Acura rolled out the 2009 RL at the Chicago Auto Show, so the appearance of the Honda version of the car, badged Legend, isn't the most searingly-hot news. What is frightfully obvious when you set eyes on the Legend is that the Honda version looks about a billion times better without the shield-style grille that afflicts the Acura in the most tacked-on fashion. Equally puzzling – and not a recent development – is why Honda trashed the established and respected Legend name for the anonymous and innocuous RL for Acura's top-tier sedan.
Competition in the RL's segment is brutal, and the same criticisms of the current model apply to its replacement. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the RL, mind you, it's nicely styled, and well appointed – although when faced with the preponderance of rear-driving V8 competitors, the RL can't claim superiority by chassis layout alone. Packing the 3.5-liter V6 that yanks the Accord around with authority, there's no need for a V8, nor is RWD a necessity with Acura's chassis wizards on the job, but buyers might remain unmoved.
Honda has finally issued a TSB on the third gear issue that's been plaguing everything from the Civic Si to the Acura TL. According to affected owners, when the manual transmission was in third gear, it would occasionally pop into neutral and occasionally grind into place. Honda originally didn't recognize the problem and still isn't issuing a recall, but they have put out a TSB and are offering to correct the problem free of charge to owners who take their vehicle into a dealership. The documentation for Honda and Acura is now available (PDF warning) and you can hit the jump to see which vehicles are included in the TSB.
Click above for a gallery of the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept.
Acura is slated to release its NSX replacement sometime around the turn of the decade, but despite what you may have heard circulating the 'Net, it's not going to be priced to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini. There's little doubt that Acura's 500+hp, V10-powered super sled has Italy's finest in its sights, along with the perennial show queen, the Lexus LF-A, but even with current exchange rates between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar, the successor to the NSX won't be carrying a sticker around $180,000. After contacting Mike Spencer, one of Acura's press people, he confirmed that the comments he made were taken out of context and that definitive pricing for the new vehicle is still a long way off. He would only say that the exchange rates would have an effect, but it would be unfair to attempt to guesstimate on price this early in the game. Considering that the last NSX was knocking on the $100k door before it was killed off in 2005, we'd expect a higher sticker for the next model, but pulling a number out of the air, comparing it to other vehicles in the segment and claiming it as fact, is hardly fair. As such, we'll wait for a formal announcement from Acura so you can start saving your pennies for the NSX's upcoming replacement.
Click above for high-res gallery of ALMS action from Long Beach
With Champ Car going the way of the dodo bird after this year's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, it looks like the American Le Mans Series is poised to take over top billing at America's Monte Carlo. The street course around downtown Long Beach, California is quite a track, with a long tradition of motorsport excitement. Everything from Formula 1 to CART to Trans-Am have run here, but very few series can match the thrill of four different classes running into the dusk like the ALMS presents. This year's sophomore running of the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach showed exactly why the series deserves more support and coverage than it gets. Not only was the on-track action enthralling, but the huge crowds that Long Beach always attracts seemed to go ga-ga over the prototypes and GT cars wearing names like Porsche, Aston Martin, Corvette and Ferrari. In case you haven't seen the race yet, the results are after the jump. Don't let that stop you from clicking through the massive high-res gallery however.
Click above for a gallery of the Acura Advanced Sports Car concept.
By most accounts, Honda originally planned to show off the next generation NSX to the seething throngs at last year's Tokyo Motor Show. But due to the less-than-positive reception the Advanced Sports Car concept garnered at the Detroit show, Honda's designers headed back to the drawing board to redesign the front clip housing the 550 hp, 4.5-liter V10.
Now, Autocar has gotten word from a Honda insider that the NSX is bound for the 2009 Tokyo show, sporting a new front end that "has Chevrolet Corvette undertones" and is slated to for production in the fall of 2010.
The new NSX will supposedly kick off Honda's first serious attempt at producing rear-wheel-drive vehicles to rival BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Infiniti, including new platforms that will underpin Acura's larger sedan offerings and an S2000-based Acura sports car that takes aim at the Mercedes SLK. The launch of Acura's 7-series fighter isn't due to make an appearance until 2015. For Honda' sake, let's hope they can expedite development to make it happen around the turn of the decade.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Acura TSX.
Acura announced pricing for the 2009 TSX, and for $29,675 (including shipping) you can run off in the base model of Acura's entry-level sedan. The stretched and widened TSX starts just $770 more than the outgoing model, and for $32,775 you can outfit the new TSX with Acura's technology package, which includes navigation, upgraded audio, AcuraLink and XM with real-time traffic. Buyers can opt for the six-speed manual or the five-speed auto 'box at no additional charge. Sales will begin on April 24th.
