2021 Acura Tlx W/tech on 2040-cars

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Acura prices hand-built TLX PMC Edition at $50,945

Acura unveiled the 2020 TLX PMC Edition sedan at this year's New York Auto Show along with the MDX PMC Edition Prototype. Both models adopt the same hand-finished build processes employed at Honda's Performance Manufacturing Center to create the Acura NSX. In the case of the sedan, that means a body-in-white pulled off the line at Honda's Marysville plant so that PMC technicians can install the interior, drivetrain, suspension, wiring harnesses, and electronics. After that, the TLX PMC undergoes the same quality control checks conducted on the NSX, including a dyno run and water leak test. The price: $50,945, which includes $1,995 for handling and destination. In addition to the craftsmanship, the sedan combines two options that normally cannot be combined, the A-Spec and Advance Packages. They install the 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, the A-Spec's stiffer dampers and quicker steering ratio, plus sharper exterior components like the restyled bumper, larger exhaust tips, and gloss black roof panel. Comfort features include heated and ventilated front sport seats, leather and Alcantara seating, black leather steering wheel, black headliner, surround-view camera, heated rear seats, and Acura's 10-speaker ELS Studio audio system. Cosmetic go-fast changes are seen in the red instrument cluster and red accent lighting. The whole package gets drenched in Valencia Red Pearl paint formerly exclusive to the NSX but making one special appearance here, the crimson infused with mica, metal flake and "nano pigments" for keener color. Black, 10-spoke, 19-inch wheels anchor the sedan to the road. The U.S. will see just 360 examples of the TLX PMC, each one numbered with a plaque on the dash. Deliveries to dealers begin this month — each sedan transported in a single-car carrier. The entire production run is scheduled to take six months, after which we're told Acura will begin working on the MDX PMC.

Honda airbags are being stolen

The latest hot target for car thieves might just be the airbag mounted inside your steering wheel. And late-model Honda and Acura vehicles are a particularly hot target right now, for reasons not well understood. USA Today reports that criminals across the country are stealing airbags out of relatively new Honda models for apparent resale online or to black market repair shops. It's a trend that has caught the attention of law enforcement agencies in cities like Miami, New York City and Washington D.C. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) estimates that around 50,000 airbags are stolen each year. In Miami-Dade County, thieves stole 875 airbags in 2017, up from just 13 in 2013, according to police records obtained by USA Today. In the Virginia suburbs outside Washington D.C., thieves recently smashed the windows of 10 Hondas at an apartment complex to steal the airbags. Second Lt. Jonathan Bryant told the local Fox affiliate that stolen Honda airbags often end up in chop shops and can command between $300 and $500 each. A quick search of eBay listings for Honda steering wheel airbags turns up results being sold for as high as $700, though most are listing for hundreds less than that. New replacement versions purchased from dealerships approach $1,000. Many dishonest repair shops install the stolen airbags as new and charge the owner or their insurer full price for the replacement, a version of insurance fraud. Last year, police in Coral Springs, Fla. published an alert on the neighborhood social networking site Nextdoor urging residents who own a Honda or Acura to park in a garage or well-lit area, "or if you have another vehicle, pull it as close to your driver's side door as possible," they wrote. "We have seen an increase in airbag thefts, primarily in Acura and Honda models," the posting added. "The suspect(s) often disarm the alarm by cutting the battery, punch the driver side door lock or smash the window. It is believed these criminals take approx. 5-10 minutes to steal the airbag." One theory for the apparent rise in airbag thefts is that a spate of airbag recalls in recent years — including the ongoing recall of nearly 50 million potentially explosive Takata airbag inflators that left suppliers scrambling to make new parts — may have boosted demand for replacements. Most of the vehicles involved are late-model Honda Civics and Accords, but it's not clear exactly why Honda is being targeted.

Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo, GMC Yukon XL, Tesla earnings, Maine Mitsubishi Delicas | Autoblog Podcast #689

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They discuss recently driven cars: the GMC Yukon XL diesel, Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo and Acura TLX Type-S. After that comes recent Tesla news along with cancelled Mitsubishi Delica registrations in the state of Maine. Finally, the editors help a reader spend their money on an affordable crossover. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #689 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving: 2021 GMC Yukon XL diesel 2021 Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo 2022 Acura TLX Type-S News: Tesla earnings and delays Mitsubishi Delica registrations in Maine Spend my money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: