Acura Vice President, Jeff Conrad, Introduces Tyson Hugie to the 2013 Acura ILX

Tyson Hugie gets a firsthand look at the all-new 2013 ILX with Acura Vice President and General Manager Jeff Conrad at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

2013 Acura ILX Hybrid Expected To Reach 38 MPG Highway

The 2013 Acura ILX will be the company's first entry into the compact sedan market since the Integra, but of most interest to GreenCarReports readers is the hybrid version.

Previewed in concept form at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, the production ILX, Acura's first ever hybrid model, will make its debut at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show this week.

According to Bloomberg, Acura is estimating the ILX Hybrid will manage 38 MPG highway.

That's a little way off the 44 MPG highway achieved by the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, which donates its 1.5-liter engine and Integrated Motor Assist system to the ILX. City economy should be around 35 MPG. A combined 111-horsepower is sent through a continuously variable transmission, and 127 pounds-feet of torque is available between 1,000-3,000 rpm.

Acura expects a quarter of ILX sales to be for the hybrid, and aims to keep the price tag "well below" $30,000 when it hits the roads in the next few months.

The hybrid will be joined by a 2.0-liter model with an automatic transmission, and a sportier, 201-horsepower 2.4-liter, available with a manual gearbox. All models will be assembled at Honda's Greensburg plant in Indiana, and all feature keyless entry, Pandora internet radio and a host of safety features.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1072700_2013-acura-ilx-hybrid-expected-to-reach-38-mpg-highway

2013 Acura ILX Sedan Spy Photos, Including Interior

Acura is less than two weeks away from revealing its production-ready ILX compact sedan at the Chicago auto show, but our spy shooters spotted a test vehicle and managed to take a clear picture of the car’s dash. The ILX concept, which appeared in January in Detroit, was an exterior buck with no interior.

Surprise, surprise: The interior is pretty standard Acura stuff. The button-smothered center stack borrows a few pieces from the Honda Civic—it shares a basic platform with the ILX—including the climate-control knobs at the bottom. It looks like Acura won’t use this car as an opportunity to stray from its current infotainment setup, which involves a giant control knob protruding from the middle of the dashboard. We’re not fans of the setup as a whole, but we’ve at least been promised that the software will receive a significant upgrade. Since the ILX is targeted at younger shoppers (think people under 40), there’s a lot at stake in having quick, modern, and seamless phone integration and navigation.

The pictures don’t convey material or assembly quality, but we hope significant attention has been given to the ILX’s cabin: The cheap-feeling interior in the ILX’s Civic sibling is a big disappointment. Honda heard us—and the rest of the car-buying public—and is fast-tracking updates said to enrich the experience. That hopefully bodes well for the ILX’s trappings.

Acura previously announced that the ILX would get three powertrain configurations. A 2.0-liter four making 150 to 160 hp will be paired exclusively with an automatic transmission. The enthusiast’s choice will be the 200-ish-hp, 2.4-liter four sold only with a six-speed manual gearbox. Finally, an ILX hybrid will be offered and borrow its 1.5-liter four from the Civic hybrid; the electric motor probably will be shared with the Honda, too. Exact specs for the three powerplants should accompany the car’s official debut.

As for the ILX’s sheetmetal, it should be nearly identical to that of the Detroit concept. A few of the smallest details—wheels, the shape of the side mirrors—could change, but in essence, what we saw is what we’ll get. It looks decent in person, and the Civic roots aren’t obvious. While we and the rest of the enthusiast community want a new Integra with aggressive styling, we are a minority of the car-buying public. This car should be attractive to the Millennial yuppies that Acura’s trying to court.
Check back on February 8 and 9 for our live coverage of the ILX and the rest of the debuts from the Chicago show floor.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/2013-acura-ilx-sedan-spy-photos-including-interior/

2012 Detroit auto show video: 2013 Acura RDX

The first-generation RDX small upscale SUV was something of a miss for Acura. Its turbocharged four-cylinder engine was unrefined. Its overall fuel economy of 18 mpg in our tests fell below that of many rivals’ V6 engines. Handling was agile, but the ride was very stiff and the cabin was narrow. Add in somewhat awkward styling and the RDX was a modest seller that was completely overshadowed by its three-row MDX big brother. Acura seeks to remedy these problems with the redesigned RDX unveiled at the Detroit auto show.

While other SUV manufacturers are moving to small-displacement turbocharged four-cylinders, Acura is retreating to a 3.5-liter V6. Despite the large-displacement engine and its 273 horsepower, Acura is claiming best-in-class fuel economy. Rather than the complicated SH-AWD all-wheel-drive system of the previous RDX, the new RDX has a simpler and lighter system similar to that in the Honda CR-V, upon which it is based.

The styling is smoothed out and, in true Acura fashion, is conservative and forgettable. It looks like a shrunken Acura MDX, or a Chevrolet Equinox, or any one of the seemingly dozens of small SUVs on the market. Our quick sit in the show car’s interior revealed an accommodating rear seat and the typical Acura button-laden dashboard.

It’s too bad that the RDX is arriving too late to be included in the March issue of Consumer Reports, which includes tests of other upscale small SUVs: the BMW X3, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, and Volkswagen Tiguan.

