Autoblog

Click the RDX for a high res gallery from the track

What's pictured above looks like a stylish, if conventional, compact crossover utility vehicle. As is so often the case, however, appearances are deceiving. While the vehicle has four doors and a tailgate, this is indeed a sports car. Acura gave us an opportunity to thoroughly flog the RDX compact CUV at the Waterford Hills racetrack and it acquitted itself astoundingly well.

The RDX is equipped with Acura's Super Handling-All Wheel Drive system which, combined with a well tuned suspension, makes for a thoroughly tossable unit. The RDX has a 2.3L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the first of its type in a North American vehicle from Honda. The responsive powerplant turns out 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque with minimal turbo lag.

In an interview with Automotive News, Honda's CEO, Takeo Fukui said that the automaker's newly developed diesel technology will find its way into their light truck offerings of the future.

The vehicles identified by Fukui as being the likely recipients of a V6 diesel are the Ridgeline pickup, Pilot SUV and Odyssey minivan, with Acura's MDX also being a candidate for oil-burning power.

The V6 engine is currently under development and will likely debut sometime after Honda introduces their 2.2-liter diesel in 2009.

Another interesting tidbit from Fukui's interview with AN was his comment about the possibility of future Honda vehicles receiving turbocharged mills. He indicated that the introduction of the turbo'd Acura RDX did not mean that only the high-end automaker would benefit from the glories of forced induction. We'd like to see a factory-blown version of the Honda Remix come out by the end of the decade, but we're not going to start saving up yet.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Autoweek has an enlightening article on the development process that took place during the design and testing of the Acura's RDX CUV. Specifically, how the turbocharged 2.3-liter engine, a first for Acura in the U.S., came to fruition.

As the lone American engineer on the team, Gary Evert, explains why the turbocharger is having a renaissance within the halls Honda/Acura, how he battled fervently for a specific kind of power delivery for the cute 'ute and why the aesthetics of a hood scoop had to be shot down before they took flight.

The highlight of the interview has to be when Evert disclosed the late night testing procedures him and his colleagues used to enjoy while prowling the streets of Southern California. The turbocharged mill was stuffed into a grey Accord wagon for drivability evaluations, but the large bulge in the hood proved to be too conspicuous and many a late night drags took place.

An interesting read that's well worth the effort it takes to click "Read."

The next Honda CR-V due out in Japan later this year has been caught testing on the large isle of Australia with its more expensive sibling, the Acura RDX. And guess what, the darn thing’s bigger than the current model – surprise, surprise. Honda has to keep up with the Joneses, who are now driving a 269-hp Toyota RAV-4 with a third row bench. In addition to the increase in size the CR-V appears to slip through the wind with much less effort and its tailgate now hinges on the top instead of the sides.

[Thanks to all for the tip]

According to a Reuters report, Japan's five major automakers are set to post record profits as they prepare to close out their 2005/2006 fiscal year. While the depressed value of the yen has played a role in boosting profits for Japanese companies, there remains a strong link between new product launches and automaker profits, with Nissan posting the weakest Q4 results among Japanese automakers, with no new models in the all-important U.S. market.

The report forecasts continued growth for Toyota, Nissan and Honda for at least two years, with the biggest gains in the U.S. Key products in the Japanese new model pipeline:

• Toyota's new Camry, America's best-selling car has just launched, and its new Tundra pickup is due in early 2007 .
• Honda will launch three new crossovers (the CRV and Acura's RDX and MDX) this year.
• Nissan has fresh versions of the Sentra and Altima sedans, along with the Versa and Infiniti's G35

Expect political pressure on the Japanese government to raise the value of the yen, but don't look for that to have a big impact on sales of their cars Stateside as long as Toyota et al can continue to surf a wave of successful product launches.

[Source: Reuters]

The fine folks over at AcuraRDX.net have somehow procured a little b-roll on.. wait for it... the Acura RDX. Go fig. At any rate, it's largely a series of straight-forward drive-bys with a largely uninvolving soundtrack, but the video is worth a peek because it places the MDX's upcoming kid brother in the context of where it's most likely to be seen-- city streets.

For more about the RDX, check out Autoblog's coverage of its debut at the New York Auto Show here.

[Sources: AcuraRDX.net; Acura]

We saw the RDX concept at the Detroit show a few months ago and here in NY Acura debuted the production version of its BMW X3 fighter. The RDX houses underhood Acura’s first ever turbocharged engine (a 2.3L i-VTEC four-cylinder that generates 240 hp and 260 ft-lbs. of torque) as well as the brand’s trick Super Handling All-Wheel Drive hardware. The RDX can be had with paddle shifters for the 5-speed auto, an Acura/ELS premium sound system capable of playing DVD-Audio discs and a nav system with real time traffic monitoring.

After the jump we’ve got TONS more pics and Acura’s full press release.