How Acura Design is Evolving

The first Acura model to benefit from this new styling theme is the 2019 RDX. Other vehicles in their showroom wear a version of that signature diamond-pentagon grille and strong character lines, but this totally overhauled compact crossover is the first to fully embrace the brand’s new look.

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“I think on this car,” explained Marek, “We’ve done a lot of work to get… the intersecting surfaces to actually have much more section.” He also said the RDX’s body has a three-dimensional look to it, with much deeper surfacing than they would normally do. “And that all comes off that grille and headlights running back through the car.”

This upcoming utility vehicle has an aggressive cohesiveness that previous Acruas have lacked. “We’ve always meant to do that and then [the design] just gets a little careful or something. And you can probably guess, I’m not so careful,” remarked Marek with a smile.

“For a long time is was us and them,” said Marek. “You know, when I was an exterior designer and the interior guys were like, ‘No, we have to do this,’ and I’m like, ‘No, we have to do this!’” One example of this is higher beltlines. Marek was always pushing to raise them, for a sportier look, but the interior folks would resist because they wanted to maximize cabin space and improve driver sightlines.

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Remedying this problem, Marek said various vehicle-development teams now work together from the beginning, all striving toward a common goal. The 2019 RDX should benefit from this new collaboration. It’s handsome and dynamic without completely assaulting the senses. “I didn’t want to go too far because if you go too far then it’s just, ‘Oh, well that’s a mess,’” said Marek. Apparently, a little restraint can go a long way.

And it’s not just exterior design. Acura is lavishing extra attention on its vehicle cabins as well, something the RDX is benefiting from handsomely.

“It’s real materials, it’s finish, it’s stitching, it’s all that stuff,” said Marek, commenting on a few of this crossover’s interior highlights. “But I think that the layout and the feeling of it is much more premium… than we’ve done before.”

With genuine wood, leather and metal furnishings this reborn crossover should coddle passengers like never before. But according to Marek, delivering all of this is no easy task. “It’s crazy,” he said. In comparison, “The exterior’s easy, you draw a picture and go, ‘Hey, make that.’” Interiors are a different animal altogether.

To cope with the challenge, there are different teams for different parts of the cabin. Some people focus on the instrument panel, others the seats, somebody does the steering wheel. “Each one is its own design project,” said Marek, because interiors are “super intensive.”