We’ll see how the RDX stacks up to those rivals and others in this growing category when we buy one to test in early summer. Until then, take a look our a preview video below.



Read More: http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/01/2012-detroit-auto-show-video-2013-acura-rdx.html

Acura Earns Three IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK Ratings

Best selling Acura TSX, TL and MDX receive IIHS accolades

Acura today announced that three of its best selling models received the highest possible safety rating of TOP SAFETY PICK from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) under its more-stringent testing guidelines implemented last year.

The Acura TSX sedan and wagon, TL and MDX earned the highest-possible score of GOOD in all four ratings, including the more rigorous roof-strength test. According to the IIHS, vehicles rated good for rollover protection have roofs more than twice as strong as the current federal standard requires. The IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK award recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting vehicle occupants in front, side, rollover, and rear crashes based on ratings in the Institute's evaluations.

All 2012 Acura models utilize the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure. ACE™ is an exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal crashes. The ACE™ design utilizes a network of connected structural elements to distribute crash energy more evenly throughout the front of the vehicle. This enhanced frontal crash energy management helps to reduce the forces transferred to the passenger compartment.

Standard safety equipment on all Acura models include Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with traction control, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), dual-stage/multiple-threshold front airbags, front-side airbags with passenger side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), side curtain airbags for all outboard seating positions, front seats with integrated active head restraints, front seatbelts with automatic tensioning system and load limiters, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and Daytime Running Lights (DRL).

Read More: http://www.honda.com/newsandviews/article.aspx?id=6436-en

Acura Chicago

Acura extends AcuraLink® to new Digital Services

Introduces Acura Owner's App for iPhone®, Roadside Assistance

Acura announced today that it will extend the current AcuraLink® brand to a new set of digital services, commencing with the launch of a new AcuraLink® Owner's Mobile App, available to all Acura clients.

The initial features for the AcuraLink® Owner's App will support Acura's Roadside Assistance Program. Acura owners can now conveniently access a wide range of roadside assistance services simply through the new iPhone® app.

The free app, produced with Acura's roadside assistance partner, Cross Country Automotive Services (Cross Country), offers Acura drivers access to a full range of service options available through the sign-and-drive Acura program. Services include items such as comprehensive towing, lock-out assistance, battery jump-start, tire change and fuel delivery.

Acura owners can use the AcuraLink Roadside Assistance app to view scheduled time of arrival and contact information for the dispatched towing service provider, as well as an assigned reference number for the roadside disablement event.  The app also offers a priority emergency button for urgent situations.

"Roadside Assistance is now available at the push of a button with this user friendly application. This is another example of the flexibility, speed and expertise Acura clients have come to expect from our products, services and our brand", said Charles Kendig, Acura Division's Assistant Vice President for National Fixed Operations.

Acura owners can use the app to reach an experienced roadside assistance agent to dispatch a reliable roadside assistance service provider: 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Read More: http://www.honda.com/newsandviews/article.aspx?id=6416-en

http://www.automobilemag.com: 2012 Acura TL

Evolution has been kind to the Acura TL. Although we judged the all-new model, launched in 2009, as cold and uninspiring, the company spent the last three years continually refining, reworking, and improving its mid-size offering. Suspension revisions, which arrived in 2010, improved handling, and an available six-speed manual transmission endeared itself to buyers looking for a premium performance machine. Arguably, the 2012 model -- which actually arrived at dealerships in early 2011 -- is the best TL yet, thanks to another round of polishing. Perhaps the best example is the exterior -- the car's ungainly, beaklike nose has been abolished, replaced by a more conservative grille and new, proportional front and rear bumper fascias. The makeover isn't quite as extensive inside, but the optional technology package does toss in luscious Milano leather seating surfaces. Beneath the skin, a six-speed automatic transmission improves fuel economy, and it's also a little smoother shifting than the outgoing five-speed unit. Front-wheel-drive TLs continue to use a 280-hp, 3.5-liter V-6; stepping up to the all-wheel-drive model forces an upgrade to a potent 305-hp, 3.7-liter six-cylinder. Enthusiasts will prefer the latter, but not simply for the power: the torque-vectoring driveline increases grip in cornering. Better yet, it's also the only way to opt for that crisp, slick-shifting six-speed manual.

Drive: Front-wheel, 4-wheel
Trim Levels: RL, RL SH-AWD
Body style: Sedan, 5-passenger
Engines: 3.5L V-6, 280 hp, 254 lb-ft
3.7L V-6, 300 hp, 271 lb-ft
Transmissions: 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic
Passenger volume: 98.2 cu ft
Cargo space: 13.1 cu ft

A face-lift means that the controversial beaklike grille has been banished and blesses the TL with balanced front and rear fascia designs. A six-speed automatic transmission replaces the aging five-speed box, which helps improve fuel economy, especially on the highway.

Dual-stage front, side, and side curtain air bags, ABS, and traction and stability control are standard equipment. Rear parking sensors and a rearview camera are included with the technology package, while blind-spot detection, radar-based cruise control, and a collision-mitigating automatic braking system are included in the advance package.

All: 17-20 mpg city/25-29 mpg highway

• Attractive front fascia
• 6-speed automatic improves fuel economy

Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/capsule_review/acura/tl/2012/capsule_review_2012_acura_tl/viewall.html#ixzz1ckeEl0bR