Acura RDX Tech is a new genre auto: luxury-compact SUV

The interior is a tech-lover’s paradise, and you get lavishness mixed in with the tech

By: Mike Blake

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The 2007 Honda RDX Tech is a luxury-compact SUV, a description that is not just an advertising slogan but a whole new automotive genre.


   The automotive industry is overflowing with genres, both real and imaginary. What is a crossover anyway? Is that a marketing tool or a real car class? Then there is the Entry-Luxury class. Is that a true category or another ad campaign slogan?
   While the debate on those groupings may go on among automotive journalists, the public and automakers, Acura has added another new classification into the mix, and this one just might be a real denomination. With the 2007 Acura RDX Tech, Honda’s luxury and sport division has created a new genre, that of the Luxury-Compact SUV, or Entry-Premium SUV.
   Built on a new global light truck platform, the RDX concept was initiated in California and then developed in Japan as a sporty, mini SUV.
   On the outside you get an athletic stance, with a sports-ute, rather than sportwagon demeanor. Accouterments include power moonroof with tilt features, 18-inch alloy wheels, xenon HID headlights and aggressively raked body sides, a steeply slanted windscreen and a short rear overhang. The angled rear hatch of my Alabaster Silver RDX gave it a customized look and it is fitted with a replaceable panel to reduce the cost of accident repair.
   The RDX Tech’s propulsion system is a 240-horsepower 2.3-liter DOHC turbo in-line four-cylinder engine that produces 260 pounds-feet of torque. I averaged 21.8 mpg during my seven-day examination in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, and that’s not bad for a 3,924-pound vehicle with seating for five.
   You also get a five-speed automatic transmission that offers power in all ranges, but I found hesitation at all acceleration points. The tranny utilizes sequential sportshift and paddle shifters while stopping power comes from four-wheel disc brakes, electronic brake distribution to support Acura’s safe handling all-wheel drive. The SH-AWD is standard in the RDX to maximize available traction while improving handling balance and responsiveness. The patented system distributes the proper amount of torque between the front and rear axles and also between the left and right rear wheels. The system’s direct yaw control helps reduce understeer to enhance steering accuracy and add to total cornering power. Responsive handling is further aided by fully independent front and rear suspensions.
   The RDX Tech is constructed with an all-steel unit body, four-wheel independent MacPherson Strut front suspension, independent multi-link rear, front and rear stabilizer bars, variable assist rack-and-pinion steering, drive-by-wire throttle system and 100,000 miles of no scheduled tune-ups.
   Safety features include the latest generation of dual-stage, dual-threshold airbags for the driver and front passenger, side airbags for the driver and front passenger and side curtain airbags with a rollover sensor for all outboard occupants. The RDX is outfitted with vehicle stability assist, anti-lock braking system, active front head restraints, side-impact door beams, tire pressure monitoring system and an immobilizer theft-deterrent system. An exceptional tech item is the Acura’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure that substantially contributes to passenger safety in frontal collisions. It distributes collision loads through the body structure, leaving the passenger cabin more intact for improved occupant protection.
   The interior is a tech-lover’s paradise, and you get lavishness mixed in with the tech. Ebony leather-trimmed seats are mixed in with a plethora of electronic features that earn the name "Tech." The RDX has a 10-speaker, 410-watt Acura/ELS surround-sound system, along with a multi-format six-disc changer, AM/FM tuner, XM Satellite Radio, dual-zone automatic climate control system with air filtration system, a Multi-Information Display and LED backlit gauges with progressive illumination.
   The Technology Package also includes several information and communications features such as HandsFreeLink, a wireless telephone interface that is designed to work with many Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones.
   The final part of the tech package is the Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition. On the plus side, it can display up-to-the-minute traffic information including flow, accident, construction and weather conditions on freeways in 31 major metro areas (where available). But there is a downside.
   This is a very comfortable, sporty and classy vehicle. It has lots of great electronic advances, but for a car that proudly calls itself the "Tech," it has one major drawback. Its navigational system may be over-teched and is one of the least user-friendly, least-accurate and least reliable navi systems I have tested over the past two years. It got confused often during a recent trip to the New York Auto Show, and often painted itself into a corner, meaning there were times that I had more information, such as street numbers, that the system would not let me input. It also had not been updated to include several new developments that were two years old.
   Navigation aside, the cockpit interior with comfortable front seating is sweet. You also get heated seats, and power windows and door locks.
   The Acura RDX Tech is base priced at $36,495, with a price as tested of $37,165. It is an exciting new genre of vehicle — luxurious and teched to the hilt in a mini-SUV home.