2010 Acura RDX TECH Review

I thought the RDX was the ultimate Acura for the undecided, the ideal vehicle that tries to be all things at once. Well it isn’t anymore, thanks to the new ZDX.

The RDX’s facelift, which includes Acura’s controversial corporate schnoz and redesigned bumper, provides little change.

This leaves the impression that its mission is unclear, even vague. Still, variety is the spice of life, as they say, so I guess the RDX has its raison d’être. For 2010, it receives a few changes that keep it competitive.

The RDX’s facelift, which includes Acura’s controversial corporate schnoz and redesigned bumper, provides little change. The new look doesn’t feel newer than the old, but after a few years, something had to be done. The alloy wheel design has been changed, while the new blacked-out rear bumper is more distinctive and a worthwhile visual improvement.

Inside, changes go on largely unnoticed. One improvement albeit a minor one is the relocation of the climate control fan speed buttons, which have been moved to the left side of the centre stack; they should have been there all along.

Acura claims that voice recognition system has been improved and can understand more words than before. It’s still a little hard of hearing, though, as the system pardons itself quite often for not understanding a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The navigation system’s map graphics also look like they’ve been designed for a 486 PC. Still, the whole kit works well.

Plenty of room is found in the RDX, front and rear, while the passenger seat received power controls last year. The cargo area is spacious and the liftover is low.

The turbocharged 2.3-litre engine, which develops 240 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, is virtually unchanged for 2010, although it supposedly received a few improvements to reduce cabin noise. We didn’t notice it; we’d probably have to drive a 2010 and a 2009 back-to-back to really notice.

Although most manufacturers are moving up to 6-speed automatics, Acura is sticking to its old 5-speed in the RDX. Zero to 100 km/h takes 6.7 seconds, while the quarter-mile blows by in 14.9 seconds at 150 km/h. So it’s pretty quick, thanks to all that low-end torque.

Zero to 100 km/h takes 6.7 seconds.