2019 Acura RDX: Have High-Tech Interfaces Gone Too Far?

Swipes, double-taps, joy-sticking and voice are becoming the new way we interface with cars, much to the chagrin of baffled drivers. Is RDX’s new touchpad better? Dan Neil fiddles with it to find out

I’M TORN. On the one hand I feel for readers who say they are baffled by the latest infotainment interfaces, such as touch screens, touchpads, joystick- or mouse-like rotary controllers, voice and even gesture recognition. On the other hand, and with great respect, they should try harder. It only takes about five minutes to grasp any halfway decent infotainment system. Ten if it’s one in the redesigned 2019 Acura RDX.

The RDX is Acura’s compact-to-midsize mover of suburbanites, a premium crossover competing against smart...