2025 Acura RDX Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The 2025 Acura RDX fits between the smaller ADX and the larger three-row MDX in the automaker’s lineup. It’s available in a base level of specification to which you can add Technology, A-Spec, Advance, or A-Spec Advance packages, essentially taking the place of traditional trim levels. Every ADX includes a standard turbocharged four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive (AWD). Prices range from $44,700 to $52,450, not including the $1,350 destination charge. Our A-Spec Advance test vehicle had extra-cost paint and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $56,400, including destination.

The RDX’s styling has aged gracefully and receives a few tweaks for 2025. The grille adopts a frameless appearance and a different mesh insert. Revised wheel designs and finishes are also available across the lineup, and you can choose new Sonic Silver, Urban Gray Pearl, and Canyon River Blue paint colors.

Refreshingly, the RDX A-Spec Advance model’s 20-inch multi-spoke wheel design features a machined surface, which means you can actually see what the design looks like. That contributes to a design that’s easy on the eyes, with the possible exception of the oversized air inlets punched into the corners of the front bumper.

Our test vehicle’s A-Spec treatment gave it a slightly sportier look with gloss black exterior accents and a finned rear diffuser panel. It paired with Advance package equipment, which now includes full leather upholstery instead of a mix of leather and artificial suede.

A standard panoramic glass sunroof bathes the cabin in natural light. Depending on which package and paint color you select, you can get black, gray, white, red, or brown upholstery. Unfortunately, if you want something other than black, you might need to compromise regarding the trim package and exterior color choice.

Acura fits the RDX with ambient lighting and quality interior materials. Our test vehicle featured soft premium leather in a perforated and piped design, simulated suede on the dashboard and door panels, brushed aluminum speaker grilles and pedal covers, and soft-touch surfaces throughout the interior. As you move to the rear seats and cargo area, the sense of quality follows, which isn’t always true.

With A-Spec trim, the RDX’s gauges adopt red markings on a silver background, reducing contrast and making them harder to read at a glance during the day. This is particularly true in low-light conditions. Also, Acura’s approach to the RDX’s True Touchpad Interface (TTI) infotainment system is undesirable. Otherwise, there are plenty of properly marked and intuitively located buttons, knobs, and switches.

Under the RDX’s hood, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine supplies a robust 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. A 10-speed automatic transmission offers manual control via paddle shifters located on the steering wheel, and it directs the power to all four wheels through Acura’s torque-vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system. The SH-AWD system can put up to 70 percent of engine output to a single rear wheel when necessary.

A large knob on the dashboard operates the Integrated Dynamics System (IDS). Drivers can choose from Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Snow driving modes, adjusting the powertrain response and steering effort levels accordingly. The Advance and A-Spec Advance have an adaptive-damping suspension that calibrates according to the driver’s IDS selection.

Performance is lively, but the more you dip into the turbocharged torque, the more fuel the engine consumes. The RDX’s official EPA fuel economy rating is 23 mpg in combined driving, but on our mountainous Southern California driving loop, the Acura averaged 19.3 mpg when driven primarily in Normal mode. That’s what you might rightly expect from a larger three-row SUV, not a compact like the RDX. For comparison, a BMW X3 xDrive30i is rated at 29 mpg while zooming to 60 mph in six seconds flat. Acura might want to buy one, tear it down, and see what makes the Bimmer tick.

When we first started driving the 2025 RDX, it felt a little old. Perhaps that was due to our familiarity with an SUV that’s pretty much the same as a 2019 RDX, or it might be subtle but detectable cues related to structural integrity, suspension isolation, and interior noise. However, during a week-long evaluation, those impressions faded, replaced by favorable feelings about the RDX’s driving dynamics.

Like other Acuras, the RDX is enjoyable to drive during the daily grind. The dual-pinion, variable-ratio steering is crisp and responsive, and the steering wheel is a genuine delight to hold. The brakes bite with authority and are easy to modulate, so bringing the RDX to a smooth, clean stop is no trouble at all. The adaptive damping suspension properly matches the ride compliance and body motion control with the chosen IDS setting.

It would be nice if the IDS offered a configurable Individual mode, though. A firmer Sport ride combined with Normal drivetrain response and Comfort steering would be terrific. That said, the RDX underscores that an A-Spec badge reflects the sporty-looking trim level, not a performance model. Under pressure on a favorite backroad, the brakes, tires, and suspension are simply unable to deliver the dopamine release that true driving enthusiasts seek. If you want a genuinely thrilling Acura with some added utility for around $50,000, we recommend checking out the brilliant Integra Type S hatchback.

