Instead of launching an all-new RDX, the premium Acura brand tried to impress America with the third-generation's second refresh, which was launched in early August with some subtle tweaks on the outside and various upgrades in the cabin.
So, the 2025 Acura RDX is officially here, but it faces stiff competition across the US automotive market - and it might have to put up the fight of a lifetime against the compact luxury crossover SUV pack. In production since 2006 at the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio, then moved to East Liberty Auto Plant in 2012 and remained there even in 2018 when the current iteration started assembly, the Acura RDX acts as the premium counterpart to the Honda CR-V best-seller.
It rocks a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine and FWD or the company's signature SH-AWD all-wheel drive system, so there's no denying that it's an appealing product – hence, deliveries have increased significantly this year. Alas, the competition isn't dormant - Audi Q5, BMW X3, Cadillac XT5, Infiniti QX50, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and the Lexus NX or Volvo XC60 all represent viable alternatives. As such, maybe Acura needs something more than just the RDX with the 2.0-liter four-pot.
Think about it for a second – the Honda CR-V counterpart is offered with both gasoline and hybrid powertrains, so it would be easy to imagine that Acura might follow its lead and bring to life an electrified RDX alongside the 272-hp 2.0-liter VTEC Turbo mill. The powertrain is already readily available from Honda's CR-V; they would just need to tweak it a little for additional comfiness and a bit more power, as the CR-V Hybrid only has 204 combined horsepower.
Something along the lines of 250 ponies for the Acura RDX Hybrid could do wonders, right? Well, it seems the parallel universes of vehicular CGI agree, so the imaginative guild of digital car content creators has proceeded to create it as its latest design project. More precisely, the good folks over at the Q Cars channel on YouTube aim to daze and amaze the audience with a potential styling of their vision for the Acura RDX hybrid version. It doesn't change much from the standard model, though, according to the channel's resident pixel master – a different set of LED DRLs and a neat new grille pattern, plus a cool set of slim LED taillights along with a new bumper diffuser and we're all set.
Alas, this is all happening in the realm of fantasy land, so don't take it too seriously. Thus, take all of these renderings with a healthy dose of salt, as nothing has been official from Honda or Acura on the subject just yet. In fact, Honda might want to postpone an Acura RDX hybrid as much as possible – they've already invested heavily into the quirky 2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV, a plug-in hybrid that also has a fuel cell powertrain.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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