Acura auto news

Official: BMW 3 Series, Acura RDX named IIHS Top Safety Pick

The IIHS Top Safety Pick list is already quite long, but it keeps growing, with five more vehicles added this month alone. The latest pair are the 2012 BMW 3 Series sedan and the 2013 Acura RDX. The BMW needs no introduction, as the new F30 chassis has already earned its right to sit alongside previous generations of the well-loved sport sedan, while the RDX is a refreshed version of the midsize Acura crossover.

Both vehicles earned their listed status by upgrading the strength of their roofs. The previous-generation 3 Series scored only acceptable on roof strength testing, while the 2007-2012 RDX earned a marginal rating. The newest models are now rated "good" for roof strength.

Scroll down to read the full press release.

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Acura recalling over 52,000 TL sedans over power steering hose

Acura is recalling 52,615 TL sedans from the 2007 and 2008 model years. The problem: a faulty power steering hose that could, over time, deteriorate and develop a fluid leak.

According to the automaker's official statement, a leaky power steering hose "could lead to loss of power steering assistance or, if it leaks onto a catalytic converter it may result in smoke, or in the worst case, fire." Acura states that no crashes, injuries or fires have been reported because of this issue.

Owners will receive notification by mail starting in mid-June, and Acura dealerships will replace the defective hoses free of charge. If owners want to find out if their specific vehicle is affected before being notified by mail, Acura invites them to visit www.recalls.acura.com or call 1-800-382-2238 and select option 4. Scroll down for the official press release.

Continue reading Acura recalling over 52,000 TL sedans over power steering hose

Official: Acura NSX concept turns red in China

Hey look! A red version of the Acura NSX Concept for the Beijing Motor Show. Because it's China, you know. Get it? Red. As in "Red China."

And if that doesn't prove Acura is too clever by half, take a good look at the new photos of the red car in the gallery, then check out our related gallery, which has the first series of official images Acura PR released for the car's debut in January at Detroit.

If you're thinking that all that happened here was that someone clicked a few buttons in Photoshop, well... they wouldn't do that, would they? Well, yes, they probably would, but the NSX is actually on display at Auto China in crimson, too. Nifty.

Official: 2013 Acura ILX production gets underway in Indiana

Honda has been building the Civic in Greensburg, Indiana, since 2008, but now the company's newest American assembly plant has some variety on its lines. The 2013 Acura ILX joined its mass-market relative at the 2.1 million square-foot facility yesterday.

Honda is building both the standard ILX and the ILX Hybrid at Honda Manufacturing Indiana, which is the only plant slated for assembly of the new compact Acura. Greensburg will continue to build Civic sedans, including the natural-gas-powered Civic GX, both for domestic consumption and export. Since the ILX is based on the Civic, the two cars sharing an assembly line is a natural.

The ILX goes on sale on May 22, at a starting price of $25,900 plus $895 for destination. Scroll down to read the full press release.

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First Drive: 2013 Acura ILX

Acura has a long and storied history of being an innovator since its creation in 1986. As the first luxury brand from Japan, the marque brought with it the first variable valve timing technology, the first drive-by-wire electronic throttle, the first in-dash navigation system and the first instance of torque-vectoring all-wheel drive.

Laudable accomplishments, all of them, and Acura reaped rewards for the technological advancements it brought to the automotive realm. Venerable nameplates like Legend and Integra launched Acura into first place in the premium luxury car segment in 1987, the brand's first full year of sales.

And then things started to go downhill. The Legend was replaced by the poorly received RL and the discontinuation of the Integra in 2001 and the RSX a few years later in 2006 left Acura without a proper entry-level model. Acura sales peaked in 2005 and have floundered ever since.

Is Acura's new ILX the machine it needs to inject some much-needed life into its lineup?

Continue reading 2013 Acura ILX

Official: Acura prices 2013 ILX from $25,900*

In the market for an entry-level sedan from a premium automaker? Your choices are few and far between, it seems. There's the Lexus CT 200h and Audi A3, but those are both hatchbacks. That leaves the Buick Verano, which, by all accounts, is a credible entry into the segment. If that's not quite your style, Acura hopes to tempt you with its new 2013 ILX, and it has announced that the base model will start at $25,900 (*plus $895 destination fee for all models).

For that starting price, buyers will get standard features like Bluetooth connectivity, keyless access with push-button start, Pandora internet radio interface and a moonroof. If you want a leather interior, 17-inch alloy wheels, upgraded audio and Acura's excellent multi-view backup camera system, your ILX will start at $29,200 with the base 150-horsepower 2.0-liter engine and five-speed automatic transmission.

