Acura RSX Prototype Up Close: The Most Important Acura in Years
By Conner Golden
August 14, 2025
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Acura RSX Prototype | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
The Acura RSX is back … well, almost back. The brand revealed the second-generation RSX in prototype form, appearing both near-production and glaringly yellow, and promised that the full production RSX will break cover later this year or early in 2026. Of course, with this being a preview for one of the more stylish and dramatic vehicles in Acura’s lineup, the brand chose the ever-excessive The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering in Carmel, Calif., for the prototype’s debut — but not before I got some quality in-person studio preview time.
Related: Acura to Reveal All-Electric RSX SUV Prototype at Monterey Car Week
A More Aggressive Electric ADX
1 / 10Acura RSX Prototype | Cars.com photo by Conner Golden
Lucky me, and if you plan on entering the premium electric compact SUV market soon, lucky you. Though I’d love to herald the return of Acura’s legendary mid-2000s sport compact coupe, the new RSX is very much electric and very much a crossover. It’s a sharp-looking thing, both literally and figuratively; all the hallmarks of modern Acura design are here, including dramatic angulation, razor-sharp angles and an evolution of the familiar Acura “beak.”
It is, predictably, a proto-production translation of the Acura Performance EV Concept that was also debuted at The Quail. Whereas that was a lifted “coupe” with exaggerated proportions, the RSX Prototype offers a clear view of a standard crossover liftback, albeit one with a profile leaning more toward fastback than an upright SUV, especially with the prototype’s contrasting gloss-black roof. Think ADX, only more aggressive and entirely electric.
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Still Some Unknowns, But It Will Be Important
In terms of hard figures and specs, we’re not there yet, nor are we privy to what the interior might look like, as the concept’s windows were completely opaque. From a hardware perspective, expect certain trims of the forthcoming RSX (likely a performance-oriented Type S configuration) to present as the prototype does with its large 21-inch wheels and Brembo brake calipers. Acura also confirmed the prototype hides a double-wishbone front suspension and dual electric motors, so expect it to be requisitely quick both in a straight line and on its feet.
When it does reach production, the RSX will be one of the most important Acura vehicles of the past decade, as this will be the first production vehicle built on Honda’s proprietary, in-house dedicated electric platform (Acura is Honda’s luxury brand). It will also be the first to incorporate the brand’s new ASIMO operating system, a digital architecture and user interface that will “accelerate Acura into the software-defined vehicle era.” In other words, I hope you love touch controls and hate physical buttons.
The RSX Prototype is an interesting preview of what’s to come, especially as Honda’s first true homegrown EV. I’ll reserve full judgment and summation for the real-deal production vehicle, but this is a tasty (and very, very yellow) amuse-bouche.
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2025 Polestar 3 Review: Understated Electrified Luxury
By Mike Hanley
August 15, 2025
2025 Polestar 3 | Cars.com photo by Jonathan Earley
Is the Polestar 3 a Good Luxury Electric SUV?
- The 2025 Polestar 3 is a compelling alternative to mid-size luxury electric SUVs from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, but its sleek, sporty-looking exterior has consequences for those seated inside.
How Does the Polestar 3 Compare With Other Electric SUVs?
- The Polestar 3’s luxury, technology and performance make it feel right at home versus electric vehicles from legacy luxury brands, but the Polestar brand’s relative newness in the market may be a stumbling block for some shoppers.
The new-for-2025 Polestar 3 is an important vehicle for the brand, giving Polestar its first offering in the popular SUV class. It’s also Polestar’s new flagship vehicle, slotting above the Polestar 2 four-door hatchback and the upcoming Polestar 4 fastback SUV. Available in single-motor, rear-wheel-drive form or as a dual-motor version with all-wheel drive, the Polestar 3 offers the same kind of understated, minimalist luxury seen on the manufacturer’s other models. Our time with this electric vehicle, however, started out rocky.
The Polestar 3 we drove for this review was actually the second one Cars.com had brought in for testing. During our initial test of a Polestar 3 Launch Edition, we experienced a series of software glitches with the car’s screens and controls. Some of them resolved on their own, but others did not, and we ended up returning the car early because we weren’t able to give it a full evaluation amid all those problems. That’s not something we do lightly, but when we next got a Polestar 3 for testing — a dual-motor Performance version — it was issue-free. The driving impressions in this review are drawn from that car.
