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2022 Acura RDX update makes a lot of good stuff standard

When the third-generation Acura RDX launched for 2019, our test drive found it to be a fine return to form for the Acura brand. Not only did it cast aside the humdrum personality of the second-gen, but it gave itself a reason to exist in the crowded luxury compact crossover field. In fact, it landed competitively mid-pack amongst the German Grossen Drei of Mercedes, Audi and disappointing BMW. Though we did have a gripe about how certain packages weren't available on certain trims, with the 2022 update Acura has rectified that very complaint. We'll get to that in a minute, but first let's start with the base RDX. Acura says that one of the biggest improvements comes in the form of noise, or lack thereof. We didn't think the 2019 model was particularly noisy, but  Acura says the cabin is "dramatically quieter." Though they don't provide a decibel reading, they do inform us that a retuned Active Sound Control system and new front fender liners help reduce road noise. New for 2022, the next-level-up Technology Package takes noise reduction even further, with thicker carpets and acoustic glass in the front doors. New sound insulation in the those doors, under the dash pad and in the D-pillars also help keep road, wind and engine noise out of the cabin. The package also comes with a rear camera washer. The top-spec Advance Package adds even more sound deadening material to the headliner, dash, hood, drivetrain tunnel and rear hatch. Here, the rear doors get acoustic glass and noise insulation to match the fronts as well. Power-folding side mirrors and a 12-volt power outlet in the cargo round out the changes for 2022. Best of all — and this is the nit we picked in our 2019 test drive — the sporty A-Spec package is at last offered with the Advance Package. This wasn't the case before, inexplicably leaving the adaptive dampers off of A-Spec models. Now the look finally matches the equipment. In addition, A-Spec cars get some of their exterior bits dipped in gunmetal and gloss black finishes set them apart visually. Inside, a flat-bottomed sport steering wheel is unique to the package, along with other interior exclusives and an available bronze finish on interior aluminum bits if you choose the Saddle Brown upholstery. If those aren't special enough, Acura is once again offering a limited-production PMC Edition of the 2022 RDX.

Honda signs on as Pikes Peak sponsor, race participant

Honda plans to storm the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 30, entering ten cars in nine classes at the race to the sky, and signing on as a corporate sponsor. Part of the company's return to grassroots racing - if that's what you can call factory-backed efforts - the banners of Honda R&D and Honda North America will fly on these entries: a first-gen Acura NSX, an Acura TL SH-AWD, Honda CR-Z, Honda Fit EV, one CRF450R and two CRF250R motorcycles, a CBR1000RR motorcycle and a TRX450 ATV.
One more entry, details of which are to be announced later, will be driven by IndyCar pilot Simon Pagenaud of Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports. LoveFab (pictured above during practice last year) will be there with its new, NSX-based Enviate, but as a privateer entry.
Honda's been to the mountain before, with high-powered gear in 2012 and record-setting EVs in 1994 and 1999, but it's never made noise like this. Have a read of the press release below for more info.

How I was reunited with my Acura TSX after 16 years

Back in 2006, I did a very unusual thing: I ordered an Acura. While ordering your car is always unusual in this country, doing so for an Acura (or Honda) is even stranger given how few combinations of color and options there are. The chances of finding what you want at a dealer are high. Despite the odds, though, I needed to order my 2006 Acura TSX with the combination of Arctic Blue paint, touchscreen navigation and, crucially, the six-speed manual transmission. Three months later, it was in the driveway. Fifteen months later, however, it was out of the driveway. I had just got my dream job as an automotive journalist and no longer needed to own a daily driver. The TSX would just be collecting dust and depreciation down in a garage, I hadn’t exactly grown attached to it after so little time, and it certainly didnÂ’t seem like a collectible car to hang onto for posterity. After months of trying to sell it (turns out all those dealers were on to something with their inventory builds), a nice young man named Chanc flew to Los Angeles with a check in hand. I took off my RIZ plates, he slid that manual transmission into first, and off my TSX went to its new home in Utah never to be heard or seen from again. Until Christmas Eve of last year. While enjoying an egg nog, I pulled out my phone to find I was tagged in the below Instagram post by someone named Tyson Hugie. It took me a second to process what I was seeing: somebody handing over keys to an Arctic Blue Acura TSX with a red bow on top. “Wait, what?” I exclaimed.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Tyson Hugie (@tysonhugie)   “IÂ’m an Acura brand aficionado, some call me an addict,” Hugie explained to me on an episode of the Autoblog Podcast recorded in the TSX itself. ThatÂ’s putting it lightly, and itÂ’s an addiction thatÂ’s resulted in quite the following on Instagram and YouTube, where he documents his collection/projects. “IÂ’ve been a fan of Honda and Acura products since the late ‘90s. Whenever I come across a particularly rare model, it kind of stays with me a long time.” His collecting started back in 2011 after Acura threw a red-carpet party for him, and more notably, the Acura Legend he owned that rolled over 500,000 miles. It has since crested 585,400. Nearly 30 other Acuras and Hondas have come, gone and stayed alongside it in HugieÂ’s garage since then.