so, ive been in a long debate of what car im going to purchase since my mazda thing is going to be finalized this week.
i spent a few hrs today at the Acura dealership, and revisted the contested arch rival the RDX.
I know i went back n forth with some guy about it on here, and there have been many debates here and elsewhere.
after a very long drive and dissection of the car, again, (i test drove the RDX last sept for a few weeks) my conclusion remains the same. BLAH
and i am in no way favoring the cx 7 right now, im looking for any car OTHER than the 7 to purchase. Ive spent the last couple weeks car shopping and im again stuck with the RDX vs 7.
I do not know the dimensions of the RDX exactly or the 7, but the RDX feels very tight inside the cabin. The 7, altho lacking in the cubby spaces and places to put things, felt overall bigger on the inside, the cargo hold is bigger with the seats up. The acuras "fold flat" seats may fold FLATTER than the 7, but pulling up the cushions eliminates alot of the floor space in front of the back seat that i have often used when my 7 seats were folded down.
The ride quality in the Acura sucks. For an Acura and a more luxury oriented vehicle, i almost find the ride unacceptable. Its harsh, bumps and ruts were shot thru the cabin. The engine is noisy and the turbo is noisy...by noisy i mean its not exciting to listen to it just doesnt sound good like a vtech purrr & whinne that ive been used to in the past. The interior noise in the cabin is much more pronounced than the 7 and just too loud for an Acura, it actually surprised me on this test drive compared to last year before i had bought my 7.
Now, before someone goes jumping off a bridge, the Acuras engine pulls better from stops, much less lag than the 7. I had been used to the huge amt of power offered by the 7's turbo at lower RPM. I was hammering the ACura and i felt like the power was just not there. On the flipside, the Acura felt stronger on the highway and in higher RPM ranges (its hp peaks at 6k and torque at 4k). For my personal tastes id rather have more power for city driving as im not on the highway alot. The RDX's tranny was smoother and won points from me for that as well.
I thought that the Acuras dash was cluttered and with buttons that are very small very small in nature. Im sure if i owned one id obviously learn my way around but it was a drawback. The informational display, like the one in the 7, is tucked under the upper lip of the dash. If the guy didnt tell me it was there i may have not even noticed it, its tiny, with grayish/white lighting which was not very bright, and skinnier than the 7's.
I did enjoy the paddle shifting on the RDX and it worked well and is much more precise and quicker than the mazda's shifter. more points
==
In closing, im looking at the Acura for 1 reason only, expected reliability from the Honda family. At this juncture, im willing to pay some more money for that from what i have gone through. The dealer id be buying from also offers incredible service pkg's with purchase of the car like brakes, tires, dent & ding, extended warranty for free. The RDX i got down to $31,600 (non-tech). It is not as fun to drive as the 7. Some enthusiasts may say the stiff feel of the RDX is attributed to sport but i would disagree - its just stiff, uncomfortable and less than i expected from an Acura.
Acura wins on the interior, fit and finish, reliability (hopefully), and tranny
Mazda wins on the engine, fun to drive factor, and price
I didnt mention the SH-AWD as i didnt throw the car into any crazy corners or anything, but this is an obvious advantage to the Acura and I would love it
we shall seee. I didnt enjoy my rides in teh RDX like i did in the Mazda, and i think that is important when buying a car, i want to be happy in what im driving. But, given what ive gone through with my 7, id be willing to lose the smile when driving but know that I'll have a product that most likely more reliable with a higher resale value.
i spent a few hrs today at the Acura dealership, and revisted the contested arch rival the RDX.
I know i went back n forth with some guy about it on here, and there have been many debates here and elsewhere.
after a very long drive and dissection of the car, again, (i test drove the RDX last sept for a few weeks) my conclusion remains the same. BLAH
and i am in no way favoring the cx 7 right now, im looking for any car OTHER than the 7 to purchase. Ive spent the last couple weeks car shopping and im again stuck with the RDX vs 7.
I do not know the dimensions of the RDX exactly or the 7, but the RDX feels very tight inside the cabin. The 7, altho lacking in the cubby spaces and places to put things, felt overall bigger on the inside, the cargo hold is bigger with the seats up. The acuras "fold flat" seats may fold FLATTER than the 7, but pulling up the cushions eliminates alot of the floor space in front of the back seat that i have often used when my 7 seats were folded down.
The ride quality in the Acura sucks. For an Acura and a more luxury oriented vehicle, i almost find the ride unacceptable. Its harsh, bumps and ruts were shot thru the cabin. The engine is noisy and the turbo is noisy...by noisy i mean its not exciting to listen to it just doesnt sound good like a vtech purrr & whinne that ive been used to in the past. The interior noise in the cabin is much more pronounced than the 7 and just too loud for an Acura, it actually surprised me on this test drive compared to last year before i had bought my 7.
Now, before someone goes jumping off a bridge, the Acuras engine pulls better from stops, much less lag than the 7. I had been used to the huge amt of power offered by the 7's turbo at lower RPM. I was hammering the ACura and i felt like the power was just not there. On the flipside, the Acura felt stronger on the highway and in higher RPM ranges (its hp peaks at 6k and torque at 4k). For my personal tastes id rather have more power for city driving as im not on the highway alot. The RDX's tranny was smoother and won points from me for that as well.
I thought that the Acuras dash was cluttered and with buttons that are very small very small in nature. Im sure if i owned one id obviously learn my way around but it was a drawback. The informational display, like the one in the 7, is tucked under the upper lip of the dash. If the guy didnt tell me it was there i may have not even noticed it, its tiny, with grayish/white lighting which was not very bright, and skinnier than the 7's.
I did enjoy the paddle shifting on the RDX and it worked well and is much more precise and quicker than the mazda's shifter. more points
==
In closing, im looking at the Acura for 1 reason only, expected reliability from the Honda family. At this juncture, im willing to pay some more money for that from what i have gone through. The dealer id be buying from also offers incredible service pkg's with purchase of the car like brakes, tires, dent & ding, extended warranty for free. The RDX i got down to $31,600 (non-tech). It is not as fun to drive as the 7. Some enthusiasts may say the stiff feel of the RDX is attributed to sport but i would disagree - its just stiff, uncomfortable and less than i expected from an Acura.
Acura wins on the interior, fit and finish, reliability (hopefully), and tranny
Mazda wins on the engine, fun to drive factor, and price
I didnt mention the SH-AWD as i didnt throw the car into any crazy corners or anything, but this is an obvious advantage to the Acura and I would love it
we shall seee. I didnt enjoy my rides in teh RDX like i did in the Mazda, and i think that is important when buying a car, i want to be happy in what im driving. But, given what ive gone through with my 7, id be willing to lose the smile when driving but know that I'll have a product that most likely more reliable with a higher resale value.
