2026 Acura RDX A-Spec: St. Louis Buyers Guide

Quick Answer: The 2026 RDX A-Spec Trim

The RDX A-Spec starts at $50,700 MSRP plus a $1,450 destination charge and adds Acura’s sport-appearance package: unique wheels, black exterior accents, and sport seating and cabin trim, on top of the same 272-hp turbo engine, 10-speed automatic, and SH-AWD every RDX shares. The A-Spec’s wider wheel-and-tire package brings EPA highway down 1 mpg versus Base, Technology, and Advance: 21 city / 26 highway / 23 combined mpg instead of 27 highway. Frank Leta Acura, 11777 Tesson Ferry Road in St. Louis, carries A-Spec RDX units on its new-vehicle lot.

2026 Acura RDX A-Spec at night, front three-quarter view
The A-Spec adds gloss-black exterior trim and its own wheel design. Image: Acura.

Sport styling, same engine underneath

A-Spec is Acura’s answer for buyers who want the RDX to look and feel sportier without stepping into a genuinely different performance tier. The package layers unique wheel designs, black exterior accents, and sport-focused seating and interior trim onto the identical 2.0-liter turbo four, 10-speed automatic, and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive that every other RDX trim runs. Nothing about the powertrain changes — A-Spec is a styling and cabin-feel decision, not a horsepower one, and it’s worth setting that expectation clearly, since “sport” badging on some competitor lineups does come bundled with an actual performance bump that the RDX A-Spec doesn’t include.

The one real trade-off worth knowing before choosing A-Spec on fuel-economy grounds alone: its wider wheel-and-tire setup costs 1 mpg on the highway EPA number compared to Base, Technology, and Advance, 26 mpg versus 27. Combined city/highway stays identical at 23 mpg across the board, so the difference is small in practice, but a buyer cross-shopping trims purely on the window-sticker highway figure should know where that number comes from before assuming every RDX trim is mechanically identical in every respect. They’re identical on power and torque; the wheel package is the one place the spec sheet actually diverges.

Who A-Spec fits

A-Spec makes the most sense for a buyer who wants the RDX’s sportier visual identity, and the sport-cut seats and cabin trim that come with it, more than they want Advance’s luxury-focused equipment set. It’s also the natural starting point for anyone considering A-Spec Advance but wanting to first confirm the styling and seating actually suit them before paying for the fully-loaded combination trim.

What St. Louis buyers say

A-Spec buyers show up specifically in Frank Leta Acura’s reviews, often mentioning the trim by name. “Great experience working with Edwin to buy my new RDX!” one buyer wrote (Angie D.) Another, on a purchase that closed quickly, described the sales process: “Worked with Jamie and bought an RDX last week, our third Acura from Frank Leta. We test drove two, made a decision and were out the door in about 3.5 hours” (Susie P.)

Frequently asked questions

Does A-Spec add horsepower or a different engine?

No. A-Spec is a styling and cabin package — unique wheels, black exterior trim, sport seating, layered on the same 272-hp turbo engine and drivetrain every RDX trim shares.

Why does A-Spec get worse highway mpg than Base?

Its wider wheel-and-tire package trims 1 mpg off the EPA highway rating (26 vs. 27). Combined mpg stays the same at 23 across every trim.

What’s the difference between A-Spec and A-Spec Advance?

A-Spec Advance combines A-Spec’s sport styling with the additional luxury equipment from the Advance trim, making it the fully-loaded RDX. Standard A-Spec is the sport-styling package on its own, at a lower price point.

See A-Spec’s styling in person

Photos undersell how different the sport wheels and black accents look against a standard RDX in daylight. Frank Leta Acura’s new-vehicle lot at 11777 Tesson Ferry Road typically has A-Spec units to compare directly against Base, Technology, and Advance trims.

All 2026 Acura RDX guides

MSRP excludes Acura’s $1,450 destination charge, taxes, title, registration, and dealer-installed accessories; the dealer sets the actual selling price. Fuel-economy figures are EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov; real-world mileage varies. Equipment and availability can change with production timing; confirm current specifications and allocation with Frank Leta Acura. Customer quotes are excerpts from public Google reviews of Frank Leta Acura describing buyers’ general purchase experience at the dealership.