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thezolblade · 5 years

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Jon: “I wish I could talk it through with Martin, or Tim, or Sasha…But we never really did that, did we?”

I’ve been meaning to pull together some meta ever since hearing that line. As understandable as it is that Jon would regret the times he failed to communicate, as true as it is that he’s often fallen down there (and it’s fun seeing the fandom screaming over that on an ongoing basis)... I’d say he was too hard on himself by saying ‘never’, since there were times when he tried to communicate to the best of his ability. More than that, there are lines that give me the impression he’s always highly valued shared knowledge - that as well as being driven by a deep desire to know, he also wants to help other people know more, and gets frustrated when they don’t want to share knowledge with him or others.

Some quotes here, and interpretation below, of times when he tried to go beyond the ‘archive the closed cases’ job description that was supposedly expected of him, pursuing his priorities in the expectation that people would help - when he still expected that other people would help as a common sense assumption - or discussed events with the assistants beyond the bounds of what he was officially asking them to do for the job, etc. (Mostly s1 bc this is taking more evenings than i expected just from looking through the transcripts and a lot of episodes don’t have them yet):

MAG 001 - Anglerfish

ARCHIVIST: When an investigation has gone as far as it can, it is transferred to the Archives. [...] it seems as though little of the actual investigations have been stored in the Archives, so the only thing in most of the files are the statements themselves. [...] I plan to digitise the files as much as possible and record audio versions, though some will have to be on tape recorder as my attempts to get them on my laptop have met with... significant audio distortions. Alongside this Tim, Sasha and, yes, I suppose, Martin will be doing some supplementary investigation to see what details may be missing from what we have.

MAG 002 - Do Not Open

ARCHIVIST: When the Institute first investigated, it doesn’t look like they were able to find a single piece of evidence to support the existence of this scratched coffin, and to be honest I didn’t think it was worth wasting anyone’s time over now, nearly twenty years later. That said, I did mention it to Tim yesterday, and apparently he did some digging of his own.

MAG 004 - Pageturner

ARCHIVIST: So it doesn’t appear that we have any concrete leads to go on. Still, I will be bringing this up with Elias and recommending that the search for any other missed books from the Leitner library be made this Institute’s highest priority. Jurgen Leitner has done the world enough harm and we must pursue all available avenues to ensure that he does no more.

MAG 006 - Squirm

ARCHIVIST: I can’t find any evidence that my predecessor took follow-up action on this statement, so I’ve taken the step of reporting Mr Hodge’s to the ECDC. We were unable to locate him to request a follow-up interview and if he has had intercourse with one of Prentiss’ victims, then they’ll need to deal with him sooner rather than later. I just hope it’s not too late already.

MAG 011 - Dreamer

ARCHIVIST: I’m not... entirely sure whether to bring this up with Elias or not. When he hired me, he was vague on the point of what happened to my predecessor, Gertrude Robinson. [...] I had Tim look into it, as I don’t entirely trust the others not to have written it as a practical joke and slipped it into the archives. [...] Still, I might have a word with Rosie, to make sure I get a copy of any new statements as soon as they’re made, not just once the researchers are done with them. She seemed very open to idea of recording them, so I’m hopeful she’ll be willing to do this too.

MAG 017- The Boneturner’s Tale

ARCHIVIST: I've barely scratched the surface of the archives and have already uncovered evidence of two separate surviving books from Jurgen Leitner's library. Until he mentioned that, I was tempted to dismiss much of it out of hand, but as it stands now I believe every word. I've seen what Leitner's work can do, and this news, even 17 years out of date, is still very concerning to me. I'm going to have a discussion with Elias as to what we can do to address the issue. I know he'll just give me the old “record and study, not interfere or contain” speech again, but I at least need to make him aware of it.

MAG 020 - Desecrated Host

ARCHIVIST: This all leads me to believe that there may have been a second person there that night, although from talking with the police, I get the impression that there is little appetite for re-opening the case, considering how successful the initial prosecution was.

