The 2016 Acura RDX is a midsize crossover that’s all about coddling the occupants in soft, pillow-like luxury. The Acura RDX may look elegant and offer an compliant ride on the road, but it’s still an SUV with an all-wheel-drive system that has off-road potential. Does it deliver? Emme Hall and Roman Mica take the RDX on the Gold Mine Hill to find out.
The 2016 RDX sends its power from a 3.5-liter V-6 making 279 horsepower and 252 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed automatic transmission, bucking the trend of small displacement turbocharged engines that are becoming more prevalent in all classes, not just SUVs.
Despite this, the V-6 gets 19 mpg in the city, 28 mpg in the highway and 22 mpg combined, which are decent numbers for such a large luxury SUV.
For 2016, Acura removed the old model’s super handling all-wheel drive system, or SH-AWD in corporate speak, for a more standard all-wheel drive system. That, combined with on-road, high mileage tires hurt the RDX as it tackled Gold Mine Hill.
The 2016 RDX starts at $35,270 for a standard RDX and $43,420 for an RDX with the advance package.
The Gold Mine Hill in Colorado has three challenging stages – a rocky mild incline, a sharp corner, and a steep hill. Each of these stages tests the vehicle’s all-wheel-drive system in different ways and also tests the vehicle’s ground clearance and suspension.
In this video, both Emme and Roman rated the 2016 RDX on the TFLcar scale of Buy It, Lease It, Rent It, or Forget It and came to a split decision. They also rated the RDX based on how well it performs off-road using a five-snowflake scale.
So how does the RDX perform off-road? Check out the full video below to watch the 2016 Acura RDX take on Gold Mine Hill.
2016 Acura RDX AWD Specs:
- Engine: 3.6L SOHC i-VTEC V6
- Power: 279 hp @ 6200 rpm
- Torque: 252 hp @ 4900 rpm
- Transmission: 6-speed automatic
- EPA-estimated mileage (mpg): 19/28/22 (city/hwy/combined)
- Curb weight: 3,946 lbs with Advance Package
- Weight distribution: 59/41 (front/rear)
- Wheelbase: 105.7 in.
- Length x width x height: 184.4 x 65.0 x 73.7 in.
- EPA passenger volume: 103.5 feet3
- Cargo volume: 26.1 feet3 / 61.3 feet3 (rear seats folded)
- Price as tested (AWD w/Advance Package): $43,420
