[neall_v]

I'm guessing most people don't care. Once someone sees the magic letters "AWD", they are happy even though many systems spend their days being dragged around by the front wheels -- or pushed around by the back wheels, which is ok.

Two people at work here have 2.3 turbos. They are holding up well.

 

[Legacy6]

Good info, sam. While I didn't find the Forester seats uncomfortable (I drove an FXT with broken in seats), their lack of lateral support and the FXT's pretty boring interior/instrument cluster have been deal breakers for me so far. Subaru still puts kick *** HK sound systems in their vehicles though. How does the one in the RDX compare? Is the RDX as quick? How about handling? Tight around the curves or no? I test drove one but it wasn't extended enough of a drive to really appreciate it. So I stick with my Legacy until I find something else that pretty much has it all. To date, that's a BMW X3 with the M package (the perfect vehicle IMO), but they're outside of my wheelhouse $.

 

[qwalls]

Legacy6, the premium sound system in the RDX sounds much better than the Subaru HK system. RDX is quick. About 6.5 seconds to 60mph. Handling doesn't live up to the engine. I found the seats very comfortable in the RDX.

 

[samiam_68]

Good info, sam. While I didn't find the Forester seats uncomfortable (I drove an FXT with broken in seats), their lack of lateral support and the FXT's pretty boring interior/instrument cluster have been deal breakers for me so far. Subaru still puts kick *** HK sound systems in their vehicles though. How does the one in the RDX compare? Is the RDX as quick? How about handling? Tight around the curves or no? I test drove one but it wasn't extended enough of a drive to really appreciate it. So I stick with my Legacy until I find something else that pretty much has it all. To date, that's a BMW X3 with the M package (the perfect vehicle IMO), but they're outside of my wheelhouse $.

I like the sound system. I didn't really check out the HK in the FXT during the test drive, but the RDX audio sounds great. It has a nice surround mode. I turned down the center speaker because I found it annoying to have so much sound come out of the center of the dash. Some people might like that aspect. Integration with iPod is excellent. The only other sound system that I've experienced that was better than the Acura was the Nakamichi in my Lexus. That one was simply amazing.

I find that the RDX is very quick. It's rated at about 6.2 sec 0-60 by Car and Driver. I can attest that it lives up to those numbers. It was definitely faster than the 2015 FXT I test drove. The transmission is very impressive. It always seems to either be in the correct gear or shifts nearly instantly to the right gear. If you shift to the "S" mode, the character of the car become very "sporty". It stays in lower gears, downshifts more often, and the throttle response is quicker also.

As far as handling, I think it's very competent and holds the road very well. The steering has a very quick ratio, the car changes direction very easily. Takes some getting used to, since my old FXT needed about a whole extra turn of the steering wheel to achieve the same turn angles.

It grips in turns very well, haven't been able to make the tires squeal yet. Having said that, it is a front-biased car, and you can feel some "plowing" in sharp, high speed turns. Powering out of a turn feels normal. My old FXT felt slightly more balanced in that regard, not sure about the new FXT - I didn't really push it in turns during my test drive.

Since it's front-biased, you also feel mild torque steer during heavy acceleration. It is very, very subdued. I'm just used to rear and full-AWD cars, so this is new to me.

The ride quality is on the sporty side. It's smooth and compliant, but you do feel bumps. It's definitely not "cushy".

Overall, the RDX is very quick and handles well, but all the components work so smoothly together that you need to pay attention to the speedometer because you may not notice just how fast you're going.

Maybe that's why a lot of reviews call it "boring". It just does everything so well that driver involvement is limited to just telling the car what to do and where to go and not really expending much effort on making it all happen. I personally don't find it boring at all. And I've owned a Supra, a Supra Turbo, a GS400, and of course the FXT, so I think I can be a pretty good judge of what's boring.

 

[stan_t]

Having driven a 2012 Acura TSX for 60K now, I can see why the "boring" label could be used, but this is a compiment. Car is so well designed as far as chassis/engine/transmission goes, it needs nothing but to be driven. Subaru does AWD okay (they did not invent it btw), but their overall packaging sucks and managed to turn me away. Though, I'll admit I don't know enough about the new XT to say that.

Stan

 

[Virtus_Probi]

The RDX was on my short list but once I found out they had replaced the nifty SH-AWD setup with the CR-V's craptastic system, it fell out of contention.

I had pretty much settled on the RDX before the local dealer really messed with me and offered terrible value for my trade..not wanting to go to another dealer much farther away, I went with an FXT. The Acura salesman had told me that its AWD drive system was not as capable as that in the MDX (which he felt would be a better fit for me, no way!), but I didn't care that much at the time. If it had performed like the system in my RAV4, I probably wouldn't have been too happy last winter.
Still not sure if I made the right call. The RDX and FXT are generally shown as being comparable in 0-60 (Edmunds actually pegs the FXT as being .2 seconds faster, 6.3 to 6.5), but I liked the feel of instant power in the RDX and am very disappointed by the lag of the turbo/CVT combination. The RDX felt very much like the "RAV6" to me, which makes sense in that they were similar sizes and both had 270ish HP V6s.

