Acura Confirms Sub-RDX SUV Arriving This Year
Don't worry, it (probably) won't look like this.
Acura will double the number of its SUVs this year. Alongside the upcoming all-electric ZDX, the Japanese luxury brand will bookend the lineup with a new entry-level model, Acura confirmed this week.
As part of a joint announcement with parent company Honda—which included the confirmation of the 2025 Civic Hybrid—Acura announced an as-yet-unnamed crossover "positioned at the gateway of the lineup alongside the Integra." This suggests something smaller than the current RDX, which means Acura will be getting into the hotly contested sub-compact SUV segment.
With practically zero details, it's anybody's guess what shape this high-riding entry model will take. For us, it seems likely the something-DX would pair with the Honda HR-V, which is the basis for the questionable shop-job you see up top (sorry). The HR-V is quite large for its class, so there'd be good space. Acura would likely want to swap out the buzzy and underwhelming 2.0-liter engine however. Our guess? The Integra's 1.5-liter turbo-four would be a good place to start. Maybe the upcoming Civic Hybrid's setup, or the CR-V's for added oomph? Acura is light on hybrids right now, and that'd be a good angle in a segment that is too, outside of the aging Lexus UX.
Whatever it is, we won't have too long to wait: Acura says this new baby SUV will debut this year.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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Ummmm Kyle….
Unless there is a secret ACURA hybrid auto somewhere on the lot; ACURA isn’t ’light on Hybrids…’, (In the US) They don’t make one! Was this not researched a little? Unless you were referring to the IMSA racing circuit. But, probably not.
This is good news. Both the RDX and MDX are rather large for their classifications and could arguably be considered mid-sized and large SUVs respectively. I considered a CRV but punted due to reports of sticky steering problems and a lack of convincing evidence that the "earth dreams" 1.5 liter engine problems have been fixed. Hopefully Honda will use this new compact/subcompact Acura to regain its reputation for quality and reliability.