A while back, I recommended the new Acura MDX to those of you shopping for a new premium utility vehicle. Now less than a year later, I am back to recommend its greener sibling, the 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid complete with four motors and electronic all-wheel drive.
Just three years ago we brought you word of the all-new TLX midsize sport sedan from Acura, a car that would replace two models to secure its place as the middle child in the Acura showroom. For 2018, Acura has given TLX some very nice upgrades as well as a new A-Spec sport variant.
A little over a year ago, I gave Acura serious accolades for the improvements made to its ILX entry luxury sedan. We have now had the 2017 Acura ILX in the test driveway and little has changed – with my opinion or with the car.
Acura rolled out the third generation of its MDX three-row crossover utility vehicle three years ago and for model year 2017 it receives a bit of a makeover. Along with sporting a new beak the 2017 MDX arrived with a host of new technologies as well.
Last year Acura launched the all-new TLX premium luxury sport sedan. The TL/TSX replacement was well received both by consumers and automotive media alike. We reviewed the base model last year and recently spent time in a TLX with all the bells and whistles along with larger engine and advanced technology.
It’s not everyday that automakers get do-overs but that is what Acura has done with its smallest family member. For 2016, the entry model to Acura, ILX, sees a slimming of powertrain choices and a freshening of styling and technology – all for the better. A few years ago I thought Acura lost its way with this model but no more.
Rounding out its new lineup of “X marks the spot” vehicles, Acura has delivered the new TLX as its midsize sports sedan replacement. TLX succeeds the TL as well as the TSX and lines up between the ILX and RLX models. It is powered by choice of four- or six-cylinder engines backed by new eight- and nine-speed automatic gearboxes.
Acura used the world’s stage known as the North American International Auto Show to premiere its production version of the next NSX Supercar. Twenty-five years after the launch of the first generation, Acura says the new car will feature a Sport Hybrid Power Unit (AKA gas/electric engine) mounted midship and mated to a new 9-speed dual clutch transmission.
I know what you did last summer, Acura. You brought to market the all-new 2014 MDX luxury crossover, your best-selling vehicle for all of last year. You made the new model more comfortable and more fuel-efficient while giving it better performance and yet you managed to keep it one of the best values in the segment.
As media days for the 2014 North American International Auto Show come to a close, Detroit prepares for the onslaught of visitors to the show that is boasting some 50 concept and new model debuts from automakers. Before the doors open to the public in Motor City Jan. 18-26 we bring you a photographic look at the rest of what was debuted this year.
Acura has quietly introduced a new flagship sedan that it calls RLX. It qualifies as a midsize car by EPA standards but sports all the accoutrements expected in a large luxury cruiser and delivers it with a luxo-barge pricetag in the mid-$50s. The luxury division of Honda brings the new 2014 RLX premium sedan to market with a whisper, and at some of the biggest auto shows this year it was relegated to a side stage rather than “front and center.” Odd, really, as the automaker touts numerous new technologies and systems in the new car that also sees the…
Almost as if being handed its diploma and told to get a job, Acura has shed the frat-boy “hoodie” of the first-generation RDX crossover for a suit and tie on model year 2013. Gone is the chiseled styling and the (much beloved) spunky turbo four with Acura opting instead for more mainstream body lines and a smooth V-6 engine. RDX has been (barely) surviving in the shadows of the likes of the Lexus RX and BMW X3 and it appears Acura is tired of playing second (or fourth or fifth) fiddle to the segment leaders and is copying pages out…
Day Two at the North American International Auto Show did not have as full a schedule as Day One, but it was filled with much ballyhooed introductions that for some (yours truly included) were the most exciting of the show. In addition to foreign and domestic automakers bringing their wares to the Detroit Show, there are many third-party companies demonstrating their contributions to the automotive industry that are present as well such as DENSO, ZF Group, Johnson Controls, Panasonic Automotive, PPG, etc. The day two lineup of automakers included Nissan, Ford, Lexus, Cadillac, Acura, Kia, Tesla, Shelby American, and Guangzhou…
It is sexy. It is sleek. It comes in all wheel drive and two-wheel drive. And there is even a Hybrid option. The new Acura NSX was just revealed here at the North American International Auto Show. And it is a beast … in a good way. You can learn more about the Acura NSX by clicking here.
When I first saw the all-new ILX from Acura at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year, I wondered to myself, “Why?” Acura already had the TSX sedan with premium content and an attractive appearance, so why would the “luxury” division of Honda create what appears to be a competitive model in its own stable? The new ILX is based on the Honda Civic architecture but looks little like its pedestrian counterpart. And short of calling the new Acura a modern Integra, the automaker comes close by choosing “I” for its moniker. Style-wise, the new ILX reminds me of a…
Where have all the wagons gone? Long time passing… (Apologies to Pete Seeger and his classic tune from 1961.) Apparently station wagons fell from the good graces of the auto-buying public being replaced first with the minivan, then the SUV and now the crossover and hatchback. But for those who have not lost the love for the “family truckster” look no further than your closest luxury car dealer. Seems the place to find this segment is in the higher-end markets as brands such as Acura, Cadillac, and Mercedes all offer the long, low “sedans with a greenhouse.” Volkswagen still offers…
I began this annual ditty around the turn of the century and I find that I enjoy revisiting it each year as the world is buried neck-deep in the (commercial) spirit of the season. Looks like Santa’s load will be a bit heavier this year as early numbers indicate a bit more cheer in the air online and at the register. And the big guy will need to remember to bring along much needed accessories as wish lists are undoubtedly a bit tech-heavy this season. Right of the top I am going to disappoint a certain segment. Santa will NOT…
“But, what are they?” As if to corner the market on producing the most polarizing vehicles for the 2010 model year, Honda and its luxury division Acura have each released a new vehicle that almost forces consumers to scratch their heads faster than the heartbreak of psoriasis. No definitive term has surfaced yet to identify the niche segment the new Accord Crosstour from Honda and ZDX from Acura occupy yet automotive history has seen similar units before. When I first gazed my attention to these marriages of sedan and crossover utility vehicle I was served with an image circa 1981-82…
I am not sure just exactly who coined the phrase “sport utility vehicle” but I feel they were a bit remiss in the target segment they were identifying. Most of those giant grocery-getters of the past decade-and-a-half were anything BUT sporty. Fast forward to the 21st century and we have seen an entire new breed of SUVs, yet most have been redefined as crossover utility vehicles given the nature of configuring some form of cargo box on top of a car-based platform. We recently spent some time behind the wheel of the latest Acura RDX, junior sibling to the MDX…