In a rare bit of candid car-guy-ness, the head of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, has gone on record about his favorite Japanese non-Toyota cars. Toyoda is a sports car guy, a major backer of the GT 86/ FR-S/ BRZ rear-drive project, so it's no surprise that most of his favorite cars are of the lightweight sporting variety.
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Categories: Acura,Celebrities,Toyota
Inside Line tests hundreds of vehicles a year. Cars, trucks, SUVs, we run them all, and the numbers always tell a story. With that in mind we present "IL Track Tested," a quick rundown of all the data we collect at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.
In our First Drive of the 2013 Acura ILX we wrote, "The 2013 Acura ILX is the smallest sedan in Acura's lineup since the Integra, but it's not a spiritual successor to that car." So it's not, but the ILX 2.4L model is a kissing cousin to the 2012 Honda Civic, complete with the Civic Si's 201-horsepower 2.4-liter inline-4 and slick six-speed manual transmission.
Acura may be excited about the prospect of having a high-volume car that returns good fuel economy while still offering Acura levels of luxury, but we're excited to see what the new ILX does on our track when equipped with the hottest of its three engines.
Follow the jump for the results of the world's first test of the 2013 Acura ILX.
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Categories: Acura,IL Track Tested,Sedans
It’s hard to look at the giant blunderbuss that the Acura TSX has become without thinking back to the first-generation Acura TSX.
You remember, the smaller Euro-size version of the last generation Accord that carried a high-revving, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and was available with a six-speed manual transmission. The 2004-2008 TSX wasn’t really that much smaller or lighter than the TSX we’re driving now, but it sure felt smaller and lighter when you were behind the wheel.
And the 2013 Acura ILX 2.4L gives me the very same feeling.
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Categories: Acura
The Concept C is one of the concept cars Honda is showing the 2012 Beijing Auto Show this week. It's a preview of a C-segment, compact sedan Honda and its Chinese partner Guangqi will bring to market next year. The Honda Civic also happens to be a C-segment car, albeit one with a more conservative exterior design.
I can't decide if I like the Concept C, which has about a half-dozen different styling elements on its front end alone... do you think any of them are worth saving for a future edition of the Civic?
The Honda team also unveiled (at the 10:15 mark if you click the video link) a red version (the U.S. version was silver, you'll recall) of the Acura NSX concept in Beijing, and Honda CEO Takanobu Ito promised to launch it in China right after in U.S. debut round about 2015.
Additionally, the company revealed a hybrid minivan concept called the Concept S, which looks for all the world like the world/JDM-market Odyssey (which has hinged doors). Honda another of its Chinese partners, Dongfeng, are already getting to work on a production version.
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Categories: Acura,Beijing Auto Show,Concept Vehicles,Honda
While in Death Valley this week, one of our guys caught this mystery SUV out testing in the not-quite-hot-weather of the early spring desert. Temps were in the mid-90s, a far cry from the extreme heat-testing that happens in the 120+ degree summers. And yes, I am talking about the weather because, to be honest, I'm not entirely convinced of what we have here.
Our best collective guess is that this is the 2014 Acura MDX. The general shape of the grille-- now without that massive chrome shield-- as well as that of the double-hump dash say Acura and in terms of timing, the MDX is the next crossover we're expecting to see.
Some things that give us pause: Clunky foglights/ ducts and the toothed grille.
Stop whatever you're doing at work/school and help figure this out instead. Full res image after the jump for those of you who want to get a closer look.
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Categories: Acura,SUVs,Spy Photos
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"In the early comic books the acronym S.H.I.E.L.D. stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. But in 1991 that changed to Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate. In the movie The Avengers, which opens May 4, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ever-evolving name means Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division. The Marvel universe may be full of superheroes, but it's not necessarily consistent.
