2022 Acura RDX leaves luxe SUV quieter and better-equipped
Acura has unveiled the new 2022 RDX, the latest version of its luxury 5-seat SUV, with a limited-run of RDX PMC Edition cars to mark its debut in November. Tweaking the styling of the RDX – which was fully refreshed back in 2018 – as well as tuning the suspension and improving on cabin comfort, the massaged SUV will also add a new top trim.
The RDX has been a perennial best-seller for Acura, indeed all the way back since the SUV first launched in 2006. 2018's reboot brought a new cabin, new engine, and plenty of extra technology, and that's something this 2022 refresh doubles-down on.
On the outside, the styling gets updated with hints of the larger MDX SUV. That includes the Diamond Pentagon grille now with a slimmer chrome surround, a larger air intake, and chrome trim for the optional LED fog lights. The rear is reshaped too, with rectangular dual exhaust finishers.
All 2022 RDX get 19-inch or 20-inch alloy wheels, depending on trim and package. There's a new body color, too: Liquid Carbon Metallic. Technology and Advance Package cars can be had in Phantom Violet Pearl, too.
Inside, Acura is promising a more refined experience with a big cut in road noise. There's a new front fender liner, while the Active Sound Control system has been tweaked to perform better. Cold idle speed for the engine has been cut, from 1,100 rpm to 950 rpm, too, while the Technology Package includes thicker carpe padding and a new sound insulator in the doors, plus acoustic glass.
The result, Acura says, is the quietest cabin in RDX history in Advance Package form. For that, it added an extra sound insulator in the ceiling, along with more insulation in the dash, under the hood, over the drivetrain tunnel, in the rear doors, and more.
Standard technology includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, USB-C connectivity, built-in Amazon Alexa, and a 7-inch full color digital instrument display. Qi wireless phone charging is optional, as is LED ambient lighting. Advance Package trim adds power-folding side mirrors and extended-range remote start. It also adds a 12V outlet in the cargo area.
New for the 2022 model year, there's more flexibility in how different trims and packages can be combined. The 2022 RDX can be had with the A-Spec sport appearance package – which has 20-inch wheels, gloss black exterior trim, gunmetal grille, and Ultrasuede interior trim with a flat-bottom steering wheel – with the Technology Package or Advance Package.
Carried over is the 2.0-liter VTEC 4-cylinder gas engine with 272 horsepower and a 10-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, while Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) is optional. There are now four drive modes – Normal, Comfort, Sport, and Snow – with Acura promising more to distinguish between them. The Advance Package adds the updated Adaptive Damper System, with changes to the suspension settings according to drive mode.
Most striking, however, is the new 2022 Acura RDX PMC Edition, which will be hand-built at the automaker's Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) where the NSX is made. It will get the previously-NSX-exclusive Long Beach Blue Pearl paint, a body-color grille surround, black exterior trim, and special Berlina Black 20-inch wheels.
Inside, there'll be a new Orchid interior finish with blue contrast stitching. Advance Package is standard, including a head-up display, rear heated seats, and surround view camera. Only 200 of the SUVs will be built, all individually numbered. Pricing for both the PMC Edition and the other 2022 RDX models will be confirmed closer to the SUV's arrival in US dealerships, which Acura says will happen on November 2.