Porsche's Coupe-ified Cayenne Shows Itself In Prototype Form

The Cayenne is ready to take on the SUV-coupe market.

It seems like no matter how many new models an automaker releases, there always seems to be more room for SUVs. BMW started the trend of SUV-coupes with the X6: an uglier, less practical version of the X5. The X6 has become better looking over time, and has spawned countless competitors from Mercedes, Audi, and now Porsche. Rumors indicated that Porsche would build several new models, including a Cayenne-based SUV-coupe. The rumors were clearly true, because we've just spotted this new SUV out testing.

Like most SUV-coupes, the Cayenne will likely receive a chopped roofline resembling a two-door coupe, without sacrificing all of the practicality that an SUV offers. The rear hatch and rear headroom will likely be compromised, as it is on competitors like the BMW X6, Mercedes GLE Coupe, and Audi Q8. Based on the appearance of the test mule, the Cayenne Coupe will resemble a cross between the standard Cayenne, the smaller Macan, and the Panamera Sport Turismo. This could change on the production car, but we like what we see so far. At the back, a retractable spoiler will increase aerodynamics at high speeds.

We can't confirm whether the Cayenne Coupe will have seating for four or five passengers. This prototype was a four-seater, but a middle seat may be offered on the production version. We expect the Cayenne Coupe to share engines and an interior with the standard car. These SUV-coupes have been hit and miss in terms of styling, so we hope Porsche can get it right. Expect to see the production car in late 2019 as a 2020 model.

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Acura RDX Prototype Teases Most Extensive Redesign In Years

Its design inspiration: the stunning Precision Concept.

Set to make its debut next month at the Detroit Auto Show, the Acura RDX Prototype is just that, a very clear preview of the upcoming redesigned crossover that’s vital to the automaker’s bottom line. To say the current RDX is a bit bland inside and out would be an understatement, but Acura assures us this will be a thing of the past. Only a single teaser image of the prototype has been released, but Acura says the RDX is about to get its most extensive redesign in a decade.

The third-generation crossover SUV will feature styling inspired by the Precision Concept and Precision Cockpit. Furthermore, the third-generation RDX will be built on an all-new, Acura-exclusive platform. Good to hear it won’t be just a fancier and more expensive Honda Pilot. Acura adds the new RDX’s exterior styling adapts the low, wide and sleek presence of the Precision Concept (also pictured here), only applied to an SUV. There’s a strong character line that runs along the entire profile as well. The interior has a new user interface operating system designed from a clean sheet. No word yet as to what will be under the hood, but we do expect a hybrid version to be on offer.

Acura can’t afford to make any mistakes with its new RDX because its predecessors have been among the best-sellers in the premium SUV segment. Considering the rapidly growing popularity of SUVs and crossovers over sedans, the next Acura RDX has to get everything right. The Prototype version will offer the first indicators whether the automaker has accomplished this.

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2019 Acura RDX Prototype Drops In Detroit With A Pretty New Face

Does the CR-V’s recipe for success work in the luxury segment?

If there’s a vehicle that’s going to propel Acura into the passing lane where it'll experience the same stratospheric rise that Lexus has seen in recent years, it’s the RDX. The RDX is not mass-market Lexus NX fighter that’s needed to match Toyota’s success in the luxury playing field, but as the smallest crossover in the automaker’s lineup—and an aged one at that—it had the potential to redefine the brand if only Acura would bring it into the modern era.

Well, it's about to. To signify the direction Acura wants to take, it brought the 2019 RDX Prototype along to the 2018 Detroit auto show where its fresh face stood as the antithesis to arguments that Honda’s luxury brand can’t do bold like a spindle-grilled Lexus. As the first Acura designed from the ground-up around the brand’s newest mascot—a diamond pentagon grille—the RDX gains visual athleticism via a track that’s been widened by 1.2-inches, a wheelbase extended by 2.5-inches, and a shorter front overhang. LED exterior lighting allows pointed headlights to further sharpen the front end while the lower front fascia features a similar pattern as the grille.

That helps to add drama to the flowing muscular body before it all ends at the handsome rear end that invokes passing thoughts of the current Honda CR-V. Take a trip under the hood and you’ll find a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, which Acura claims is a segment first. Horsepower and torque figures remain undisclosed, but Acura does go ahead and reveal that the 2019 RDX has 40% more low-end torque than the crossover it replaces, all of which is routed to all four wheels through Acura’s torque-vectoring SH-AWD system.

A new rear differential helps handle that low-end turbo torque while the available four-mode Adaptive Damper System, which includes Comfort, Snow, Sport, and Sport + modes, enables the driver a greater degree of control over how RDX handles bumps and corners. Acura is taking advantage of that supple ride to introduce its new True Touchpad Interface, which attempts to allow drivers a greater degree of distraction-free control by integrating a remote interface that corresponds presses on its touch-sensitive surface to the equivalent location on the 10.2-inch touch screen. Technology, as one would expect, is omnipresent here.

Despite the space taken up by a panoramic roof, Acura managed to squeeze thin speakers into the ceiling of the RDX for a fuller audio experience. Should that prove to be too immersive for safe driving, Acura integrated its full suite of AcuraWatch driver aids. All five occupants can also enjoy the onboard WiFi system and travel in comfort with the knowledge that the RDX will be built in East Liberty, Ohio when it launches later this year.

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Acura TLX Debuts Long Wheelbase Version Prototype In Shanghai

The Chinese market is infatuated with inches of legroom, and Acura needs to play the game if it hopes to compete.

When Acura designers got together to redesign the current TLX for its mid-cycle refresh, the team knew that it had to get things right. After all, the brand's (previously) uninspiring aesthetics were causing it to lose ground to more outlandish-looking luxury cars, and with Lexus sopping up sales using grilles that made its cars look like crazed madmen, Acura decided to follow along and see if the look would be a fit. We caught up with the TLX in Shanghai where it posed for our camera and showed off its longer wheelbase.

The TLX that debuted in Shanghai is a Chinese market car, meaning it had to have the one distinct difference all Chinese cars have when compared to their US counterparts: a longer wheelbase. With the Chinese auto market being filled with long legged comfort seekers, Acura couldn’t leave the TLX alone. As such, it has built the TLX-L we see here. It remains unclear how much length Acura added to the TLX-L, but what’s apparent is the elongated rear door that opens space for the extra legroom. The rest of the car appears identical to the 2018 TLX that debuted in New York, and for the most part we’d expect the hardware to be identical as well. For now, feast your eyes on the live shots of Acura’s attempt to garner Chinese buyers.

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