As many speculate about the MMC I want to throw out some details on fuel economy and the engine power vs. the competition. All vehicles listed have details based on the 2 wheel drive version.

- 2015 Acura MDX - 19.5 gallon tank - 20/28 MPG - 290 hp and 267 torque
- 2015 Acura RDX - 16.0 gallon tank - 20/28 MPG - 273 hp and 251 torque
- 2015 Lexus NX - 15.9 gallon tank - 22/28 MPG - 235 hp and 258 torque
- 2015 Audi Q5 2.0 - 19.8 gallon tank - 20/28 MPG - 220 hp and 258 torque
- 2015 BMW X3 28i - 17.7 gallon tank - 21/28 MPG - 240 hp and 260 torque
- 2015 Benz GLK - 17.4 gallon tank - 17/25 MPG - 302 hp and 273 torque
- 2015 Lincoln MKC 2.0 - 15.5 gallon tank - 20/29 MPG - 240 hp and 270 torque
- 2015 Jeep Cherokee 3.2 -15.8 gallon tank - 22/31 MPG - 271 hp and 239 torque

There was a Car and Driver article recently about the updated CRV saying it was supposed to be a small refresh but the CRV got a new heart (meaning the new engine). While the current RDX engine is very comparable to the competition I am guessing they are giving strong consideration to adding the MDX / TLX engine to increase fuel efficiency and power.

Since many shoppers will look at the 20/28 fuel efficiency of both the MDX and RDX they may not see the value in the RDX, especially when all the competitors have similar fuel efficiency. If they can add the new engine and increase the mpgs by 1 to 2 it may be worth it (and help Honda with the CAFE standards). In this case it may mean 22/30 mpgs with a boost in hp and torque. While the current 251 torque is only 2.7% weaker than the Lexus and Audi some buyers may think the RDX is underpowered. Maybe with tuning they can tune the engine to be 275-280 hp with 260-265 torque. By tuning it down from the MDX it will differentiate the 2 models while maybe adding even greater fuel efficiency for the RDX (ie. 23/32 mpgs). At the same time I can see them adding a 4 cyclinder option for the RDX using the engine from the updated ILX which I think is around 200 hp and 180 torque (a little better than the CRV).

It would be nice if they increase the fuel tank size as well but that may not be in the cards until the formal redesign. I know I personally prefer less trips to the gas station even if it means putting more fuel in each time. An extra 2 gallons can get many drivers an extra 40-60 miles per fill up and save about 5 trips to the gas station a year (based on avg driving of 15k miles).

 

with a ILX based CUV coming, WHY would Acura do yet another i4 CUV?