Around Vancouver with the Acura RDX 2022

I recently spent a week test driving the Acura RDX Elite 2022 car around Vancouver while trying some dishes at some of my favourite restaurants and cafes.

The last time I had driven the Acura RDX was in 2020, The RDX has been updated since with a light facelift for 2022 that includes tweaks to the SUV’s grille, larger air intakes on the front bumper, and a revised rear bumper with rectangular exhaust tips.

I visited Wild Flour Pizza Co and tried some of their delicious pizzas at this new pizzeria in Burnaby.

I loved both the Funghi Pizza with white sauce, mozzarella, caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, rosemary and fresh thyme, lemon zest, grated asiago and the Truffle Mushroom Dip.

I also loved the Chorizo Pizza with red sauce, mozzarella, Spanish chorizo, Manchego, slow roasted potatoes, caramelized onions; along with their house-made Hot Honey Dip.

Wild Flour Pizza Co is located at 2900 Bainbridge Ave #104 in Burnaby, you can follow them on Instagram @wildflourpizzaco

The next day I took a drive to West Vancouver to check out Isetta Cafes and Bistro, a beautiful new cafe that had just opened.

The espresso bar is a beauty with it’s Modbar to create the perfect consistency with the coffee and it is run by Dohon Chow and also features local roaster Nemesis Coffee for it’s coffee beverages.

The kitchen has all the toys chefs dream of having and Executive Chef Pekka Tavela will soon be offering French bistro fare for daily lunch and brunch and eventually will offer dinners as well.

Thomas told me that Isetta was named after a one-seater Italian-designed microcar and aims to “capture the heart” of the community; and you can see that car in the window in the adjacent building.

I’ve visited enjoying a couple of Cortado’s one to stay and another for takeout so that I could get one of their beautiful colourful cups to go.

Isetta Café Bistro is located at 4360 Marine Drive in West Vancouver; you can follow them on instagram @isettacafebistro

Nothing feels cheap or chintzy in the RDX, and the driving position is high enough to satisfy SUV fans and flexible enough to appease driving enthusiasts. A handle on the outboard seats will release the back row so you can fold it flat. Or you can lower the seatbacks from the cargo hold using the secondary releases. The RDX has a large passthrough storage tray beneath its floating center console, too.

Inside, the center stack is a little busy, with a lot of buttons, a touchpad, and a large rotary drive-mode selector sitting front and center. The version I tested had the A-Spec package’s flashy red seats and several other exclusive styling bits.

The next day I visited Chickpea, one of my vegetarian restaurants on Main Street for their Hazil Baladi Pita while enjoying some great people watching on the outside patio.

Chickpea Restaurant is located at 4298 Main Street in Vancouver.

One of my favourite cuisines is Vietnamese and one of the most prominent areas in the city to find some Vietnamese restaurants is on Victoria Drive mostly between 33rd – 41st. I headed over there one morning to visit newly opened Hem 377 a new Vietnamese cafe specializing in tasty hot and cold beverages as well as a variety of dishes. Here I tried their colourful Strawberry Latte and an Iced Vietnamese Coffee.

Hem 377 is located at 5026 Victoria Drive in Vancouver.

Every RDX has a 10.2-inch touchscreen perched high on the dashboard. It can also be operated via a touchpad on the center console. Acura calls the controller intuitive, but it does take a while to get accustomed to it. The RDX comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The optional Technology package adds built-in navigation, rear-seat USB ports, a 12-speaker ELS Studio audio system, and more.

Later in the week while in Kitsilano. I stopped by Kokomo to get some salads to go for dinner at home as they have such wonderful healthy eats. I got my go to Coastal Macro bowl and also picked up a Beet Macro Poke bowl and the Golden Laksa Noodles.

Kokomo is located at 2028 Vine Street in Vancouver.

I really enjoyed the Acura RDX was a great car to drive in and around Vancouver to try some great eateries.

By: Richard Wolak

Disclosure: Acura Canada provided me with the 2022 Acura RDX for a week to test drive, and photograph.

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