UDel

Don't worry my dad and I did check out the Infiniti G37 and the Lexus IS350, GS350, and ES350 when he was in the market for a new car. He has owned a few Acuras and has been very pleased, they never gave him a single problem and all 3 combined have had less issues and have been more trouble free then my Lexus GS so he was not very enthusiastic about spending a bunch extra on a Lexus after hearing about my experience. He was definitely not interested in a overpriced unreliable German car and all his coworkers who have German cars have nothing but problems with them so he stuck with Japanese cars.

The IS was way too small which I figured after he saw the rear seat and said he could never subject coworkers or family to squeeze in the rear seat plus he thought it was too pricey for what you get. I actually tried to get him more interested in the IS because I like the looks of it and he wanted something a little sporty and knew he would not be the least bit interested in the ES and probably not the GS. We tested the GS and immediately he was turned off by the lack of headroom which is something important to him, he did not like the styling, and worse of all after driving it the interior was rattling and squeeking and he was like no way would I pay extra for this. He liked the exterior of the ES but did not care for the interior or the way the transmission was shifting, the handling, or the noises it was making. He at one time was going to get a G35 coupe but the rear seating was way too cramped, he did not care for the G37 sedan looks inside or out but liked the room and ride more but knew from a previous experience the Gs are gas hogs. The Acura TL best suited him and he has been very happy with it, no reason to spend a bunch extra on a name and he does not track the car so rwd v fwd is not a big issue.

I am no big Acura fan either, I have never owned one. Someone occasionally defending Acura when constantly being bashed does not mean they are a big fan but I do respect they have and do make great cars.

LexFather

The bottom line is the acuras have bigger or as big v6s and get worse mpg than the competition and worse performance. Their engines lead in no categories. Acuras are no faster than a v-6 accord coupe. 5 speed autos are lame and so ten years ago. Stop making excuses for them. They fed the tier 1 wannabe crap and v8 red lies and all we get r accords or accord based cars. Perfectly fine if u like ugly and average.

If Lexus or Infiniti or BMW or Benz etc pulled the same lame stunts this website would be dead and people would laugh. Amazing people try to give Honda plus a pass.

Bottom line Hyundai>Honda plus

I'm mobile so I'll comment more later.

IBabmr I suggest not commenting on peoples opinions on hondas as u blatantly hate American cars and have said so.

YOUR TL IS MADE IN OHIO DESIGNED BY AMERICANS FOR THE AMERICAN MARKET.

If u hate American Cars you then hate your TL.

IS-SV

I agree with bottom line above.

The best way for an auto maker to acheive tier 1 status is to deliver tier 1 automotive products that incorporate the best technology. Acura's excuses for lack of 6/7/8 speed trannys, lack of DOHC, lack of DI, lack of RWD sport sedans, lack of V8 flagships, are only viewed as excuses.

I8ABMR

I am tired of Acura and its sub par performance and designs. they always seem to take the easy and safe way out. This is dating their cars and is directly translating into loss of sales and even reputation in the industry. The need to ditch the recent design team. Like Bangled BMW's these new Acuras are no lookers.

LexFather

Reading on another forum I was SHOCKED a "Nissan" had all this over the RDX. Lol they call it a Technology package, where is the tech? The Advance? I knew the Murano was a great vehicle but wow!

Iceman

As the owner of an '08 RDX Tech, I can comment on some of these:

Remote front windows down - who cares
Rain sensing wipers - who cares
Pushbutton start - nifty, but who really cares
Memory seats - on the RDX
Dual sunroofs - who cares
Touch screen nav - preference item; some people like dial/voice command better
Instant rear view camera (no delay from start) - on the RDX
Grid and turning arc on rear camera image - valid point
Power lift gate - valid point
Power rear seat return - don't know what this is
Power steering wheel extension/tilt - valid point
Heated rear seats - valid point
iPod control via touch screen - redundant to touch screen nav item
iPod song/artist on nav screen - '09 RDX has this
Lockable AWD - SH-AWD is full-time, so this is a moot point
Wood Trim - who cares
Aux video input jacks - who cares
Intelligent key stays in your pocket - redundant to push-button start
Excellent brake feel - RDX has this
Heated rearview mirrors - RDX has this
Hydraulic struts for hood - valid point
Better Bluetooth integration (picks up calls dialed from phone) - RDX has this
Single touch voice command auto prompts thru all menus - RDX has this
Intelligent key will not let doors lock if key left in vehicle - RDX has this

So either the RDX added a lot of features between '07 and '08 or, more likely, the OP doesn't really know much about the RDX. And many of the so-called advantages are merely different ways of doing the same thing or unnecessary "features" that an average customer would never use or want anyway. And of course there could be an equally imbalanced list of things the RDX has that the Murano does not.

The bottom line is still that the Murano is an impressive vehicle for a mass-market manufacturer. Acura needs to figure out how to shift their vehicles further into the luxury realm with drastically increasing prices or they will start to lose sales to mainstream makes, not just luxury makes. But the RDX is hardly the tech-empty husk the list above implies.

nthach

SH-AWD which is really VTM-4 with a posi is not full-time. It's electrically controlled by the diff ECU and the ABS/TRAC system.

xis

Had my share of Lexus and Acura models and love them all, but I love my 07 RDX more than any of them.
The engine and handling are like no other. The sound system rocks. Above average interior and they are not like *******s (everyone doesn't have one)

I agree about the new grill...not a step in the right direction, but overall, that car/suv is a winner.

The G Man

Hummm, what suv are you comparing to? a CRX? The engine in the RDX is ok, but it drinks too much gas. The handling is above average, but still not as good as the X3 and the Q5. The sound system is below average, interior is uncomfortbale and cramped. The RDX is not really selling well at all, a winner it is not. Thats too bad, because Acura would really use one of two winners right now.

xis

Compared to an X3 and any other small/mid-crossover..
The Q5 has a nice interior. Can not match up to the RDX power or handling.
X3 is just outdated and over-priced. RDX handles and accelerates better than the both of those for 10K less... not sure what you are comparing to. Absolutely eats up our Lexus RX and would eat my IS as a snack.

Don't care about gas mileage, or I would have bought something else. Anyway, for the power I get, I can deal with 18-21MPG...

Sound system below average? You obviously have not driven one or heard one. Cramped interior? Better passenger room than our Lexus too.
Dont' be a blind hater...

FisforFast

I bet they've been feeding copious amount of PCP to the designers... Honda really is going South in terms of design.

TRDFantasy

Better handling than an IS250 with the sports package? I don't know about that.

The G Man

Can you post some proof of any of these claims, of course not, because they are not true. My sister has a RDX, so I quit familar with it. I have also driven the X3 quite a few time and we own a Q5, And please, couldnt you come up with a better comaprision than the RX. The only thing correct statment in your post was that the RDX handles better than the RX, big deal

xis

Oh yes - they are very true... Yes - drove an X3 when deciding what to buy.
Yes - drove a Q5 when they came out
The better handling comment was about a Lexus RX - but I don't doubt for a second that the RDX would post better times in a slalom course than a IS250 (not a 350)

peace out g dude

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

From Edmunds.

(2007) RDX: It made it through our 600-foot slalom at a wicked 65.7 mph. For the record, the CX-7 navigated the slalom at 63.6 mph.

(2008) F-Sport Equipped IS250: This IS runs 71 mph through our slalom, circles our skid pad at 0.89g of lateral grip and stops from 60 mph in just 109 feet.

(2007)X Sport 250: Although it's down over 100 hp on the IS 350, the IS 250 is nearly 4 mph faster through the cones with a 70.4-mph result.