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A smoother operator | 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid First Drive

There's a lot to unpack when trying to understand the 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid. Acura is billing it as a three-row crossover infused with NSX technology via a sport-oriented hybrid drivetrain. So it's a hybrid crossover, sure. But it doesn't comport itself like a traditional crossover, nor is it a conventional hybrid. What it is, underneath, is an intentionally subtle blend of impressive technologies doing their best to appear transparent – and it's too subtle, I fear, to be appreciated by those who'd like it the most. This is a lot of foreshadowing, but if you're not familiar with the MDX Sport Hybrid's powertrain, let's fill you in. The MDX Sport Hybrid uses the same basic system as the 2014 RLX Sport Hybrid, with some newer NSX battery tech sprinkled in, packaged neatly into the refreshed third-generation MDX platform. The system improves handling and efficiency – but more important, it smoothes out the harshness of shifts and engine stop-starts. We do need to examine the system in some detail to understand how all this affects the MDX as a whole, so let's go toe to tail. Up front is a transversely-mounted 3.0-liter V6 making 257 horsepower and 218 pound-feet of torque, as well as featuring i-VTEC and cylinder deactivation. It's slightly smaller than the 3.5-liter V6 found in the conventional MDX and many other Honda and Acura products. Attached alongside is a Honda-produced 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that has a 47 hp, 109 lb-ft electric motor-generator stuffed inside. Amidships are the battery pack and the electronics to control it, and stretching aft from there are large cables feeding power to a pair of electric motors that reside in single housing, one for each wheel. Together, they produce electron witchcraft and torque-delivery wizardry – and add 72 hp and 108 lb-ft of torque to the mix. The total system output is 321 hp and 289 lb-ft of torque – a gain of 31 hp and 22 lb-ft over the conventional MDX SH-AWD. Beyond the raw numbers, there's the remarkable subjective benefit of the Sport Hybrid's drivetrain. Engine start-stop events are quiet and smooth, nearly imperceptible when under way – in stark contrast to the too-perceptible shudder of competing engines kicking on. The electric motors (mainly the one residing in the transmission) add in power to make up for the lull during a shift, making shifts up or down seamless, as well as providing regenerative capacity.

Acura ARX-06 race car revealed with V6 hybrid powertrain

There’s a new Acura race car on the block, and itÂ’s called the ARX-06. It replaces the ARX-05, and Acura plans to race it in the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GTP Championship. Unfortunately, Acura makes no mention of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in all of the details provided with the reveal. That said, it sure looks like a race car that could be made to meet all of the regulations to race in the new LMDh Hypercar class. Acura engineered a new 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that is paired up with a standardized electric system for hybridization. Acura says the 2.4-liter displacement is the smallest displacement engine the HPD team has made for endurance racing yet. It features a 90-degree V-angle, and itÂ’s designed to run on more sustainable low-carbon fuel. "We've gone in a new direction for HPD in the design of the ICE,” said Pierre Descamps, HPD's powertrain design leader for the ARX-06. “It is still a V6, which of course for Honda is well-known, but we have incorporated several new elements which we believe will make best use of the electric MGU and battery pack. Our new engine will rev to the maximum 10,000 rpm set by the rules, so it also makes a wonderful sound!" The new bodywork penned by the Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles sits on an ORECA chassis (one of the four chassis options required by IMSA and the WEC). Acura notes one big change versus the outgoing ARX-05 is found in the rearview mirrors. Designers were able to move them lower on the car, which improved both aerodynamic performance and visibility for the drivers. Similar to years past, these new ARX-06 race cars will be run by Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing. TheyÂ’ll make their debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona next year, where the Meyer Shank Racing team took first place earlier this year. Related video:

New Honda ad has Senna, Type R, Asimo, and astronauts

Now that Honda is back into the guts-and-performance game, automotively speaking, the Japanese company has hit the throttle on hardcore imagery. Its latest is in an ad for the company itself highlighting a small selection of its ample range of products, from motorcycles to an airplane and the coming Acura NSX, branded Honda in other markets. Called "Ignition," Wieden+Kennedy created the 90-second spot for Honda Motor Europe, with the tagline "Dare to do what others only dream of." The theme is a space launch, to give that "feeling of daring and human endeavor," perfectly supported by the print artwork with Asimo the robot up front and fabulously complicated hybrid V6 power units spewing flames from the Formula 1 cars in back. Then there's the family in the HR-V in the middle, defying gravity and sipping from juice boxes, because space is for everyone. Ayrton Senna makes a cameo again, and a Stanley Kubrick aesthetic hangs all over the production. You can check out the ad in the video above.