Acura Considering Small Car and New Hybrids

Acura vice president Jeff Conrad said the brand was considering adding a smaller car positioned below the TSX to take on the likes of the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3. This is a direction Lexus and Infiniti are also taking, with Lexus revealing its new model, the CT 200h, next week at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and Infiniti confirming its compact model earlier this week. Note that neither Lexus nor Infiniti have announced plans to bring their new compact models to the U.S. market.
Conrad also revealed that there would new hybrid models though their launch could take a year or more. Acura’s first hybrid model is expected to be a gasoline-electric version of the TSX and arrive in 2011.

Small and Luxurious Sedan Acura

Honda’s upscale Acura division was known for its legendary cars (Legend sedan), its cars with integrity (Integra coupe and sedan) and, occasionally, vehicles that were a bit on the excessive side (NSX sports car).

Over the past decade, Acura’s philosophy has changed.

The cars have gotten larger — both the RL and TL sedans have grown and are less sporty than when first introduced. Acura branched out to include sport utility vehicles, the MDX and RDX.
The firm’s move from sportiness in favor of luxury holds true for what is now the smallest Acura entry, the TSX front-wheel-drive sedan. Based on the European Honda Accord, Acura TSX was, on entry, a very sporty sedan with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine.

2010 Acura RDX Complete details and pictures

2009 Acura RDX last August by listing all of its performance equipment, from turbocharged engine to performance suspension to all-wheel drive, likening it to a high-performance sedan or coupe. Acura agrees with that, noting that the 2010 version continues to offer "a unique mix of great performance, good utility, lots of customer-relevant technology and sharp looks."

All true, along with what amounts to a "delete" option on the all-wheel drive, something that is becoming more popular with buyers who really don't live where all-wheel drive is that important. Austin, say, where two wheel drive will get you by about 99.99 percent of the time. (One of our gripes with Subaru, for example, is that they don't offer a non-four-wheel drive version of any cars in their line.)

For 2010, Acura has updated the look of the RDX a new exterior appearance as well as a more luxurious interior. And there are new technology features along with the option not to buy the four-wheel drive version, which adds about two miles per gallon to the EPA fuel economy estimate. Acura credits the lower weight of the two-wheel drive model with the gain in fuel economy, but taking the extra complexity out of the driveline and reducing drag probably has as much or more to do with the gain.

While Acura refers to the RDX as a compact luxury SUV, it's really more in the line of a compact station wagon, but calling it a station wagon might hurt sales, so they don't. In that, they are in line with other carmakers, who realized a while back that most women won't buy a station wagon or a minivan because then everyone will know they are moms and not swinging chicks.

2010 Acura MDX

A vehicle the size of the Acura MDX is usually a little too large for my tastes, so why then have I asked the nice lady in the Honda PR department if it’s okay for me to keep it?

I guess it’s that some vehicles just make you feel good when you’re in the driver’s seat – and the MDX is one of them. It also drives smaller than its 4,867 mm overall length and 2,109 kg curb weight. I like that.

I also like the fact it’s built at Honda of Canada’s Alliston, Ont. assembly plant.

Freshened for 2010, this seven-passenger SUV gets Acura’s signature design front grille, new front and rear fascia and side sills, revised hood and taillights with bright LED lights and many new trim pieces. And the gorgeous 19-inch seven-spoke aluminum alloy wheels are part of my test vehicle’s Elite package.

Acura employs what it calls Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) which not only directs power to the wheel with the best traction in slick conditions, but also is programmed to turn the outside wheels a little faster to help you hug the curves.

A new 3.7-litre V6 makes 300 hp at 6,300 rpm and in testing by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada for the 2010 Canadian Car of the Year competition, the MDX raced from 0-100 km/h in 7.6 seconds – second quickest of the five vehicles in its category. It also registered an 80-120 km/h time of 5.7 seconds.

Surprisingly, for a vehicle in this price class, the all-new six-speed transmission is not the smoothest. Upshifts and downshifts seem to take a while, and are quite noticeable.

