Road noise - has anyone noticed this? (2016 RDX)

mikeso

I recently took the 2016 RDX (tech model) for a test drive and I'm looking for a sanity check from anyone else out there who has taken one of these for a spin. After arriving in a 2015 Sante Fe and also testing an Audi Q5 on the same day (all in close proximity) the road noise on my RDX test drive seemed apparent. Either the RDX is sub par for road noise compared to these two, there was a dramatic wind change, or the Q5 is -dead- silent.

Did anyone else have the same road noise experience in the 2016 RDX cabin?

stever

Be worth it to test another one and see if the tire pressures are up to spec. Sometimes they forget to air the tires down after shipping.

wayne21

Road noise? IDK. Wind noise? Absolutely. I think just about all Honda products suffer from a lot of wind noise around the a pillar or the mirrors. I've driven quite a few of them (Hondas and acuras) and that's the first thing I always notice. If you do a google for RDX wind noise complaints (I haven't) you'll probably see that lots of folks complain about it. However, some people don't notice it - or they ignore/don't admit that they hear a noise.

mikeso

Fair enough, thanks for both comments gents!
I did take a second test on the RDX (with request to double check tires specs). Noise seemed about the same to me, but the wife felt there was an improvement. Honestly, I think part of it is just the pitch of the noise that comes in that I dislike. I took a 2015 Q5 for a second spin (moving from the 2.0T to the 3.0SC) and then did the MDX. The 2016 MDX was by far the most quiet of all the cabins, RDX still trailing in my opinion.

Side note: The 2016 MDX (not sure on prev models) does have a bit more insulation catering to blocking noise, including fancy glass... it delivered.

Next step will be to check out the HiHy & RX 450h - yep, I'm all over the place

stever

lol, you'd be surprised (well, maybe not) at the variety of car models people compare.

Some noises (or pitches in your case?) bother some people more than others. Looks like it's time to rule the RDX out unless this is going to be your wife's car.

wayne21

We bought a 2016 RDX on July 30th (wife chose this for her 60th birthday present). Absolutely love the car with one exception - wind noise. Wind noise at any speed. We did not shop/compare the RDX with a mazda CX-5, but I went to breakfast yesterday with a friend who has a CX-5. The mazda 4 cyl engine is noisy at low rpm, but there was absolutely no wind noise in his car at any speed.

kyfdx

wayne21 said:

We bought a 2016 RDX on July 30th (wife chose this for her 60th birthday present). Absolutely love the car with one exception - wind noise. Wind noise at any speed. We did not shop/compare the RDX with a mazda CX-5, but I went to breakfast yesterday with a friend who has a CX-5. The mazda 4 cyl engine is noisy at low rpm, but there was absolutely no wind noise in his car at any speed.

Wind noise at any speed? Are you sure the tires aren't contributing to the noise?

wayne21

It's not road (tire) noise. I have noticed the tire noise, but I've pretty much tuned it out. It's almost not noticeable unless the radio is off. The wind noise is almost like the windows are cracked open just a bit. It's the same noise my neighbor's TL has. The wind noise is rather annoying.

As a comparison - we had a 2010 Toyota venza - DEAD QUIET. We sold it and bought a 2015 Nissan Altima - DEAD QUIET (other issues, but no wind or tire noise.) The RDX is a lot like the 2000 accord we had when it comes to wind noise. In 2010, we wanted another accord, but were wise to the accord's wind noise (having experienced it for 10 years). We passed on the accord because we drove several of them and heard plenty of wind noise. We knew for the 2000 accord that the wind noise just got worse as the car aged. We're just hoping that isn't the case with the RDX.