Paul Tan's Automotive News » Acura

Acura ILX Concept previews a new entry level saloon

Danny Tan — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:02:17 +0000

At the recent Detroit show, Honda’s luxury brand Acura teased us all with the NSX Concept, but another showcar is much closer to the showroom than the supercar, the ILX Concept.

Billed as the precursor to an all-new compact sedan, the production version of this will roll off Honda’s Indiana plant and is scheduled for a spring 2012 launch. Acura doesn’t call it “the new TSX” but since it will be “positioned as the gateway to the Acura brand”, a position the Acura badged Honda Accord Euro (that’s what the TSX is) now sits on, it’s either that or a new entry level model. The latter scenario will leave Acura with four sedans in its range.

“The ILX Concept has a compact, yet formal proportion, targeting a very professional image. The Acura ILX delivers both, with a low and wide stance and a long nose and a short tail that are aerodynamically efficient, the ILX is immediately recognisable as an Acura,” said Jon Ikeda, head of the Acura Design Studio.

The ILX will feature three different powertrains, including Acura’s first-ever gas-electric hybrid. The range starts with a 2.0-litre inline four, then a high-performance model with a 2.4L engine paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. The hybrid in question is a 1.5-litre petrol engine plus electric motor combo. This should be largely similar to the 1.5 IMA with CVT pairing found in the Civic Hybrid.

New features include a smart entry keyless access system and push button start, along with Pandora internet radio interface and SMS text message function. Front, side and curtain airbags, 4-channel anti-lock brakes and Vehicle Stability Assist will be standard, and Acura anticipates top ratings in both NHTSA and IIHS crash safety tests.

I see a bit of Lexus IS and a bit of Nissan Fuga in the rear three quarters shot. Like it?

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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Acura NSX Concept previews next-gen Honda supercar

Anthony Lim — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:55:58 +0000

Honda has unveiled its NSX Concept at the NAIAS in Detroit, effectively previewing the next-generation NSX, which is expected to enter the market in the next three years. The concept arrives wearing an Acura badge, and sports a hybrid drivetrain.

The NSX Concept wears a mid-mounted, next-gen VTEC V6 engine with direct-injection, mated to a dual-clutch transmission, working in tandem with a 2 Electric Motor Drive combination that features a bilateral torque adjustable control system.

Elsewhere, there’s a new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) drivetrain, which can instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering, and Honda anticipates the system will deliver handling performance unmatched by previous AWD systems.

The new NSX will be developed by Honda’s North American R&D centre, and will be built in Ohio, but the company states that the car will be pretty much a global offering, catering to sports driving enthusiasts throughout the world.

“Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency. In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities,” Honda’s president and CEO Takanobu Ito said in Detroit.

This Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system will make the NSX the ultimate expression of, “the synergy between man and machine,” he added. “The NSX will make the driver one with the car to enhance dynamic driving abilities without getting in the way.”

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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2010 Acura ZDX production car revealed!

Paul Tan — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:55:43 +0000

Honda has released initial details on the new 2010 Acura ZDX, which is what Honda calls a four-door sports coupe. Honda will be positioning it between the MDX SUV and the RL sedan. The ZDX will be powered by Honda’s 3.7 litre SOHC i-VTEC V6 engine, producing 300 horsepower and 366Nm of torque, mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission which will hopefully later trickle down the product range into the Accord. The ZDX also features SH-AWD or Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. Only 3 photos of the production car have been released so far, which you will find after the jump along with some videos and a full photo gallery of the concept version of the ZDX which Honda revealed at the New York show.

GALLERY: Acura ZDX Production Car

GALLERY: Acura ZDX Concept

VIDEO: Acura ZDX – A Clean Sheet Of Paper

VIDEO: Acura ZDX – B-Roll

VIDEO: Acura ZDX – Design Elements

VIDEO: Acura ZDX – Glass Roof

VIDEO: Acura ZDX – Interior

VIDEO: Acura ZDX – Meet The ZDX

VIDEO: Acura ZDX – The Appeal

VIDEO: Acura ZDX – The Buyer

VIDEO: Acura ZDX – The Design

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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X6-like Acura ZDX “coupe” set for NYIAS debut

Paul Tan — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:13:46 +0000

Acura has given a name to its new 4-door “coupe” SUV which will rival the BMW X6 Sport Activity Coupe. A prototype version of the new Acura ZDX will be unveiled at the 2009 NYIAS on the 8th of April 2009, just over a week from now. Under the hood will be a 300 horsepower 3.7 litre V6 engine with 373Nm of torque which should be pit against the X6 xDrive35i, but no rival for the xDrive50i version in sight for now. Power for the ZDX will go to all four wheels via Honda’s SH-AWD system. So there’s no new Acura/Honda NSX, but instead they give us something like this.

