Acura Automobiles: Acura’s New True Touchpad Interface™ Wins a “Best of What’s New” Award from Popular Science

  • All-new True Touchpad Interface™ with rich features and intuitive functionality continues to receive critical acclaim and awards
  • All-new user interface designed and developed in-house by Acura engineers
  • RDX takes over as the retail best-selling model in luxury’s largest segment with over 50,000 sold for the fourth year in a row.

The 2019 Acura RDX and its revolutionary True Touchpad Interface™ has been recognized by the experts at Popular Science as a “Best of What’s New” technology for 2018, adding to a growing roster of 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 is the quickest and best-handling RDX yet. Power comes from a direct-injected and turbocharged 2.0-liter, mated to the segment’s only 10-speed automatic transmission (10AT). Peak output of 272 horsepower (SAE net) and 280 lb.-ft. of torque (SAE net) bests RDX’s key competitors. 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. 

The RDX also features the latest generation of AcuraLink™, which offers in-vehicle 4GLTE Wi-Fi, available over-the-air software updates and a wide array of cloud-based services. RDX comes standard with the full suite of AcuraWatch safety and driver assist technologies, including Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™) with Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) with Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow and Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS).

About Acura
Acura is a leading automotive luxury nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance – a commitment to evocative styling, high performance and innovative engineering, all built on a foundation of quality and reliability. The Acura lineup features six distinctive models – the RLX premium luxury sedan, the TLX performance luxury sedan, the ILX sport sedan, the five-passenger RDX luxury crossover SUV, the seven-passenger Acura MDX, America’s all-time best-selling three-row luxury SUV, and the next-generation, electrified NSX supercar.

Five of the six models in the Acura lineup are made exclusively in central Ohio, using domestic and globally-sourced parts, including the ILX and TLX luxury sports sedans (Marysville Auto Plant), the RDX and MDX luxury SUVs (East Liberty Auto Plant) and the Acura NSX supercar, which is built to order at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio.

Additional media information including pricing, features specifications and high-resolution photography is available at AcuraNews.com. Consumer information is available at Acura.com. Follow Acura on social media at Acura.us/SocialChannels.

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