Acura has two more engine offerings for the ILX, including a 1.5-liter hybrid model that achieves estimated fuel economy ratings of 39 city and 38 highway for $28,900. On the other end of the spectrum is a 2.4-liter model, which pumps out 201 horsepower and is available only with a six-speed manual gearbox. A fully loaded ILX with the Technology package, which includes navigation and an internal hard drive for music storage, will cost $31,400 with the 2.0 or $34,400 with the hybrid drivetrain. Sadly, it's not possible to order the 2.4-liter engine with the top-level Technology kit.

See the complete pricing breakdown in Acura's official press release by scrolling below, and stay tuned for our complete first drive review of the ILX early next week.

Continue reading Acura prices 2013 ILX from $25,900*

Edmunds: Honda and Acura best brands for retaining value

Honda and Acura have had their fair share of issues over the last few years - from earthquakes, tsunamis and floods to important new models not being all that well received - but that hasn't stopped them from claiming top honors in Edmunds' 2012 Best Retained Value Awards.

According to Edmunds, on average, Honda vehicles are expected to retain 47.9 percent of their value after five years; Acura is just behind with 44.6 percent, taking the win in the luxury segment. In the mainstream category, Toyota and Mazda each got honorable mentions while Lexus and Cadillac to secondary honors in the luxury stakes.

Interestingly, despite not scoring the win in the mainstream class or even managing an honorable mention, Ford had the most individual wins in Edmunds' categories with five, beating Honda's four class victories. The vehicle expected to retain the most value after five years out of all classes is the Toyota Tacoma.

Want more? Click here for the full rundown from Edmunds.

Video: Inside Line snags drive of Acura NSX Roadster from The Avengers

What would a superhero movie be without the fancy cars? Well, it would still be a superhero movie, we suppose, but we prefer the kind that has some flashy wheels. Like the upcoming Marvel flick The Avengers.

As you may have heard, Acura signed a multi-picture deal with Marvel to have its cars featured in a series of superhero movies, and indeed several already have. But for The Avengers, Acura had to work up something special enough to replace Tony Stark's Audi R8. Since the old NSX was long out of production when they began shooting and the new one wasn't ready yet, the Japanese automaker and the film studio put together something of a hybrid.

Not a hybrid as we tend to use the term in automotive spheres, but an amalgamation of the old NSX and the new one. They took a 1991 NSX and gave it a new roadster body to mimic the concept car that's been making the rounds of the auto show circuit.

Our compatriots over at Inside Line got a behind-the-scenes look at the roadster, along with the kitted-out MDX crossover and a TL with a similar treatment. Scroll down to watch the video clips they put together, and the corresponding article here.

Continue reading Inside Line snags drive of Acura NSX Roadster from The Avengers

Official: Acura previews Tony Stark's NSX roadster from The Avengers

We have to admit to being fairly smitten with the promise of the low-slung Acura NSX concept that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show back in January. But for this moment - and for the next several moments - "promise" is all it is, because Acura says we shouldn't expect an NSX in showrooms until sometime around 2015. (Back in January, Acura advised that the production car is "expected to debut in the next three years.") Until then, Honda's premium outpost is going to do whatever it can to stoke the fires to keep interest high, including star-studded Super Bowl commercial appearances and this - a drophead spinoff that will be Tony Stark's ride in this summer's The Avengers blockbuster from Marvel.

We first saw this car thanks to some intrepid movie set shots by would-be paparazzi back in early October, but this is the first official acknowledgement and image of the car that we've seen. Early in March, we told you about alleged patent drawings of an NSX convertible that was very similar to the Detroit showcar, which some interpreted as Acura planning both a fixed-head coupe and a roadster for production. However, those drawings look an awful lot like the car shown here with the exception of small details like a unique wheel pattern and differing seatbacks, so while it's possible that Acura is pondering a topless NSX, the renderings could have simply been to protect design rights to the movie car, especially considering that neither Stark's ride nor the patent drawings appear to have headlamps.

We'll have to wait and see what Acura decides regarding its Ohio-built all-wheel-drive hybrid supercar, but we suspect that even if it does greenlight a convertible version, we probably won't see it until 2016. Which is... a really long time to keep believing in a promise.

Continue reading Acura previews Tony Stark's NSX roadster from The Avengers

Video: Acura plays up 2013 RDX's right-sizing with Gulliver ad campaign

The RDX is new for the 2013 model year, so it makes sense that Acura would jump start the vehicle's launch with a new ad campaign. Honda's luxury arm went with the "Gulliver's Travels" theme, which of course demonstrates that the refreshed crossover is big and luxurious, yet not too big. Get it? Gulliver is a giant and yet the RDX is big enough for him... moving on.

Scroll down to watch the pair of 30-second spots. In the first ad, the little people give Gulliver an RDX, and in the second spot they wash it. As you can imagine, it takes a lot of Lilliputians to wash a mid-size luxury CUV.

Continue reading Acura plays up 2013 RDX's right-sizing with Gulliver ad campaign