Acura revamped the RDX last year and gave it a more aggressive face coupled with a sporty profile. All that is great, but the new car is lacking when it comes to mid-range torque. That's where Hondata jumps in with its Flashpro system that gives you the ability to extract 45 more pound-feet of torque at the peak of the curve over the 280 you get from Acura.

Mid-range torque is a very important aspect, especially when we're talking about SUVs. The RDX is Acura's compact crossover offering and, while it does offer 28 pound-feet of torque more than the previous RDX with its 3.5-liter V-6, there's still room for improvement. Hondata has already released ECU kits for the Civic and Accord, and now it's the RDX's time to shine with extra torque and, also, more power across the band.

The third-generation Acura RDX debuted at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show and was already on the floors of dealerships across the U.S. by June. It features more aggressive styling, some cues coming straight from the NSX, bigger wheels, and a new engine to complement the aesthetic department. While an RDX Type S is on the way, and is said to be powered by a new turbocharged V-6, we're currently only getting the standard RDX which is powered by a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine. The A-Spec package helps make the car look even angrier, but you'll have to look elsewhere if you want more performance out of that four-pot.

Among those that can offer you more ponies and more torque without asking you to mortgage your house in the process is Hondata. This company, as the name suggests, is of help only if you're the owner of a Honda or an

Such a system is the Flashpro external programming interface that's become available for the 2019 RDX. It connects to your RDX via the OBDII diagnostic port although USB 2.0 connectivity is also possible. Once you run the system on your laptop or desktop, you can apply live tuning to your ECU and check and clear diagnostic codes - all things that you'd expect from such a system. You can also record up to 20 hours of onboard data and, in the $695 package, the Windows-based FlashPro Manager software is included.

The system offers two stages of tune.As a reminder, the RDX comes with four driving modes: Snow, Comfort, Sport, and Sport+. Besides the small surge in power, you're also getting 15 more pound-feet of torque at its peak for a total of about 295. Peak torque also arrives sooner than before looking at Hondata's graphs.

Then there's Stage 2 which comes into its own when you're running either the Sport or the Sport+ mode; you're getting the same figures as in Stage 1 when you drive around in Snow or Comfort modes. But, when you toggle to the top two driving modes, you're greeted with ten more peak horsepower and almost 30 more available at mid-range rpm. Mid-range torque grows by 36 pound-feet while peak torque is up by 45 pound-feet all the way to 325 pound-feet. Not only that, but peak torque is available even lower in the rev range than when the car is in Stage 1 tune.

There's only one catch with this system that will cost you less than the optional (on the base model) parking sensors that are $700. Still, it's an appealing option on top of the base price of a four-wheel-drive RDX which is $37,400. If you want AWD, you'll have to pony up $2,000 more while the 'Technology Package' costs $3,200 on its own. Even more expensive is the A-Spec Package ($6,200 over base MSRP) and the top-of-the-line all-encompassing Advanced Package which sees the price spike up to $45,500. That's $5,400 more than the base price tag of a Lexus NX 300 AWD while the UX 200 FWD has a similar base price to that of the FWD RDX.

Overall, it's good value for money, especially when you consider that the Lexus NX 300 only puts out 235 horsepower at 4,800 rpm from a similar 2.0-liter, inline-four mated to a six-speed automatic. The RDX comes with a 10-speed automatic and also offers more cargo space (58.9 cubic feet) than the NX 300 (54.6 cubic feet). In stock trim, the RDX's VTEC 2.0-liter four-banger gets 24 mpg combined.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Acura RDX.