Acura RSX Prototype First Look: What's in a Name?

Mitsubishi Eclipse. Ford Mustang Mach-E. Chevy Blazer. These are cars that once were (or are) enthusiast offerings but have been reborn as an SUV, an EV, or both. Now, you can add the Acura RSX to that list. But before you get too mad, hear us out.

Based on the Acura Performance EV concept, which made its debut last year, the closer-to-production Acura RSX prototype previews what will ultimately become Honda and Acura’s very first in-house-designed, developed, and produced battery electric vehicle.

Actually, the electric SUV will represent a bunch of firsts: first EV to be built at the Honda EV Hub in Ohio (which also builds the not-electric Acura Integra), first model to use Honda’s unnamed global EV platform and architecture, and first production car to feature Honda’s new Asimo operating system, which will manage infotainment, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and driver personalization.

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In person, the RSX prototype is fairly large, about the size of the compact combustion-powered Acura RDX, and with the swooping lines of a Ferrari Purosangue. Finished in striking Propulsion Yellow Pearl, the rather beaky Acura corporate fascia is easily recognizable, while the tailgate forgoes the A-shaped emblem and instead merely spells out the brand’s name in an updated font. Despite the skateboard EV platform underneath, it’s unclear if the car will come with a front trunk.

Red-painted Brembo brake calipers peek from behind 21-inch wheels—large wheels that, in our experience, tend to unsettle ride quality, but of course we’ll have to drive the thing first before we can say definitively impact the eventual production RSX. A driver’s side charge door will open to reveal a North American Charging Standard (or NACS-style, neé Tesla plug) port, thus making ownership and long-distance travel quite convenient.

Furthermore, Acura says the RSX will have bi-directional charging capabilities, so you’d theoretically be able to power appliances or even your house with it.

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Seeing as this is only an exterior look at the prototype, things like the interior, performance specs, and range are still a mystery, though Acura says all RSXs will have sporty double A-arm front suspension, Brembo brakes, and dual-motor all-wheel drive as standard. The production car is set to arrive in the second half of next year.

When asked about potentially launching a Type S variant at a later date, an Acura spokesperson declined to comment on future product. We don’t think an RSX Type S EV is far from the realm of possibility, however. There are already the three-row MDX Type S and all-electric ZDX Type S, for crying out loud. It’s easier than ever to coax more power out of EVs, too.

Speaking of, this confirms the ZDX should be regarded as Acura’s soft launch into EVs. Essentially an Acura-badged Chevy Blazer EV, we found the ZDX to offer only middling performance and none of the agile sportiness Acuras are known for. We’re hoping the homegrown RSX corrects this.

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Still hung up on the name? Well, think about it this way.

The “RSX” moniker was exclusive to the North American market and was essentially another name for the Integra coupe it effectively replaced here. It stuck around for a single generation only. It never had the cultural cache that “Integra” carries.

Seeing as we have an Integra once more—and quite a good one at that—it leaves the RSX name free for the taking and in line with Acura’s X-happy SUV naming scheme (now that the TLX sedan is dying). Wouldn’t you be more mad if the Integra was reborn as an electric SUV instead? What we’re saying is, we get why Acura gave this car that name.

Still, it leaves some big shoes to fill.