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2022 Acura NSX Type S Road Test Review | An ode to itself, and a gift for drivers

As we say goodbye to the modern NSX, Acura saw fit to leave the world with a parting gift. As a last blast, the hybrid supercar got a Type S variant as a mighty sendoff, with more performance and improved handling. It’s a rare treat, though, for those who could afford its $171,495 starting price. The first example sold for over a million dollars, and the remaining 299 units were scooped up in a day. Road Test Editor Zac Palmer had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take the NSX Type S for a lap around Daytona, and this fall our driveway had the privilege of being graced by the carÂ’s presence for a few days. And this NSX looks as extreme as it drives, a sharp wedge that combines aesthetics of exoticism and straight-up evil. This one, in particular, cut a mean figure, with its matte charcoal finish, blacked-out badging, plenty of carbon fiber, sharp angles and an odd-looking engine cover covering an odd powerplant, all under glass right behind the cockpit. Though the general shape of the car is familiar to supercar fans from the mid-1970s and beyond, thereÂ’s no mistaking this Acura for something else, its honed exterior a reflection of the carÂ’s performance. Zac already outlined what performance upgrades set this Type S apart from the rest of the generation, but itÂ’s good to know this wasnÂ’t mostly about looks. Acura upgraded the V6Â’s twin turbochargers, improved its air and thermal management capabilities, and lowered the gear ratios of the twin electric motors up front. It even got a higher-capacity, higher-output battery powering the hybrid system. The result is a cool 600 horsepower and 492 pound-feet of torque. It's shockingly quick, but itÂ’s hard to tell if itÂ’s actually faster in a straight line than the lesser NSX. The overall driving experience is improved, however. In the Type S, Acura has achieved incredibly quick shifts from the retuned nine-speed automatic. It works well on its own, but the response you get from pulling one of the paddles almost feels as though the car had predicted your move, and is supremely rewarding in terms of driver engagement. ItÂ’s quite generous in its compliance to your whims, too, allowing you downshifts that land you higher in the rev range than youÂ’d expect it to allow — in fact, Acura actually raised the manual downshift rev limit by 1,500 rpm. What a wonderful treat to give customers as a parting gift.

Acura built just 91 examples of the ILX last month, here's why

The short life of the Acura ILX has been vexed by one glaringly odd standard equipment choice, mediocre reviews, getting outsold by its competition as it posted slower-than-projected sales and a pledge by Honda to upgrade its supposedly upgraded offering. Therefore, when Automotive News reports that just 91 of the Civic-based Acura sedans were manufactured last month - after a string of production months in double-digits - it would be easy to press the button for the alarm bells.
But that would be hasty, because it is actually the 2013 Honda Civic that is crimping the production pipeline of the ILX. The vastly higher sales numbers of the Honda meant that all three North American plants that produce it needed to crank up output to satisfy dealer inventory needs, including the Greenburg, Indiana plant that makes both the Civic and the ILX. As the classic guns-vs-butter Economy 101 lesson taught us - in which making more of one necessarily means making less of the other - well, the Civic is the gun.
Honda prepared for this eventuality by cranking out the Acuras while it got ready for Civic production. The ILX has held steady at about 500 units shy of company projections every month, and the current inventory represents about 90 days worth of sales. That makes Greenburg's ostensibly low numbers in line with the realities of the ILX, and the situation probably won't change much as Acura gets ready for the improved 2014 ILX.

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.