Gadgetory

new face new rump stale tech let's try the 2012 Acura RDX super handling all-wheel drive with the tech package and check the temp now you'd be forgiven for thinking that this RDX is just a dressed-up Honda CRV it's actually not one of the key reasons is it has a turbo 2.3 liter 4 it also offers Acura super handling all-wheel drive you won't find that on a Honda either the differences continue inside ok now we have the fully optioned RDX got the tech package that means we get the navigation head unit otherwise you'd have a very basic screen for audio and climate but this color LCD is not touch you can drive it with the Acura control knob or you can use the voice command over here not the Bluetooth voice button the other one that hides behind it it's a perfectly good system it's got traffic weathers that got restaurant ratings the problem is it looks like hell this is a crunchy old interface they've had since the dawn of time and I'm dying for them to overhaul it which apparently is due soon now the navigation as I mentioned is optional as part of what they call the tech package well not really it's actually a technology trim level package and this is going to also bring you the ELS sound system that bumps up the speakers from seven to ten the wattage from 360 to 410 I think it adds Dolby pl2 which will turn any digital stereo source into synthetic surround it works pretty well and you've got a subwoofer and lots of additional sound settings that's $3,100 package also brings your rear view camera out of the mirror and brings it to the screen oh one other thing we have in the tech package you have a 10-second clipping ability of any song on XM satellite radio stores a little music note to remind you you want to go by that song it's kind of like a really crunchy version of iTunes tagging we also have bluetooth streaming USB for iPod or thumb drive bluetooth also standard for hands-free calls and also that Acura hands-free lengthing the setup service appointments are talk to an advisor one choice on the gearbox five-speed Automatic back and forth no slap gate you can go to drive or you can go to sport and when you want to pick gears you do that on the paddles which are standard on all RDX it's a 2.3 liter inline 4 sitting sidesaddle here normally driving the front wheels but it's also available with Acura is very impressive super handling all-wheel drive 240 horsepower 260 foot-pounds of torque gets this roughly thirty eight hundred pound via cup 216 a pound six and a half seconds delivering 1924 mpg but slap the super handling all-wheel drive on here and you drop down to 17 22 now you're starting to get into guilt territory but turbo on here as you can see is intercooled it's also a variable flow unit which means it can kind of optimize its own dynamics for low and high rpm to get rid of turbo lag we'll see about that now the first thing I notice on this RDX is through my ears not through my but the noise this cars got kind of a grindy sounding motor when it's under load I'm not really a big fan of that in an Acura I don't expect that from these guys you don't forget it's a turbo either you've got a really kind of a Sergi pulse EP key power band on this thing no matter what they do with their dual mode turbo flow technology you got to get on it and then it suddenly rushes power to you plenty of power just not as much responsiveness as I would like with that power the real winner here is super handling all-wheel drive which works as well here as it does any of the pricier Acuras you can really feel it grabbing and clawing in corners and it has the ability to over rotate the outside right wheel by I think it's almost 2 percent so in other words that guy can really push the rump around on the outside when you need to vector into a turn nice driver good compliance on the road and good build quality but I'm not totally impressed by the power train okay 2012 RDX starts at 34 grand then you're going to add $2,000 for super handling all-wheel drive that's your call thirty-one hundred to go to the tech package trim level you're going to want the tech but you're going to hate yourself for getting this tech in some ways so I'm kind of in on that what I would do is make sure you check out a Kia Sorento with a v6 or maybe wait up a little bit till that 2013 Ford Escape comes out with the new line of EcoBoost engines then decide if you want to pull the trigger on this guy