2003 Acura 3.2 Cl Type S Six Speed on 2040-cars

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Lexus gets top brand marks from Consumer Reports; Ford, Jeep hit hard

Consumer Reports has released its 2014 Car Brand Report Cards, with Lexus again reigning at the top and doing so with the same industry-topping score of 79 that it registered in last year's Report Cards. This year, the institute credited its lineup for being "usually quiet, comfortable, and fuel-efficient," noting it's the only brand on the list "to achieve an excellent average overall reliability score." The Car Brand Report Cars list is meant to rank the best all-around vehicles based on CR testing and reliability results tallied by subscribers it surveyed. Each brand included must have sufficient test and reliability data for at least three models, a standard which left out 11 marques including Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover and Porsche.
This 2014 Brand Report Cars edition is the first of a new format in which sub-brands have been broken out from their parent brands, with Acura using this year to move up the leaderboard into second place with a score of 75 for its "reliable, well-finished and somewhat sporty models." The top three was rounded out by Audi, climbing from eighth to third by scoring a 74 for "well-crafted interiors, nice handling and good gas mileage." Audi scored highest in the road-test portion, its improved reliability aiding its rise. The top nine was completed by Subaru, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz.
Ford and Jeep weighed in at the other end of the rankings, Jeep taking the lowest overall score in the road tests and hampered by "a mix of spotty reliability." Ford was sunk by reliability issues with its MyFord Touch infotainment system which consumers found troublesome enough to negate its cars earning "solid test scores" for being "very nice to drive." Perhaps the rumored switch from Microsoft to Blackberry's QNX for the next generation SYNC will help them out. Cadillac's score also took a hit for infotainment reasons after it was the leading US brand last year, the CUE system in the XTS dragging Cadillac to the bottom of all General Motors brands.

2025 Acura RDX treated to minor nip and tuck, but stays the course

The 2025 Acura RDX is due for a complete overhaul as this generation enters its seventh model year, but it looks like we’ll need to be a little more patient, as Acura just announced this 2025 model is getting a light refresh. A new “frameless” grille with a mesh pattern adorns the front to bring it in line with other Acuras wearing the same design. New wheels throughout the lineup spruce things up along the sides, with 19-inch Berlina Black-painted rims being the new standard option. Meanwhile, Advance Package cars receive new body-color lower exterior trim and unique multi-spoke machine finish 19-inch wheels. A-Spec trim RDXs step things up to 20-inch wheels with their own unique design. Lastly, three new shades join the color palette consisting of Solar Silver Metallic, Urban Gray Pearl and Canyon River Blue Metallic. Interior updates see the RDX gain a new center console design that features larger cupholders and an improved wireless phone charger. What it does not change is the True Touchpad infotainment system. Acura went away from its long-running (and controversial) infotainment system design in the new 2025 MDX, but the RDX marches on with the same design. What is improved, though, is the 10.2-inch screen itself. Acura says itÂ’s updated and now supports a wide-screen mode for wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Previously, it only displayed on part of the screen with the other portion reserved for various other things. The final interior update is a quality one, as Acura says Advance Package cars (including A-Spec with Advance Package) will be equipped with full-leather upholstery, ambient lighting on the new center console and backlit door speakers. Everything else about the RDX remains the same. As a reminder, that means itÂ’s equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that sends 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission. Pricing for this massaged RDX will come soon, as Acura says the 2025 model is hitting dealers later this month.

2024 Acura ZDX revealed with up to 500 horsepower

The 2024 Acura ZDX electric SUV has been revealed along with many of the basic specifications. It will be available in two basic trims, the A-Spec and the Type S, and both offer fairly impressive performance and range wrapped in a package that's very similar to the Precision EV concept. The basic shape of the ZDX is quite close to the Precision, but everything has been softened. The nose still leans forward with a solid main grille, it has a floating roof, silver lower trim and a cab-rearward shape. Concessions to practicality include the conventional door-pulls and larger lower grilles for powertrain cooling. The A-Spec and Type S look pretty similar, with the main difference being wheel size: 20 inches for the A-Spec and 22 for the Type S. The A-Spec's tires are also 265-mm wide while the Type S gets 275-mm tires. And that top-trim ZDX gets the option of the Double Apex Blue Pearl from the concept, or the Tiger Eye Pearl from other Type S models. Unlike the Precision, the ZDX actually has an interior, and it does a good job of hiding its GM roots, at least at first glance. It has a low dash with slim air vents and a pair of screens for instruments and infotainment; 11 inches and 11.5 respectively. The screens are split up, and sit low behind a wraparound cowl design. Looking closer, though, and you'll see that the steering wheel and climate controls are carryover from the related Blazer EV, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. Acura has another important difference from the GM products: It will feature wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, in addition to all the Google Built-In apps. An 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system is standard, too. Other fancy tech includes rear emergency braking with rear cross-traffic and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with steering assist, automatic parallel parking and, thanks to being based on a GM platform, hands-free highway driving assist (Super Cruise by any other name). Digging beneath the surface, we find that the A-Spec will come standard in rear-wheel-drive form, quite the departure from a company with decades of front-drive history and experience. It gets a single rear motor making 340 horsepower. It will be available with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain that we're presuming has the same total output, seeing as Acura didn't specify a different amount. Multi-link independent suspension with fixed shocks and springs are also standard for the A-Spec.