2007 Acura Mdx Technology/entertainment/sport Sh-awd (mechanic's Car) on 2040-cars

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2024 Acura TLX Preview: Subtle style tweaks, fewer trim options

The 2024 Acura TLX sees a number of updates to keep it competitive and address a few customer requests. It also looks a bit different, but you do need to take a closer side-by-side look. The big visual change is the front end. It now looks more like the TLX Concept car – specifically the lower air dam area and crucially, thereÂ’s now a frameless grille. Acura needed to redesign the entire trim piece above the grille and across the fascia to accommodate it. The change is most obvious on the base TLX, which used to have chrome lipstick around the “Diamond Pentagon” grille. ItÂ’s gone now. So are a whole heap of 2024 Acura TLX trim levels. There had been eight and now there are three: TLX with Technology Package, A-Spec and Type S. Front-wheel drive is now exclusively paired with the now-base TLX with Technology Package (thatÂ’s seriously what itÂ’s called) and vice versa, while the other two are only paired with Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). There was previously a Technology-less Base TLX, a front-wheel-drive A-Spec, a TLX with Advance Package, a Type S w/ Performance Tire and the special-edition Type S PMC Edition. The surviving three were apparently what people were overwhelmingly getting. 2024 Acura TLX action front three quarter View 11 Photos That said, parts of those zombie trims survive. The Advance package may be gone for the base TLX (customers were more interested in the sporty versions than the more luxurious take of Advance cars), but its head-up display and surround-view parking camera are added as standard to the Acura TLX Type S. It already had the AdvanceÂ’s other extras. The PMCÂ’s special lightweight wheels, fashioned in a Copper color are now dealer-installed options for the Type S along with the performance tires. Speaking of wheels, Acura answered another customer request by enlarging the A-Spec wheels to 19 inches and through in a coat of Shark Gray paint. The Type S wheels are now Berlina Black to match the new gloss-black finish in its grille. More gloss black shows up on the A-Spec as well on its new, reshaped rear spoiler. Below it is a similarly gloss black diffuser encasing new round tailpipes in place of the old square covers. Perhaps the most significant visual upgrade, however, is back up front where a new, smaller radar sensor for the adaptive cruise control and forward collision prevention system is now completely encased behind the Acura logo.

Acura Integra to capstone combustion era as EV transition begins

The recent launch of the resurrected Integra nameplate is just part of a larger shift in mission at Acura. Its leaders have repeatedly said they want Acura to be the performance brand of Honda, where driving fun and dynamics come first. However, in a new report, Acura says it plans to go big on fully electric vehicles, at even greater speed than its parent company, by skipping the hybrid step altogether. According to Acura assistant VP of sales Emile Korkor, the Integra was a capstone to the internal combustion era at Acura. It marked a sort of homecoming to the marque's performance pedigree, and once Integra is launched, the brand will move forward with electrifying its lineup. The company's plans were revealed in an Automotive News interview, where Korkor said, "We're going to bypass hybrids altogether. So our shift is going very rapidly into BEV. That's our main focus." At first blush, that seems to be at odds with brand boss Jon Ikeda's public statements about Acura. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, Ikeda was saying that he wanted to take the Integra racing, as something of a mascot for the "fun" brand at Honda. Perhaps we've been desensitized to automakers making big proclamations about EV transitions a la Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, and Infiniti, but typically the green messaging has not been about performance in the traditional sense. Says Korkor, "We're not just dipping our toe in the water with electric at Acura, we are jumping all in. And that's not just because we need to. It's because we want to. Acura is really focused on performance, and electrification is one of the greatest ways we can augment that performance." While electrification and performance are not mutually exclusive, we have yet to drive an EV that connects to the road as beautifully as a 1990s Integra or NSX did. Acuras have never been about power and torque. Yet they were still compelling performance cars thanks to brilliant steering and driving dynamics. Then there's the issue of what Acura represents. Back in February, Ikeda said that Acura was purposefully holding off on an EV strategy because it needed to re-establish its performance bona fides. Now, Korkor says, "The benefit of returning to the Integra right now is that it's going to help shepherd a new generation of customers and build loyalty as we move into a new era." The problem is, the Integra alone isn't enough to establish that performance cred.

Honda museum opens at company HQ in SoCal, first public day is next month

You don't see too many ordinary cars in automotive museums, and it makes sense. Rare luxury models, iconic muscle cars and obviously collectible vehicles are far more likely to get preserved and find themselves parked upon a climate-controlled pedestal someday. And yet, even if they may not be as collectible, everyday cars typically strike a stronger emotional and nostalgic chord in all of us. They firmly recall a specific time in our lives; what we were doing and where we were. Even if we never owned the car in question, ordinary cars were bound contribute to the overall landscape of your world.  Which is why finding a museum devoted to ordinary cars such a treat. Now, "ordinary" can have negative connotations, so perhaps "ubiquitous" is better to describe what you'll find in the new American Honda Collection Hall at the company's headquarters in Torrance, Calif. As you can see in the gallery above, there are pristine examples of the Hondas we grew up in, learned to drive in, brought us to college ... and those are just my own personal examples. Of course, there are also decidedly less ordinary examples such as the S2000 CR, Civic Type-R Limited Edition and Acura NSX, but apart from perhaps the latter, it would be rare for you to see such "Radwood-era" cars in a museum. You can also see some of the cars we've actually had the chance to review here on Autoblog: the 1999 Honda Prelude, the 1999 Honda Civic Si, the 1985 Honda CRX Si, and a handful of others.  According to Carl Pulley, who is the steward of the collection, the cars on display are just a taste of what is actually available since space was limited within the Collection Hall that's adjacent to HQ's primary lobby. He'll be able to swap different cars in or adopt a theme such as prominent examples from Honda's motorsports endeavors. Indeed, it isn't just Honda and Acura road cars -- we're just focusing on those because, you know, Autoblog. There are race cars, noteworthy motorcycles and even power equipment such as marine engines, generators and weed whackers.  While most car companies have a collection stored someplace, this one will actually be open to the public on a limited but regular basis. There will be scheduled "Cars, Bikes & Coffee" events hosted at the Collection Hall where people are invited to drive or ride their own piece of Honda history (all makes and eras are still welcome) to show off in Honda HQ's vast parking lot and come inside to check out the Collection Hall.