2019 Acura Rdx A-spec Package on 2040-cars

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Acura Integra Type S briefly teased with wild anime-style video

A year ago, Acura introduced the world to a new anime car-racing protagonist named Chiaki who featured in a series of shorts called Chiaki's Journey. The mini films were a celebration of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Japanese anime, the automaker's fuller Type-S lineup, and the new Acura Integra. A year on, Acura is presenting sponsor and official vehicle at Sundance for the 13th year in a row, so Chiaki's back with new friends and a new ride. As part of a multi-platform ad campaign called "New World. Same Energy," the Japanese luxury brand takes viewers on a tour of "the Acura multiverse" of Type S models set to the soundtrack of Motley Crue's "Live Wire" from 1982.  As with anything set to a Motley Crue song, the video is wall-to-wall fever. Here's Acura's quick map of the kaleidoscopic cosmic terrain traversing six worlds:  Future-verse: The 2023 TLX Type S and the all-new, next-gen 2023 Integra compact sport sedan challenge a hyper-futuristic tech world. Joneses-verse: The 2023 MDX Type S accelerates through a world of similarity – it is so much more than keeping up with the Joneses. Lunar-verse: The 2023 RDX prepares for launch. Anime-verse: AcuraÂ’s favorite anime racing hero, Chiaki, and the 2024 Integra Type S charge up a snowy Pikes Peak Hill Climb.  Racer-verse: Powering through the live-action racing universe is AcuraÂ’s new ARX-06 electrified race car that debuts in competition later this month at the 24 Hours of Daytona. EV-verse: The campaignÂ’s multiverses converge and their Acura energy culminates in a spark that unlocks the futuristic world of the Acura Precision EV Concept. Because the Integra Type S in the ad (at 0:38) is a Pikes Peak hill climber, it's bolted up with some equipment we definitely will not see on the options list when the production version arrives this summer. The Acura Precision EV Concept is treated more like something from this universe, previewing the styling of the 2024 Acura ZDX and ZDX Type S we're going to meet later this year. Acura says the "New World. Same Energy" campaign will run through March Madness.  Related video:

Best places to get your car maintained and repaired

In this era of rampant inflation and high interest rates, the challenges of acquiring a car or SUV have been well documented. And so it has never been more important to protect that expensive investment by maintaining it. In recent months, Autoblog has shared Consumer Reports' evaluation of the least and most expensive car brands to keep running, as well as tips to prolong a car’s useful life. Especially since the pandemic, a number of factors have impacted these costs: more complex vehicles, new materials and manufacturing methods, a shortage of qualified technicians and replacement parts. Since 2022, repairs costs have jumped each year by about 10 percent. This month, Consumer Reports is offering a useful primer on keeping your ride in great shape, suggesting what might be the best options for searching out a repair shop, depending, as CR says, “on your car and your situation.” Author Ben Preston identifies three basic types of repair facilities: dealership service departments, independently owned repair shops, and chain repair shops. Building up trust with a specific shop and feeling comfortable going there is important. Preston quotes John Ibbotson, chief mechanic at Consumer ReportsÂ’ Auto Test Center: "You might be able to save a few bucks by going to whichever shop offers the cheapest prices, but if you want consistent, reliable service, itÂ’s best to find a repair shop you trust and stick with it,” Ibbotson says. The story goes on to evaluate each type of service facility. HereÂ’s a breakdown of CRÂ’s findings: Dealerships These work well for owners of newer cars, especially for covered warranty work. But the disadvantage is the high labor rates common to dealer service. Satisfaction ratings for dealer service departments range from very good (Acura, Lexus, Mazda, and Volvo) to not-so-good (Jeep and Kia). Dealers are best for: Fixing infotainment system glitches: "If the screen in the center of your dash has a habit of freezing up, or the touchscreen-activated climate controls arenÂ’t working, the dealership is the most likely place to find someone with the know-how to fix problems that maybe only a factory-authorized technician can access," Ibbotson says. Safety system recalibration: "Anything from a crack in your windshield to a minor fender dent can upset the calibration of the sensors that make features like automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control work," says Ibbotson.

2024 Honda Prologue name announced, and an Acura EV follows

Honda is revealing a couple of little nuggets of information about its future EVs today, shedding more light on the partnership between it and GM on electric vehicle technology. The big news is that Honda’s first new EV made in this partnership will be called Prologue, and it will be an SUV produced for the 2024 model year. HondaÂ’s “Prologue” logo is revealed with this news, and a few additional details about the car itself are, too. On the obvious front, Honda says the Prologue will ride on GMÂ’s global EV platform and use GMÂ’s Ultium battery technology. The company is also promising “versatility and driving range on par with our current lineup of rugged SUVs.” “Our first volume Honda BEV will begin our transition to electrification, and the name Honda Prologue signals the role it will play in leading to our zero-emission future,” says Dave Gardner, executive VP of American Honda. “The Prologue will provide our customers with a battery-electric SUV with the excellent functionality and packaging theyÂ’ve come to expect from Honda.” ItÂ’s not just Honda that will join in on the fun, though. An electric Acura SUV was also announced today. Just like the Honda, it will use GMÂ’s electric vehicle platform. A model year for the Acura wasn't promised, but Honda claimed it would be revealed “in the 2024 calendar year.” Any details beyond what you see here are being kept under wraps by Honda. WeÂ’re told to expect more “specific details” to be released over the coming months. Basically, expect a slow drip of information about the Prologue leading up to a full reveal where Honda finally shares all there is to know about the SUV. Looking even further into the future, Honda promises EVs based on an in-house-developed EV platform sometime in the second half of this decade. For now, itÂ’s calling this future platform “e:Architecture.” Ultimately, Honda promises that 100% of its auto sales in North America will be fully electric by 2040. The 2024 Prologue is the brandÂ’s first step toward this ambitious goal. Related video: