After Honda announced that the 2019 Insight is in production in Greensburg, Indiana, the peeps at Acura follow suit with the all-new RDX in East Liberty, Ohio. The 10-speed automatic gearbox that comes as standard regardless of trim level is made further south in Georgia at the automaker’s Tallapoosa transmission plant.
Regarding the 2.0-liter VTEC Turbo, the direct-injected four-cylinder motor is manufactured in Anna, Ohio. Rated at 272 horsepower (276 PS) and 280 pound-feet (380 Nm) of torque, the engine can be matched to the available Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive system. It’s this piece of equipment, along with the “exclusive platform” that led Acura to characterize the Gen 3 as the best-handling RDX yet.
"This new RDX defines the future of Acura, and our Ohio team did an incredible job preparing this first in a new generation of Acura vehicles for our customers," declared Jim Hefner, plant manager at the East Liberty. Pricing isn’t available, but the wait won’t be long now that we know the RDX will arrive at dealers in June.
A “clean-sheet, top-to-bottom redesign” of the popular five-passenger crossover, the newcomer should be that bit more expensive than the 2018 model year ($36,000) with the 279-horsepower 3.5-liter SOHC i-VTEC V6 motor. At the other end of the spectrum, the 2018 Acura RDX tops at $44,200 for the Advance AWD.
Designed in Los Angeles, California and developed by the automaker’s North America team in Raymond, Ohio, the 2019 Acura RDX will spawn an A-Spec variant aimed at the more handling-centric customer. The A-Spec also happens to look the part thanks to gloss-black exterior detailing, 20-inch Shark Gray alloy wheels, red-and-black interior, larger tailpipe finishers, and sporty gauge cluster.
The RDX is one of the five models manufactured in Ohio, alongside the ILX and TLX sedans plus the MDX sport utility vehicle and NSX supercar. Regarding the NSX, some people claim the Type R and Roadster are just around the corner although Acura refused to confirm both models.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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