These days, buyers seem to care just as much about sport as they do utility when shopping for a new crossover, or at least that's what automakers like Acura are thinking lately. With BMW's new X6 -- a crossover decidedly in the sport column -- selling out its first year of production, it looks as though Acura is going to follow BMW's lead with a new crossover that likely will slot between the RDX and MDX in its lineup. Our spy shooters caught up with a prototype of Acura's latest project in Germany, most likely on its way for some chassis and suspension tuning at the Nurburgring.
The new Acura crossover, which also takes aim at Infiniti's new FX35 and FX50, reportedly will be designed more for cruising L.A.'s Sunset Boulevard than tackling rugged terrain or hauling a week's worth of camping gear. The bulky, squared-off camouflage this test mule wears is probably covering much more stylish lines than might otherwise be suggested. Plan on a steeply raked rear roofline, some angular styling cues (seen here in the taillights and exhaust tips), and Acura's trademark "shield" grille up front. Judging by the reaction to the new TL's mug, that may not be the best idea.
The spy shooters also nabbed an interior view of the vehicle, which looks to be in line with the latest Acura efforts. Powertrain options would probably include a version of the 3.7L V-6 powering the TL and MDX, with Honda's SH-AWD also probably part of the package.
If one needs more proof that Acura is targeting the chic, sport-crossover market, we're told a BMW X6 is along for the ride on this development run, presumably providing the benchmark for Acura's R&D team.
Should Acura's new crossover be at the 'Ring testing stage, we suspect the production version can't be far away. Should that be the case, Acura likely has enough invested in its new model that it will choose to release it even considering a struggling economy and unfavorable market conditions.