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Comparison test: 2019 Acura RDX vs. compact luxury SUV competitors

Truth be told, if we were to compare the all-new 2019 Acura RDX with those compact luxury crossover SUVs it would most likely be cross-shopped against, you'd be looking at a different list. Even Acura admits that Lexus and Infiniti are the most likely bogies, but with the 2019 RDX, Honda's luxury brand is attempting to attract those customers who think as much with their hearts as with their heads. And for the most part, those folks have been buying from German brands: the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. So, to show how the new RDX compares to them, Acura actually provided examples of each during the recent press drive along with a Volvo XC60. All were determined to have greater emotional appeal than the last RDX, and we would certainly agree. For, as much as the previous-generation RDX made sense on paper, it was really hard to get excited about it. And when you're paying extra for a luxury vehicle, shouldn't you get a little excited? Well, as luck would have it, Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and I were on hand in Whistler, British Columbia, for the press launch. We didn't have an abundance of time in each RDX competitor, but in conjunction with our usual comparison chart, our impressions should provide a good first taste of how the new RDX compares. Performance and fuel economy Contributing Editor James Riswick: On paper at least, the RDX is gutsier than its comparably powered European rivals. It also weighs the same or less, which logically should mean it'll be the quickest in a straight line. During my brief drives, though, I'm not sure it really stood taller than the three Germans. It at least matches them for smoothness, which is something that can't be said about the Volvo. Fuel economy is lower than them all when you consider all but the Mercedes come standard with all-wheel drive. It's also worth noting that all the competitors are available with engine upgrades, and unless Acura's forthcoming resurrection of Type S models includes the RDX, it should stay that way. Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: Line 'em all up in a drag race, and I have a feeling the Acura would squirt away to victory. A good bit of that, though, would be due to its 10-speed automatic transmission, which offers a huge spread of ratios and fires off extremely quick shifts. In the real world, I'd guess fuel economy will be similar across the board, so I'm willing to call that category a draw.

Last Volvo XC90 rolls off assembly line in Gothenburg

It was back in 1998 when Volvo set about developing its first SUV. The brief was to build a seven-seater that wasn't "too large", and several design proposals were considered. Three and a half years later Volvo revealed the XC90 at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show and the rest, as they say, is history.
Volvo initially had an eye towards selling 50,000 units per year. It achieved that and then some, selling around 85,000 examples per year between 2004 and 2007. Now, after 12 years and 636,143 examples made - still over that initial target on average despite its lingering age that see it selling just 11,000 units these past few years - the last Volvo XC90 rolled off the assembly line in Gothenburg.
That final example is heading straight to the Volvo Museum adjacent to the factory. But it won't, strictly speaking, be the last XC90. It is the last of that model to be built in Sweden, but a new model is on its way. And the current model will continue to be built in Daqing, China, to be sold locally as the Volvo XC Classic. So if you want to get your hands on a seven-seat Volvo crossover, you'll have to move there. Otherwise you can wait until the end of January 2015 for the new model to begin production.

Volvo recalls 460,000 cars worldwide for potentially deadly airbags

Volvo and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have released an expanded recall for just shy of 260,000 of its S60 and S80 sedans. Including those 260,000 cars in the U.S., the recall worldwide numbers about 460,000. The recall affects 2001-2009 S60s and 2001-2006 S80s, which have airbag inflators that could have degraded and could blast shrapnel into occupants. If that sounds familiar, it's because the monumental Takata airbag recall was for the same basic reason. But these Volvo devices aren't Takata airbags. Instead, these airbags were manufactured by ZF, the company that builds all varieties of automotive components but is probably best-known among car enthusiasts for their transmissions. The inflators use a material that, when exposed to high levels of moisture, can start to break down and form dust-like particles. These can ignite rapidly, more so than the component was designed for, which can cause the component to break and release metal shrapnel. According to the Associated Press, this material is different than the ammonium nitrate used by Takata. According to the NHTSA documentation, there has been one incident reported concerning the airbags, in which a person died. Volvo will replace all affected airbags at no charge to the customer. The replacement airbag apparently uses a different type of propellant, so it likely won't need to be replaced again. Dealers have already been informed, and owner notices will be going out at the end of November. If you have an affected Volvo, you can call 1-800-458-1552, and the recall number for Volvo is R10125. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.