Acura RDX

Engine: 2.3L Turbocharged
Transmission: 5-Speed Auto w/ Paddle Shifters
Horsepower: 240 @ 6000RPM
Torque: 260 lb-ft @ 4500RPM
Drivetrain: SH-AWD
Weight: 3924 lbs.
Seats: 5

In my opinion... the best thing in it's segment... drove one for fun... was REALLY impressed by it.
Your thoughts?

It's kinda ugly and it's also one of these endlessly boring and useless crossover SUVs that offer the utility of a wagon with the gas mileage of an SUV. Uncool.

The only thing really interesting about this car is the turbocharged engine. Otherwise it seems pretty boring inside and out. Also I remember the ad campaign was "Technocharged" where they boasted about its hi-tech um...iPod adapter.

This is the coolest of the small crossover SUVs on the market. That being said, it's still a crossover SUV. Uncool.

I'm going with the flow. It defines uncool.

EDIT: IT HAS PADDLE SHIFTERS!? That's majorly uncool.

What's wrong with that?

It is an Acura...these days, for some unknown reason, that already puts it in "Uncool" territory for me (remember, the Cool Wall isn't necessarily rational). Then it is a crossover SUV that is ugly on the exterior and has boring styling on the inside...so it gets MJU from me.

Give me one good reason this vehicle should have paddle shifters.

The competition offers manual-mode shifting, why shouldn't Acura? It's also being marketed as a driver-focused SUV, like the X3, and paddle-shifters in the general publics mind = fun-to-drive. It's not a requirement, but I certainly wouldn't mind them being there in any car. My dad's Accord doesn't even have a tiptronic option, and God knows it would be cooler and a bit more fun with it.

Now give me one good reason why it shouldn't?

What is cool about a system which is only fun until you realize that the computers are not letting you do anything fun with it? I drove a Sonata with Triptronic and is was so irritating. It didn't let you rev high, or downshift aggressively. It was essentially a transmission that let you adjust how much slower than the automatic transmission you wanted to go. I guess it's more fun than auto in some sense, but certainly not cooler. It's actually much less cool. Where auto is boring but purposeful, semiauto is just extra money for something that'll make you "cooler" "trendier" and more "upper class". Paddles on an Accord? Come on. How asinine.


I guess maybe that was a shitty system I used, but regardless. The fact that the majority of people who buy semiauto think they're cool makes it uncool by definition.

Nicely put. And let's not forget the slushbox-only factor. As for the X3, regardless of whether or not its manumatic paddles work well, you can get it with a stick and a clutch pedal, which will always be "cooler" than even the fastest-shifting and smoothest automatic.

If I'm going to be stuck driving an auto, I might as well have paddle shifters, they add a "sense" of fun, rather than just leaving it in D. I dunno, maybe I've just been lucky, I've never encountered a tiptronic system that reduced the fun-factor. Not everything has to be hardcore racing, and has to make the car go faster to be fun. I just think it's cool flicking levers or pushing buttons to change gear, even if it isn't doing anything productive. If you don't like it, just leave it in D.

Also not that many people are charging extra money for semi-auto. Last time I checked almost every car that has an auto comes with a tiptronic mode as well. The time when it was a novelty feature has pretty much gone.

And how is wanting tiptronic on an Accord asinine? It's an opinion. When my dad's too tired to drive, and I'm stuck driving one of the most boring cars on the planet...I really, really wouldn't mind a tiptronic. The Mazda 6, Nissan Altima, and a bunch of other family sedans have them, why not the Accord.

Its not nearly as "cool" as the MDX (not that its a particularly cool vehicle) but its not really "uncool" either. Its just sort of...there. Not really cool or uncool. I wouldn't call it uncool though so I guess I'll give it a cool. If there was an "average" or "just there" choice, I'd select it.

^I agree with the "just there" comment...if it were not for the fact that every one of these I see is being driven by a yuppie with a backwards hat, trying desperately to hold on to their youth while trying to do their best Jenson Button impression I would never notice them.

The only redeeming feature is the fact that it's turbocharged, I don't know why, but there is something attractive about a turbocharged Honda.

Still uncool though.

the RDX hasn't really impacted me in such a way.
I think the new MDX looks better than this one too.

That makes me wonder, how good is this engine? Has anyone done anything interesting with it?

Yeah, I had buttsechs with it.

I meant like dropping it in a lighter car and upping the power.

the fun to drive qoutient (and it is... what a great motor!) is offset by it being ugly, stupid, pointless, and pretty much useless as an SUV. So it's uncool. nice interior and drivetrain, but why isn't that engine and drivetrain in the fucking TSX?