2005 Acura RD-X Concept

This means you can go much faster than you should around corners on those twisty roads up to the cottage or slopes, but

Super Handling AWD will help keep the RD-X on its feet, especially important for SUVs if called upon to make emergency maneuvers. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

please don't. Oh, yeah, it also helps keep the car under control and all four wheels solidly planted in any sort of weather. Making the list of "Best of What's New for 2004" by Popular Science Magazine, as it was applied in the RL, Super Handling AWD will help keep the RD-X on its feet, especially important for SUVs if called upon to make emergency maneuvers.

Anyhow, the other mystery Acura poses us with is the engine question. Tom Elliott, executive vice president of American Honda, promises over 200-horsepower, which means it will most likely get the same 2.4L, 4-cylinder plant as is found in the TSX. This engine produces 200-hp and 166 lb-ft of torque, so expect a few more horses and substantially greater torque in this application; it is an SUV after all.

On the other hand, those cagey folks at Honda may be holding back. Consider that the RD-X will be produced at Honda's Marysville, Ohio, plant, the same site where Acura assembles the TL, which features a 3.2L V6 kicking out 270

The RD-X Concept looks kinda' like a TL crossed with an MDX. Go figure?. (Photo: Acura Canada)

hp with 239 lb-ft of torque. That definitely qualifies as "more than 200 hp," and would kick some serious compact SUV butt. But we shouldn't get our hopes up, as this is strictly a glass-is-half-full scenario, and I can't really imagine Honda playing possum when the opportunity presents itself to get people really excited about a new product.

Now that we've spent enough time vacillating over things we know little about, let's discuss a few items we have some knowledge of. What does it look like? Well, it looks kinda' like a TL crossed with an MDX. Go figure?