuel Injection motors require HPFPs (High Pressure Fuel Pump)
- This is to be able to inject fuel directly into the combustion chamber at VERY high pressure rates (on avg I've seen 1000-2000+ PSi)
- With this high pressure has come many glitches for ALMOST all brands I've been tracking for the last few years
- Most units are supplied by Bosch
- Given our lower fuel quality in South East US, this tends to trigger issues with these
- Also there are many new engine/by wire tech introductions in this first year for the RDX
Some of the info you'll want to pull up and print for dealer visit:
Market price analysis from two sources: KBB and TrueCar (Standard Options - you can redo and add options on the sites)
All reported issues so far to NHTSA: ID# 10048999
Acura TSB# BER-12100-A:
Summary: Acura: engineering request for investigation. The steering wheel controls are not working (audio, cruise control and paddle shifters) and with DTC 11-1 thru 11-b, the srs light is on. Model 2013 rdx.
Some good reviews:
- Spend a couple minutes checking these driving reviews out
- MotorWeek & Edmunds.com do a pretty decent job
My Two Cents:
- I've owned 4 Honda products in over 20 years and worked on / tuned / restored a few more
- You can't go wrong with Honda
- Actually miss my Civic I traded in for the Scion FR-S
- The biggest thing for me was the level and quality of support Honda was providing me on the 08 Civic
- They would often find and fix little things at NO charge when it was in for oil change even though I was well over the 5yr/60k warranty (most of that is finding an excellent dealer service dept)
- Unlike some other brands, Honda/Acura do still hold their values for trade or re sale
- However, it is the FIRST year complete redesign so if you can give it another 6 months and pick up a 2014 it would be even a better move
- Also most DFI engines tend to run higher compression ratios to maximize power and MPG (10.5:1 in this case) which means 91+ Octane Premium Fuel is required (some like to consider this for yearly operational costs)
Alternatives:
- Direct Luxury Segment competitors:
- Audi Q5
- Infiniti EX35
- Cadillac SRX
- BMW X3
- Mercedes GLK
- Economy Class Options:
- Nissan Murano
- Hyundai Santafe / KIA Sorento
- A bit smaller Ford Escape
- A bit smaller Honda CRV
- A bit smaller Toyota RAV4
- A bit smaller Hyundai Tucson / KIA Sportage
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