lulu45

I'm torn between the two. I will be test driving the RDX A-Spec Advance this weekend, I have yet to test drive the NX350 F-Sport. I had previously test drove the NX450+ because that's all the dealer had at the time, so I didn't spend much time in it knowing the NX350 was going to be different.

I feel like the NX looks nicer & has more updated technology, but that also worries me. Everything being controlled by that 14" screen also means if it goes out I won't even be able to control my air conditioning...
The RDX is supposedly a sportier drive & more spacious, but has push button shifting which is very strange. How reliable is that vs.an actual shifter...

Has anyone else had this dilemma? What made you choose one over the other?

Ihave1cat

Let me tell you about my experience with the RDX.
I come from a Honda family. Every car prior to the NX350h was a Honda. The RDX is basically a luxury Honda CRV that has a few benefits, but also a few drawbacks.

I’ll start off by addressing the shifter situation. Neither the NX nor RDX are real shifters. Sure, the NX is a “nubby thingy” that looks like a shifter, but don’t be fooled - it’s no different than the RDXs buttons. The shifter is still 100% electronic, and is a “shift-by-wire” situation. Moving the NXs shifter is the same as simply pressing a button on the RDX. The same shifter is in the Honda Ridgeline, Passport, CRV (hybrid), Pilot, Acura MDX and RDX, and probably coming to every other Honda as well.

In terms of interior, the Acura, to me, was a dog’s breakfast. It wasn’t thoughtfully laid out, the buttons were tossed around, the ginormous drive mode **** in the middle was awkward, and overall, did not convey a sense of luxury, in the same way the NX did. Then there is the infotainment system. Man oh man was that a drawback for me. Firstly, it’s not a touchscreen at all, you have to use a rediculous silly touchpad (that doesn’t work like a touchpad - it’s mapped to the screen in a 1:1 ratio, but the screen is 16:9, and the touchpad is 4:3, which makes it feel odd).
it was not good. Cumbersome and frustrating.
then the overall display, thin and narrow. Sure, it’s not a big deal, but in terms of usability, it’s a little far from the driver, and hard to see small details. For example, I found that the backup camera and 360 monitor too small and unwieldy on such a thin display.

Anyway, did not like the interior besides one thing - rear and cargo space. That’s the trump card of the RDX. It’s got a lower load floor and much more interior and cargo space. Blows away the Lexus in this regard.

Driving, I’ll give the edge to the RDX. It’s peppy, and handles very well. However I noticed that it chugs gas. More so than the NX. It felt tighter in the corners, faster in the straights, and a little more composed than the NX. That’s not to say the NX is a slouch. The NX (even the non-Fsport model, the turbo) is very good, it’s decently composed, softer, and feels more refined, elegant and luxurious).

Lastly is reliability. It’s a subjective question, but given Lexus’s reused and true approach, I’d pick the Lexus. I just don’t see the same attention detail, build quality or refinement in the RDX.
sure, the screen contains almost everything, but we’re past the point of discreet buttons on most cars anyway - the buttons simply send a command to a computer, which toggles a function. Yes, the screen is a failure point, but so is everything else - including buttons, so I’m not thinking about that.

in any case, I was biased towards the RDX - I thought that was the car I would buy 100%, but after driving the NX (regular and hybrid) - I went with Lexus. It was night and day. I really disliked the feel of the RDX after driving it.

edit: the NX is just a better place to be in. I bought the car because I liked to sit in it, rather than in a place that felt uncomfortable to me. The NX has a warm cocooning feeling, whereas the RDX feels cold and poorly organized. Material quality in the NX was also better than the RDX.

lulu45

@Ihave1cat Thank you for the detailed review! The gear shifter situation makes sense, I guess I’m just used to having a **** instead of buttons. And as for the touchscreen in the NX, since it’s new territory for Lexus I wonder how reliable it is.

Again, your review is very much appreciated & now I’m wondering if I should just cancel the test drive for the RDX after reading it, lol.

chuuck1e

Touchscreens are not new for Lexus/Toyota. Our 2012 Camry has a touchscreen that controls many functions. We have had no problems in over 10 years, and have not heard/read of any problems on Toyota chat boards. The large touchscreen on the new NX controls more functions, but touchscreen technology is not new, and they have been very reliable.

Ihave1cat

Well, I wouldn't go that far! I was just trying to point out that the interior left me feeling a tad disappointed. I wouldn't cancel your test-drive, it's still a great car! And, if you're like me at least - it may be the "well, if this is the closest competitor, then I'll have no regrets buying a Toyota".
There's also a good saying - Expectations are the thief of joy. I was super excited to drive the RDX, but left disappointed.

