2025 Acura RDX A-Spec Advance First Test: Hard to Beat?
The A-Spec Advance gets subtle updates but remains more or less the same. Is that a good thing?
Pros
- Stylish exterior
- Luxurious interior
- Excellent value for money
Cons
- Laggy throttle response
- Touchpad is still annoying
- Could use more torque
We should start off by saying the 2025 Acura RDX A-Spec is more of a light update from the previous model and not a significant refresh. So, if some of our opinions seem familiar, that’s why. There are certainly some changes from last year, but most of them are skin deep. Do the small changes add up to any kind of substantive difference? Let’s dive in.
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Nip, Tuck, and Lift
The Acura RDX receives a subtle but welcome glow-up for the 2025 model year. For starters, it now has Acura’s new “frameless” diamond pentagon-shaped grille with an updated mesh insert. The base RDX gets gloss black trim to make the exterior paint pop, while on the A-Spec Advance trim we tested, the rear diffuser is body color.
Berlina Black 19-inch wheels are standard for 2025, but the A-Spec and A-Spec Advance get new 20-inch designs. There’s also a short list of new exterior colors including Solar Silver Metallic, Canyon River Blue Metallic, and the color of our test vehicle, Urban Grey Pearl.
Even though the exterior updates are subtle, we’re quite happy with the new RDX’s looks. It strikes a great balance between sporty and luxurious. It looks faster and more expensive than it actually is, which is a great bonus if style is a priority for you.
The Annoying Touchpad Is Still Here
The RDX’s interior is reworked for 2025 with a new center console that provides more storage and easier access to the wireless charging pad. Unfortunately, the much-maligned Acura True Touchpad Interface has carried over.
Our frustration with Acura’s touchpad—where you touch on the pad is mapped to a precise spot on the screen, meaning you need to know exactly where to always touch—is well documented. We were overjoyed when Acura revealed that it was doing away with the touchpad in the updated MDX, so the decision to leave it in the RDX is a bit of a bummer. All Acura would tell us is that the decision to use or not use the touchpad would be a “model-by-model” decision. OK, fine, the RDX gets the touchpad, but is it at least any better to use in this model? It is, but marginally.
The touchpad is better at registering touches, but it’s still terrible at navigating the interface and frequently doesn’t cause the icons we intend to select to highlight. We know on paper a touchpad should work. After all, laptops have had them for decades, right?
The fundamental problem is that laptops also have cursors that work with the touchpad, so you know what you’re selecting. Acura’s interface is missing that very important feature, making navigating the menus a guessing game. The problem is exacerbated when connected to Android Auto as it seems the touchpad was not optimized for navigating UIs outside of Acura’s own.
Fortunately, the RDX provides a plethora of buttons, knobs, and dials to adjust just about every other feature outside of infotainment, which is nice on the one hand but on the other just highlights how bad the touchpad really is.
Interior Lounge Vibes
Touchpad aside, the 2025 Acura RDX’s interior is excellent. The “waterfall” design of the dashboard which centralizes the HVAC and other function controls is ergonomically solid while also pleasing to look at. The reworked center console provides tons of space for small objects you want to get out of the way, and the new placement of the wireless charging pad gets a thumbs-up.
Our test vehicle was adorned with red leather seats and door paneling with black Alcantara accents exclusive to A-Spec trims. The color combo complements the exterior Urban Grey Pearl paint nicely. The RDX is a midsize SUV, so the back seats aren’t massive, but it offers a fair amount of room for rear passengers and kids. Taller adults may feel a bit tight depending on the positions of the front occupants. At least they can enjoy heated outboard seats.
The Acura ELS Studio 16-speaker audio system not only sounds great, but the dynamic ambient LED lighting package also turns the speakers into art pieces. Altogether, Acura put together a stellar interior experience with the 2025 RDX.
Delayed Driving Joy
All trims of the 2025 Acura RDX carry over the 2.0-liter turbocharged 272-hp I-4 engine from last year. The engine provides a smooth, zippy experience once on the move, with effortless cruising at higher speeds. The problem is there’s a significant lag off the line; bury your foot in the right pedal, and nothing of consequence happens until roughly 3,500–4,000 rpm. The delayed response makes passing and merging a bit trickier than it should be.
There are various driving modes to choose from: Snow, Comfort, Normal, and Sport. "Even in S Drive, the downshifts and gear-holding were inconsistent.” road test editor Chris Walton said. “I resorted to manual downshifts, and it would still auto upshift thereafter.” Acura’s SH-AWD system monitors steering input in relation to power delivery, so if you try to put your foot down during a corner, the system will reject your request. “The all-wheel-drive system works well on the exit and puts the power down,” Walton said, “however it’s not full power until the steering wheel is straight. Overall, it just feels hemmed in by the electronics."
Is the Acura RDX A-Spec Right for You?
If you’re looking for a luxury SUV that looks great and has plenty of features and acceptable performance, the 2025 Acura RDX A-Spec Advance is a serious contender. At $56,400 as tested, the RDX A-Spec Advance is cheaper than the top-range Genesis GV70 and Lexus NX while offering more passenger and cargo space than either. In the context of performance-luxury, the Acura RDX A-Spec Advance is hard to beat.
However, it’s not perfect. Anyone who’s a stickler for more holistic performance may find themselves disappointed by the RDX’s laggy throttle response. All things considered, if you can handle the touchpad, the RDX is worth consideration.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
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