MAG 022 - Colony

ARCHIVIST: In which case there's a room in the Archives I use to sleep when working late. I suggest you stay there for now. I'll talk to Elias about whether we can get extra security, but the Archives have enough locks for now. [...] Well, in that time I have received several text messages from your phone, saying you were ill with stomach problems. The last one said that you thought it “might be a parasite”, though my calls trying to follow up were never answered. [...] I just received another text message. From you. “Keep him. We have had our fun. He will want to see it when the Archivist’s crimson fate arrives.”

MARTIN: What does that mean?

ARCHIVIST: It means I ask Elias to hire some extra security. I should probably warn Sasha and Tim as well.

MAG 024 - Strange Music

When discussing this case, Tim said it reminded him of some articles he'd read on travelling circuses in Russia and Poland during the early 20th century. On a whim, I hunted down a few of the volumes he mentioned in the Institute's library, and sure enough on page 43 of Gregory Petry's Freaks and Followers: Circuses in the 1940s, I found a reproduction of an old black-and-white photograph.

MAG 026 - A Distortion

SASHA: Well, I’m sure you know I was sceptical about how dangerous this Jane Prentiss was when you first suggested Martin stay in the archive. [...] You were having some argument with Tim about... um, oh, who’s that architect he’s obsessed with?

ARCHIVIST: Robert Smirke. [...] ARCHIVIST: Sasha has taken a few days off to recuperate, and I’m having a word with Elias about getting some extra CO2 fire extinguishers for the Archive.

MAG 033 - Boatswain’s Call

TIM: Um, look I know you’ve been under a lot of pressure... it’s not a big deal, I just think it might be worth re-recording these statements.

ARCHIVIST: No. I don’t have time. I still have a mountain of haphazard statements to get through, not to mention that I need to keep this wretched tape recorder on hand just in case I encounter one of the files too stubborn to work on anything else. And when I do, I have to actually read the damn thing, which is...

TIM (BACKGROUND): Oh, woah, woah... woah!

ARCHIVIST: Fine. It’s fine. I just haven’t been sleeping much these last few months, what with all this... worm business. Which reminds me, if you do see Elias, tell him thanks for the extra extinguishers. [...] ARCHIVIST: In addition to such business ventures, the Lukas family also provides funding to several academic and research organisations, including the Magnus Institute. Much as I want to dig further into this, especially given certain parallels with case 0161301, Elias gets very twitchy when we look into anything that might conceivably have funding repercussions. [...] Maybe I’ll mention it to Elias. Just in case.

MAG 035 - Old Passages

ARCHIVIST: You should have seen Tim’s face when I told him. Architecture is one of his specialist areas, and he has always talked of Smirke as one that fascinates him. How did he phrase it? “A master of subtle stability.” From a professional standpoint, it also interests him that Smirke’s buildings have higher percentages of reported paranormal sightings than any other architect of similar profile.

MAG 036 - Taken Ill

TIM: Er, what is it?

ARCHIVIST: A lighter. An old Zippo.

TIM: You smoke?

ARCHIVIST: No. And I don’t allow ignition sources in my archive!

TIM: Okay. Is there anything unusual about it?

ARCHIVIST: Not really. Just a sort of spider web design on the front. Doesn’t mean anything to me. You?

TIM: Ah no. No.

ARCHIVIST: Well... show it to the others, see what they think.

MAG 039 - Infestation

ARCHIVIST: I got it!

[PULLS TAPE RECORDER FROM THE MORASS OF WORMS] [...]

SASHA: Why record it?

ARCHIVIST: What?

SASHA: Before, in the office. It, it was stupid going for the tape recorder like that, and then when you dropped it out there— [...]

ARCHIVIST: I just... I don’t want to become a mystery. I refuse to become another goddamn mystery. [...] Every real statement just leads... deeper into something I don’t even know the shape of yet. And to top it all, I still don’t know what happened to Gertrude. Officially she’s still missing, but Elias is no help and the police were pretty clear that the wait to call her dead is just a formality. If I die, wormfood or... something else, whatever, I’m going to make damn sure the same doesn’t happen to me. Whoever takes over from me is going to know exactly what happened. [...]

