Conventional wisdom says that luxury vehicles gain more performance and more sumptuous features as they get bigger. So, if you want a true high-performance vehicle with all the high-tech features and soft-touch surfaces you can find, you need to avoid the compact classes.
Acura doesn’t see the logic of that. Some buyers doubtlessly want the nimble handling and easy urban livability of a smaller vehicle but still want it to coddle them in heavy traffic and let them make the most of an open road.
For them, Acura has built something special. Its compact SUV, the 2023 Acura RDX, is already a sporty thing with plenty of high-tech niceties and premium appointments. It starts at $41,350, plus $1,195 destination and handling.
But in fully loaded form, it becomes something else. The RDX A-Spec Advance features performance upgrades like agile Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) and an adaptive damper suspension that adjusts for road conditions. But it also ups the luxury ante with heated and ventilated seats (even rear-seat passengers get heated seats), a surround-sound premium audio system, and exclusive color options inside and out.
Let’s explore the most upscale 2023 RDX you can buy.
No Trim Levels, Just Packages
Acura eschews the tiered trim system most automakers use to differentiate models. Instead, RDX buyers can equip their cars with a series of packages that enhance aspects of the car.
The RDX starts as a front-wheel-drive vehicle. But a $2,200 upgrade adds Acura’s excellent Super Handling All-Wheel Drive with torque vectoring, which adds both wet-road grip and dry-road athleticism.
The Technology package upgrades the entertainment system and adds leather-trimmed seats and a navigation system with 3D views and real-time traffic updates. It adds $2,650 to the price.
The A-Spec package includes most of the same equipment but substitutes sporty gloss black exterior trim for the chrome of other models and 20-inch alloy wheels for the standard 19-inch versions. It also gets grippy Ultrasuede faux-suede upholstery. The package adds $5,650 to the sticker price.
The Advance package adds 360-degree surround view cameras, a heads-up display that puts vital information directly in the driver’s line of sight, and ventilated and heated front seats. It costs $7,800.
A-Spec Advance package combines all of that, plus heated outboard rear seats, adaptive suspension damping, 16-way adjustable front sport seats, and aluminum sport pedals that look fantastic. It adds an even $10,000 to the price tag.
Because the packages are so thorough, Acura doesn’t offer many options. Some colors cost $500 more than others (we think Apex Blue Pearl brings out the facets in the bodywork nicely).
Acura also offers several wheel selections, the most premium being a set of 20-inch diamond-cut black alloys for an additional $3,300.
The top of the RDX line, then, is an AWD-equipped RDX A-Spec Advance with a premium paint color and the 20-inch black alloys, tipping the scales at $57,150, plus $1,195 to deliver.
2023 Acura RDX A-Spec Advance Features:
Other features you’ll find on the fully loaded 2023 Acura RDX A-Spec Advance include:
- A 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder VTEC engine making 272 horsepower
- 10-speed automatic transmission
- Available Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive
- Integrated Dynamics System with four driving modes: Comfort, Normal, Snow, and Sport
- Adaptive damper suspension system
- Jewel-eye LED headlights
- Gloss black trim accents with A-Spec badges
- Auto-on/off headlight operation with wiper integration
- Heated side mirrors with reverse gear tilt-down
- Panoramic moonroof with tilt and slide function
- Power lift tailgate with hands-free access and walk away close
- Height-adjustable power-operated tailgate
- Acoustic glass windshield
- Remote-operated windows and moonroof-open function
- LED puddle lights
- LED fog lights
- 16-way adjustable heated and ventilated sport seats with power lumbar support, thigh extension, and side bolsters
- Perforated Milano premium leather and Ultrasuede-trimmed interior with contrast stitching and piping
- Heated outboard rear seats
- Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control with Humidity Control and Air Filtration
- Brushed aluminum and open-pore wood trim
- Push-button ignition
- Active sound control
- Leather-Wrapped, Flat-bottom Sport Steering Wheel
- Y-Pattern dark brushed aluminum trim
- Iconic Drive ambient LED cabin lighting with 27 color themes)
- GPS-linked climate control
- Ebony headliner
- Wireless Apple CarPlay integration
- Wireless Android Auto integration
- Amazon Alexa built-in
- True touchpad interface
- Siri eyes free (iPhone only)
- Wi-Fi hotspot capability
- Over-the-air software updates
- AcuraLink connected services
- 10.2-inch HD dual-content center display
- A 7-inch color multi-information display
Active Noise Cancelation
In the luxury car classes, Lexus used to be known for its whisper-quiet cabins. You bought an Acura for advanced cabin tech and spirited handling. If you wanted your car to be a private oasis on your commute home, you went to Toyota’s luxury division.
Notice, we said “used to be.” Acura recently introduced both acoustic glass and active noise cancelation technology, which measures the frequency of road- and wind noise and subtly emits the opposite frequency to cancel it out. The result is a serene cabin even in a sporty car – something we associate with a higher price range.
2 Years Complimentary Maintenance, 3 Years Linked Services
For the 2023 model year, Acura found little reason to make changes to the RDX. What is new? A pair of complimentary services.
AcuraLink gives you smartphone control over your car – you can start and stop the engine and lock and unlock the doors remotely from your phone and send destinations to the car’s navigation system from a distance. AcuraLink also helps you find the vehicle in a crowded parking lot and even have the car notify your phone if it leaves a designated area (parents, are you reading?). It’s free for the first three years.
Acura also throws in two years of complimentary scheduled maintenance.
More 2023 Acura RDX
Read our full review to learn more about the RDX or see RDX models for sale near you.