Yep! The thing about consumer vs automotive or enterprise/automation stuff is that most "quality" companies don't use off-the-shelf components. Everything is binned to be enterprise-grade and rated for a high MTBF. The common misconception with car screens is that many people believe that the screen/Head unit is the brains of the operation. It's very often no the case, it's just the frontend to a whole host of subsystems, most of which run very stable code. While there is a chance that something may go wrong, a tangible one - it is very rare. Car companies are heavily scrutinized for any change they do (for example - look at Hyundai/Genesis - Korea allows them to use displays inside the cockpit, rather than traditional mirrors for the left and right). There are tons of regulatory compliance that must happen, and a whole host of other things that must be proven/tested. While I am no automotive engineer, I would assume that Toyota/Lexus and other brands would do substantial Q/A for tangible bugs (not "feature issues" - i.e. driver seat memory or carplay - but those that affect the functionality of the car). Most often these companies employ a tactic known as "fuzzing" - i.e. automatic bug testing that will try millions of permutations of crap to make the system crash.
In short, I don't think there's much to worry about. The software is made to be rock solid, and the hardware as well.

hnlflyer

I was in the same thought process between the NX and RDX. Ultimately, everyone has their own preferences and perceptions. Don't cancel your test drive. Try them both out and see what you prefer because, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what any of us think about your car.

lulu45

Lol, I wasn’t concerned about what anyone thinks of what car I buy. I just wanted to hear other people’s experience in comparing the two.

I assume you bought the NX. What drove you to that decision? (Pun intended)

hnlflyer

There's a level of refinement that you don't see in the RDX. That said, if I wanted more of a fun car to drive, I'd get the RDX. You get more bang for your buck with Acura.

Ihave1cat

This. The Acura is definitely the more fun vehicle. It’s just the refinement! The NX feels so good! The RDX feels like I am driving a Honda CR-V, with leather, more gloss black, and much peppier performance. Sure, it’s a more refined Honda, but it’s a Honda. The Lexus was way more than a RAV4, much more than the RDX a CRV.

Drive both. If performance, driving dynamics and rear cargo space is important, the RDX feels better. If the cabin, softer ride and interior are the more important factor (as was the case for me) - then the NX is a safer choice.

iverr6

I test drove both cars and I was hands down in favor of the NX. Looks wise they are on par with eachother, but the difference was the interior and ride. The NX is more refined with layout, the RDX interior seemed like a confusing mess of buttons and sharp angles with a small little infotainment screen and a noisy engine, to be honest I really didn't like it at all. I went straight to the NX and do not regret my decision in the least.

slowdonald

We also drove both. The RDX was more "fun," but the interior layout was beyond irritating and I didn't like the ergonomics. Having to use a touch pad to navigate a larger screen was what turned us off. That said, my wife is still irritated that the Lexus does not have physical buttons for HVAC, but being able to use your voice and the auto functions should overcome that issue for her.

If the RDX cockpit was a bit more friendly, we may have gone that route.

T24A

The reasons I would consider an RDX, the ELS audio doesn't command the same premiums the Mark Levinson does. The ride quality sound deadening has vastly improved in the 2022 models, and they now also have wireless car play. I think if you are looking for the sportier vehicle with more utility the RDX works fine. The knocks imo on the nx350 F sport, are the narrower seats, firmer suspension, run flat tires, and the matching body panels instead of the cladding on the n f sport make the vehicle look tacky, that and the blacked out wheels will be a pain in the rear to keep clean.

As far as tech reliability is concerned, they will both be so/so but you're buying new so that will be covered in warranty.

iverr6

The RDX definitely had it's pros over the NX, but yeah that interior was headache inducing.

E46CT

Re the RDX being a CRV, maybe but to be fair the NX is modeled after the Rav4. But at least the new Rav4 is newer than the "new" CRV (which is old) CRV is already super rotten.

I'd just not get the RDX cause new Acura (with exception of the new integra) is terrible terrible terrible. at everything. extremely atrocious interior. i mean extreme.... they have been since the first RDX. acura has lost its way. fisher-price plastic interior designs. generic, vague. NSX is terrible too.

I'd hands down get the NX. not even the same ballpark.

lulu45

Maybe it was fate & the universe keeping me from going astray, but I accidentally missed my test drive appointment on Sunday, rescheduled for Wednesday night. Then last night the sales person texted me that the car was sold & they won't be getting any more in for another month or two. The NX I ordered should be in by the end of this month so based on that & the opinions I got from you all, I will probably end up with an NX
If only the red interior wasn't so...red.