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The third-generation Acura RDX just made its global debut at the Detroit auto show. Roof to rockers, this luxury crossover has been completely overhauled for model year 2019.
Driving this point home, it even rides atop a brand-new, Acura-exclusive architecture, a platform that’s dramatically stiffer yet lighter than the one underpinning today’s model. Making this weight-loss even more impressive, the 2019 RDX has a 1.2-inch (3.0 centimeter) wider track and a wheelbase that’s been stretched by 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters).
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Behind the Acura brand’s signature diamond pentagon grille resides a new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Output figures have not been released, but it supposedly has 40 percent more low-end torque than the 2018 model’s 3.5-liter V6. For reference, that unit can muster a maximum of 252 foot-pounds at 4,900 rpm; horsepower peaks at 279, which is delivered at a heady 6,200 rpm.
A 10-speed automatic transmission will be standard in every RDX. Acura’s torque-vectoring Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive system returns, complete with a newly designed rear differential that can handle 40 percent more torque than before. Adaptive suspension dampers are also on the menu.
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Being a clean-sheet redesign, the 2019 RDX is the first Acura to fully embrace its new design theme, which debuted on the Precision Concept car several years ago. Offering customers even more sportiness and style, this will also be the brand’s first crossover offered in A-Spec trim.
But proving it’s more than just a pretty face, the RDX’s interior is expected to offer class-leading rear-seat legroom and cargo space, with accommodations for up to five people.
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This luxury crossover’s interior is all new, featuring real wood and metal trim, rich-feeling leather and a swooping design. Letting the sunshine in, all models come with a standard panoramic sliding moonroof, one that should be the segment’s largest.
SEE ALSO: 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid Review
A brand-new Android-based infotainment system is also included, which is splashed across a 10.2-inch full-HD screen floating atop the dashboard. It’s controlled by the Acura True Touchpad Interface, a laptop-like click-pad on the center console. Making it more intuitive than rival systems, it’s been mapped for one-to-one precision, supposedly the first application of this sort of absolute positioning in the automotive space. What all this means is if you click on the upper-right corner of the touchpad it corresponds to the upper-right corner on the display screen, no scrolling or extra swiping required.
The all-new 2019 Acura RDX will launch around the middle of this year. Engine output figures, fuel-economy estimates and pricing will be released closer to its on-sale date, so stay tuned.
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