Review Index
2014 Acura RDX – Part 1 (Exterior)
2014 Acura RDX – Part 2 (Interior)
2014 Acura RDX – Part 3 (Interior – Gauges/Seats/Capacity)
2014 Acura RDX – Part 4 (Powertrain)
2014 Acura RDX – Part 5 (Suspension and Chassis)
Two things impressed me most when testing the RDX are: the ride comfort the suspension provides, and also the solidness of the car chassis.
First I will talk about the suspension. For the RDX, the front suspension is MacPherson strut type, and multi-link for the rear suspension.
A close look at the multi-link suspension in the rear wheel area. The majority of the rear wheel suspension parts are made of steel.
Automotive adhesive material around the front strut tower, which strengthens the car body welding, thus improves the torsional rigidity.
For a SUV/CUV, what you want is a comfort ride which can filter out as many as the road surface’s imperfection, this is the most practical requirement. You do not need the SUV/CUV to handle like a sports car, because comfort and sporty ride are mutually exclusive.
If you have ever driven a true sports car, you will find it to be very bumpy, and its suspension is very harsh. Not everyone, except those who want to tell all other people on the road that “hey look, I am driving a sports car!”, want to enjoy such ride quality in daily commute; because at least, it hurts your back and spine in the long run.
The RDX’s suspension is decent that, it is comfortable, supportive; but at the same time it provides reasonable handling that you won’t be afraid during moderate cornering that the car will roll over.
The RDX is based on a front-wheel-drive platform, so you can see the V6 engine sits in front of the front axle.
Next we talk about the car frame and chassis. One distinguishable trait that an Acura vehicle typically has, but maybe not known to many consumers, is that Acura cars usually has excellent torsional rigidity. The same thing applies to the 2014 RDX.
If you do not know what is a car body’s torsional rigidity, you can take a look at our article here, or simply view our review video on the Mercedes-Benz GL450 below.
A weak torsional rigidity car body, will make lots of creaks and noises when you are driving on an uneven road surface. A modern luxury car should not has such symptom.
The RDX’s body is rock solid, no matter how bumpy the road, or how steep of the ramp you are driving the RDX on to, you will feel the RDX is like an absolute one-piece object, no internal shaking or creaking at all.
The firewall is directly behind the strut tower, and the car frame below the windshield connects the left and right hand side strut tower, this forms a natural “strut tower bar”, which enhances the front section rigidity.
Summary: the RDX has acceptable power, you can drive it like your grandma, or push it harder for a sporty-oriented sprint. Its car body feels solid and rides with confidence. The interior space is generous considering the compact SUV’s size. So it definitely worth your consideration if you really want to buy a car that has 2-row seats and you also need to frequently use a trunk size that a typical sedan is not enough.
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