Acura plans a bigger SUV than the MDX and is calling it the XL

Some brands end up watching from the sidelines because they don’t have a car to fill a particularly profitable segment. That’s what Acura has been up to for years when it comes to larger three-row SUVs. While the MDX remains one of the brand’s best sellers, its relatively cramped third row has become harder to justify as buyers increasingly prioritize genuine family-hauling capability. If a new report is accurate, Acura is finally preparing to address that weakness in a big way.

According to Autonews, Acura is developing a new three-row flagship SUV that will slot above the MDX, with production reportedly scheduled to begin in September 2029 at Honda’s Lincoln, Alabama, plant. Internal documents reportedly refer to the model as the “Acura XL.” That’s not a joke. Annual production could evidently reach as many as 40,000 units.

Read: A 355 HP Acura MDX Type S With A Rooftop Tent Is Either Brilliant Or A Complete Contradiction

While plenty of American SUVs lean on large-displacement engines to move their considerable bulk, Acura will reportedly take a far more conventionally Japanese route with the XL. The big SUV is set to receive an all-new, large-vehicle hybrid powertrain, one expected to balance premium performance with improved efficiency, though for now there is no word on cylinder count or output.

Not a surprise, given where Honda stands. The automaker scaled back its EV plans after a brutal 2025, and those cuts could leave Acura with just three U.S. nameplates. That did not stop the brand from passing Cadillac and Audi in the first half of the year to become the country’s fourth-largest luxury marque, and a shift toward hybrids, particularly the big ones that carry fat margins, should help.

Read: Acura Is Going All-In On Hybrids, Honda Is Keeping Gas Cars Affordable

Large premium three-row crossovers continue to gain momentum, with the segment reaching nearly 195,000 U.S. sales last year. Much of that growth has been driven by vehicles like the longer Lexus TX, which has won over buyers with a genuinely usable third row and generous cargo space. That’s an area where even Acura supporters acknowledge the current MDX trails its newest competitors.

Interestingly, Autonews reports that dealers are also pushing for something more substantial than another slightly stretched crossover. An unnamed Acura retailer told the publication that he hopes it’s a “full-fledged large SUV” able to take on the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, and Cadillac Escalade, arguing that a body-on-frame platform or an extended wheelbase would deliver both a proper third row and more cargo room. “It’s a missed opportunity if they don’t do it,” the retailer said. “I fully endorse the concept.”

Also: Honda Previews New Fastback Sedan And Next Acura RDX, And Neither Is An EV

The reported newcomer would also give Acura an alternative to larger luxury SUVs such as the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7, as well as the upcoming Audi Q9, without matching their premium price tags. It would also revive a plan Acura shelved more than a decade ago. In the mid-to-late 2000s, the brand explored V8s, rear-wheel-drive platforms, and a flagship SUV before the global financial crisis abruptly ended those plans.

Honda, to this point at least, has refused to comment on the report. Here’s to hoping the brand sticks with the XL name. It probably won’t, but it would be kind of funny if it did, just for simplicity’s sake.