Honda showed off the first product on its new global truck platform at the New York auto show, the Acura RDX sport-cute, and it can't come soon enough for the struggling upscale brand in Canada.
First-quarter results for Acura were down 11.2 percent across the country, fuelled by a 15.4 percent sales drop in March, bringing market share down to 1.1 percent from 1.3 in 2005. If those results weren't bad enough, they come at a time of significant (18 percent) sales growth for Honda's arch rivals at Toyota's upscale Lexus division.
It's no wonder then that Honda Canada's executive vice-president, Jim Miller, is talking up the RDX that will go on sale later this year.
In time, by the way, the same platform that contains RDX will house future versions of the Honda CRV sport-cute, the Acura MDX mid-size SUV, the Honda Pilot mid-size SUV, and the Honda Ridgeline pickup truck.
A key feature of this platform was a significant talking point for the RDX, since it's not just an all-wheel-drive system it's the "break-through Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system," or SH-AWD, both of which names Honda deems worthy of trademarking.
Miller says the all-wheel-drive system and Acura's first turbocharged engine (a high-revving 2.3-litre inline-four) "is designed to keep Acura ahead with handling, performance and technology."
RDX is an "exciting addition to Acura's growing product line of luxury vehicles," Miller claims (this will give the brand six models), since it "will provide Canadians with good fuel economy, cargo flexibility and dynamic performance."
Young professionals "who work hard and play hard" should find RDX particularly appealing, says Miller. "The target buyer is an urban dweller with an active and engaging lifestyle who demands agile driving dynamics."
Miller says this customer wants a stylish vehicle that offers a greater seating height for improved visibility, and more cargo flexibility than a sedan, "but with the style, handling and performance of a luxury sports sedan that wraps them in a cocoon of interior luxury. Thus, the transformable utility of the RDX, along with its engaging performance and handling, is a perfect fit."
As Acura's new low-price SUV (replacing the MDX), the RDX was the "focal point of the development of a special powertrain that would effectively blend four-cylinder efficiency with six-cylinder power."
Turbocharging is the traditional answer to that challenge, and that's where Honda went, with a 2.3-litre DOHC, 16-valve inline-four with all kinds of clever technology created to vary the valve timing and the timing and the turbo flow. Honda promises that the engine in the RDX will "strong power and torque, good fuel economy and low emissions."
The max power numbers suggest that there will indeed be lots of juice in this engine, since it's set to put out 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. The only thing that gives pause is that the engine has to be doing 6,000 rpm to get to the ultimate horsepower rating, and 4,500 rpm to crank out all its torque. That will require an aggressive driving style and that will create an inordinate amount of engine noise.
First-quarter results for Acura were down 11.2 percent across the country, fuelled by a 15.4 percent sales drop in March, bringing market share down to 1.1 percent from 1.3 in 2005. If those results weren't bad enough, they come at a time of significant (18 percent) sales growth for Honda's arch rivals at Toyota's upscale Lexus division.
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| (Photo: Acura) |
In time, by the way, the same platform that contains RDX will house future versions of the Honda CRV sport-cute, the Acura MDX mid-size SUV, the Honda Pilot mid-size SUV, and the Honda Ridgeline pickup truck.
A key feature of this platform was a significant talking point for the RDX, since it's not just an all-wheel-drive system it's the "break-through Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system," or SH-AWD, both of which names Honda deems worthy of trademarking.
Miller says the all-wheel-drive system and Acura's first turbocharged engine (a high-revving 2.3-litre inline-four) "is designed to keep Acura ahead with handling, performance and technology."
 |
| (Photo: Acura) |
Young professionals "who work hard and play hard" should find RDX particularly appealing, says Miller. "The target buyer is an urban dweller with an active and engaging lifestyle who demands agile driving dynamics."
Miller says this customer wants a stylish vehicle that offers a greater seating height for improved visibility, and more cargo flexibility than a sedan, "but with the style, handling and performance of a luxury sports sedan that wraps them in a cocoon of interior luxury. Thus, the transformable utility of the RDX, along with its engaging performance and handling, is a perfect fit."
As Acura's new low-price SUV (replacing the MDX), the RDX was the "focal point of the development of a special powertrain that would effectively blend four-cylinder efficiency with six-cylinder power."
 |
| (Photo: Acura) |
The max power numbers suggest that there will indeed be lots of juice in this engine, since it's set to put out 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. The only thing that gives pause is that the engine has to be doing 6,000 rpm to get to the ultimate horsepower rating, and 4,500 rpm to crank out all its torque. That will require an aggressive driving style and that will create an inordinate amount of engine noise.