I recently took a business trip to Edmonton and Honda Canada was generous enough to give me a car to drive while in the city. They delivered an Acura RDX and I was excited to get out of my usual, a Honda Odyssey, and try out a smaller ride.
While I’m not actively looking to replace my Honda Odyssey yet, I was drawn to three things in particular about this vehicle that I would seriously consider looking for in my next people-mover.
1 | The Start Button
The first time I hopped in the Acura RDX and went to start it, I looked at the key fob with some curiosity, then actual concern with ‘how do I start this thing?’. Then I saw the red ‘Start’ button and off I went. Each time I went to start the RDX, however, I was left with a bit of hesitation as to where to actually place the key fob while driving. I was always aware that it wasn’t attached to the vehicle and I would have to make a note not to leave it in the console when I hopped out at my destination. I loved the cool-factor of the start button.
2 | The rear-view camera
When you put the RDX in reverse, the GPS screen automatically displays your rear view, with some guidelines to show when you’re getting close to another object, to aide in parking and safety maneuvering while in reverse-drive. I thought this was an amazing feature, and as I understand it it’s also on the new Honda Odyssey (hint hint: honey!).
3 | The automatic rear hatch
It’s a push button to open and close the rear hatch/trunk. This is an amazing feature for moms. We tend to have our hands full at all times and it’s so fabulous not to have to use all my upper body strength just to pull down the rear door.
The drive was very smooth, with a very quiet highway ride. Josline (Spruce Grove Modern Mama) and Kerri (Edmonton SW Modern Mama) and I drove the Acura RDX down to Red Deer and we were all pleasantly surprised at all the bells & whistles and the beautiful interior.
The downside: Space. I have three kids. Two of which are in booster seats and the third which will be in a carseat for another two years or so and there is only two LATCH systems in the RDX. (Some booster seats do not use LATCH, so it may work for some families of five. We use the Clek brand boosters which do require LATCH.) Simply put, I wouldn’t be able to justify this hip ride in my daily life, so I’ll be sticking with my Honda Odyssey for a few more years!