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2028 Acura RDX Sparks Backlash Among Acura Fans.

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There has been many negative reactions to the 2028 Acura RDX images I have posted earlier. I don’t see the design as being that bad, but from the comments I’ve gotten here and on Instagram, it seems many Acura fans and owners are actually pissed off. So here are a few more…

The second image is the first official teaser Acura show a few months ago. Right after canceling the Acura RSX EV at the  last minute (bottom image). I did like the look of the RSX and it seemed it would have been smaller and probably much cheaper than the overpriced ZDX EV. Too bad.

It seems the front end on the dead RSX and upcoming RDX Hybrid look pretty similar. I guess there will still be a little bit of the RSX in the RDX design. To me, the 2028 RDX looks much more modern and cleaner than the current version. Which is now almost 9 years old. The “current” Acura RDX actually stopped being produced a couple of months ago. However, there are probably still plenty of them at dealer lots to last until the new one comes out…

The main complain people seem to have about the new design is that it seems very generic. Which I guess is true. But that we could say that of most cars these days. That new Acura face could also be a Buick. Or almost anything from a number of other brands.

The next-generation RDX is rumored to share its platform with the Honda Hybrid Sedan prototype. Which is most likely a preview of the all-new next-generation Honda Civic. This will obviously help Honda save costs at a time when the company really needs to save some cash after spending billions on EVs they won’t even produce.

Honda already mentioned earlier that the new Hybrid system would use an updated 2.0 Liter engine with a new cooling system. With a more compact direct-drive motor and generator motor. The new drive unit will also not use any rare-earth materials. There is also a new battery that will be shared between the new Civic Hybrid and larger mid-sized models, like the next Accord and the new Acura RDX.

Honda also claims a 10% MPG improvement compared to the current Civic Hybrid and Accord Hybrid. Which is not that much of an improvement on the Civic and Accord. But it could completely transform the RDX. The current model is not exactly known for its inspiring fuel economy. Averaging around 18 MPG in the city and about 25 MPG on the highway in real world driving. A modern hybrid setup could improve those numbers significantly and make the RDX much more competitive.

Still, a regular hybrid SUV does not sound especially ambitious. There are no plans for a PHEV or EREV model, and obviously, no new EVs for the U.S. That will put Honda and Acura behind the competition, very quickly. 

It seems Honda is fully to traditional hybrids and hoping consumers taste remain exactly where they are today, for many years to come. While the completion is moving forward at a rapid pace. 

This isn’t great news for Honda’s future…

Conversation 8 comments

  1. I’m convinced people are stuck in the past. They say the same thing about most models. For example, the new es350 looks 1,000 times newer than the old gen. But the comments are all negative. I love the rear but the front looks still a little bit dated. The design looks better than the Camry either way. I have thought the Camry is aging horribly for a model that’s only been out since 2025 MY and believe the older current accord from 2023 MY still looks newer than the current Camry. In addition, the current RDX looked dated when it came out.

  2. It’s incredible how many times Acura screw up their design language. Back in the day when I was about to buy a sedan, they invented a metal shield (known as the beak). It kept me from their dealership for over a decade. The more recent sedans are better, that just means better than the “beak”.

  3. I think the problem I have with the ES350 in the front is that the headlights are fine/modern but it has all that fake black plastic crap making it look unfinished. (Like you said with the Kona). If the es350 got a facelift that got rid of that and streamlined the grille, (and maybe even enlarge it), it’d be perfect. It still looks way better and much more modern than the last gen, which I didn’t like the design of at all. The current Kona I think looks significantly older and worse than this.

  4. As a current owner of a 2019 owner I am deeply disappointed with the new design direction. The front end looks like a bad copy of a Toyota of which I have never been a fan. The bad end looks very weak with poorly integrated lighting and side profile is boring with a silver trim that looks decades old.

  5. its funny that Acura decided to take the ugliest part of the RSX concept and graft that onto the RDX, but not use the better side and rear design.

  7. Next time you’re on a highway the cars are so generic and ugly there’s no difference between a Maserati a BMW or Mercedes. Everyone has bought inn to the SUV look and doing so lost their identity.

  8. 10% on a Civic hybrid is maybe +4mpg. That’s really good. Gaining 10% on an already efficient Civic hybrid is not easy. Obviously an RDX with 20mpg, suddenly becoming a hybrid with maybe 32mpg is a huge jump (a lighter CRV gets almost 37 mpg with more eco focused tires).

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