I own an Advance model which I have been enjoying since early June. As part of a recent service visit, I was given an A-spec as a loaner and got to drive it for about a week. There were some interesting takeaways from getting to drive them back to back - some that might have helped me while I was buying my RDX - so I thought I'd share.
Suspension: I assumed the higher profile tires and adaptive dampers would provide a softer ride, which I prefer due to mostly driving on potholed roads. I think this assumption technically holds up, but ignores some important factors of the suspension. I cant quantify how much tire model, tire size, and wheel size contribute to the ride quality and handling difference vs. the adaptive dampers, but the difference between the two cars is more than I thought it would it be and, surprisingly, I prefer the A-spec setup. The A-spec has a solidity and linearity that the Advance doesnt have. While its not a surprise that the A-spec might handle better with its wider tires and bigger wheels, it also seems to offer a better ride. The initial crash into a pothole or bump feels less severe than the Advance in any suspension mode. I think whats going on here is that the Advances adaptive dampers are smoothing out the ride on good pavement in all modes and the contrast this creates when crashing into a bump creates a feeling of inconsistency.
The adaptive suspension indeed feels incredibly smooth when driving on unbroken pavement and highway cruises are certainly smoother than what the A-spec can deliver. The A-spec feels like its permanently dialed into a firmness that approximates the Advance model Sport setting, maybe even a hair towards the Comfort side, but again, the lack of the adaptive dampers creates a more consistent ride.
The drive mode knob in the Advance is more useful at changing how the vehicle feels and I use it all the time. With the A-spec, I would probably feel like the knob was a waste of space as the other factors the knob controls I dont really need to adjust as often.
TL;DR dont assume the bigger wheels and fixed suspension will lead to a bad ride.
Brakes: Look, I know the brakes arent different between these two cars. I wanted to make a quick mention of them here, because the difference in feel between the two cars was pronounced. The loaner A-spec had about 8,000 miles on it (my car has about 3,000). For some reason, the A-spec brakes felt like they were being actuated significantly earlier in the pedal travel. I know that the suspension and tire size are going to help with overall stopping performance, but there was some production variance between my car and the A-spec I drove in regards to pedal travel. Ive read some complaints about the pedal travel in RDXs, though I dont have an issue with it, but the feel of the braking in the specific RDX I had as a loaner was slightly improved with that higher actuation.
Seats: The seats in the Advance are more comfortable by a pretty discernable margin, but not for the reasons I thought they would be. As a tall person, the extendable thigh cushion was one of the items that had me focused on the Advance. Whats interesting is that I didnt miss it at all when I drove the A-spec around. What I did notice was that A-spec lacked side bolstering when compared to the Advance. In addition to being tall, Im a pretty big guy and normally cars with any sort of bolsters just hit me in the wrong way or are too narrow. The A-spec bolsters didnt feel pronounced enough and were quite far away from my body and this meant I didnt feel as comfortable when cornering. I know the advantage the Advance has with the adjustable bolsters, and that Acura to has accommodate a range of body sizes which is harder to do with the fixed A-spec bolsters, but it seems like the A-spec should have more bolstering, especially considering it already has a unique seat.
Looks: Ive always really liked the blackout look on the exterior and was sad to have to give that up for the Advance model. The A-spec has a much sportier look, but Ive grown to like the Advance (even the wheels!). The badges and exhaust tips also look great on the A-spec. On the interior, I underestimated how much of a difference the aluminum pedals and shifters make I wish I had them on the Advance. The Alcantara inserts on the seats look and feel really good, but I like it less above the glove box (dust magnet!). I also think the black headliner makes the car feel smaller on the inside. I hate red/orange lighting in a car and the gauges really turned me off to the A-spec when I was doing my research. While I still prefer the standard gauges, the A-spec gauges arent as distasteful in person as the pictures I saw and I could have definitely lived with them. I was associating them with 2000s gauges and they are definitely more premium than that. The red ambient lighting isnt something I like, but its not overdone so that would have also been livable. I really like the look and feel of the A-spec steering wheel. I suspect that once winter comes, Ill be happy with my heated wheel, but I wish they were combined.
Road Noise: One of the features I really bought into was the acoustic side glass. While there is a difference between the Advance and A-spec, it is minimal. The A-spec is really quiet around town and on the highway, to the point this probably shouldnt be a factor in anyones decision between the models.
Instrumentation: I thought HUDs were a little gimmicky, but its something I really missed in the A-spec. It turns out that I dont really use the main gauge cluster in my Advance and it was really hard to get used to looking down there in the week I had the A-spec. One surprise was that I prefer the simpler camera setup in the A-spec. While the other views available in the Advance have been useful a handful of times, having a clearer and larger standard backup camera and the sensor info seems like a better setup. I wish they would reapportion the way they use the screen in the Advance when showing the camera setup its ridiculous that they are just using the right portion for an icon.
When I bought my RDX, I exclusively looked at the Advance Model due to a couple of key features. Driving the A-spec, I realized I shouldnt have made a number of assumptions that I did. Instead, I really should have devoted a bit more time to test driving. While Id probably still buy the Advance if I went back and did it again, it would be a much tougher choice. While I like a ton about the Advance, I think the A-spec offers a better ride and better value.
