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Comma.ai makes your car semi-autonomous for $999

At TechCrunch's Disrupt conference in San Francisco, Comma.ai founder George "Geohot" Hotz announced the launch of the Comma One semi-autonomous driving device. Hotz said at the conference that his company has worked on the Comma One for about a year, and it will be available at the end of the year for $999 and a $24 per month subscription fee. But aside from the reasonable price, which TechCrunch points out is possible thanks to off-the-shelf components, the appeal here is that it's an add-on to an existing car that can be installed at home by the car's owner. This gives people with normal cars the opportunity to have semi-autonomous features without having to buy an entire vehicle... that is, if you have a Honda or Acura with lane-keeping assist, since Comma One is currently only compatible with those vehicles. It remains to be seen if the company will add more vehicles to the list over time. The device is roughly the size of a large cell phone or aftermarket navigation system, and it has a screen on the front and a pair of cameras on the back. The computer combines information from the device's cameras and the car's radar sensors to understand what's happening and how to respond. Hotz explained at the conference that this system is similar in capability to the Tesla Autopilot system, and will be able to complete a drive, start to finish, without the driver having to touch anything. He did however emphasize that the driver must still pay attention in the event something goes wrong, comparing the experience to watching a young student driver. Hotz told TechCrunch that the device should start shipping at the end of the year. He also said that owners of compatible Honda products in the San Francisco area are eligible for beta testing, and can get involved by emailing him at george@comma.ai. So if you've been pining for a semi-autonomous vehicle of your own, but couldn't spring for a Tesla, you won't have to wait much longer. We should point out that we don't know yet how well the system works, though we hope to find out soon. Related Video:

2014 Acura RLX

Earlier in the year, I reviewed a powder-blue Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, and I witnessed a group of high-school-aged girls ogling the car as it sat in my driveway. In my head, I found it to be a funny-yet-fitting scene that I didn't think of again until a 2014 Acura RLX showed up in my driveway. This time around, an elderly neighborhood couple stopped to give the big Acura sedan a closer look. The RLX is trying to shed past stereotypes of its predecessor, the Acura RL, just like the Beetle. Hoping to avoid becoming the de facto "grandpa car," Acura has completely reworked - and renamed - its flagship sedan.
As the bookend to the new entry-level ILX, the addition of the 2014 RLX might give Acura its strongest sedan lineup ever as the automaker looks to break the cycle of being a middle-of-the-road luxury brand. Stepping up to the big-boy table isn't going to be easy, though, as the competition keeps getting tougher. Forget cars like the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series, the Acura RLX is going to have its hands full with the likes of the Cadillac XTS, Lexus GS and Hyundai Genesis, not to mention a strong consortium of lower-priced, mid-luxury sedans like the Hyundai Azera, Toyota Avalon and Chevy Impala. The one thing all of these cars have in common is a reputation for being an old man cruiser.
I spent a week with the new RLX to see if it could shake the stigma of its outdated predecessor or if it would just leave me searching for the nearest early bird specials.

Acura TLX Luggage Test | Perfectly reasonable trunk space

The Acura TLX has a 13.5-cubic-foot trunk according to the spec sheet. That would be comparable to a typical compact mainstream sedan despite the TLX's exterior dimensions being more akin to a midsize sedan (its 194.6-inch length is right smack between a Toyota Camry and Honda Accord). Luxury cars usually sacrifice utility for style, and by adapting cab-rearward proportions for this latest generation, it shouldn't be surprising that the TLX follows the trend.  However, how much utility does the new TLX sacrifice and is the trunk still useful? Let's find out. It's a fairly deep space, but the amount of width and space behind the wheel wells is also reasonably generous and seemingly useful. As with every luggage test, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D).  To start off, I lined the biggest bags on their sides to demonstrate the difference in the trunk's width relative other sedans. Only three can fit, whereas you can fit four in the majority of midsize sedans. Nevertheless, all the bags fit. That's not the case with the Cadillac CT4 or CT5, or the big fibber, the BMW 3 Series and its "17-cubic-foot" trunk.  Basically, the numbers make sense here. While it can hold all the bags, there really isn't any leftover space as there is in a midsize sedan. That said, I should note that there are plenty of compact crossovers that can't fit all these bags below their cargo covers, including the Mercedes GLC and Alfa Stelvio.  OK, one more trunk-related note. While there is a spare-tire-shaped hole under the trunk floor, there is no spare tire. Instead, you get a compressor encased in foam covering the car's battery. Putting the battery in the trunk is totally normal, but there's something a tad bootleg about this placement. It seems like an afterthought. It almost certainly has to do with engine compartment packaging and/or weight distribution, but it does mean you do without a spare tire. Or, I suppose as BMW is apt to do, extra under-floor cargo space.  Related Content