ARCHIVIST: Of course, I believe. Of course I do. Have you ever taken a look at the stuff we have in Artefact storage? That’s enough to convince anyone. But, but even before that... Why do you think I started working here? It’s not exactly glamorous. I have... I’ve always believed in the supernatural. Within reason. I mean. I still think most of the statements down here aren’t real. Of the hundreds I’ve recorded, we’ve had maybe... thirty, forty that are... that go on tape. Now those, I believe, at least for the most part.

MARTIN: Then why do you—

ARCHIVIST: Because I’m scared, Martin! Because when I record these statements it feels... it feels like I’m being watched. I... I lose myself a bit. And then when I come back, it’s like... like if I admit there may be any truth to it, whatever’s watching will... know somehow. The scepticism, feigning ignorance. It just felt safer.

MARTIN: Well... It wasn’t.

ARCHIVIST: No. No, it wasn’t.

[...]

ARCHIVIST: I mean at the Archive in general. Why haven’t you quit?

MARTIN: Are you giving me my review now?

ARCHIVIST: No... We’re clearly doing a whole heart-to-heart thing and, truth be told, the question’s been bothering me. You’ve been living in the Archives for four months, constant threat of... this. Sleeping with a fire extinguisher and a corkscrew. Even you must be aware that that’s not normal for an archiving job? Why are you still here?

MARTIN: [Considering] Don’t really know. I just am. It didn’t feel right to just leave. I’ve typed up a few resignation letters, but I just couldn’t bring myself to hand them in. I’m trapped here. It’s like I can’t... move on and the more I struggle, the more I’m stuck.

Martin...You’re not, uh... You didn’t die here, did you?

MARTIN: What? What? N-No... what?!

ARCHIVIST: No, I just... No, just the way you phrased that...

MARTIN: Made you think I was a ghost?

ARCHIVIST: No... it’s—

MARTIN: No, no... it’s just that whatever web these statements have caught you in, well, I’m there too. We all are, I think.

MAG041 - Too Deep

Why do I still feel like I’m being watched? I’d just about convinced myself it was Prentiss, watching me in secret while she filled the walls with her writhing hordes, but no. She is dead and gone, and still whenever I talk into this... damn thing, I feel this... I’m being watched. I know I am. [...] my primary focus must be on who killed Gertrude Robinson, and I do not believe for a moment that it was a wall-moving spectre from the depths of the earth. No, far more likely it’s one of my colleagues. Elias is a prime suspect, but it could have been any of them. [...] I can make two tapes from each recording. One containing the main statement and notes, which will be stored in the archive, and the other containing the statement, notes, and... this supplement, which will chronicle my own investigations. These tapes will be hidden. If you’re hearing this, I assume you’re my replacement, following my death or disappearance, and have received instructions on where to find them. [...] This level of paranoia is new to me, but I’m learning fast. Trust can get you killed.

...So, reading back over season 1 was interesting. Jon was asked to organise an archive of statements that were no longer under investigation by the institute. (Leading a team of four ex-researchers, himself included, who were used to working on open investigations. He was told that the institute’s mission statement was to study but not to ‘interfere or contain’, to the point where he got sick of Elias giving him that speech.)

He believed every statement that we heard him record, and he had all 3 assistants take part in re-opening an investigation into each of them through all available lines of enquiry (instead of devoting more resource to getting the existing material filed in a sensible system asap).

Wherever there was a chance it would do some good, he reported his findings to the authorities, and pushed to see if the Institute or the police would go further on the basis of his information.

He discussed the cases with his assistants thoroughly enough to know their areas of personal interest in the supernatural, and when they got into trouble, he immediately offered them as much protection as he could and went to Elias for help, prompting some of the others to express skepticism about the threats that he was clearly taking seriously, maybe excessively so...?

And yet because he felt watched by something supernatural, and convinced himself that it was Jane Prentiss somehow, he lied constantly by feigning skepticism even while following every lead and pushing everyone else to do the same. It’s a wonder anyone was fooled tbh, and it backfired by discouraging Martin and Sasha from confiding in him until they were in deep trouble. It also made his complaint about lack of sleep look relatively grumpy/petty to Tim, since he didn’t quite admit the full scale of the problem with nightmares and the exhaustion that the statements magically caused.