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A Distinctive Exterior Aesthetic
There’s a chiseled muscularity to the Polestar 3 that gives it quite a bit of road presence, but it’s balanced by Polestar’s minimalist design cues and a muted color palette that favors blacks, whites and grays. Interesting design elements include a front aero wing on the leading edge of the hood, a glass roof and the 22-inch forged-aluminum wheels shown here, which are part of the Performance Package. Also part of this package is a boost in output for the dual-motor powertrain, up to 517 horsepower from 489 hp. And if you can’t quite remember how much power your 3 makes, Polestar helpfully includes the output (in kilowatts) right on the front doors, along with the SUV’s battery capacity: 111 kilowatt-hours. That’s enough for Performance versions to have an EPA-estimated driving range of 279 miles on a full charge.
1 / 92025 Polestar 3 | Cars.com photo by Jonathan Earley
Paired With a Minimalist Interior
Many of the controls in the Polestar 3 have been consolidated into a vertically oriented 14.5-inch touchscreen in the center of the dash, supplemented by a 9-inch driver display in front of the steering wheel. The center touchscreen is responsive, high-res and easy to navigate — when you’re stationary and you can direct your full attention to it; it’s harder to dive into its menus while driving. Our editors liked the Polestar 3’s driver display, which offers a few different view options, including a nav screen and driver-assist mode, but they weren’t as impressed with the car’s steering-wheel controls, which consist of unlabeled pads with corresponding icons that appear on the driver’s display. You use these pads to adjust the side mirrors and steering wheel, and in this way, the Polestar 3 is like Tesla: making once-simple adjustments more complex.
Unlike Tesla, however, the Polestar 3 includes wireless Apple CarPlay. It was easy to connect my phone to the system, and CarPlay looks good on the Polestar’s big screen. The infotainment system uses Android Automotive OS with Google Built-In apps, like Maps and the Play store (to get additional apps). One app you can’t get, however, is Android Auto, the Android phone counterpart to CarPlay. You can at least log into the Polestar 3’s infotainment system with a Google account.
1 / 82025 Polestar 3 | Cars.com photo by Jonathan Earley
About the make
Polestar
What started as a team prepping Volvos for racing is now the Swedish marque’s stand-alone premium EV brand with a range of small SUVs and sedans.
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Shop the Polestar 32025 Polestar 3 specs and reviewsCompare the 2025 Polestar 3
The 3 has a low roofline that comes into play in the cabin, limiting forward visibility. Over-shoulder views are decent, but rear visibility is also limited; I found myself reversing slowly as a result. The suite of exterior cameras that are part of the Pilot Package are useful and help compensate for the lack of visibility, but they’re not a complete replacement for it.
There’s decent backseat space considering the 3’s low roofline, but the seating position back there isn’t the most comfortable. The seat cushion is low, leaving your knees elevated and your thighs without much support. This positioning does, however, aid rear headroom, which is good even for taller passengers. The rear backrest doesn’t recline, but it folds flat with the cargo floor when you need more luggage space.
Backseat amenities include standard climate controls and two USB-C charging ports. Vehicles with the Plus Package have heated outboard rear seats joining the standard heated front seats.
1 / 82025 Polestar 3 | Cars.com photo by Jonathan Earley
Appropriately Luxurious Driving Experience
Even with the specific chassis tuning that comes with the Performance Package, this SUV is still pleasant to drive in day-to-day use. It doesn’t feel as heavy or ponderous as some EVs despite a curb weight approaching three tons. Power delivery is very smooth, and there’s a lot of power in reserve, making merging onto the highway a low-stress, effortless task. And that’s in the SUV’s standard driving mode; in Performance mode, acceleration responsiveness increases.
Single-motor versions get a coil-spring suspension, but dual-motor models have an adaptive air suspension. Ride quality with the air suspension is firm but comfortable; it’s tolerable even on rougher pavement — even with our test car’s large 22-inch wheels and tires. Ride quality deteriorates some in the air suspension’s firm setting, but it doesn’t turn brittle.
The 3 responds readily to steering inputs, with quick, smooth responses, but it doesn’t offer feedback in its standard steering setting. You do get some steering feel in the firm setting, with a little feedback through the rim.
