2007 Acura Tsx 4dr Sedan Automatic on 2040-cars

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2015 Acura TLX

Immediately after landing at Washington's Dulles airport, an Acura representative handed me the keys to a 2014 TSX with fewer than 180 miles on its clock. The four-cylinder engine started and I pointed its signature beak towards a destination in Middleburg, VA. It was a curious move by the Japanese automaker, especially considering that I had flown no less than 2,300 miles to drive the discontinued vehicle's ostensible successor, the all-new 2015 Acura TLX.
Yet spending a solid 40 minutes with a sparkling-new version of the outgoing model that still smelled showroom fresh, allowed me an opportunity to scrutinize the dropped sedan and remind myself why it had never really blown me away - it was good at doing many things, but truly great at doing none.
Time with the TSX also started me thinking about the Acura TL, the second model that the TLX will effectively replace. I have better memories of the slightly larger sedan, especially the SH-AWD 6MT trim - it's a solid driver's car - but it, too, fell short in areas where competitors, including the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Cadillac ATS, Lexus IS and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, excelled.

Acura to climb Pikes Peak with Integra Type S and wildly modified NSX

This year marks the 101st anniversary of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, one of the oldest motorsports events in the world. As has been the custom for the past 13 years, Acura will head to the Colorado summit with a fleet of specially prepped cars based on production models. This year, their team consists of two new Integras in regular and Type S flavor, a modified NSX Type S, and a TLX Type S pace car. Of the Integras, the HPD-prepped Type S will be the most eye-catching, as it's wrapped in an anime-style livery. It's an extension of the company's "Chiaki's Journey" web series whose second chapter was released to coincide with the Integra Type S's launch. The second installment features the Pikes Peak race as part of its story line.  The real-world Chiaki is Lori Unser, a fourth-generation driver in the Unser racing dynasty. Her father Johnny raced at the Indianapolis 500, and if you count her extended family of Al, Bobby, and Al Jr., the clan has nine Indy championships under its collective belt. The family also has a history of racing at Pikes Peak, with Louis and Joe Unser competing in the hillclimb way back in 1926. In the Time Attack I division Acura is fielding a wild-looking NSX Type S called the Active Aero Study. We prefer its nickname, Yamabiko, which means "echo" in Japanese but is also the name of a spirit from Japanese folklore that lives in the mountains.  The NSX wears an enormous carbon fiber front splitter and rear diffuser, which by the looks of them extend the length of the car by two to three feet. The one-off aero bits include an active aero rear wing that can be electronically moved to reduce drag on high-speed sections of the course, or deployed as an air brake. At the same time, enough has been stripped out to reduce weight by 200 pounds. More powerful turbos have been fitted to the twin-turbo V6 and the engine software re-written, but Acura did not reveal how much over the stock Type S's 600 horsepower Yamabiko's output might be. The NSX was built specifically to tackle the hillclimb by Crazy New, the skunkworks team of Honda employees that brought us the 800-horsepower CR-V Hybrid. It'll be driven by Honda engineer James Robinson, who holds the current Hybrid class record of 10:01.913, which he set with an NSX in 2020. With Yokohama Tires' trademark Advan black and red livery and lightweight HRE forged wheels wrapped in Advan A005s, it certainly looks the part of a purpose-built Pikes Peak racer.

Check out Honda's sweet stop-motion 'Power of Dreams' ad

Television advertising doesn't just have to be the necessary evil that pays for the shows that you want to watch, and Honda is absolutely proving that with a new two-minute commercial titled Paper. Using stop-motion animation and a heap of illustrated cutouts, the spot showcases what the Power of Dreams motto really means. It runs through highlights like the success in racing, automotive development, Asimo, the HondaJet, and even lawnmowers. The result of all that hard work is spellbinding. The entire two-minute spot already aired during a few NFL games, and doing that was a serious investment. According to Ad Age, during the time that the ad ran the estimated cost per 30 seconds was $300,887. Honda is also prepping a minute-long version for TV, but you can enjoy the whole thing right now in the video, above. HONDA BRINGS 'THE POWER OF DREAMS' TO LIFE WITH TWO-MINUTE COMMERCIAL CREATED BY STOP-MOTION ARTIST AND INFLUENCER PES Elaborate Paper-Flipping Technique Artfully Tells the History of Honda Honda Brand Marketing Tone — Simple, Clever and Emotional — Will Carry Through Across Upcoming Advertising to Help Build a Long-Term Emotional Connection with Consumers Sep 21, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. -- Capitalizing on Honda's established, strong brand identity and its core belief in "The Power of Dreams," the company is launching a two-minute commercial, "Paper," during CBS Sunday NFL on Sunday, Sept. 20. After months in the making, thousands of hand-drawn and -colored illustrations from multiple artists provide the platform for an intricate paper-flipping journey to beautifully show Honda's history and range of mobility products. "The goal is for the marketing itself to become a demonstration of Honda thinking and all the people that touch our wide range of products along the way," said Tom Peyton, Assistant Vice President of Marketing for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "This commercial stands for the courage and conviction to imagine and make dreams a reality and speaks to Honda's innovative nature and respect for personal achievement and contributions." "The Power of Dreams" philosophy speaks to Honda's belief that drives the company's R&D and diverse array of advanced-technology products, and to the determination to bring them to market. This rejuvenated approach to overall brand marketing is the sum of Honda's best thinking and could only come from the company's years of design and innovation.