Compare the2023 Audi A4 AllroadVS 2022 Acura RDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Audi A4 Allroad have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Acura RDX doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The A4 Allroad’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The RDX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A4 Allroad and RDX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A4 Allroad has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The RDX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Audi Backguard System, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Audi Backguard System moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The RDX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The A4 Allroad has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The RDX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A4 Allroad. But it costs extra on the RDX.

Both the A4 Allroad and the RDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi A4 Allroad is safer than the Acura RDX:

	A4 Allroad	RDX
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	333	486
Hip Force	666 lbs.	704 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The A4 Allroad’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the RDX’s (12 vs. 5 years).

There are over 12 percent more Audi dealers than there are Acura dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the A4 Allroad’s warranty.

Reliability

The Audi A4 Allroad’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the RDX’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the A4 Allroad’s reliability 43 points higher than the RDX.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Acura With 12 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Audi higher than Acura.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 14 places higher in reliability than Acura.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the A4 Allroad gets better mileage than the RDX:

			MPG
A4 Allroad
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/30 hwy
RDX
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

Transmission

The A4 Allroad offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The RDX doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A4 Allroad’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The RDX doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the A4 Allroad’s brake rotors are larger than those on the RDX:

	A4 Allroad	RDX
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.2 inches

The A4 Allroad’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the RDX are solid, not vented.

The A4 Allroad stops much shorter than the RDX:

	A4 Allroad	RDX
70 to 0 MPH	152 feet	177 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A4 Allroad has larger tires than the RDX (245/45R18 vs. 235/55R19).

The A4 Allroad’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RDX’s standard 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A4 Allroad’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the RDX (110.9 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The A4 Allroad Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the RDX A-Spec AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The A4 Allroad Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the RDX AWD (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Towing

The A4 Allroad’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RDX’s (3968 vs. 1500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the A4 Allroad is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the RDX. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The A4 Allroad’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The RDX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A4 Allroad to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The RDX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A4 Allroad Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The RDX doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the A4 Allroad has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The RDX doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The A4 Allroad Prestige’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The RDX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi A4 Allroad and the Acura RDX, based on reliability, safety and performance.