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Acura 2019 RDX Prototype | New era for a popular crossover

Acura took the wraps off its sleek new RDX Prototype today at the Detroit Auto Show, displaying a completely redesigned, re-engineered crossover that heralds a new era for design and technology for the automaker. Acura says it's a pretty close representation of the production version due out midyear as a 2019 model, save for the highly stylized side mirrors and wheels. The Prototype serves as the third generation of the RDX, and Acura says it's the first full embodiment of the new exterior and interior design language first introduced on the Precision Concept, shown in Detroit in 2016, and the Precision Cockpit, a concept interior it unveiled in Los Angeles in 2016. So in addition to the Precision's diamond pentagon grille, which has already made it to the TLX, the crossover adopts the Precision sedan's low, wide stance and sculpted body panels. Compared to the outgoing RDX, the new version adds 1.2 inches of width and 2.5 inches to the wheelbase, with a shortened front overhang and wheels pushed to the corners. Headlamps and exterior lights are all LED. The RDX Prototype debuts the all-new Acura True Touchpad interface, which combines a touchscreen and remote interface in one Android-based operating system. There's a 10.2-inch full-HD display atop the center console that's operated via a remote tracking pad mapped to the center display, plus an interactive heads-up display. (Here's a good video explainer for how it works.) It also has a new and improved natural-language voice-recognition system. View 12 Photos Inside, there's more space, rear legroom and cargo space. A floating center console is inspired by the Precision Cockpit, plus high-grade materials including nappa leather, brushed aluminum and Olive Ash wood. It'll also be the first Acura SUV offered with the brand's sporty A-Spec trim, which will eventually be part of all core Acura models developed moving forward. And all RDX models will come equipped with a new ultra-wide panoramic sliding moonroof, the largest in its class. Acura is building the new RDX on an Acura-only platform that gives it a lighter and stiffened body, new chassis and all-new powertrain that it says will be its quickest and best-handling RDX to date.

2019 Acura RDX First Drive Review | Boringness banished

WHISTLER, B.C. — Things have come full circle for the Acura RDX. The compact crossover launched in 2007 with an all-new turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an all-wheel-drive system that was sophisticated enough for the brand to affix the Super Handling designation to it. It was a fun, sporty vehicle in a sea of boring competitors, and we liked it enough to write a eulogy of sorts when the second-generation RDX ditched the fun turbo engine in favor of a V6, and dumbed down its optional all-wheel system so much that they dropped the Super Handling name. Acura's mainstreaming of the RDX for its second generation turned out to be a smart play. Sales jumped 94 percent in 2012, the first year that the redesigned RDX went on sale, leapt another 50 percent the following year, and have stayed over the 50,000 mark for the past three years. It may sound surprising, then, that Acura is flipping the playbook back a few pages by swapping its V6 engine back to a turbo four and reinstalling Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. We think it's a smart move. The 2019 RDX is both sportier and more upscale than the model it replaces. It does more than just check boxes. It's interesting, boasts some cool technology, and offers a strong value proposition. The 2019 RDX's all-new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivers 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. That's down a negligible seven ponies from the old 3.5-liter V6, but up 28 lb-ft, and it's tuned to provide the bulk of that torque in the heart of its powerband — peak torque plateaus between 1,600 and 4,500 rpm. An equally all-new 10-speed automatic transmission sends that power to either the front wheels, or, as was the case with the vehicles we tested, all four wheels. Jumping into a 2019 RDX for the first time, our main powertrain concern was that the 10-speed automatic would generate a ton of unnecessary, and distracting, shifts. This proved to be an unfounded fear. The gearbox does shift quite often under hard acceleration, but does so quickly and without any undue jerkiness. The sheer number of gearing options — the old six-speed auto had a 68 percent narrower spread of ratios — and the torque-rich engine combined to provide excellent straight-line acceleration in any real-world driving scenario we could conjure. The rest of the time we didn't really think about the transmission at all. We did, however, lament the push-button transmission interface.

Acura slaps $20,000 discount on 2019 NSX in an effort to sell more supercars

The new Acura NSX has struggled to move off dealer lots as of late, and Acura isn't being coy about adding incentives to its supercar. Motor Trend spotted an under-the-radar $20,000 discount, which is a substantial price slash on a car that starts at $159,300. This incentive isn't actually listed or advertised anywhere on Acura's website, but Motor Trend's Intellichoice affiliate (ownership cost and value analysis site) managed to uncover the discount. If you bought a completely base NSX, the price could be as low as $139,300 now. That's before you do any other negotiations with your dealer to lower the price further. The discount only applies to 2019 model year cars, which is actually a great thing. Acura made a bunch of small, important changes to the refreshed NSX for 2019 you can read about here. It's a better car than before, and now it's significantly cheaper than last year's model, as well. That makes the supercar a veritable steal. Acura has reportedly had this discount in effect since mid-March, and sales throughout this year have been improved versus last year — 72 NSXs had moved off lots at this time in 2018, whereas 102 have found new owners this year. That may not seem like a whole lot, but even a small uptick in supercar sales is meaningful when you're selling in such low quantities. The 2018 calendar year was the worst year in new NSX sales to date, with only 170 in total finding new homes. In 2017 Acura moved a grand total of 581 NSXs, the car's best year. If you want to actually take advantage of the discount (we envy you) then know it's scheduled to last through March 31, 2020. That's a long time to decide if you want the Japanese supercar. A 992 911 Carrera 4S ($121,660) with a few pricey options will easily be bumping into a base NSX, so your expensive sports car decision just got a little tougher. Related Video: