The current Acura RDX has been on sale since 2018, and its replacement is still a couple years away.
By and large, small crossovers are the bread and butter of any automaker’s lineup, and that’s no exception with Acura. The RDX has been a staple of the range since it first emerged in 2006, and the company has been fairly careful not to mess with it too much since the current model went on sale more than seven years ago. As part of its annual business update, however, Honda representatives confirmed the next-generation RDX is on the horizon, and it will use the increasingly common two-motor hybrid system.
While Honda introducing more hybrids into its brand portfolio isn’t surprising on its face, Acura’s decision to make the next RDX a hybrid is significant for a couple reasons. This will be the first hybrid the brand has offered since dropping the MDX Hybrid after the 2020 model year. It also marks a further step toward electrification as Honda, like many other companies, boosts its hybrid output while still moving forward on bringing some full EVs to the market.
We don’t know yet what sort of power output or efficiency an RDX Hybrid will have just yet. Honda just said that it’s coming, though gleaning other models suggests the same two-motor hybrid setup as the CR-V Hybrid, which puts out a combined 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque.
From the single teaser image we’ve gotten so far (shown above), it looks like the RDX may be a slightly larger model than the one that Acura plans to discontinue this year. It definitely has a more squared-off rear end, with a prominent spoiler and wide rear fenders. Up front, the new RDX Hybrid looks like an evolution on the current generation, though with slim daytime running lights that look similar to the all-electric RSX.
What’s happening when the RDX goes out of production, if the replacement is still years away?
Speaking of the RSX, you may reasonably wonder whether Acura is shooting itself in the foot by not having a small crossover in the lineup for a year or two. That’s what I thought, at least, but a Honda spokesperson said that suppliers are “no longer in a position to continue supplying key parts for the current RDX”.
In the interim, Acura’s plan is to effectively use the RSX crossover to (at least partially) fill the void. The company did not directly announce when the new RDX Hybrid is coming, but it sounded like we should expect a launch in calendar year 2027…not anytime soon, at least.
Acura’s RSX is still on track to launch this year, as the first model on Honda’s all-new EV platform that will also underpin the 0 Series SUV and Saloon. It will also bring in Honda’s latest ASIMO OS, so we could see that software suite and a bit of RSX styling influence the new RDX Hybrid. Even if you aren’t keen to buy a fully electric SUV, Acura clearly wants some brand synergy between the EV and the brand’s hybrid SUVs.
Outside these two models, Acura is also planning some more updates for the larger MDX SUV, as well as the Integra Type S. So, we’ll still have some more news to talk about as the brand keeps plugging along through 2026 and 2027.
