Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of spy shots

Honda/Acura engineers were recently caught testing a new sport crossover in the dead of night around the deserts of California, and while they came wielding flashlights to blind our spy photographer's lens, we got these pictures of what the luxury brand is up to in the quickly softening market for crossovers. The vehicle appears to be similar in shape to the BMW X6 despite the heavy camouflaging obscuring its profile. The windshield is very steeply raked and the shape of the cutout allowing the grille to breathe is reminiscent of Acura's new Superman-shaped grilles. Indeed, even the wheel and tire combination suggests that this is a crossover with sporting intentions. It may be a big brother to the RDX with more athletic moves than the MDX. Still, we can't help but wonder why Acura would be working on yet another crossover with those two already in its lineup, especially considering the market's current exodus to passenger cars. Check out more spy shots of the vehicle in question below.


[Source: KGP Photography]

KGP Photography:

We caught engineers from Honda or Acura night-testing a brand new prototype for what appears to be a sport-crossover model aimed at the likes of the Infiniti FX35 and BMW's X6. The new prototype was tested under cover of darkness in the California desert to thwart spy photographers, but we managed to get a series of revealing shots of the fairly low-slung crossover--as engineers fired back at us with lights of their own.

Through the camouflage, the prototype appears to show some styling cues that appear more upscale Acura than Honda--especially the chunky exhaust tips molded into the rear bumper. The windshield is steeply raked, and the roofline appears to slope downward in the manner of today's "four-door coupes." The camouflage goes to some lengths to try to hide the roof's true shape, but the squared-off backlight is certainly a fake, and there also appears to be ample camouflage inside the rear seat area to further obscure the prototype's sihouette. The headlights glowing through the front camouflage appear to be very angular and slit-like, mimicking the face of the latest Acura models.

The prototype's dimensions look quite tidy, which should bode well for the new crossover's efficiency, as well as its sport-minded driving dynamics. The aggressive wheel-and-tire package on this test vehicle looks more appropriate for canyon carving than for off-road pursuits.

The timing of this model is unknown, but Acura TL prototypes that were first night-tested this time last year are just now going public. If that schedule holds true for this model, BMW and Infiniti might have another competitor in the performance utility sector on the horizon in about 12 months.