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Acura claims MDX is best-selling luxury 3-row ever

Business for Acura has been in a weird place, recently, and the company's latest car launches have been especially rocky. For example, the ILX Hybrid was recently discontinued after just two model years with only about 2,660 sold in that time. The company also delayed the launch of its new TLX by a few months until later this summer. However, despite its issues with sedans, the automaker's utility-vehicle business in absolutely booming. In fact, it now claims that the MDX is the best-selling three-row, luxury SUV, ever.
The MDX is already leading its class this year with 30,664 units sold through June 2014, up 68.4 percent compared 2013. Also, in five of the last six months of reported sales, Acura has posted gains. It appears that the company's utility lineup is really pushing it along.
To take the bestseller ever crown, Acura claims that through its three generations, the MDX has sold a cumulative 692,710 units. The premium model has also been at the top of the annual sales rankings for three-row luxury crossovers every year since 2002. The company believes that its nearest competitor is the Lincoln Navigator with an estimated 420,000 lifetime sales, and even arguably more comparable vehicles like the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz M-Class only have 350,000 or fewer sales under their belts. Of course, it probably doesn't hurt that the MDX has one of the lower starting prices in its class.

UPDATE: 2021 Acura RDX PMC Edition price set

The 2021 RDX is the latest in Acura's lineup to get the PMC Edition treatment. This limited-run, hand-built model follows the TLX and MDX PMC Editions and be finished in the same Thermal Orange Pearl that was pioneered on the NSX.  Blessedly, the "PMC in PMC Edition doesn't stand for pumpkin-anything. Rather, it's shorthand for the facility where just 360 examples of this crossover will be hand-assembled: Acura's Performance Manufacturing Center — the home of the Acura NSX — on Honda's Marysville, Ohio, campus. Each PMC Edition arrives in Marysville as a "body in white," ready to assemble and receive the paint process normally reserved for the NSX. The PMC Edition will be equipped similarly to an RDX with the A-Spec and Advance packages, with one exception: Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system will be standard.  Otherwise, the PMC Edition is mechanically identical to the RDX, whose A-Spec already boasts a sporty exterior treatment to boot. The PMC Edition jazzes that up even further with gloss black wheels, a body-color grille surround, black chrome exhaust finishers, a gloss-black roof, gloss-black side mirrors and gloss-back door handles.  Inside, the theme is essentially inverted, with the black leather upholstery, steering wheel and floor mats all getting orange contrast elements. Apart from the serial number placard on the center console, the rest of the PMC Edition's interior is identical to that of a standard RDX equipped with the aforementioned packages.  Acura says the RDX PMC Edition will be priced at $51,000, with customer deliveries starting in October — just in time for jack-o-lantern season. Made you work for that one, didn't we?

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.