Acura's RDX compact luxury crossover is going mainstream. We called the 2007 RDX "the Evo of crossovers," but the prototype version of the 2013 Acura RDX debuting at the 2012 Detroit auto show exchanges its turbocharged four-cylinder engine and so-called super-handling all-wheel drive for a more powerful V-6 and a lighter all-wheel-drive system.
Set to launch in spring 2012, the 2013 RDX is powered by a 273-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 mated to a six-speed automatic. The outgoing RDX used a five-speed automatic and a turbocharged 2.3-liter I-4 with 240 horsepower. What the first-generation RDX lacked was the 2013 Acura's 20/28 mpg city/highway estimated fuel economy. If the 2013 RDX actually gets those numbers, that will put it above front-drive-based luxury crossovers like the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60.
Perhaps more important to those who drove the RDX when it originally arrived in the 2007 model year, the 2013 Acura RDX is said to have an improved - and quieter - interior. Larger door openings should make ingress/egress easier, while a power rear tailgate is a feature that will help Acura dealers further distinguish the RDX from loaded versions of the new Honda CR-V.
2013 Acura RDX integrates the latest version of the luxury brand's power plenum grille along with side windows that mimic those on the larger MDX crossover. Since the MDX has always been a decent-looking crossover, we see no problem with the RDX's mini-MDX appearance.
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