Whatever it stands for, the world's most powerful force for good can't arrive at showdowns with supervillains in old Crown Vics. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. is run by Nick Fury. And in The Avengers, Nick Fury is played by Samuel L. Jackson and Nick ain't the sort of guy who would send his agents out in something without some style. So it's Acura TLs with the "Technology Package" that S.H.I.E.L.D. drives. Plus, of course, there's that lucrative Acura product placement deal."
Recently, we found ourselves in a hush-hush, high-security testing facility in the deserts of California with three of Acura's S.H.I.E.L.D. cars from The Avengers movie. Specifically, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Acura TL, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Acura MDX and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Acura NSX Roadster -- which is built on top of a 1991 Acura NSX just like our Long Termer.
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Categories: Acura,Celebrities,Miscellaneous
Honda has released sketches of two new concepts that will be debuting at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show.
The sketches include the above coupe which we have to assume based on timing and shape, will be an Accord coupe. The other vehicle (after the jump) looks to be the next-generation of global Odyssey. The international Odyssey is an MPV that is some 20-inches shorter than the not-very-mini van we have. The current international Odyssey has been going strong since 2008; revising it now makes perfect sense.
Honda also announced that they will be bringing six other cars to the show, the CR-Z, Insight, Fit, Acura ILX, Acura RDX and the NSX Concept.
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Categories: Acura,Beijing Auto Show,Concept Vehicles,Coupes,Future Vehicles,Honda
Acura pulled the sheet off of one of the better-kept secrets of this auto show, the Acura RLX Concept. Acura promises this new RL replacement will offer an "outstanding driving experience," one that begins with one of two drivetrains.
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Categories: Acura,Concept Vehicles,New York Auto Show,Sedans,Videos
Yesterday Acura showed off its all-new flagship sedan, the RLX concept. Unfortunately, Acura was not opening the doors to the masses. This is, after all, a very early pre-pre-pre production design model that doesn't have a functioning drivetrain and is equipped with a hand-pieced interior that's not up to production specs.
With that understanding and the promise that I wouldn't break anything, Acura opened the door of the RLX after show hours. It's an early production vehicle so the design / layout / materials (materials especially) can change at any point, but like every other Honda / Acura concept recently, this is 90 percent what we'll see in the production version.
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Categories: Acura,Concept Vehicles,Luxury Cars,New York Auto Show,Sedans
Acura pulled the sheet off of one of the better kept secrets of this auto show, the Acura RLX Concept. Acura promises this new RL replacement will offer an "outstanding driving experience," one that begins with one of two drivetrains.
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Categories: Acura,Future Vehicles,Luxury Cars,New York Auto Show,Sedans
We're on the even of an all new RDX, but recently we got our hands on a 2012 Acura RDX to give its audio system one last run. The ELS sound system in the 2012 Acura RDX clearly illustrates that the carmakers have made tremendous progress in the quality of audio playback they deliver compared with decades past. Although not flawless, the system in the RDX is highly listenable, reasonably easy to operate and packed with most of the features and functionality that drivers are looking for in this market segment.
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Categories: Acura,Car Tech
Though it represents perhaps the best opportunity in North America for the public to get up close to all the newest models, the Chicago Auto Show can feel anticlimactic for those tasked with covering it as journalists. Manufacturers tend to uncork their biggest debuts at the Los Angeles and Detroit shows, held a few weeks earlier. This can leave the Chicago event feeling a bit stale and picked-over, like a store's clearance bin in the final hours of a big sale.
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Categories: Acura,Hyundai,Kia
Let's get this out of the way: The six-speed manual transmission is only available with the 201-horsepower 2.4-liter inline-4, and the 2.4-liter is only available with the six-speed manual. The good news here is that Acura is hoping to price the ILX with the real transmission very close to the base model car, which comes with a 150-hp 2.0-liter I4 and six-speed automatic. Acura says potential ILX buyers want a mix of fuel economy and performance, and the way they've gone about performance is to keep the weight to about 3,000 pounds and make the car nimble and responsive, "the way all Acuras will be again."