Acura's full press release is posted after the jump and you can read through our First Drive of the Acura TSX here.
Honda/Acura had its 2009 dealer meeting in New Orleans last week, and a little birdie that claims to have attended has whispered some details about the 2009 Acura TL in our ears. According to our anonymous tipster, the '09 TL range will consist of two models. The front-wheel-drive car will be powered by a 3.5L V6 delivering 280 horsepower. The step-up version will feature SH AWD and have a 3.7L, 300-horsepower V6 underhood (presumably the same one used in the MDX). We're told the latter car is not a Type-S, by the way -- that trim level goes back into hibernation with the arrival of the '09. Word is, the car "looks amazing." The TL in its current state is Acura's best-looking vehicle, so our curiosity is definitely piqued.
We've known for quite some time now that the Acura NSX replacement would feature a V10 engine likely at the front of the vehicle and possibly powering all four wheels via a version of the brand's SH-AWD. Now that Nissan's amazing new GT-R has set a new standard for what a Japanese supercar can be, the next NSX had better be something impressive indeed, and rumors are that it will be just that. What we still don't know is what this car will look like, so we're very interested in what Japanese car-buff-mag Best Car claims is a rendering of the new NSX. If this is an accurate portrayal, we're glad that Acura stylists found a way to leave off the big metal triangular grill that is plaguing the rest of its lineup, as it just doesn't seem befitting for a sportscar. Although the only rendering offered is an angled shot from the drivers-side front, this coupe still seems a little generic to our eyes, but at least looks better than what we saw from the Advanced Sports Car Concept last year in Detroit.
Fans of Acura's first generation NSX, including all of us at Autoblog, are going to have a tough time waiting until 2010 for the next version to bow, but we're sure to have an endless stream of spy shots and a perpetually overactive rumormill to keep us busy till then.
Click above for high resolution images of the 2009 Acura TSX
The first generation Acura TSX received glowing reviews from the media and owners alike. While not having the most exciting styling or the beefiest of powertrains, the TSX offered a sensible and reliable vehicle with plenty of standard options that didn't break the bank. Our man Damon road-tripped a 2007 TSX up to Lake Tahoe and was pleasantly surprised with the driving characteristics and smooth powertrain, although he put Acura's turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-4 on the wish list.
With Acura launching an all-new TSX in 2009, we've been itching to see what direction they would go with the second generation. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long to find out because Acura invited us to test the new TSX just a few weeks before officially launching the car at the New York Auto Show.
Click above for gallery of the Euro-spec Honda Accord
Honda's Euro-spec Accord Tourer (a.k.a. wagon) has taken home the the 51st international Red Dot Award for high quality design, marking the third time that Honda has managed to win this award. Back in 2001, the S2000 brought home the trophy and in 2006, it was the current-generation Civic nabbing the honor. The Red Dot Award for design is a big deal in international circles, and while there are awards for products in 11 categories, there's only one Transportation award. Honda winning three times, including two-in-a-row, is remarkable.
While our Accord is a different animal entirely, the Euro-model Accord is available here, albeit in sedan form only, as the 2009 Acura TSX. It's amazing that an award-winning design as classy and elegantly understated as that of the European Accord could share so much in common with the polarizing lines of the redesigned 2009 Acura TSX.
Click above for high-res live gallery of the 2009 Acura TSX
The redesigned 2009 Acura TSX was revealed live at the New York Auto Show just a few moments ago, and despite the new face of Acura, the TSX isn't nearly as ugly in person as we suspected. We've found that the key to the new nose is partnering it with lighter colors (silver, white, etc.) and avoiding the darker hues that don't do much to blend with the bright metallic mug.
While we've already covered details of the TSX in our previous post, a few of the high points are worth repeating. The new 2.4-liter four is making 201 hp and a much-needed 176 lb.-ft. of torque, while still doing extremely well on the fed's sniffer test. The track has been widened and the wheelbase lengthened, but the emphasis on the TSX's sportiness was lost in the list of standard and optional equipment.