But you can use the paddle shifters, even in Drive.

Also surprisingly, in such an advanced vehicle, is the absence of keyless ignition.

Otherwise, the MDX Elite is packed with technology – all of it driver friendly – including heated and ventilated power front seats, rearview camera, rear DVD entertainment system, heated outside mirrors with reverse tiltdown, anti-lock brakes, tri-zone automatic climate control, 410-watt premium sound system with 15GB of hard disc storage, vehicle stability assist with traction control and a navigation system with bilingual voice recognition.

Although the cabin is relatively quiet (for a tall, boxy vehicle), with little wind noise, there is a fair amount of road noise from the Michelin Latitude tires.

Honda Recalls 379,000 for hazardous airbag: Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V, Acura TL

Honda announced on Tuesday that it is adding 378,758 vehicles to its previously announced recall of specific 2001 and 2002 model-year vehicles due to an airbag hazard. The recall is being expanded due to Honda's concern that the driver's airbag inflators in the recalled vehicles may deploy with too much pressure, which can cause the inflator casing to rupture and could result in injury or fatality.

The original recall involving this issue happened in July 2009, and it included 2001 and 2002 Accords and Civics as well as some 2002 model year Acura TL vehicles.

The expanded Honda recall announced on February 9, 2010 includes:

Honda Accord 2001 and 2002

Honda Civic 2001 and 2002

Honda Odyssey 2001 and 2002

Honda CR-V 2001 and 2002

Acura TL select 2002 models

According to a press release on February 9, 2010:

"Honda is aware of 12 incidents related to this issue as of February 2010. While Honda was aware of two additional events when the decision to first expand the recall was made in July 2009, we are not aware of any new events that have occurred after July 2009. However, we have concluded that we cannot be completely certain that the driver's airbag inflator in the vehicles being added to this recall at this time will perform as designed."

Recall contact information:

Honda owners can go to http://owners.honda.com/recalls or call (800) 999-1009.

Acura owners can go to http://owners.acura.com/recalls or call(800) 382-2238.

Honda will be notifying affected customers by mail and phone with instructions on how to have their vehicles inspected and updated at an authorized dealer. Honda/Acura owners can also contact their local dealer.

2010 Acura MDX Elite Road Test

Acura MDX sportute --at least the topline Elite edition -- are beyond my appreciation. Oh, it's not like I'm a complete Luddite. Heated seats are always welcome on a winter day. (However, I accidentally hit the ventilation button by mistake and damn near gave my butt frostbite.) And the Blind Spot Information System -- sensors that detect when vehicles are in your blind spots and activate warning lights on the front door pillars -- grew on me, especially after one drizzly/snowy night driving home when visibility was sub-par. But I still feel strange about the power lift-gate, as if using it instead of physically lifting up the rear door will cause my muscles to atrophy.

Those features are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to electronic content in the MDX Elite. Eventually, I decided that a certain level of sophistication is expected from products bearing the Acura name. When I had the choice, I used those features I liked and ignored the ones I didn't. Plus, one can always keep it simple -- or simpler, at least -- by sticking with the base or Technology models.

Acura's TSX New Engine

Acura's TSX V-6 is a shining example of what Honda does best -- build a sporting car that's quick, superbly built and a joy to drive.

While the TSX is positioned in the near-luxury segment in Canada and the United States, Honda sells this model as the bread and butter Accord in Europe and Japan. The TSX was completely re-modelled in 2009, but the big news for 2010 is the addition of a muscular, 280-horsepower V-6 SOHC engine.

The new (for the TSX) 3.5-litre V-6 is silky smooth, responsive and powerful, and in typical Honda fashion, it's also frugal, rated at 11.3/7.4 L/100 km (city/highway).

