11-24-2006
2007 Acura RDX
by Dave Stall
2007 Acura RDX Tech handles like a sports sedan

Have you been looking for a cool sports car but need the room of a crossover vehicle? The all-new Acura RDX may be just what the doctor ordered.

This crossover comes with a turbocharged 2.3-liter dual overhead camshaft, 16 valve i-VTEC four-cylinder engine that produces 240 horsepower and 260 pound-foot of torque. As a bonus, it gets 19 miles per gallon in the city and 23 MPG on the open road, depending on your right foot.

This RDX hauls the mail, but what really stands out is the handling. If you didn't know better you would think you're in a sports sedan. The RDX handles the hills of East County like a pro thanks to its patented super handling all-wheel drive system that combines the four-wheel disc brakes, electronic brake distribution, brake assist four-wheel independent McPherson struts up front and a multi link system in the rear. Plus, it has front and rear stabilizer bars, variable-assist rack-and-pinion steering and a set of P235/55R1899V All Season tires. This is a package that's be hard to beat.

Acura even chromed the 18-inch by 7.5-inch alloy wheels to help make a statement - to me that statement is "brute." My test vehicle was painted "carbon bronze" and the interior was done in "ebony," a beautiful combination if you ask me.

Inside the '07 RDX is typical Acura luxury. The first time you sit in the very comfortable front bucket seats, you know you're in a classy vehicle. The driver's seat has eight power adjustments but passengers get only manual adjustments with just as comfortable a seat (it could still use a few electrical adjustments). The seats are leather and the front seats are heated. The back seats are very comfortable and split 60/40 for additional storage space, although it has an already good size rear cargo area.

The very large gauges are blue and red with brilliant white background lighting for night driving. The navigation system screen can adjust the backlight dimmer for night driving as well.

The sound system has been upgraded to Tech status. The standard system consists of a seven-speaker 360-watt Acura sound system with multi-format six-disc changer, XM Radio (first three months of service free), and an MP3/auxilary input jack to the RDX Tech System. The Technology Package adds a 10-speaker 410-watt Acura ELS Surround R Premium Sound System with Dolby Pro Logic II and a six-disc DVD-A and CD changer, XM Radio, MP3 capable - all designed by legendary recording engineer Elliot Scheiner. This system makes it hard to get out of the Acura once you get home and you will listen to the last song before getting out!

The audio knobs are a little small but once you get used to them, they work just fine. Plus, there are a lot of controls on the steering wheel, including the audio system, cruise control and the hard-wired phone. Another great feature that I think should be on all vehicles is real-time traffic reporting. It also has a back up camera and the ability to operate the navigation by voice recognition, which means all hands are free and that makes for a better driver.

The 2007 Acura RDX came with a sequential sport paddle shifting, five-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission. You may not use this system on an everyday basis but when you do use it, you can really wring out the "sport" side of the RDX.

Safety is paramount to Acura. The RDX comes with safety items such as driver and front passenger dual stage airbags, driver and front passenger side airbags, side curtain airbags with rollover sensors, vehicle stability assist, active head restraints, side impact door beams and crumple zones surrounding the occupants. There's also a system I'm not aware of called ACE Body Structure, which I'm sure one of the very knowledgeable sales staff at Acura of Escondido could tell you what it is.

I'm also glad to see that  the Acura warranty is creeping up in our favor. It comes with a six-year/70,000 mile powertrain warranty and a four-year/50,000 mile limited vehicle warranty and lifetime seat belt warranty. Plus, toll free customer assistance and Acura's Total Luxury Care 24-hour Roadside Assistance Concierge Service are both included in the price.

I really like the RDX and if I needed this much space, it would be my first choice. It's fast, nimble, roomy, luxurious, has a killer sound system and great looks. What more would you want? Plus, there's Acura's reliability factor.

Next week, a vehicle from Infiniti of Escondido.



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