The TSX gets standard Bluetooth, a USB port, iPod integration, a seven-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control, HID headlamps and a moonroof. Option up for the Technology Package and you get an additional three speakers, a rear-view camera, plus voice-activated navigation with Acura Link, traffic rerouting and real-time weather. Aiming at the well-to-do youth market is Acura's plan for the TSX and execs hope to "dramatically increase" the 30,000 or so TSXs they've unloaded per year since the car's introduction. And in an effort to raise the high-class status of the entire Acura brand, the automaker has also partnered with the W hotel chain to have Acura vehicles as the preferred whip at the high-end urban enclaves.
Though auto pundits and car enthusiasts alike have been calling on Acura to drop its ban on rear-wheel-drive and V8 engines, no one ever really expects the automaker to go through with it. It's the brand's identity, its thing, its shtick. Though an Acura may be down on torque and driven by the wrong set of wheels compared to its German competition, most buyers at least marvel at how much the engineers have done in terms of performance and handling when saddled with a V6 and front-wheel-drive or part-time all-wheel-drive.
We're hearing more rumors that Acura's long holdout may be coming to an end. In addition to the last report from Best Car, now Inside Line is also claiming that the next Acura RL flagship model will be powered by a V8 and be rear-wheel-drive, or at least have a revised SH-AWD system that engages the front wheels when the rears are slipping. IL's source claims that a 4.8L V8 producing 420 horsepower is being developed and will feature cylinder deactivation technology to keep fuel economy up.
Acura showed us its Advanced Sedan Concept at the 2007 LA Auto Show, which some thought foreshadowed the next-gen RL. Inside Line claims that after the concept's lukewarm reception, Acura stylists went back to the drawing board for a new design. Whether or not the new sheetmetal will be accompanied by a big break in tradition for Acura remains to be seen. We're still a bit skeptical, but anything's possible in this competitive climate.
Normally, the phrase "only rolled once" isn't considered a positive attribute in a used car ad. For the sellers of this distressed 1999 Acura Integra, however, it's a defining characteristic. The high points (now low, due to the vehicle's inverted status) are that the parts should be in fine shape on this 60,000 mile example. If you needed an engine, trans or interior from a low mileage donor, this might be your car. We do hope that it didn't stay upside down for long, though, for the engine's sake. If not, all the oil that's likely filled up the cylinders will make starting a challenge.
Honda put out two recall notices today that affects some 273,000 2004-2008 Acura TLs. One of the recalls addresses a windshield wiper issue, where a potentially faulty circuit breaker on 129,600 '04 and '05 TLs could fail, rendering the wipers useless.
The other recall is a bit more compelling. Apparently an issue with high temperatures under the hood can cause the power steering hose to degrade to the point that it could crack and leak fluid onto the catalytic converter. This could result in a fair amount of smoke, or, at worse, a fire.
Neither issue has resulted in a crash or injury, but Acura dealers have been instructed to replace the power steering hose and, in the case of the windshield wiper motor, inspect the unit and replace it if necessary. Naturally, there's no charge for either recall.
When we had the current-generation Acura RL in the Autoblog Garage, we thought that its understated design was attractive enough, but opined that it looked rather anonymous in the face of competitors such as the BMW 5-series, Infiniti M35 and especially the new Cadillac CTS. What may be a bigger problem to consumers is the lack of a V8 engine option, especially considering that even Hyundai has seen fit to offer its top-level sedan with V8 power. Additionally, the current RL is based on a front-wheel-drive chassis architecture, and although we found that the Super Handling-All Wheel Drive system worked rather well, the new RL might get an AWD system based on a rear-wheel-drive chassis.
If rumors from Japan's Best Car agazine hold true, expect to see a new 4.5 liter V8 in Acura's recently redesigned flagship sporting over 400 horsepower. The rendering shown above appears to be a current-generation Accord, which is already quite large, stretched out in every direction. A U.S. version for Acura would surely get a grille more in-line with its current angular design theme which was shown off at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this month. Since this is just a rendering, we won't judge its looks much, but we would hope that a production version of Acura's RL flagship would look significantly different than their mainstream sedan, the Accord.
Honda/Acura had its 2009 dealer meeting in New Orleans last week, and a little birdie that claims to have attended has whispered some details about the 2009 Acura TL in our ears. According to our anonymous tipster, the '09 TL range will consist of two models. The front-wheel-drive car will be powered by a 3.5L V6 delivering 280 horsepower. The step-up version will feature SH AWD and have a 3.7L, 300-horsepower V6 underhood (presumably the same one used in the MDX). We're told the latter car is not a Type-S, by the way -- that trim level goes back into hibernation with the arrival of the '09. Word is, the car "looks amazing." The TL in its current state is Acura's best-looking vehicle, so our curiosity is definitely piqued.
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