The ILX is Acura's new entry-level car to lure Gen-Y buyers into luxury cars. "They like luxury and feel they deserve luxury," Acura said. But "they're beginning to realize that they may not be as affluent as their parents. They're living the recession." In that vein, Acura is hoping to pack a lot of content and a luxury ride into a car that starts "well under $30,000."
But it's not just a luxury ride Gen Y wants. They want to stay connected and have the coolest features. That's where Premium and Technology packages come in. The Tech pack has Acura's ELS surround-sound system, navigation, real-time traffic and hard-disk drive. Fully loaded, the ILX will run about $30,000. It will be made in Greensburg, Indiana, and go on sale in the spring. Acura's hoping for sales of 40,000 units per year once production/marketing is fully up to speed.
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Categories: Acura,Chicago Auto Show,Sedans
Noted ultra-rich car guys Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld vie for the first Acura NSX in Acura's first Super Bowl ad, "Transactions."
A few million bucks (plus whatever these two charged Acura) to promote a car that won't exist for two years? Bold.
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Categories: Acura,Future Vehicles,Sports Cars,Videos
Detroit isn't necessarily the kind of city that most people want to visit, but each year in early to mid-January, it becomes a prime destination, at least as far as the global automotive community is concerned.
Of course, this has everything to do with the annual North America International Auto Show, which beckons car lovers far and wide with the good, the bad and the ugly of the latest automotive offerings.
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Categories: Acura,Dodge,Ford,Toyota
With the new NSX grabbing most of the attention at the Acura display, it's easy to overlook the other concept. The 2013 Acura ILX Concept is based on the Honda Civic sedan and has its sights aimed at the entry-level luxury shopper. Pricing starts under $30,000 and it's set to go on sale in the spring.
Alistair notes that the drilled rotors and big wheels will likely not survive into production, though. Video after the jump.
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Categories: Acura,Detroit Auto Show,Videos
Acura rolled out the latest iteration of the RDX in Detroit. Based on the Honda CR-V, the RDX features a powerful yet fuel-efficient 3.5-liter V6 and a much more refined interior. Sales are set to start in the spring in either a front-wheel drive model or as an on-demand four-wheel-drive model.
See how Alistair compares it to a posh mom at a post-natal party after the jump.
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Categories: Acura,Detroit Auto Show,Videos
If the Acura NSX Concept is any indication of things to come, it looks as if Honda might have rediscovered its passion for motoring. Details are scarce, but so far the NSX will likely have a hybrid powertrain with a midmounted V6 and head into production within three years.
Check out Alistair's tour of the NSX concept after the jump.
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Categories: Acura,Detroit Auto Show,Videos
This video probably best explains how the NSX's hybrid powertrain will work. It appears, contrary to Acura's press release, that the NSX will utilize three electric motors (not two) -- one for each front wheel as well as one assisting the gasoline engine through the transaxle.
Of course, for now it's all vaporware anyway, but the video is entertaining.
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Categories: Acura,Detroit Auto Show
This is the 2013 Acura ILX, a new entry-level sedan that will arrive this spring with a price "well under $30,000" according to Acura. The cynical among you will no doubt refer to the ILX as Acura's Civic, and to some degree you would be right.
Then again, it's more than just a rebadge job. Just looking at it will tell you that. There are enough new lines on this car to give it a look of its own, one that is decidedly better than the Civic. Acura didn't get specific when it came to drivetrains, at least not in terms of horsepower figures, but most of the engine displacements look familiar.
The base engine will be a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, while the optional engine will displace 2.4 liters. There will also be a hybrid model with a 1.5-liter gas engine. So a step above the Civic, but nothing ground-breaking here.
We didn't get a chance to see the interior, but given that Acura calls this car a concept, it probably doesn't have anything resembling the final setup. To say that it will be nicer than the Civic isn't exactly a stretch, however, so use your imagination. With sales slated to begin this spring, it won't be long before we find out for sure.
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Categories: Acura,Detroit Auto Show,Luxury Cars,Sedans
