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Acura’s New Sport Sedan Should Make the NSX Proud source: https://gearpatrol.com/2020/04/13/acura-new-tlx-type-s-sport-sedan-2021/ Like much of the automotive world these days, Acura is doing well on the strength of its SUVs. The MDX and RDX are reliable, stylish, luxurious, and even fun to drive, depending on whether you snag one with the torque vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive. The company’s cars, however…well, they could use a shot in arm. The NSX is spectacular, but nobody seems interested in spending six figures on a high-tech Japanese hybrid sports car right now. The ILX isn’t just a Civic-based pseudo-luxury compact — it’s a pseudo-luxury compact based on the last-generation Civic that debuted nine years ago. The RLX has gone all but unnoticed for years. And the TLX has been hanging around since 2014, with little innovation to show except a handmade limited edition. Things are apparently about to look a lot brighter for the car side of Honda’s luxury brand, though. According to Car and Driver, not only is a new TLX sedan around the bend, but it’ll arrive along with a true sport sedan version packing a potent twin-turbo V6. The next-gen TLX will boast its own platform, according to C/D, though the base powertrain of a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four and a 10-speed automatic transmission will be the same one found in the RDX and top-shelf Honda Accords. Front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive will be up for grabs, also like the RDX. That entry-level car, reportedly, was expected to go on sale this summer at a base price of around $35,000, though the coronavirus pandemic and economic uncertainty it brought seem likely to have pushed that back. More exciting — and hopefully not delayed — is the TLX Type S model that C/D reports will arrive in 2021, in an effort to close some of the distance between Honda’s fancy-but-not-very-fast four-door sedans and the wild NSX. C/D says the twin-turbo V6 — likely a new 3.0-liter unit — will provide a big boost in power over the current top TLX, which uses a naturally-aspirated V6 to make 290 horses. Assuming the Type S really wants to cover the spread between the regular TLX and the NSX, we’re guessing it’ll pack around 400 horsepower at the bare minimum. As for what that new TLX will look like, odds are very good it’ll resemble the Type S Concept car that Acura debuted at Pebble Beach last year (seen above) — or at least, a mildly toned-down version of that concept.

2019 ACURA RDX PROTOTYPE FIRST LOOK: LARGER, STIFFER, MORE POWERFUL http://www.motortrend.com/cars/acura/rdx/2019/2019-acura-rdx-prototype-first-look-review/ RDX A-Spec variant to be available at launch this summer Acura might be calling its unveil of the third-generation RDX crossover a prototype, but the five-passenger luxury SUV making its global debut at North American International Auto Show is production-ready. It goes on sale this summer, and there also will be an A-Spec variant available at launch—the first sporty addition for an Acura SUV. In the future, all core Acura vehicles will get the A-spec treatment. Acura is calling it an all-new, exclusive platform—but the RDX started with the Honda CR-V architecture and modified the chassis and upgraded the powertrain. Obviously, the sheetmetal is much different, too. The only engine under the hood at launch is the new 2.0-liter VTEC turbocharged inline-four-cylinder engine that is shared with the Honda Civic Type R and Accord. The direct-injection engine—which generates 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque in the Type R and 252 hp and 273 lb-ft in the Accord—has 40 percent more low-end grunt than that of the outgoing RDX and is mapped to deliver more low-end thrust than the revvy Type R. We also expect a hybrid variant in the future. The RDX’s 10-speed automatic transmission is shared with the Odyssey and Accord, but this is its first all-wheel-drive application. The 2019 RDX is the same height as the outgoing RDX but is longer and wider with a wheelbase lengthened by 2.5 inches and a 1.2-inch wider track, said engineer Steve Hansen. It also has a shorter overhang and long wheel-to-dash for more dramatic proportions, fronted by the signature diamond pentagon grille and next-gen LED headlights. In back is a “dragon tail” with LED lamps. Engineers made the body and chassis stiffer and gave the 2019 model a multilink rear suspension with a new adaptive damper system. Drive modes are similar to the NSX’s, which defaults to Sport but can be switched to Comfort, Snow, or Sport Plus. It has variable gear steering. The 2019 model gets the second generation of Acura’s torque vectoring Super-Handling All Wheel Drive or SH-AWD. About 60 percent of current buyers opt for AWD. It was at the 2016 NAIAS that Acura showed the Precision concept that would shape the design direction for the brand going forward. Some cues made it into the NSX, but the RDX is the first Acura to fully implement the look the Precision telegraphed, says Acura General Manager Jon Ikeda. The interior takes cues from the Precision’s cockpit. There are real metals—not faux-look plastics—including brushed aluminum as well as open-pore olive ash wood. The floating console creates space underneath, and the adjustable armrest is nice and necessary around the fixed location of the infotainment interface. The 16-way adjustable sport front seats are heated and cooled, covered in Nappa leather, and offer lumbar support. Four of the 16 speakers in the updated sound system are located in the roof instead of the door, for better sound and clarity. Also standard are a sport steering wheel and ultra-wide panoramic roof. The infotainment system features a touchpad interface and a 10.2-inch screen. The new interface will be in future Acuras. The RDX also has new natural language speech recognition. There is 4G LTE Wi-Fi and over-the-air updates for telematics and infotainment. The RDX made its debut for the 2007 model year and helped create the compact luxury crossover as we know it. With a consistent string of sales increases, the RDX has been the No. 1 or No. 2 seller in the segment for the past five years. This is the first RDX to be developed in the U.S., tapping the Ohio engineering team and California design studio. The crossover will continue to be built in Ohio at the East Liberty plant, and the engine is assembled in the Anna, Ohio, facility that also makes the twin-turbo engine for the NSX.