With the A-Spec Advance trim, the RDX has 16-way power-adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation. In addition, Acura provides heating for the perfectly sized and shaped flat-bottom steering wheel and the outboard rear seating positions. Many locations where your arms or legs might contact the interior have soft or padded surfaces.

We found the test vehicle’s front seats to be exceptionally comfortable. However, drivers with longer legs might wish for denser padding on the sides of the center console, where a right knee might rest. Rear seat comfort is more elusive due to a flat bottom cushion lacking proper leg support and an excessive backrest recline angle. Kids and smaller adults likely won’t complain, but taller people won’t find this seat assignment satisfactory.

Storage space is generous, and the oversized bottles frequently accompanying gym runs fit easily in the new cupholders. The oversized wireless charging pad accommodates different phone styles, but it takes up a lot of space and could be susceptible to spills.

Open the power liftgate, and you’ll find at least 29.5 cubic feet of cargo space. Fold the back seat flat, and the volume expands to 58.9 cubic feet. This is a competitive amount of room, and Acura provides three generous underfloor storage compartments beneath the cargo load floor. In addition, to the left, a deep well is perfect for securing loose items.

While the front center console design remains somewhat compromised due to the TTI infotainment system’s control touchpad, the interior layout, comfort, passenger room, and cargo space all make the RDX easy to live during the day-to-day routine.

Perched atop the RDX’s dashboard, a 10.2-inch display provides access to infotainment and vehicle settings. It is not a touchscreen display. Instead, you must use the TTI touchpad on the center console, which transforms your fingertip into a computer mouse. By coordinating your finger on the pad with the same location on the display, you can select functions, adjust vehicle settings, and more. Over time, you get used to how the TTI works. But when driving on irregular road surfaces, it is easy to mistakenly select something due to the bumpy ride.

Fortunately, the infotainment system offers wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, and Alexa Built-in, so you can use voice commands to avoid interacting with the TTI as much as possible. In addition, the RDX has a stereo volume knob, radio tuning buttons, and separate climate controls, further reducing the need for the TTI.

In addition to those features, the infotainment system offers SiriusXM satellite radio and AcuraLink connected services with access to a Wi-Fi hotspot, and all versions except the base model have a navigation system and an Acura/ELS Studio premium sound system. In the test vehicle, the audio system had 16 speakers—including four mounted on the ceiling.

AcuraWatch is the name of the standard safety features package. The list of included features is long: forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane-centering assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. Higher trim levels also offer low-speed front and rear braking and a surround-view camera system.

During our evaluation, the RDX’s lane-assist systems were irritating, no matter the situation. On suburban boulevards, winding coastal highways, arrow-straight rural two-lane roads, and freeways, the driver consistently resists and overrides its inputs, which gets tiring. Fortunately, a button on the steering wheel allows you to turn them off.

However, using them with adaptive cruise control was more satisfactory. We think that’s because, psychologically, you expect the tech’s steering inputs when using the adaptive cruise control, and you don’t when you’re otherwise in full command of the vehicle. In this situation, it is the adaptive cruise that draws negative attention because it can struggle to smoothly maintain a proper following distance.

We’re fans of surround-view camera systems, but Acura reserves this feature for the RDX Advance and A-Spec Advance. Low-speed front and rear braking, such as when you’re parking or pulling out of a blind parking space, is more widely available. Only the base RDX lacks it.

Crash protection is favorable. The 2025 RDX earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the 2024 calendar year. (The organization had not extended that accolade to 2025 as of this writing, so check into that yourself.) The SUV also gets a five-star overall crash-test rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Though RDX prices have increased since this generation debuted in 2019, Acura’s middle-child SUV remains a bargain in its segment. Staggeringly, the smaller, less powerful, unrefined, and comparatively cheaply outfitted Cadillac XT4 is just $210 less—with AWD. Only the Infiniti QX50 (standard AWD, but discontinued entirely after 2025) and Lincoln Corsair (optional AWD) offer more than $1,000 in savings compared to the Acura.

Meanwhile, European alternatives can cost several thousands more than the RDX. A Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 4Matic fitted with metallic paint and a sporty AMG Lite package costs about the same as our fully loaded RDX A-Spec Advance test vehicle—and that’s before adding a single extra option. Similarly equipped, the Benz easily costs over 60 grand.

The money you save by getting the RDX can pay for much of the extra gas its thirsty turbo engine burns. More importantly, the more we drove the RDX, the more we liked it. This Acura’s quality, interior space, practicality, and thoughtful details make it pleasing to live with over time if you can come to terms with the increasingly irrelevant TTI infotainment system.