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Walk Around

The Acura RDX is about one inch longer in wheelbase than the Honda CR-V, the company's non-luxury small sport-utility vehicle, and two inches longer overall. The appearance of the two cars is similar enough that you'd never look at them and say that one should cost $10,000 more than the other; in fact, some might think the Honda is better looking. The sculpting on the sides of the RDX appears gratuitous, not dynamic, and less traditional than that on the CR-V, which seems to have some reason, at least.

The nose of the RDX is its most distinctive feature. The grille is a wide shallow vee, the Acura theme, but under that is a black air intake with opposing angles, riding on top of the bumper. It's the highest undisguised air intake we can think of. And under the bumper is another air opening. The intercooled turbo under the hood needs a lot of air.

Behind the C pillar there's a small window that you can't really discern because the C pillar is black and the window is tinted so darkly. From the inside, it affords good visibility, no blind spots when looking over your shoulder.

The rear end of the RDX resembles a Subaru Tribeca, an observation which, based on most opinions of the Tribeca's Edsel-like tail, is something shy of a compliment. Between the taillights, the sheetmetal on the liftgate is molded into the shape of the vector, again suggesting the Acura symbol or theme. This sculpting surrounds the large license plate indent, so the suggestion is quite subtle. You might have to look a long time, like we did, to see it.