Acura guns for the sports luxury SUV

Acura guns for the sports luxury SUV 

The Acura RDX (starting at $37,400) got a much-needed redesign and infusion of tech for the 2019 model. The SUV went from a boring box to an aggressive-looking, less-expensive competitor to the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. But is the transformation more than skin deep?Acura has updated that RDX with style and power-train panache. The updated infotainment tech is worth a look, while the True Touchpad brings muscle memory back to controlling media and navigation. Sadly, the transmission is just as aggressive as the styling, but if you’re fine driving in Sport mode all day, it can be tamed.

One of the big features Acura has been touting for the redesigned RDX is the updated infotainment system with the True Touchpad interface. Instead of the touchscreen that has become the norm, the automaker has decided to use a trackpad on the center console to interact with the SUV's features. But unlike the trackpad on your laptop or in Lexus' vehicles, the pad is a one-to-one scale mapping of the display.

In other words, if you place your finger in the top left corner of the pad, you're selecting that corner on the 10.2-inch display. Pick up your finger up and place it on the bottom right corner and you're selecting the bottom right corner on the display. It's absolute positioning and while it takes a day or so to get used to it, it's actually a refreshing alternative to the pointing and tapping of touchscreens.

The advantage is that you can build muscle memory like you would with tangible buttons and knobs. The edge of the pad has a ridge to help orient you and you can select items from the screens without having to look at the display or the touchpad. The cushioned handrest in front of the pad helps keep your hand in the same position as you use both the main and smaller secondary touchpad (placed directly to the right of the main one and controls the ride-side of the display) and associated home and back buttons.

The infotainment system itself resembles a tablet with all the features laid out in a grid. It has quick access to most of the items drivers care about: media, navigation, phone, etc... I do feel like it's missing a proper customizable home page that surfaces features, but the secondary picture-in-picture in the display does offer additional information like navigation, a clock and what song is playing.

The RDX slots nicely into an urban or suburban lifestyle with a design that'll impress your artsy friends while having enough room to drag their latest canvas to the pop-up show at a dilapidated train station. The vehicle's updated infotainment's input method is a refreshing alternative to touchscreens and joins a more aggressive design. It's an inexpensive alternative to German offerings and there are some tradeoffs for that value. But, if you're cool without having all the fancy bells and whistles in your car, the RDX is worth considering when shopping for sport luxury SUVs.