2003 Acura Mdx Touring Sport Utility 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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2024 Acura RDX is another model dropping front-wheel drive

After Acura made small changes to the RDX for the 2022 and 2023 model years, Honda's premium arm is carrying the 2023 version nearly unchanged into 2024. There's a familiar drivetrain tweak that we've covered across the automaker spectrum, though, with Acura dropping the front-wheel-drive option that had been available on the base, Technology, and A-Spec trims. For now, every RDX comes fitted with Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). The effect is also familiar: Compared to 2023 RDX pricing at launch, the minimum price for the entry-level base and the Technology trims is up $2,300, the A-Spec price climbs $2,000. MSRPs for the RDX lineup including the $1,195 destination charge, and their changes from 2023 launch pricing, are: RDX Base: $45,245 ($2,300) Technology: $47,895 ($2,300) A-Spec: $50,895 ($2,000) Advance: $53,045 ($500) A-Spec Advance: $55,045 ($500) Now for the small print. We specified launch pricing because the 2023 RDX has already gone up in price by all but $100 of the increases noted above. Meaning, if you wanted to configure a 2023 RDX on Acura's website instead of a 2024, you'd only save $100. Also, the automaker didn't put out a press release for the coming model year, but it did publish a fact sheet. The first footnote of the fact sheet explains, "Destination & Handling charge for sedans (excluding PMC Edition) and SUVs (excluding PMC Edition) is $1,400." At the time of writing this post, destination charges are still shown as $1,195 on the 2024 Acura RDX Build & Price page. Take this as warning that the brand's cars could get at least $205 more expensive soon. Every RDX is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, shifting through a 10-speed automatic and sending power to both axles. We've had nothing bad to say about the RDX, praising its gutsy engine, responsive chassis, quality interior, sharp styling, spacious interior and plentiful standard features. And even with the price bumps, the RDX remains either much less expensive or notably more powerful than the luxury competitors Acura wants to challenge with the RDX. 

Recharge Wrap-up: Volkswagen Sustainability Council meets, Zee.Aero flying car spotted?

The Volkswagen Sustainability Council held its inaugural meeting in Berlin. Made up of nine international experts, the council will advise VW and take action on its own as it sees fit. In the meeting, the council decided that in 2017 it will focus on tackling CO2 emissions, planning for post-2025 regulations, and assisting the automaker's "transformation from car manufacturer to mobility services provider," as VW Chairman Matthias Muller puts it. Volkswagen has approved 20 million euros (about $21.75 million) in funding for Sustainability Council projects for its first two years. "We are fully aware of the large transformation that lays ahead Volkswagen Group," says George Kell, Sustainability Council Chair and Founding Director of UN Global Compact. "We were invited to be part of this journey and are very much looking forward on being actively involved in the development of this journey." Read more at Green Car Congress, or from Volkswagen. Honda plans to ramp up its share of hybrids sold in the US. In response to increasingly strict emissions standards, the company wants electrified vehicles (including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and fuel cell vehicles) to make up two-thirds of Honda and Acura sales in US by 2030. Some analysts are skeptical, though. Christopher Richter of CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets says that dealers are telling Honda they don't want hybrids. "Unless there's a change in what dealers want, I don't think they are going to get there that fast," Richter says. Read more at Automotive News. Witnesses report spotting what could possibly be the Zee.Aero electric aircraft at Hollister Airport in California. Zee.Aero, a startup funded by Google cofounder Larry Page, has a hangar at that airport, where a photo was taken of the aircraft in question. The craft is said to be capable of vertical takeoff and landing and can fit in a one-car garage, earning it the "flying car" moniker. Eyewitness Saul Gomez described the aircraft as "quiet" and "hovering 20, 25 feet off the ground." Read more at Electrek, and watch the interview at Mercury News. Related Gallery 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid: First Drive View 26 Photos News Source: Green Car Congress, Volkswagen, Automotive News, Electrek, Mercury NewsImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Auto News Green Acura Honda Volkswagen Green Automakers Electric Hybrid recharge wrapup

Honda demonstrates new Vehicle-to-Pedestrian safety tech [w/video]

We're fresh from a balmy rooftop deck in downtown Detroit, where Honda held a meeting this week to discuss and demonstrate a few upcoming advanced safety features. A clear focus of the mini event was the company's new Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) technology, with a suite of Vehicle-to-Motorcycle (V2M) tech a significant second course.
With spirits still high from announcing the 2014 Odyssey as the first minivan to win the Top Safety Pick+ status from IIHS - and after seeing the application of new high-strength-steel sections of the Acura MDX body structure - Honda shared the fruits of some safety tech that is still in the research phase.