 

[pavster]

@Virtus_Probi Agreed on the laggy FXT engine/transmission combo. I think the car would feel much much better if the transmission kept the engine around 3k RPM most of the time, instead of always pushing as close to idle as possible. After driving my Odyssey for a while (similar V6 to the RDX), getting on the gas in the FXT is a complete let-down, despite its higher hp/tq rating and 1000lbs lower weight.

My FXT replaced a Nissan Juke, which was waaay more responsive in its powertrain department despite a smaller engine. The key there was the sport button actually kept the RPMs higher and the transmission was much more willing to keep the engine in it sweet spot.

 

[samiam_68]

I actually didn't find the 15 FXT too laggy during the test drive. But it definitely didn't have that "punch" that you expect from a performance engine. It also seemed to run out of breath at high RPM - I tried accelerating up a long moderate hill on a highway and the speed was barely increasing with the gas pedal floored. Unusual for a turbo engine. I think 2.0 liters is just undersized for that car. The old 2.5 turbo would have been perfect.

I actually test drove the first generation RDX back around 2008. That was a total no-go for me. From standing start, that car simply refused to move. The lag was simply unacceptable, if not dangerous. Trying to make a quick left across traffic, a simple maneuver in almost any car that just requires a light punch on the gas, would have required a lot of planning in the Gen-1 RDX. After the engine finally revved up past 3000 RPM, the thing took off like a rocket, but that doesn't bode well for practical everyday driving. Again, I think simple math comes into play here - 2.3 liters moving 4000 lbs - not a very responsive setup. I have a friend who has the gen-1 RDX, and calls it "moody".

The new RDX is about 150 lbs lighter than gen-1 and the 3.5 V-6 is simply a gem in this car. When you combine that with really impressive fuel economy, you have a real case of engineering done right.

 

[Legacy6]

It grips in turns very well, haven't been able to make the tires squeal yet. Having said that, it is a front-biased car, and you can feel some "plowing" in sharp, high speed turns.

Wonder if a strut tower brace would help with that? :nerd:

I've heard good things about the STI flexible strut tower brace (to kind of keep this thread Subaru biased). :laugh:

 

[Virtus_Probi]

I actually didn't find the 15 FXT too laggy during the test drive. But it definitely didn't have that "punch" that you expect from a performance engine. It also seemed to run out of breath at high RPM - I tried accelerating up a long moderate hill on a highway and the speed was barely increasing with the gas pedal floored. Unusual for a turbo engine. I think 2.0 liters is just undersized for that car. The old 2.5 turbo would have been perfect.

I actually test drove the first generation RDX back around 2008. That was a total no-go for me. From standing start, that car simply refused to move. The lag was simply unacceptable, if not dangerous. Trying to make a quick left across traffic, a simple maneuver in almost any car that just requires a light punch on the gas, would have required a lot of planning in the Gen-1 RDX. After the engine finally revved up past 3000 RPM, the thing took off like a rocket, but that doesn't bode well for practical everyday driving. Again, I think simple math comes into play here - 2.3 liters moving 4000 lbs - not a very responsive setup. I have a friend who has the gen-1 RDX, and calls it "moody".

The new RDX is about 150 lbs lighter than gen-1 and the 3.5 V-6 is simply a gem in this car. When you combine that with really impressive fuel economy, you have a real case of engineering done right.

I've been happy with the power of the XT once it gets going, it's really just the initial lag that bothers me...although I have gotten used to using the left paddle to make it shift down when I want a little oomph. S# can also make me feel like the car is being more responsive, whether that is due to it actually responding quicker or the lurch as the car "shifts" I don't know. The smoothness of the car in S can be a problem sometimes, I have a spot in my ride home every day where two lanes neck down to one a short distance past a light and I will really pour it on when I have a chance so I don't have to merge with another car there...I will easily hit 80 by the merge, and be in danger of getting a monster ticket, if I truly cut the car loose there without watching my speed.
The FXT is way better than the "RAV6" at a hilly spot when I first get on a main road on my commute to work...I come down a big hill, stop, and then take a left uphill onto the busy road. It's not uncommon for people to suddenly appear around a curve to my right and make me want to really pour it on...despite its potent V6, the Toyota just didn't seem to have the right gearing for the situation (5 speed auto) and would feel weak on the hill at just the wrong time. The FXT climbs it like a goat on steroids with no effort...the RAV6 also did not take off well on the highway at around 50mph for some reason, would scream away at 40 or 60 if I punched it.
The FXT is quirky, but I guess I'd better just appreciate what it can do since I'm not replacing it for several years unless I have an unexpected financial windfall.