When Elias was feigning a normal level of ignorance in ep 39 he told Sasha: “You know how those two are... John puts on a good show, but sometimes I swear he’s worse than Martin.” And in ep 40 he told Jon: “I... know I have often seemed dismissive of your concerns before, and in fact I was getting ready to raise the issue of Martin’s continuing to live in the Institute’s basement”. If Elias was faking something like the rest of the Institute staff’s attitude (to things he wouldn’t admit to knowing all about)... then people really did doubt Jon’s skeptic act, feeling that he was always complaining about supernatural threats and going overboard in trying to protect people.

That changed in season 2, when he came to believe that one of his colleagues had murdered Gertrude, and stopped trusting all of them. When he was worried that his own death might be imminent, in the midst of Prentiss’ attack and in the paranoid aftermath, one of his main concerns was communicating with his successor through the tapes.

He doesn’t want his fate to be a mystery to those he leaves behind. Considering how much danger he puts himself in, diving into a pile of worms for the recorder, and later stating that he’d rather die exploring the tunnels than leave the Institute’s secrets buried, he’s more interested in getting information out to other people than in surviving.

Mid-season 2, when he gets scared, he talks about taking a break from his investigations until he can get more help from the police, especially as he thinks he’s trying to track down a human murderer. That remaining trust in authority doesn’t lead him to him collaborating with Basira to the extent he’d hoped, since she eventually makes it clear she wants nothing more to do with him, and he discovers that not!Sasha is a supernatural threat that the police couldn’t help with anyway.

The start of season 3 sees him reflecting that he didn’t turn to his assistants for help because he didn’t want to get them killed, and once he makes it back to the archives, he tries to overcome his recent trust issues and more long-standing hero complex by involving the others in his plans again - though they take care not to let those plans show up on tape, since they’re plotting against Elias by that point. When Jon asks everyone to record their thoughts before the unknowing in Testament, he’s trying to get them all communicating - with themselves, each other, and anyone who follows in their footsteps.

So far in season 4, he’s been more ready than ever to collaborate, but the others are mostly refusing to talk to him. His first instinct when he uncovers immediately relevant information is to go tell Basira, and he heeds her advice when he asks whether they can tell Melanie. (Which was unfair on Melanie, but at least you can see why he’d fear for his life after she threatened to attack him on sight if he ever tried to talk to her again.) He tried to tell Martin what had been going on instead of trying to compel information from him, and apparently hasn’t had much chance to speak to anyone else, or to leave the building.

He has the power to compel other people to see truths that they wouldn’t have recognised on their own; he only had to ask Tim what he was holding for Tim to see the detonator. And he may compare himself to Gertrude for losing assistants, but he talked to Sasha and Tim about the threats they were facing at the time, to the best of his knowledge. If Gertrude seems to have fought her battles by deliberately misleading people so that she could sacrifice them, and by taking out ‘loose ends’ to keep herself from being incriminated...

Well, I think Jon’s on his way to distinguishing himself from his predecessor through good communication, despite the massive stumbling blocks of his paranoid phase and isolation. (And through his extreme protectiveness towards individual people, compared to her way of prioritising the big picture.) He’s always wanted to get the truth out in the open, despite sometimes holding back out of fear that he won’t be believed, or he’ll get himself or others killed. Some of his most uncharismatic moments have been his attempts to tell people the truth when his knowledge was too patchy to convince them, and he wasn’t tactful enough to try to bring them on-side with diplomacy instead of facts and theories. As his powers grow, one of his most effective abilities might be to help his allies see the truth, so that they can join forces by choice.

E.g. maybe he’ll eventually find out what Peter’s up to from Martin - or maybe he’ll ask about something that he didn’t even realise was part of the plan, granting Martin an insight into something that neither of them knew beforehand.

[Edit: Wrote the above post in the mid-s4 hiatus and, uh. He sure did try to collaborate on a lot of stuff, but. Also fucked up pretty thoroughly, so. The s4 thoughts feel a bit over-optimistic in retrospect. Leaving it strikethrough rather than deleted though.]

