2020 Acura RDX

The undeniably sporty 2020 Acura RDX is a relative bargain within the two-row luxury compact SUV segment, with a wide range of impressive standard features and options, including the company’s responsive Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive and suite of AcuraWatch safety features.

If you’re one of the 50,000-plus people who have made the RDX a bestseller for five years running, you should probably know that you’ll be working with a different cup of tea this time around. Coffee, actually. The current RDX, redesigned for the 2019 model year, places a lot more emphasis on the sporting character that once made Acura vehicles so engaging to drive. Offhand, there are no fewer than eight rivals, and thanks to it’s re-discovered fun-to-drive personality, the RDX is one that deserves a look.

The RDX is as sweepingly over-styled as anything else in the category and while that’s typically jarring, the overall design actually works here, maybe minus the gigantic front grille and the common gash in the D-pillar whose job it is to cut visual bulk. The large black 20-inch wheels and gaping mouth of our A-Spec tester suggest more than kid-hauling intentions, as do the oversized exhaust tips in the rear bumper.

Inside, the RDX feels well-built. Interior materials are high quality, exhibiting the vaunted “soft-touch” surfaces of upscale vehicles. In the case of the A-Spec model, there’s loud red leather seating with black Alcantara inserts that stand in stark contrast to the loud metallic blue exterior paint – you could be convinced the Germans had a hand in swatch selection, but it works. 

The center console and dashboard, while wildly improved compared to the previous RDX, features some uncommon elements. Acura’s bizarre gear selection panel makes an appearance here, but the more recent change is Acura’s take on the infotainment user interface. In an effort to keep drivers’ eyes on the road, the infotainment screen is mounted high and thus is not a touch screen. Instead, you use a finger pad below to direct cursor movement if desired, or you can treat the pad as if it were the screen, pressing your finger down where you believe it would translate on-screen. Acura says the latter method becomes second nature with time; we had about a 50 percent success rate in a week of learning.

A big chunk of the upper center console is claimed by a giant rotary knob that changes vehicle behavior (the typical Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus, and Snow settings). Rotating the knob alters steering weight, transmission shift points, and throttle sensitivity. That these features are selectable is par for the course and desirable, but one wonders why so much real estate was used to accomplish the execution. Maybe it makes more sense with the Advance trim, which includes adaptive dampers too. 

A unique interior is matched with a unique drivetrain, and we’ll happily report that the SH-AWD (Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive) system remains more than a gimmick. It can transfer up to 70 percent of the torque to the rear wheels, and vary that torque up to 100 percent between the two to help mitigate understeer while powering through corners. And mitigate it does – particularly from a dead stop, where the RDX feels much nimbler than it should, at almost exactly two tons.

The inclusion of the system says much about the car’s mission statement – while a competitor like the Lexus NX offers a softer ride, the RDX nevertheless feels more refined behind the wheel. The SH-AWD system is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission that doesn’t hunt for gears – a relatively common problem in 9- and 10-speed transmissions elsewhere. 

Power comes courtesy of a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline 4, which produces 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque here. As is the case in many recent downsized modern turbocharged direct-injection four cylinders, you won’t find yourself wanting a bigger engine. Torque is available plentiful, and while the RDX isn’t a rocketship, it does feel faster than much of its similarly equipped competition.

Though the RDX has no powertrain options, Acura’s SH-AWD is well worth the $2000 premium. The three available feature bundles include the Technology package, which adds navigation and blind-spot detection, the Advance package, with its surround camera and heated/ventilated seats, and the A-Spec package, which adds glossy black accents, more prominent exhaust outlets, and sport-inspired red leather seats

Overall, there’s a solidity to the RDX that’s hard to put into words – perhaps it’s due to the new body structure, which uses double-ring frames around all of the openings, including the liftgate, to increase rigidity. If the ride and infotainment appeals, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.