Our test vehicle was the top-of-the-range TSX V-6 with optional Tech package, which adds to the already long list of standard equipment: A navigation system with voice recognition, an excellent rear-view camera (with a wide-angle lens that shows the edge of the rear bumper), illuminated steering wheel controls, and a premium AM/FM/XM stereo /MP3, Windows Media, 10-speaker sound system, MSRP $44,685.

Driving the Acura reveals this horsepower-invigorated sedan's mission. Honda designed the TSX V-6 as a serious sports sedan with a good dose of luxury thrown in. A sharp stab at the accelerator rewards the driver with a sonorous V-6 growl, and acceleration (even with our tester's winter tires) is satisfyingly quick.

2010 Acura TL SH-AWD Manual

Honda is one of the few automakers left that still sprinkle manual transmission options throughout its lineup, with the 2010 Acura TL being the latest offering from the Japanese automaker's upscale arm to get a shift-for-yourself six speed.

Its presence in the TL and absence from the TSX V-6 are explained by five letters and a dash: SH-AWD, the acronym Acura uses for its all-wheel drive system. SH-AWD-fitted TL's get a 305-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 instead of the 280-hp, 3.5-liter unit found in the front-drive TSX. It's a transmission that was designed specifically for the TL's engine and AWD combination. If you want a manual with your TSX, you can only get one mated to its base 2.4-liter four engine.

2010 Acura Tl Sh Awd Rear Three Quarters Driver
Click to view Gallery
When Detroit Editor Todd Lassa drove a pre-production model of the six-speed manual TL in September of 2008, its future was still somewhat in doubt due in large part to the low take rate on manual transmissions. Acura expected only 5% of buyers to opt for the manual, which would amount to less than 1700 cars based on the TL's 2009 sales. But Acura stuck with it, becoming just the third automaker to offer a manual transmission, all-wheel drive combination in its segment, joining the Audi A4 and BMW 335i xDrive, though the A4 is not currently offered with a six-cylinder engine.

2010 Acura TSX V-6

The 2010 Acura TSX V-6 features more power, more torque, and more refinement in its V-6 trim than last year's four-cylinder model. With the Tech package, it gains a full suite of navigation, audio, and hands-free calling technologies. The TSX's ELS audio system is among the best you can get in a vehicle in the $40,000 price range.

2010 Acura TSX V6

2010 Acura TSX V6
When the Acura TSX first hit U.S. shores, it was immediately branded as Acura's entry-level sport sedan. As with any new car, reviews blanketed magazines and internet sites and the nit picking began. While most writers praised the new offering, citing its long list of positive attributes, the negative points seemed to echo one another. Many would complain of a lack of torque and what they refer to as "peaky" performance. There's no question that most of the Honda engines introduced over the last fifteen years have revolved around high revving screamers, and that's what makes them so unique. Nevertheless, there's a sea of potential buyers in America who are looking for the low-end grunt they probably grew up with. Add to that a growing number of sport sedan consumers who begin salivating at the very thought of more muscle under the hood and you can understand why the TSX received two more cylinders for its spec sheet.

2010 Acura TSX

2010 Acura TSX
The 2010 TSX is a 4-door, 5-passenger sports sedan, available in 6 trims, ranging from the 6-Spd MT to the V6 5-Spd AT w/ Technology Package.
price: $29,310 - $37,950

2010 Acura ZDX

Honda and Acura don't often roll out concept cars. Instead, they reveal prototypes that closely resemble upcoming production vehicles. That's definitely the case with the Acura ZDX crossover concept. The company announced today it will indeed go on sale this fall. We'd guess the first look at a final version will be at a press event shortly before the car goes on sale.

What will that production ZDX be like? It'll feature a V-6 engine, six-speed automatic transmission and Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive along with 20-inch wheels, which we'd guess will be standard.

The company also promises an upscale cabin beyond what's in current Acuras. High-tech features will include a blind spot detection system and multiview rear camera. It will also have a panoramic glass sunroof, as all luxury crossovers must have these days.

2010 Acura NSX3 picture

2010 Acura NSX3 picture