Our Opinion - 2025 Acura RDX Review A great deal is not the same thing as prestige. In the second group, the 2025 Acura RDX is a high-end small SUV that doesn’t have the same status as European models like the Mercedes-Benz GLC-class, BMW X3, and Porsche Macan. The Acura, on the other hand, offers a lot of the same benefits as SUVs with better brand recognition at a much lower price. There is no doubt that the RDX has some problems. Its 272-hp turbo-four engine gives it a good performance, but the transmission can act strangely, and the brake pedal feels soft when you step on it. All-wheel drive is standard, and so are a lot of modern tech features like a big infotainment screen and a wide range of driver-assistance technologies. The RDX is also lively and delightfully agile. Because of this, if you’re a buyer who doesn’t mind badge snobbery, the RDX may meet your need for a luxurious car while still keeping your monthly payments low. What's New? In 2025, the RDX will get a new grille with a mesh insert that will make it look more like other Acura cars. Along with new colors, there are also new wheel designs and lower exterior trim options that are the same color as the body. Inside, there is a new center console with more storage space and a wireless charging pad for smartphones that has been moved. Acura has also improved the Apple CarPlay feature of the infotainment system by adding a new wide-screen mode that lets the software on the smartphone fill the whole 10.2-inch screen. The Advance and A-Spec Advance trim levels now come with full leather seats and better ambient interior lighting, which includes speaker grilles that are lit up. Pros and Cons Pros Quickly get used to curves. Safety gets high marks. Very good value. Cons Get new displays. The tires should make less noise. Not a hybrid choice. Engine, Transmission, and Performance There is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in every RDX that makes 272 horsepower. All-wheel drive, or “SH-AWD” as Acura calls it, is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. At low speeds, the RDX’s throttle is responsive, and it can speed up from a stoplight with enough force to please most drivers. If the driver uses the paddle shifters on the steering wheel, downshifting from the transmission could be done faster. When accelerating quickly, the RDX’s turbocharged engine makes a high-pitched noise that sounds like the no-longer-made NSX. A lot of this noise, though, is fake and comes into the cabin through the audio system speakers. We drove an RDX with 20-inch wheels and adaptive dampers, which let you change how the car rides. Even though it couldn’t protect the cabin from harsh impacts on the roughest roads, our test vehicle was never rough or noisy. The torque-vectoring SH-AWD system made the RDX’s steering feel more precise and made it easy to change directions quickly. We tried out an RDX, and it was perfectly balanced. It was not a pleasant experience because the brake pedal wasn’t always firm and responsive. Safety All models come with a number of driver assistance technologies, but the Technology package adds a few more. Some of these are blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, and parking sensors in the front and back. Some important safety features are: Automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning are built in. Regular lane-keeping assistance and lane departure warning. It comes with adaptive cruise control. Internal and External Cargo Capacity The center stack is crowded with a lot of buttons, a touchpad, and a big rotary drive-mode selector in the middle and front. In the version we drove, the A-Spec package gave it eye-catching red seats and a few other unique styling touches. People liked the RDX’s high level of build quality and nice standard features, like heated and power-adjustable front seats and dual-zone climate control. However, the car doesn’t feel very luxurious. Instead, driving the Acura is more exciting than driving the Honda CR-V. People who like cars will like how low the driving position is, but people who like SUVs will like how high it is. The cabin doesn’t feel cheap or basic at all. There is a handle on each side of the back seats that can be used to fold the back row flat. The second row can also be taken out from the back of the cargo hold. We were able to fit eight carry-on bags and 22 bags in the back of the RDX with the seats folded down and up. Fuel Economy and Actual MPG The RDX gets good gas mileage ratings from the EPA, which is in the mid-20s range. It gets 21 city and 27 highway mpg with standard all-wheel drive. The second estimate is off by one when used with an A-Spec trim level RDX. As part of our thorough testing, we put that setup through its paces on our 75-mph highway fuel economy route. As the EPA said, it got exactly 26 mpg. Infotainment and Connectivity The RDX all have a 10.2-inch touchscreen mounted high on the center stack. You can also control it using the touchpad on the center console. We needed some time to get used to it. A Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto are all built into the RDX as standard features. The Technology package, which is optional, comes with an ELS Studio audio system with 12 speakers, USB ports in the backseat, and navigation built right in. Range, Charging, and Battery Life The A-Spec model we tested took 6.2 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph, which puts it in the middle of the small luxury SUVs we tested. Price and How to Choose The RDX only comes in one trim level, but Acura offers several unique packages that make it stand out. We would stay away from the A-Spec version because it costs a lot and doesn’t improve performance much. We suggest adding the Technology package, though, because it comes with extras like a leather-trimmed seat, navigation, and a better sound system. The Advance package costs a lot, but it’s the only way to get adaptive dampers and a head-up display.
