2010 Acura Tsx Tech Package on 2040-cars

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Motorweek goes retro with '80s hot hatch shootout

Motorweek's decades of history on television make it the perfect medium to look back into the automotive past and see how things are different now. It recently added old road test videos to its YouTube channel of the Acura NSX and Toyota Supra, as well as the Ferrari F40. For one of its newest flashback clips, Motorweek has exhumed an affordable five-car challenge of 1986's premiere hot hatches.
By today's standards, this is an eclectic field that features fondly remembered classics like the Volkswagen GTI 16-valve and Acura Integra. However, it also throws in some nearly forgotten contenders like the Dodge Colt Turbo and Ford Escort GT. The angular Toyota Corolla FX16 GT-S rounds out the group.
It's fascinating to watch Motorweek run the quintet through the slalom, down the drag strip and on various roads. What's most striking in this clip is the difference in the definition of a performance car between then and now. With its 16-valve, 1.8-liter four-cylinder, the GTI is the burliest of the contenders with 123 horsepower, but it still takes 8.8 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour. By today's standards, that would make it a plain-jane economy car, and not even a particularly quick one.

Top 10 small cars with the longest total driving range

Editor's Note: Since this article was originally posted in the spring of 2015, much has changed in the automotive landscape, especially among those shopping for small car economy. With thanks to Volkswagen for their blatant cheating – and subsequent cover-up – on diesel emissions, the largest player in the diesel passenger car segment isn't playing – they're paying; billions are going for both car buybacks and federally-imposed penalties. And for a few VW execs there exists the very real possibility of jail. With the absence of a big player and the abrupt entrance – via Chevy's new Bolt – of an affordable EV with 200+ miles of range, we've limited the diesel listings to Jaguar's new XE. And for those wanting an updated look at efficiency and range, Autoblog has it – or the EPA has it. Long before electric vehicles were part of the mainstream conversation, car lovers and skinflints alike would boast about the total range of their vehicles. There's something about getting farther down the road on one tank of gas that inflames the competitive spirit, almost as much as horsepower output or top speed. Of course, the vehicles with the very best range on today's market are almost all big trucks and SUVs; virtually all have the ability to carry massive reserves of fuel. Top up a standard Chevy Suburban and you can expect to travel almost 700 miles (you'll need to stop before the Suburban stops...), while a diesel-fed Jeep Grand Cherokee manages almost as many. But what about vehicles that are smaller? The EPA has, essentially, three classifications for 'small' vehicles: Minicompact, Subcompact and Compact. All three are measured based on interior volume, meaning that some cars with rather large exterior dimensions and engines slot in next to traditional small cars. But even though impressive GT coupes from Porsche, Bentley and Mercedes-Benz may have much larger gas tanks to feed their powerful engines, that capacity is offset by higher rates of consumption... in most cases. We used the EPA's Fuel Economy Guide for model year 2017 cars as a start, calculating the official highway miles per gallon rating with each vehicle's tank capacity. The resulting numbers aren't necessarily real world, but they do offer a spectrum for total theoretical range. The eventual top ten surprised me on a few occasions, and comprised quite a varied list of vehicles. 10.

Acura Precision EV Concept reveal predicts the future at Monterey Car Week

Monterey Car Week is getting into full swing, and Acura showed up with its new Precision EV Concept. Acura makes it fairly clear that this concept isn’t a preview for any particular future electric SUV, but instead is showing it as an example of what the companyÂ’s design themes will be for all upcoming EVs. The exterior is striking from the first glance as it wears a new-for-Acura Double Apex Blue shade of paint with a matte finish. AcuraÂ’s designers say the car's shape was inspired by luxury Italian power boats. As is the case with many new EVs and EV concepts, the exterior lighting is as integral to the design as anything. The Pentagon grille weÂ’re accustomed to seeing on Acuras is replaced with a light-up fascia that mimics the look and shape of AcuraÂ’s regular passthrough grille. YouÂ’ll also notice the patchy lighting in the corners of the front and rear bumpers, and Acura is calling this “Particle Glitch” lighting that is meant to look like the spokes on the 23-inch wheels. Both the headlight and taillight designs look like an evolution of AcuraÂ’s “chicane” light signature seen on current production cars. While Acura says this SUV isnÂ’t a concept for a specific car, it sure looks like it could serve as a preview to the brandÂ’s first electric SUV based off the Honda Prologue. Acura has previously said that its version of the Prologue would come in 2024, and it mentions that the design language you see here would first be witnessed in that SUV. Things look and feel a little less real when you step inside the Precision EV Concept. Acura says it was inspired by a Formula 1 cockpit and features lots of recycled/sustainable materials. You sit low down. And a yoke steering device replaces a traditional steering wheel — we genuinely hope this stays in the concept and never makes it to production. Two drive modes, a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode, change up the cabin. The “Instinctive” drive mode leaves the yoke in place, allowing you to drive and control the car. It brings up racing style instrumentation and makes all the in-cabin lighting red. Meanwhile, “Spiritual Lounge” mode transforms the Precision EV Concept into an autonomous vehicle, retracting the steering yoke and projecting underwater animations on the various screens. Speaking of those screens, Acura calls this a preview of a new infotainment system. ItÂ’s a super-wide, curved screen, and itÂ’s a touchscreen.