#the magnus archives #tma thoughts

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urbanchristiannews · 7 years

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Francesca Battistelli's "Holy Spirit" Receives Gold Certification

Francesca Battistelli’s “Holy Spirit” Receives Gold Certification

Fervent Records recording artist and hit songwriter, Francesca Battistelli, was recently honored at a small gathering of label, industry partners, family and bandmates for her second RIAA-Certified Gold record for the GRAMMY® Award winning and No. 1 single “Holy Spirit.” (more…)

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#Fervent Records #Francesca Battistelli #Holy Spirit #If We&039;re Honest

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melrakes-blog · 7 years

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My Battle with Postpartum Depression

This is not something I typically enjoy talking about. I try to keep things happy and light, but the reality is it’s not always happy and light. I can honestly say that I’m terrified to post something so personal; however, I started this blog to talk about things that are real that people like me can connect with. A friend of mine the other day was telling me this story about a girl she knows who…

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#depression #everything is going to be ok #find your village #honest motherhood #honest parenting #hugs #it takes a village #life is good #love yourself #mom #momlife #more than a mom #postpartum #postpartum depression #team us #we&039;re all in this together #xoxo

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seachranaidhe · 5 years

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No Credible Evidence To Support British Allegations

THIS letter appeared in The Irish News on Tuesday May 14th 2o19

IN REFERENCE to The Irish News reports (May 9th) on my appearance at the inquest into the killing of 10 people, including a priest and a mother of eight, by the British Parachute Regiment in Ballymurphy in August 1971.

In its two-and-a-half page coverage of the Ballymurphy Inquest – including its front page – The Irish News devotes…

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#All of these are pertinent matters in the context of trying to get truth and justice for the families of those killed #and devolpments at the hearing which were unrelated to him were given front page prominence on both Friday and Saturday of last week (May 10 #And not forgetting your other very close comrade Gerry! Marian Price was she not a close comrade of yours Gerry? Are these two honest Republ #and we are more than happy to provide him with the right of replay #apart from some incidents of token residence #by the British Parachute Regiment in Ballymurphy in August 1971 #Coverage of the Ballymurphy Inquest has been carried across more than 60 pages in The Irish News since the proceedings began five months ago #Even where it deals with my evidence at the inquest the primary focus of the reports remain on allegations around IRA membership rather than #His comments on our approach to his high profile appearance in the witness box should be viewed in this context #I repeatly and factually challenged the efforts by the Barrister representing the British Ministry of Defence to suggest that there were wid #I told the inquest that the IRA had decided not to engage with the British Army and had &039;faded away&039;#In its two-and-a-half page coverage of the Ballymurphy Inquest - including its front page - The Irish News devotes a full page and a half re #including a priest and a mother of eight #Instead he concentrated on allegations against me which have nothing to do with the matters being investigated by the inquest #It is telling that the council for the British Ministry of Defense did not properly challenge my evidence or put to me any of the detail of #It was your comrades who served with you in the Irish Republican Army #It wasn&039;t only the one either was it Gerry? Brendan &039;The Dark&039; Hughes was a very close and trusted comrade of yours #No Credible Evidence To Support British Allegations #none of which played any role in the killings by British Paras #or going about their lawful business #out looking for their children #That is because there was none #The EditorAnd this is from myself it wasn&039;t the British Ministry of Defense who were making recycled allegations about your membership #The vast majority of our reporting has made no reference to Mr Adams #They had no connection to any Republican organisation #They posed no threat to the British Army #They were trying to help neighbors who were fleeing from homes under attack by loyalist mobs #THIS letter appeared in The Irish News on Tuesday May 14th 2o19IN REFERENCE to The Irish News reports (May 9th) on my appearance at the inqu #This points to the reality that there is no credible evidence to support the British allegations of sustained gunfire directed at the Paratr #Those killed were entirely innocent neighbors

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thinkaboutnetwork-blog · 7 years

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36 Magical Questions That Can Make Any Two People Fall In Love

Do you believe that two people can be made to fall in love with each other – any two people in this world? Arthur Aron, a psychology professor started a study on whether two people could decide to fall in love with each other. He compiled a list of 36 intimate questions that he thought could trigger love between even two strangers. He conducted an experiment with a man and a woman. He made them…

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#"We are both in this room feeling ... " 26. Complete this sentence: "I wish I had someone with whom I could share ... "#36 Magical Questions That Can Make Any Two People Fall In Love #a psychology professor started a study on whether two people could decide to fall in love with each other. He compiled a list of 36 intimate #as honestly as possible. Once they were done they were supposed to stare into each other&039;s eyes in absolute silence for about 4 minutes #ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen. Once the two partners have answered th #begins the staring test. Stare into each other&039;s eyes for a full 4 minutes and let the magic begin!#catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets #containing everything you own #Do you believe that two people can be made to fall in love with each other – any two people in this world? Arthur Aron #do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why? 4. What would constitute a "perfect" day for you? 5. When did you last sing t #find someone you want to try this out with and get seated facing you and get ready to fall in love. Let&039;s begin. Set 1 1. Given the cho #for who knows it might work! So #how about you give it a try yourself? Just choose your partner wisely #if anything #is too serious to be joked about? 33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone #it worked for her too! 36 Questions To Fall In Love © ThinkStockGetty If you&039;re still not convinced #please share what would be important for him or her to know. 28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time #saying things that you might not say to someone you&039;ve just met. 29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life. 30. W #she carried it out for herself and as unbelievable as it may sound #the future or anything else #what would it be? 11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible. 12. If you could wake up tomorr #what would it be? 36 Questions To Fall In Love © ThinkStockGetty Set 2 13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself #what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven&039;t you told them yet? 34. Your house #what would you want to know? 14. Is there something that you&039;ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven&039;t you done it? 15. Wha #which would you want? 7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die? 8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in comm #whom would you want as a dinner guest? 2. Would you like to be famous? In what way? 3. Before making a telephone call #whose death would you find most disturbing? Why? 36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner&039;s advice on how he or she might hand #would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why? 20. What does friendship mean to you? 21. What roles do love and affection #you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why? 35. Of all the people in your family #your life

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brucedinsman · 8 months

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Music Mix: Francesca Battistelli - If We're Honest

https://youtu.be/ySa3Vu4FUW8?list=RDySa3Vu4FUW8 I like mixes like this running on my computer as I get things done. #GIVETHANKS #Outreach: That the world may know #Prayer Focus: Pray for Our Prodigals #Praise the Lord Please follow my blog Guam Christian Blog Please follow my blog Guam Views Blog Podcast: https://anchor.fm/bruce-dinsman Bruce’s Facebook…

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#2023 #Francesca Battestelli #If We&039;re Honest #Music Mix

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dianaleaghmatthews · 7 years

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Why does this hurt so much?

I shared last week, reasons why I stayed until I had no choice but to be honest with myself and leave. Do you feel lost at sea? However, there was another question I had to ask myself. Why does this hurt so much? The simple answer was because I loved him, but he did not love me. There were times when I could see the enjoyment he gained from my pain. That in itself was why it hurt so much. The…

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#for the hurting and brokenhearted #is love supposed to be selfish and rude #love is not rude or selfish #when we give our all and love still hurts #when we&039;re not honest with ourselves #why abuse hurts #Why does this hurt so much

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newssplashy · 6 years

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Finance: We drove a new $47,800 Acura RDX to see if the SUV lives up to its impressive reputation — here's the verdict

The Acura RDX is a critically important compact crossover for Honda's luxury brand in the US.

We borrowed a $47,800 Advance trim-level RDX and put it through its paces.

We came away just as impressed as we often are with Acura vehicles, whose price-to-quality ratio is hard to beat in the luxury space for most owners.

Luxury crossovers are a white-hot segment in the new-vehicle world. Screw up in this realm and you'll pay.

Acura can't afford to screw up because although Honda's premium marque has its loyalists — they're on par with BMW owners — the US-market crossover segment is a battlefield and new combatants are arriving all the time.

