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Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.

Acura 2019 RDX Prototype | New era for a popular crossover

Acura took the wraps off its sleek new RDX Prototype today at the Detroit Auto Show, displaying a completely redesigned, re-engineered crossover that heralds a new era for design and technology for the automaker. Acura says it's a pretty close representation of the production version due out midyear as a 2019 model, save for the highly stylized side mirrors and wheels. The Prototype serves as the third generation of the RDX, and Acura says it's the first full embodiment of the new exterior and interior design language first introduced on the Precision Concept, shown in Detroit in 2016, and the Precision Cockpit, a concept interior it unveiled in Los Angeles in 2016. So in addition to the Precision's diamond pentagon grille, which has already made it to the TLX, the crossover adopts the Precision sedan's low, wide stance and sculpted body panels. Compared to the outgoing RDX, the new version adds 1.2 inches of width and 2.5 inches to the wheelbase, with a shortened front overhang and wheels pushed to the corners. Headlamps and exterior lights are all LED. The RDX Prototype debuts the all-new Acura True Touchpad interface, which combines a touchscreen and remote interface in one Android-based operating system. There's a 10.2-inch full-HD display atop the center console that's operated via a remote tracking pad mapped to the center display, plus an interactive heads-up display. (Here's a good video explainer for how it works.) It also has a new and improved natural-language voice-recognition system. View 12 Photos Inside, there's more space, rear legroom and cargo space. A floating center console is inspired by the Precision Cockpit, plus high-grade materials including nappa leather, brushed aluminum and Olive Ash wood. It'll also be the first Acura SUV offered with the brand's sporty A-Spec trim, which will eventually be part of all core Acura models developed moving forward. And all RDX models will come equipped with a new ultra-wide panoramic sliding moonroof, the largest in its class. Acura is building the new RDX on an Acura-only platform that gives it a lighter and stiffened body, new chassis and all-new powertrain that it says will be its quickest and best-handling RDX to date.

2014 Acura RLX gets trick hybrid all-wheel drive system for LA

Acura has endured a year of mixed reviews and middling sales for its new RLX flagship. Meanwhile, the Japanese automaker has been readying what may be the very best version of the car for its debut. Now the wait is almost over, as Acura will show its 2014 RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD at this year's LA Auto Show.
When it comes to dealerships in the spring of 2014, the RLX Hybrid will be the most powerful production car Acura has ever sold. The combination of a 3.5-liter V6 and three electric motors - a 35-kilowatt motor pushing torque to the front wheels and two 27-kW units feeding the rears - creates a total system output of 377 horsepower.
Those rear-end electric motors do more than just add power, they also drive the rear wheels without a traditional rear drive shaft and differential. This newest iteration of the Super Handling-All Wheel Drive calls upon the two rear motors to both drive and brake the rear wheels, vectoring torque in cornering situations for additional grip. All three electric motors make use of regenerative braking to feed electricity back into the system's 260-volt lithium-ion battery pack.