2011 Acura Rdx Base Sport Utility 4-door 2.3l on 2040-cars

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Why the 2015 Detroit Auto Show will be the best since The Crisis

The Detroit Auto Show clearly has its swagger back, and the 2015 edition will be a veritable feast for the enthusiast senses. We're talking serious performance, and it will be exhibited in a variety of forms. Sports cars. Supercars. Muscle-bound luxury cars. They're all set for splashy debuts in January in the Motor City. It's another signpost that companies have recovered from the global economic crisis that gripped the industry from 2008-09. For a while, automakers played it safe at Detroit and other shows. Environmentally friendly cars were important, especially for General Motors and Chrysler that were living on loans from Uncle Sam. Ford, Toyota and other companies generally focused on their best-selling or core models. With a few notable exceptions, recent auto shows have been a bit more buttoned-down than in the past. Boring probably isn't the right word, but austerity has been reality. That's changing. Car companies are making money. Sales are up. Aside from the many nagging recalls – and they are notable – the industry now has the time and energy to make performance cars a priority. That will be offered in hard evidence in Detroit. A year from now when we look back at this auto show, we'll sum it up with one word: Horsepower. But make no mistake, this isn't frivolous. Sports and luxury cars are expensive. They're profitable. They boost images and highlight strengths. With that in mind, here are five significant performance-oriented reveals to watch for when the show kicks off in less than two weeks. 2016 Acura NSX Acura's reborn NSX is a strong bet to earn plenty of votes for our Editors' Choice awards. It's one of the most anticipated – and strung-out – reveals of the year. Think back: we actually saw an NSX concept at the 2012 Detroit show, and Acura has spent the last three years teasing the car in a variety of ways. The slow burn, however, means we know a lot about the NSX. It's will use a mid-mounted twin-turbo hybrid powertrain and run with all-wheel drive. It will also wear an innovative zirconium e-coat paint, a new paint process that Honda says is more environmentally friendly. Honda has also said it will build the new NSX in Ohio, where a large part of the car's development work has been done. The original NSX was produced from 1990-2005 and helped establish Acura's performance credentials in the United States. It was a landmark car and a shot across the bow of Ferrari, Lamborghini and others.

2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray vs the world: How it compares on paper

The 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray in its base form offers an astonishing amount of performance for the money. In fact, so impressive is the car's spec sheet that the Corvette kind of exists in two different competitive sets: one of cars priced similarly, and another with cars of similar performance and reputation. To get a feel for how it handles each of these segments, we've compiled specifications for those two sets of players. You can find the first set below, which looks at cars of roughly the same price point. Following that is a bit of analysis, and then there's a chart of cars with similar performance and reputation. And that chart will also have some analysis. Though final pricing for the Corvette hasn't been announced yet, we know the Corvette will start at less than $60,000. And as far as pricing goes, its closest competitor is the Porsche 718 Cayman, which also starts at just under $60,000. Both are mid-engined and rear-drive, but the Corvette offers an extra 195 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. The Cayman does boast a curb weight of right around 3,000 pounds, so it weighs a few hundred pounds less than the Corvette, but it's likely not enough to make up for the power deficit. The Corvette's sub-3.0-second 0-60 time bears this out against the Cayman's best 4.5-second run. Impressively, though, the Cayman has more cargo space than the Corvette in a package that's nearly 10 inches shorter. The Cayman also still offers a manual option for those that prefer self-shifting. The 2020 Toyota Supra is on the cheap end of this sports car class, just crossing $50,000. It also boasts more power than the Cayman, though it's still down by 160 ponies and 105 pound-feet of torque to the C8. It's also about as roomy as the Corvette, despite being about the same size as the Cayman. Cargo space is a bit tighter. Its driving characteristics will likely differ, too as the Supra sits on a front-engine platform. It might even feel closer to a C7 Corvette in some ways. The other mid-engine entry in this price range is the 2019 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. Its small 1.7-liter turbo inline-4 only makes 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, but it's also far and away the lightest of this group at 2,487 pounds. That's roughly 1,000 pounds lighter than the Corvette. It isn't as fast as the Corvette in a straight line, but that lightness surely pays dividends in cornering and braking.

2016 Acura RDX priced from $35,270*

Acura launched a revised version of its RDX crossover at the Chicago Auto Show in February. And now that it's about to hit dealers across the country, the Japanese luxury marque has released pricing for the updated model: $35,270, *not including $920 for destination. That new price represents modest and entirely reasonable $175 increase over the 2015 RDX. For that extra sum, buyers will get a slightly more powerful version of the 3.5-liter V6 (increased by 6 horsepower and a single pound-foot of torque) with cylinder deactivation, new engine mounts and a nine-speed automatic transmission instead of the previous six-speed, netting a slight improvement in fuel economy. The available all-wheel-drive system is now more rearward-biased, the styling has been subtly enhanced with new lighting and trim, and the interior trim and equipment have been updated as well. The 2016 RDX is set to reach dealerships nationwide this Thursday, April 16. Related Video: Ready for Liftoff: 2016 Acura RDX Launching with More Performance, Luxury Appointments and Advanced Safety Technology than Ever Before Apr 15, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. In a major commitment to advance what is already one of its most successful models, Acura is launching a more powerful, fuel efficient and luxuriously appointed 2016 RDX luxury SUV at dealerships nationwide tomorrow with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $35,270 – an increase of just $175 over the 2015 model, despite the additional performance, features and capability. Coming off an all-time record sales year in 2014, the refreshed 5-passenger RDX now packs an even stronger punch in the compact luxury SUV class for 2016 with a more powerful 3.5-liter i-VTEC® V-6 engine, ride and handling refinements, an expanded list of available AcuraWatch™ safety and driver-assistive technologies, restyled exterior and interior elements and a host of new luxury features and technologies, including standard Jewel Eye™ LED projector headlamps and LED taillights. A new line-topping Advance grade ties the improvements and new features together in one comprehensive package. "The new RDX is another great example of how we are continuing to advance our Acura lineup with a focus on prestige, performance and dynamic proportion," said Michael Accavitti, senior vice president and general manager of Acura.