Lucky for Acura it has a solid compact SUV that, in its latest iteration, has gotten more solid.

The first-generation RDX landed in 2007, and the made-in-Ohio crossover came with a four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which was an oddity at the time for luxury vehicles. The second-gen hit in 2012, and the four-banger was replaced with a V6.

The all-important compact luxury crossover category demands that Acura keep pace, especially in the US, so for the 2019 model year we have an all-new RDX, tasked with maintaining the 50,000 in annual sales that the previous-gen enjoyed. Besides the engine change, the other major difference is that the RDX is now built on an Acura-only platform (the second-gen was based on the popular Honda CR-V).

For many, many Americans, the RDX is their version of a premium wagon and it's dedicated to upscale family duty. But it also promises zesty performance and plenty of technology, given the typical needs and wants of an Acura enthusiast. This new-gen RDX is also taking some design cues from Acura halo supercar, the NSX, which took home Business Insider's Car of the Year trophy in 2016.

The 2019 Acura RDX starts at about $37,000 for the front-wheel-drive version, but our tester was a $47,800 all-wheel-drive Advance trim level, fully loaded.

Here's how it went.

The 2019 Acura RDX looks undeniably sharp in a "Performance Red" paint job. To my eye, the latest generation of this compact crossover is pushing toward midsize dimension.

The minimalist design of the second-gen RDX is going away, replaced by a more sleek and dynamic exterior. I rather like the fractured belt-line and the painterly slashes of chrome, but they aren't going to be for everybody.

The RDX has good presence for an entry level luxury crossover. The space is very, very crowded these days as SUVs have supplanted sedans as the world's go-to premium choice.

The controversial chrome beak is gone, and the Acura badge has gotten quite large.

The "A" — styled as a precision-instrument caliper — sits at the center of what Acura calls a "diamond pentagon" grill. It looks cool.

So do the jewel-eye LED headlights ...

... Which bear more than a passing resemblance to those on the NSX supercar.

SUV rear ends are usually a weak point, aesthetically, and the RDX's is no exception. There's a lot going on back there, what with all the swoops and indents and those crab-pincer tail lights. Bonus: Dual exhaust!

Our RDX was of the "Super Handling" all-wheel-drive variety, with torque vectoring that sends traction to the wheel that needs it most. This helps the RDX with stable handling and in bad weather and on poor roads.

There's no third row of seats, and thanks to the RDX's larger overall dimensions relative to the previous gen, the cargo pace is now a considerable 30 cubic feet. There's also a power liftgate.

Time to pop the hood and check out that turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant.

Well, yeah, like most four-bangers, it doesn't look like much. But rest assured that the 272-horsepower motor is demonstrably torque-happy with 280 pound-feet of pull on tap. It is also not torque-steer-y in any way.

The RDX can serve up a 0-60 mph dash in about six seconds. Fuel economy is about what you'd expect: 21 mpg city/27 highway/23 combined. I drove around for a week on single tank.

Let's jump inside real quick to talk about the 10-speed automatic transmission, which has four driving modes (Comfort, Snow, Sport + and a default Sport), along with paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.

Again, the configuration of controls will be eerily familiar to NSX owners and fans. The PRND buttons aren't what I'd call ideal, but they do the job. The big drive-mode knob, so cool on a supercar, is possibly overkill on a luxury crossover.

OK, let's hop inside for longer! The leather interior is "Parchment."

I always find the Acura's driver's view to be soothing. That's weird, because you're presented with all kinds of buttons, thumbwheels, and a switch on the RDX's steering wheel. And although the analog instrument gauges are old-school, the somewhat complicated center display isn't."

The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels just right, and although purist won't like the electric power steering, I found it to be exceptionally precise. Acura's have always been, in my experience, easy to drive easy and easy to drive hard.

The RDX is no exception. It can't feel as aggressive and BMW X3, but it doesn't want to. And for average, everyday around-town motoring, the feel is impeccable.

