- suv 109,205
- New York
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- autoshopper.com
- suv 109,205 black automatic
2008 acura rdx review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. This is the first turbocharged engine that acura has produced. It's 2. 3 liters, and comes out of the acura tsx, with many changes making a completely different powerband. proving its commitment to sport, the rdx uses a sequential five-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, a firm independent suspension made for cornering, and acura's patented sh-awd (super handling all wheel drive) system, which delivers a higher proportion of power to the outside rear wheel under hard cornering, thus keeping the car in line. proving its commitment to luxury, the rdx comes trimmed in leather, no cloth interior is available, and it comes standard with other luxury touches, such as a power moonroof and dual-zone climate control. in short, the rdx is designed for drivers who do not want to compromise cornering for a comfortable ride (hence, the firm suspension), but want upscale accommodations. It also needs to be someone who doesn't care about dramatic or distinctive styling, because the rdx closely resembles the honda cr-v. Women, who normally go for the acura approach of combining a silky-smooth ride with performance, will want to think twice about the rdx, given its firm suspension. the rdx was launched as a 2007 model, and changes for 2008 consist of upgrades. The bluetooth hands-free phone interface comes standard on 2008 models. Also standard are a two-way position driver's seat memory and an auto-dimming day/night rearview mirror. A new exterior color, polished metal metallic, is available. The rdx received a 2007 'top safety pick' from the insurance institute for highway safety, which performs crash tests for the insurance industry generally regarded as more severe than those conducted by the federal government through its national highway traffic safety administration. walkaroundthe acura rdx is about one inch longer in wheelbase than the honda cr-v, the company's non-luxury small sport-utility vehicle, and two inches longer overall. The sculpting on the sides of the rdx appears gratuitous, not dynamic, and less traditional than that on the cr-v, which seems to have some reason, at least. the nose of the rdx is its most distinctive feature. The grille is a wide shallow vee, the acura theme, but under that is a black air intake with opposing angles, riding on top of the bumper. It's the highest undisguised air intake we can think of. And under the bumper is another air opening. Between the taillights, the sheetmetal on the liftgate is molded into the shape of the vector, again suggesting the acura symbol or theme. This sculpting surrounds the large license plate indent, so the suggestion is quite subtle. The top is wide and flat, black vinyl; there's a three-inch tall strip of dark titanium plastic in the center, broken by the display screen; and at the bottom it turns to smooth vinyl in light gray. The top and plastic strip are grained with minutely raised crossed diagonal lines, a sort of diamond-like golf ball effect. So there are three textures and three colors. on the top center of the dashboard, tucked under the windshield, is a narrow digital display that indicates time of day, radio station, the interior temperature setting on each side of the car, and where the vents are pointed. It's hard to see in sunlight. the navigation system is controlled by a big ugly knob in the center of the center stack. It pushes in, up, down, left and right. Acura has an excellent reputation for its navigation systems. We've found them among the best and easiest to operate. we found the rearview monitor a bit fuzzy, dim at night (which might be from dim backup lights), and often too dark to be useful, at dusk or on overcast days. the perforated leather seats are comfortable, and the driver can perch up high to see over the short nose of the car. The 10-way power driver's seat has a two-position memory feature for 2008; the passenger's seat is manual. Both front seats have high and low heat settings. The tachometer is at left, redline 6800, with an insert that shows turbocharger boost. a big speedometer is in the center with an information display inside it, and on the right is a gauge of similar size but which only contains an indicator of what gear the transmission is in, plus fuel level. There's also an instantaneous fuel mileage display, a bar from 0 to 50, but we did not find it to be practically readable. the epa-rated mileage is 17/22 mpg city/highway, and we got 17. 6 miles per gallon (on premium fuel) at an average of 34 mph running stop-and-go on the freeway and 80 mph when we broke out. It's kind of ugly, though. It has three spokes, at 3, 9 and 6 o'clock, and they're trimmed in aluminum-look plastic, with a design that makes the wheel look like a scale model of a space station. there are terrific grab handles for closing the front and rear doors, something we wish all cars were smart enough to have, especially for the driver. there are nice little storage compartments, and a humongously deep center console compartment, with trays at the bottom that lift out to reveal a secret spot that's another couple inches deep. It's 16. 9 inches from front to back, 12. 2 inches deep and 5. 5 inches wide, big enough for a laptop or briefcase, and it's lockable. the parking brake pedal is too low for effective left-foot braking. It does a really great job of this. Honda has been the technology leader with small engines for a long time and this 2. 3-liter turbo is about as high-tech as they come. The turbocharger changes the power characteristics quite a lot from the more peaky acura tsx, although it doesn't smooth out the engine. Apparently the turbo confuses it, something we'd seen in the past with volkswagen's 2. 0t turbos. Cloth Interior✔ Anti-lock Brakes✔ Tachometer✔ Climate Control✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Bluetooth✔ Navigation System✔ Leather Seats✔ Alloy Wheels
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