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Goodbye, Shelby GT350; hello, new Honda Ridgeline and Subaru BRZ | Autoblog Podcast #648

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. This week's news includes Subaru teasing the next-generation Subaru BRZ, the Jaguar XE departing and the XF getting an update, Honda unveiling the new Ridgeline pickup and the Acura NSX suffering from slow sales. This week they talk about driving two vehicles on opposite ends of the spectrum: the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and the Volkswagen Atlas. Autoblog Podcast #648 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Subaru previews next-generation BRZ, announces fall 2020 unveiling date Jaguar XE axed from U.S. market: And then there was one sedan 2021 Jaguar XF gets new interior, down to four-cylinder engines and sedan body style 2021 Honda Ridgeline debuts, and it finally looks like a truck Acura NSX sales lagging Cars we're driving: 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Heritage Edition 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:

2014 Acura MDX shows up exactly as expected

Acura (and parent company Honda, for that matter) doesn't always leave a lot to be left to the imagination when they unveil prototypes at auto shows. Case in point: Take a gander at the Acura MDX Prototype that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show this past January, and then look at the production-spec 2014 MDX pictured above. See what we mean?
Design-wise, there frankly isn't a whole lot to get excited about with this MDX. Sure, a lot of the chiseled, sharp lines from the previous-generation model have been smoothed out in favor of something that will likely have more mass-market appeal, but to our eyes, the MDX has simply lost a lot of its visual flair in the process. To quote Autoblog senior editor Seyth Miersma, this new one just looks like the old one after melting by 10 percent. The end result is something that more closely resembles the company's smaller RDX crossover than anything else, with other subtle design elements mimicking what we've seen on the ILX and RLX sedans. It's all fine, but again, not exciting. The good news, however, is that thanks to the use of new lightweight materials, the 2014 MDX is 275 pounds lighter than the outgoing model.
Updates to what's underneath the MDX's new skin are hardly surprising, but still welcome. Power comes from a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 making 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with both front-wheel drive and Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive on offer. Acura estimates that front-drive models will achieve 20/28/23 miles per gallon (city/highway/combined), and says that adding the SH-AWD drops those numbers to 18/27/21. Acura will offer a new Integrated Dynamic System that allows the driver to choose between normal, sport and comfort settings, and the new MDX will ride on a choice of either 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels.

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid confirmed along with new small Acura crossover

Honda made several announcements Thursday regarding both its core band and its premium subsidiary, Acura, giving us a taste of what to expect from both brands in 2024. The biggest news is that Acura will add a new small crossover to the lineup, slotted alongside the Integra sedan. We can also expect updates to the Honda Civic — most notably among them the introduction of a 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid model for the new sedan and hatchback — and less significant updates here and there throughout both lineups.  We know little about this new baby Acura crossover apart from what it isn't, and that's a direct import of the CDX sold overseas. Scratch that notion from your mind entirely. Honda wouldn't comment further, but we suspect the small CUV's fundamental architecture will be shared with the Honda HR-V, though we wouldn't be surprised to see it benefit from a powertrain upgrade. This is not to be confused with the Acura ZDX, which is the all-electric crossover due to arrive just about any day now . The ZDX is larger and shares its underpinnings not with anything of Honda's, but rather GM's Ultium platform. Elsewhere at Acura, we can expect a thorough interior and exterior update of the MDX and "upgrades" to the RDX.  Over at Honda, the long-expected Civic Hybrid is now officially go. It will launch this year as both a sedan and hatchback alongside a broader update that will include new styling elements (teased above) and interior upgrades; expect more closer to launch. Honda said the Odyssey will receive updates for the model year too, but did not elaborate on what to expect from the effort. We expect more on that later in 2024.  Related video: