Test Drive: 2013 Acura RDX goes mainstream

— -- For people in business, there are tasteful flops and ghastly successes.

After enough such hard-knock schooling, the point becomes clear:

You can earn a pile giving people what they want. You cannot, necessarily, by giving them what you think they should want.

It's a point dawning on Japanese automakers, perhaps at the expense of their brand identities.

Nissan's Infiniti luxury brand recently introduced the JX35 crossover SUV, eschewing a number of touches that make Infiniti stand out. And, wow, the JX exploded out of showrooms to instantly become the second-best-selling Infiniti model.

Now it's Honda's Acura premium brand heading that way. The Honda Civic-based ILX small sedan is nothing to cheer about: too bland and tepid-performing (save for the very good 2.4-liter version).

The fully remade 2013 RDX crossover SUV has some of the same watered-down feel. But it went on sale April 2 and immediately was a big hit. June sales were nearly three times those of a year ago. May sales, a bit higher than June's, were the best of any month in RDX history, Acura says.

Launched in 2007 as an edgy, turbocharged, zip gun of a utility machine, RDX won points with auto writers, but not among people who pay actual money for vehicles.

The 2013 model is bigger, softer-feeling, smoother-driving. All worthy.

But it's also a bit dumbed-down from Acura's historic high-tech/high-class approach. The best example of that is the all-wheel drive. Previously, it was Acura's sporty super-handling all-wheel drive (SH-AWD). Now, the optional all-wheel drive setup is commonplace: front drive, with the ability to kick some power to the rear wheels as needed.

On the other hand, it works fine and probably will suit most people most of the time.

Acura tuned the system to allow some wheelspin up front before the rear wheels add their grab. That avoids the power-chopping traction-control engagement that happens in some systems before they deign to provide rear-wheel power.

It ought to be noted, too, that today's front-drive/all-wheel drive systems have graduated to credible, from the grades of D or F most earned in earlier times because they were slow to react and lacked sophistication in how they apportioned power. So perhaps the lack of SH-AWD is a theoretical dumbing-down, rather than a practical one.

But there are other examples. The automatic transmission now pauses between hard-throttle downshifts. A driving buff would want it to snap down a gear right-by-gosh-now when the gas pedal is pushed hard.

In its favor, though, upshifts are crisp, and light-throttle downshifts remain agreeable.

Another example: Handling — defined as the elan and flat stance with which a vehicle rounds a tight, fast corner and the confidence it gives the driver while doing so — is OK, but doesn't invite you to do any flinging.

But, then, maybe you don't want to fling. Many SUV drivers don't.

The new engine is a 3.5-liter V-6; no more turbo four. Yippee, you say, noticing that its 273 advertised horsepower is a robust 33 hp more than in the turbo four. What you won't see Acura champion, though, is that the V-6 has less torque than the four-cylinder.

Reasons why a lot of buyers apparently don't care about any of those things:

•Roominess. Old RDX was a tight fit. New one's not. The rear seat, especially, is sized for adults. And the back bench is high enough that long-legged folk don't have to sit with legs jackknifed severely.

•Simple sophistication. The instrument panel is a pleasing layout of ordinary analog gauges, easy to see and decipher.

It's combined with the big screen that presents the navigation, audio system and other necessaries. A handy and decipherable knob controls those features in the RDX. A touch of the ol' BMW iDrive without the aggravation it can cause.

•Mileage. The RDX is rated low-20s in mixed city/highway use. You won't cause the oil cabal to weep, but neither will you feel as if you're being unduly punished for buying a vehicle that suits your needs.

•Ride comfort. Just enough firmness to avoid slop, and that's the blend a lot of people seem to prefer instead of the firm-skewed BMW/Audi approach.

You can't begrudge Acura doing whatever it takes to draw more buyers to the brand, but you have to leak a tear or two for the erosion of the brand identity and sporty ethic that gave rise to Acura's iconic NSX sports car. Acura will argue that it maintains the balance of feel and features that made it an alternative to some German offerings.

But others might as easily say they can tell the beginning of the end when they see it.

Nuts and bolts:

•What? Premium, compact, four-door, crossover SUV available with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD).

•When? On sale since April 2.

•Where? Made at East Liberty, Ohio.

•How much? From $35,205, including $885 shipping for base FWD model to $40,305 for AWD version with technology package.

•What makes it go? 3.5-liter V-6 with variable-cylinder management that lets the engine operate on three, four or all six cylinders to save fuel in undemanding driving, rated 273 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, 251 pounds-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm, six-speed automatic transmission.

•How big? Similar overall to BMW X3 but nearly 300 lbs. lighter. RDX is 183.5 inches long, 73.7 in. wide, 66.1 in. tall on a 105.7-in. wheelbase.

Weighs 3,717 to 3,852 lbs.

Passenger space, 103.5 cubic feet. Cargo, 26.1 cu. ft. behind rear seat, 61.3 cu. ft. with rear seat folded, (76.9 cu. ft. including under-floor bins).

Turning circle, 39 feet, curb-to-curb.

Tows up to 1,500 lbs.

•How thirsty? FWD rated 20 miles per gallon in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, 23 mpg in combined driving. AWD: 19/27/22.

Trip computer in AWD test vehicle registered 25.8 mpg (3.88 gallons per 100 miles) in brisk highway trip from New York to Northern Virginia; 20 mpg (5 gal./100 mi.) in suburban driving; 18.4 mpg (5.43 gal./100 mi.) in suburban/city mix.

Burns premium; holds 16 gallons.

•Overall: More mainstream SUV, less Acura.