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Hands-on with Acura's novel touchpad infotainment interface

After Acura's Precision Cockpit was unveiled here in LA, I sat in the, uh, driver's seat of the wheel-less interior mockup to get a feel for how this new touchscreen-free touch interface works. There are a lot of good ideas inside. Here are 11 things you should know. It's less like a trackpad and more like a remote-control tablet. So instead of letting you move a cursor relative to its last location like the trackpad on a laptop, each point on Acura's trackpad is mapped to a corresponding point on the center display. If you want what's in the upper right corner of the display, you touch and click in the upper right corner of the trackpad. Simple. I figured it out in two minutes. Maybe less. The whole thing is surprisingly intuitive. The ease of use is helped by the fact that the targets on the screen are pretty big – no tiny "buttons" to fiddle with. The clicks are real. The trackpad actually moves when you press down, so no need for simulated haptic feedback. In their research, Acura engineers found that accidental touches and presses are a real issue. We could have told them that – hit a bump while using a finicky remote interface like Lexus's all-but-abandoned joystick thing, and you select an item half-way across the screen from the one you intended. The placement of the trackpad in this concept interior also helps avoid unintentional inputs – it's not in the middle of the center console where it might get brushed or bumped, but instead in its own little cave at the base of the center-stack waterfall. (Acura's low-profile button-based transmission selector suddenly makes a whole lot of sense.) View 13 Photos Lots of cues cut down on distraction. You hover over the option you want before positively confirming the selection with a hard press. There's no cursor to find and reposition like in the Lexus trackpad system The red highlight gives the necessary visual cue that you put your finger in the right place. The pad is slightly dished to give you a tactile cue of where the center and edges are. It allows you to build up muscle memory, sort of like how you know generally where the "keys" are on your smartphone or tablet's virtual keyboard by now. Or at least I do on mine. You look at the screen, not what you're touching. The problem with touch screens is that they have to be low down in the car so you can reach them. That means you have to look down from the road to stab at what you want.

The future of Acura is coming to Detroit

What you're looking at here is a teaser of the Acura Precision Concept – a showcar that will introduce the new design language for the brand. Acura is determined to inject some a larger performance aura into its brand, and for now, it plans to do that with stronger design language. "The Acura Precision Concept will serve as the inspiration for the styling and proportion of the next-generation of Acura vehicles, especially for our sedans," says design director Dave Marek. We like what we see, too. The showcar has a long hood, short rear deck, and very strong character lines down the side. Those are classic rear-wheel-drive proportions, but as we know, that's kind of a long-shot for a new Acura. We'll see the full concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Here's hoping it looks awesome. Acura Precision Concept to Debut at 2016 North American International Auto ShowCreated by Acura's U.S. design team, Acura Precision Concept points to performance focus of future Acura design TORRANCE, Calif. (Dec. 18, 2015) – Acura will unveil the Acura Precision Concept at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 12 at 8:00 am ET, the brand announced today. Created by the Acura Design Studio in California, the Acura Precision Concept will help set the direction for future Acura design; in particular, the next generation of performance-luxury sedans. "The Acura Precision Concept will signal the stronger and sharper focus of Acura styling on our core DNA we call 'precision crafted performance'," said Dave Marek, global creative director for the Acura brand. "It is our intention to more strongly express performance through design and the Acura Precision Concept will serve as the inspiration for the styling and proportion of the next-generation of Acura vehicles, especially for our sedans." Acura today also announced details of its launch plans for the next-generation NSX supercar, coming to market next spring. Acura is on track to post its fourth consecutive year of U.S. sales growth in 2015, and best sales since 2007, with sales up 6.9 percent through November.

2019 Acura NSX quick spin review | Japan takes on the world, again

I drove the 2019 Acura NSX on track a while back, and it's an absolute freight train. But now that I've driven it in the snow and the rain and our pothole-riddled streets around Southeast Michigan, I can tell you about what it's like to live with the Japanese supercar. Our tester was painted in gorgeous Casino White pearl. It's a stunner in this color, highlighting the NSX's proper supercar styling – impressions were reinforced by the constant stares and craned necks over a cold November weekend. All $21,600 of carbon fiber exterior parts (several carbon packages combined) probably didn't contribute a whole lot to this, but man does it look cool up close. Updates to the 2019 car consist mostly of more suspension and tire to give it the edge it was missing before. Stiffer stabilizer bars, rear toe link bushings and re-tuned magnetorheological dampers do the bulk of the work. A complete recalibration of the steering and SH-AWD system ties it all together, and boy does it work wonders. Of course, I spent most of my time inside the NSX, which, just like before the 2019 update is the most controversial part of this car. Acura likes to say it has "excellent ergonomics" and "simple driver interfaces presented with elegant materials." Critics say it looks like any other Acura, giving the nearly $200,000 supercar a cheap vibe. I think there's a disconnect between what Acura thinks is a perfect supercar interior – a focus on superb visibility and ease of use so you can focus on driving – and what enthusiasts are hardwired to believe a supercar interior should be – wild, at times nonsensical, and exotic. I find myself on Acura's side in this debate, more so after spending so much time in the cabin. The skinny A-pillars, long windows and excellent view out the rear make driving this car through rush-hour traffic a calming adventure. Our car's blue/black leather and suede interior combination looks the business and feels luxurious — the $3,800 carbon fiber interior package helps it feel exotic. I spent plenty of hours in the saddle over a long weekend and was never fatigued or sore from the seat. The car is downright approachable to drive for anybody, partly thanks to the straightforward interior. The only part that ever frustrated me was the lack of a volume knob, an annoyance carried over from Honda. One knob you will end up using often is the giant Dynamic Mode control knob. I did most of my commuting in either Quiet or Sport mode.