Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Crossover, Acura, Luxury
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Acura is calling what you see here a “prototype,” but that’s only technically speaking. It is, in fact, the production 2013 RDX crossover, and it’s just debuted at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. This is a full redesign of Acura’s plucky, performance-minded crossover, making it the vehicle’s second generation model.
With a generational switch comes big changes, and the biggest for the new RDX is Acura’s decision to buck the industry trend and drop its turbocharged four-cylinder engine in favor of Honda’s venerable 3.5-liter V6. Horsepower will jump from 240 to 273, and despite the addition of two more cylinders to feed, fuel economy will also increase significantly. The best the current RDX can muster is an EPA-rated 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 highway, while the V6-powered 2013 model is projected to achieve 20 city and 28 highway. Aiding that new-found efficiency is a six-speed automatic transmission (one more gear than before) with a lock-up torque converter.
The design of the RDX has also matured, and now appears more in line with the rest of the Acura lineup, particularly its big brother, the MDX. Its wheelbase is longer and track wider, which suggests a more relaxed, luxurious ride, and Acura will fit the new RDX with what it calls Amplitude Reactive Dampers to keep the handling appropriately tuned to its level of hustle at any given time.
Larger, more powerful and offering increased efficiency, the 2013 Acura RDX is clearly transitioning from a quirky high-performance compact crossover to a more mainstream product with enough luxury and technology to compete for more sales in the crowded entry-level luxury crossover market. It’s likely that sales will increase with this strategy, but will it be at the competition’s expense or that of Acura’s other crossovers, the MDX and ZDX?Continue reading 2013 Acura RDX drops turbo four in favor of V6
2013 Acura RDX drops turbo four in favor of V6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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