By Christina Kwan
The 2019 Acura RDX and its True Touchpad Interface™ has been recognized by Popular Science as a “Best of What’s New” technology for 2018, adding to the critical praise for Acura’s industry-first technology, using absolute positioning to deliver a more intuitive and driver-friendly digital experience.
The 2019 RDX debuts a series of new Acura-exclusive features and technologies headlined by the True Touchpad Interface – combining the best elements of a touchscreen with those of a remote-based interface. A 10.2-inch full-HD display is mounted high atop the dash, close to the driver’s natural line of sight, paired with a center console-mounted touchpad that is precisely mapped, one-to-one, with the action on the center display – the world’s first use of “absolute positioning” in the driving environment. Other signature features of the system include a powerful new natural language voice recognition engine, handwriting recognition, a two-zone touchpad that enables easy swapping of the primary and secondary screen elements along with physical menu shortcuts, and a highly customizable app-based screen layout.
“The Best of What’s New Awards allow us the chance to examine and honor the best innovations of the year,” says Popular Science Editor-in-Chief Joe Brown. “This collection shapes our future, helps us be more efficient, keeps us healthy and safe, and lets us have some fun along the way. From simple household items to massive space-exploration tools, we’re proud to bring you the Best of What’s New 2018.”
2019 Acura RDX
The all-new RDX is the first in a new generation of products developed from the ground up around Acura’s Precision Crafted Performance brand direction. Since its June 2018 introduction, the RDX has set a blistering sales pace, posting five consecutive record months and cementing its position as the retail best-selling model in the compact luxury SUV segment, now the largest product segment in luxury automobiles.
The 2019 RDX is built on an all-new, Acura-exclusive body and chassis architecture and incorporates a host of new premium features and technologies, including Acura’s True Touchpad Interface, an ultra-wide panoramic Moonroof, an available Acura ELS Studio 3D™ premium audio system, and next-generation Acura sport seats with up to 16-way power adjustment.
The third-generation RDX’s power comes from a direct-injected and turbocharged 2.0-liter, mated to the segment’s only 10-speed automatic transmission. With available Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®), the RDX is capable of distributing up to 70-percent of torque to the rear wheels and up to 100-percent of that torque to either the right-rear or left-rear wheel, creating incredible control and agility.
