3 Wow Features of the New 2019 Acura RDX
The 2019 Acura RDX made its public debut at the 2018 New York Auto Show with a host of standout features.
“Precision engineering is where we came from and it is where we have returned to for the brand new RDX. Instead of focusing on going head to head with our competition, we believe in embracing our own path and the new RDX is a reflection of that choice,” says Jon Ikeda, Vice President of the Acura Division of American Honda Motor Company.
ALSO SEE: 2019 Acura RDX Lands With VTEC 2.0L Turbo, NSX Inspired Cabin
Although the new RDX is radically different from the one it replaces with a new engine and new styling, there were a bunch of other features that didn’t make headlines but that buyers will still find interesting. The 2019 Acura RDX introduces some features that may end up influencing the entire industry for the better.
Here are a few breakout features that really set this crossover apart:
1. True Touch Pad Interface
Drivers can access the numerous menus on the 10.2-inch infotainment display (which is not a touchscreen) via a touchpad nestled just below the NSX-inspired central dash. Unlike other touchpad systems in the industry that use a cursor to toggle through menus and access them (like Lexus), this system uses a finger-tracing technology to allow a user to control the display screen from any corner desired — it acts as a tiny touchscreen, a mirror reflection of what’s on the infotainment screen, all without needing to drag a cursor towards the menu option.
According to Acura, top Californian design firm Frog Design partnered with the company to create a touchpad that exactly mirrors the display and gives the user the opportunity to control the display as if it was a touchscreen.
The big benefit is that drivers can keep their eyes on the road and easily control the screen. It’s also curved so a user can easily feel without looking at it where on the screen they want to access via the touchpad. It seems complicated but is actually easy to get used to.
2. Advanced Head-Up Display
Sporting a 10.5-inch head-up display, which will be one of the biggest displays to date for an SUV, it is can be fully customized to tweak display options such as driving safety warnings, speed information, and music information. Final specifications are still being decided upon, but it will also have a very generous height adjustability feature to accommodate drivers of all heights.
3. 16-Speaker ELS Studio Sound System
Using 16 Panasonic speakers, a premium sound system can distribute music in unique ways inside the cabin. Depending on the musical track, individual traits or elements on a track can be made to be emphasized more in the rear of the vehicle or muted more in the front. That way, passengers in the rear of the vehicle can be treated to listening to a song from a much different perspective than those sitting in the front of the vehicle. The same is possible vice versa.
This was achieved through working with Elliot Schiener, a Grammy award-winning music producer who helped coordinate the perfect positioning of the speakers. Four of those speakers are located on the roof of the vehicle despite proximity issues with the airbag modules located inside the roof as well as the housing for the panoramic sunroof. Acura engineers were able to mount the speakers in the roof without compromising the placement of the other structures housed within the roof.
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Chidi loves talking about cars. He enjoys exploring the limits of new car technology and performance vehicles. When he is not writing features for AutoGuide, you will most likely find him perusing Kijiji or Autotrader listings for unique classic nameplates.
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Wow ... 3 things that will keep me out of an Acura. Touch pad interface, seriously? is this the direction we want cars to be going? I thought we were supposed to be driving, not playing around on a computer while attempting to operate a vehicle safely at the same time. How much does that heads up display cost? What can it do that an info screen and some gauges can't? Another thing to distract drivers. Why not focus on making something useful like an infrared windshield to help drivers see at night? Lastly, a 16 speaker sound system?! For people who can't make it to the live opera so they have their butler live stream the concert to their cars? Such a waste. All that extra weight. unnecessary. Hogwash! Get your heads on strait, Acura, and lower the price of the NSX while you're at it.