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2021 Acura TLX Long-Term Update | Tuneful turbo-four soundtrack

I used to be enamored with the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine format. I owned a 2004 Subaru WRX, with its turbo boxer mill, and liked it quite a bit, rough though it could be. Then turbo-fours, often displacing the same 2.0 liters, began replacing heavier and thirstier naturally aspirated V6 powerplants across the industry, and I was on board. Since then, they’ve become much more refined and responsive, all while their often uninspiring soundtracks faded into the background as automakers worked to improve the experience inside the cabin. TheyÂ’ve also become so ubiquitous that, apart from certain standouts like the turbo boxer in the Porsche 718, they ceased to be as exciting to me. Then AutoblogÂ’s long-term 2021 Acura TLX arrived in my driveway, equipped with a 2.0-liter turbo I4. I was excited about the styling and the handling, but I didnÂ’t expect this four-pot to make a huge impression on me. The first time I opened her up under wide-open throttle, though, I was pleasantly surprised. This 2.0TÂ’s 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque are ample motivation for this sporty sedan, even with all-wheel drive and a 3,990-pound curb weight. It wonÂ’t knock your hat into the back seat, but itÂ’s quick enough, especially in Sport mode. The thing that really won me over with this 2.0T, though, is the sound. Ripping to this thing's 6,800-rpm redline produces a melodious song that sounds a lot more exciting and expressive than most other fours. The cherry on top is the punctuated hiss of the turbo releasing its pressure when you get off the throttle. The amplitude of the engine note is manipulated using AcuraÂ’s Active Sound Control. As an Acura spokesperson explained it: “Active Sound Control uses the TLXÂ’s speakers (whether audio is playing or not) to add sound (same-phase or reverse-phase) to the cabin that smooths the sound of the engine heard inside the cabin. Engine noise doesn't increase in a linear way with rising revs; instead there can be many resonances that create peaks and valleys in the sound pressure level and an uneven sound. The level of ASC is tailored to each drive mode (Comfort, Normal and Sport).” Put another way, ASC is basically an electronic filter that can deaden or amplify the sound and smoothen it out, similar to how active suspension damping adjusts to the situation and drive modes to either let in more or less road feel, while actively eliminating the harshest of vibrations.

Honda and Acura electric crossovers will be built by General Motors

General Motors will partially offset the cost of developing electric technology by manufacturing battery-powered cars for Honda and Acura, according to an unverified report. Ultium battery technology is at the center of the deal. Without citing sources, industry trade journal Automotive News wrote that Honda has agreed to enlist rival-turned-partner General Motors as one of its EV suppliers during the first half of the 2020s. The factory that currently builds Chevrolet's Blazer and Equinox in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, will begin manufacturing a Honda crossover in 2023, meaning it likely won't arrive until the 2024 model year. On the other side of the border, the former Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will churn out an Acura crossover beginning in 2024, about two years after it starts making the Cadillac Lyriq. Neither model has been revealed, and Honda hasn't commented on the report. Insiders familiar with the contents of the firm's product pipeline told Automotive News that both crossovers will be about as big as the Lyriq (pictured), which will be close in size to the 190-inch long XT5. Power for the two models will come from the Ultium battery technology that General Motors is developing for over a dozen electric cars, including the GMC Hummer and a Chevrolet-badged pickup we might discover next week during CES 2021. Both EVs will be built by General Motors, and they'll be powered by General Motors-developed technology (some will even receive OnStar and the hands-free Super Cruise driver assistance system), but everything motorists see and touch will be Honda- or Acura-specific. We're not expecting that the tie-up will spawn a pair of blandly badge-engineered crossovers; stylists will likely give each one its own design identity inside and out. Honda had previously confirmed plans to build at least two electric models on General Motors bones, and it announced that its American partner would also handle manufacturing, but this is the first time executives are throwing Acura onto the stage. What remains to be seen — assuming the report is accurate — is whether the Lyriq will compete directly against its Acura-branded sister model, or if they'll be positioned in different segments. Related video: Featured Gallery Cadillac Lyriq show car Green Acura Honda Electric

Acura ILX Type S could get 300-hp turbo four

There's good news and bad news when it comes to the new Honda Civic Type R. The good news is that after more than a year of prototypes and concepts, the Japanese automaker's new hot hatch is about to make its production debut next month. The bad news is that it's not coming here, but there is a silver lining in even that dark rain cloud – namely, that Honda plans on slotting its 2.0-liter VTEC turbo four into something that it will actually offer Stateside. Earlier rumors suggested the US donor vehicle would also be a Civic, but the latest intel indicates it could be something different, albeit related. According to Car and Driver, which spoke recently with Acura product planning manager Gary Robinson, Honda's luxury division could be gearing up to shoehorn the engine into the recently updated ILX – which itself is based on the Civic. "Acura is always going to get the best engines Honda makes," said Robinson. "Obviously a 2.0-liter turbo is more of a must-have in the luxury world than it is in the mainstream" market, suggesting that an ILX Type S could be in the works with upwards of 300 horsepower. Getting it to fit, though, could prove a rather large challenge – and could mean the engine swap would have to wait until the next-generation model comes around. Considering that the ILX was just updated for 2016, C/D doesn't expect the full redesign to come until 2018 at the earliest. Here's hoping that if it takes that long, Honda will slot the engine into something else for US showrooms in the meantime. The revival of the Type S badge in and of itself, however, makes for an enticing prospect. The last time we saw it used was on the larger TL sedan, which upgraded the 3.2-liter V6 from the 225 horsepower to 260. Before that, the RSX jumped from 160 horsepower in the base model to 200 in the first Type S, 210 in the second and 217 in the ultimate Type R. As it stands, the new ILX (after dropping the hybrid and base 2.0 models, is powered exclusively by a 2.4-liter inline four with 201 hp on tap.