To be honest, I gave up on the center display. It has a lot going in and can provide all sort of info and data, however. Anybody who wants to get in there and geek-out will get no argument from me.

Honda/Acura is famed for its interior ergonomics and design, but the brands have been tempted away from simplicity over the past decade. Thankfully, reason has returned. The RDX controls are simple and straightforward. Heated and cooled seats, as well as a heated steered wheel, are great features on the RDX Advance trim.

Personally, I also liked that the engine auto stop/start feature — intended to save fuel and cut down on emissions — can easily be deactivated by pressing a nice, big, easy-to-spot button.

That is some nice wood trim!

The ELS Studio 3D audio system is all Acura — specially designed for the brand and outfitted with 16 speakers in the RDX, including ...

... Speakers in the roof! It sounds spectacular, among the best premium audio systems I've experienced in a vehicle in 2018.

Reminder: the 2019 RDX is bigger than its ancestors. The subtle size increase make the rear seats notably more comfy for passengers. On a side note, getting in and out of the RDX is a breeze — not something one can say about every luxe SUV.

The panoramic moon roof is vast.

Let's talk about Acura's new infotainment system. It's called "True Touchpad" and it uses a high-res center screen that juts from the dashboard and displays a host of apps, along the map, which is nearly always on view.

The smaller right side info can be flipped with the larger left side.

Here's where the magic happens. This touchpad can be used like a trackpad on a laptop, and there are several hard inputs. But you can also simply drop a fingertip to an area of the pad that corresponds to the screen.

It's an improvement over previous versions of Acura infotainment. For example, here's two-screen setup in a TLX A-Spec.

The changes are all about the user interface, which take a bit of getting used to. I got the hang of it in about 15 minutes and liked the system, in particular the comfortable padded wrist rest.

Business Insider's Ben Zhang was less impressed. But he agreed that it's an improvement over what Acura had been installing.

I found the voice-recognition feature to be satisfyingly accurate, and Bluetooth pairing, navigation, and USB/AUX inputs for devices were all successful. There are better infotainment options out there, but given Acura's history, this new True Touchpad approach has promise. Best of all, once you learn it, you can keep your eyes on the road.

Apple CarPlay is available, but not Android Auto yet.

So what's the verdict?

I'd buy one. Seriously, I enjoyed the RDX immensely in the week that I drove it around the Jersey 'burbs and the mean streets of New York City. But I tend to respond quote favorably to Acuras. For whatever reason, I think they combine a high level of luxury and value with legendary reliability and fun motoring that isn't too demanding.

If you just love to drive, something from BMW, Mercedes, or Audi might be more your bag. If you want absolutely bulletproof luxury, then look to Lexus (and be a bit less stimulated by exceptional engineering). If beauty is a must, turn to the Jaguar F-Pace.

But if you desire an excellent premium crossover SUV that will carry a family of four around in style, you'll be hard-pressed to do better than the new RDX.

With my colleague Ben, I agree that the new infotainment system is a work in progress. But it's a big improvement over the previous generation and a step in the right direction.

Acura has a way of being all things to all people, without causing that benefit to render its cars bland. Anybody who prefers to go Sport-Plus mode on the Dynamic selector will find that their luxury SUV can delivery more than a splash of snarl and attitude. (And maybe too much, as both Ben and I detected some harshness in the transmission's friskier shifts.)

The steering isn't mushy, and neither are the brakes. The torque-vectoring through the AWD drive system made the RDX feel genuinely sure-footed and composed when cornering, and the engine isn't cranking so much power that you feel you have to lay off in the curves, to avoid losing control.

Of course, where Acura truly shines is in the quality-to-price ratio. It's hard to obtain a better compact luxury SUV for this kind of scratch. Comparable German brands go for thousands more, similarly equipped. You're buying Acura's commitment to fine engineering and reliability, with just enough zip thrown in to remind you that you aren't driving a Lexus.

Bottom line: the 2019 Acura RDX is a purchase I can recommend you consider — without hesitation.

source https://www.newssplashy.com/2018/07/finance-we-drove-new-47800-acura-rdx-to.html

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ouradoptionexperienceblog · 8 years

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