Look after the jump for 4 more teaser images of the ZDX.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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Teaser images of the Acura Crossover Concept leaked ahead of the New York Auto Show

Harvinder Sidhu — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:19:44 +0000

Yet again, thanks to the beauty of the Internet, we have some leaked teaser images to show you, this time, the casualty being a new crossover concept by Acura. The potential rival to the BMW X6 (if it goes into production) will make its first official appearance at the upcoming New York Auto Show.

With a coupe-ish roof line, just like Munich’s X6, the concept is expected to feature bold styling with a wide and aggressive stance and with hidden rear door handles. Reports also indicate that the concept will carry Acura’s new grille design language.

Power for forward and rear motion is expected to be supplied by a 3.7 litre V6 power plant that is able to churn out 300HP and 372Nm of torque. The Acura Crossover Concept is also expected to feature Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive System, also known as SH-AWD. Please continue reading to view more leaked teasers.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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2009 Acura TL initial details and photos revealed

Paul Tan — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 19:55:34 +0000

The mid-sized Acura TL sedan receives a full model change for the 2009 model year. As you can see from the photos, the approach that Acura has taken with the fourth generation TL is far from conservative. It looks very decidedly Japanese and I’d expect such a production design to come out of Mazda’s design studios.

The 2009 Acura TL will come in either front wheel drive or all-wheel drive configurations. The AWD system is Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system which can split torque in an optimum ratio between the front and rear axles and also the rear left and rear right wheels.

The suspension rides on double wishbones at the front and multilink at the rear. Engine options will consist of the J-Series 3.5 litre SOHC V6 producing 280hp and 345Nm of torque, and a more powerful 3.7 litre V6 producing 305hp and 373Nm of torque.

Look after the jump for a low-res photo gallery. Hi-res photos and full details to come later.

[cpg_album:43]

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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2009 Acura RL facelift features new J37A engine

Paul Tan — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:49:47 +0000

Honda has launched a facelifted 2009 model year Acura RL at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, and it features a new version J37A 3.7 litre V6. Read more full technical details and view more photos and videos after the jump.

The RL is a large executive sedan, and it is based on the Japanese Honda Legend. It has all-wheel drive – an improved version of the first generation SH-AWD that responds more quickly to changes in traction.

Acura/Honda’s SH-AWD has torque-vectoring – it can redirect rear wheel left to right torque bias to increase the rotation speed of an outside rear wheel during aggressive cornering to help the car turn more effectively while under power. BMW’s xDrive only recently gained this feature, so Honda is one of the first in the world to have it, not bad for a company not particularly known for all-wheel drive.

During straight-line cruising and moderate cornering with throttle at a less than 50% position, 70% of engine torque is delivered to the front wheels. Under full throttle straight line acceleration, the front rear bias is 60:40. Under hard cornering, the front rear bias becomes 30:70, and the rear left and right wheels can each take up to 100 of the torque applied to the rear axle.

The outer wheel can aso be overdriven by up to 5.7% with a built-in acceleration device. The acceleration device uses a compact planetary gearset to drive the output shaft to the wheel faster than the input shaft, which achieves the 5.7% overdriving. During normal conditions the acceleration device passes torque at a 1:1 ratio.

A new 3.7 litre SOHC i-VTEC V6 from the J-Series of engines is installed under the hood. The engine puts out 300 horsepower at 6,300rpm and 367Nm of torque at 5,000rpm. We first saw the J37A engine installed in the Acura MDX, but that version of the J37A only had VTEC on the intake valves. This version has VTEC on both the intake and exhaust valves, which is the first for a SOHC VTEC engine. The VTEC changeover point is at 4,900rpm. The longer duration cam increases intake valve lift by 27.9% and exhaust valve lift by 10%. The engine’s compression ratio is a high 11.2:1.

The engine also has a dual-stage magnesium intake manifold which can function as a single- or dual-plenum manifold design based on engine operating parameters. A dual plenum intake has a smaller plenum volume because it is split into two different intake chambers, which enhances low engine speed power delivery. The single plenum design takes over at high revs with a wider and straighter path. This dual-stage manifold switches over at 3,800rpm.

The engine package is also lighter than the 3.5 litre V6 it replaces, thanks to weight-saving features such as 25% lighter hollow tubular steel camshafts with splined steel lobes and journals that are pressed into place. The cylinder heads have integrated exhaust port castings to allow closer positioning of the catalyst to the cylinder bank. The exhaust system is a variable flow system which switches over at 4,000rpm to increase flow from 130 litres per second to 150 litres per second.

The engine is mated to a 5-speed Sequential SportShift automatic transmission, with F1-style steering wheel mounted paddle shifters and also a straight-gate console-mounted gear selector for those that prefer using an actual shifter to control steptronic shifts. The gearbox’s torque converter has been made more robust to handle the higher power of the new J37 engine.

Handling is improved via the improved SH-AWD system mentioned earlier, but other tweaks include a revised steering ratio, upgraded coil springs, better shock absorbers, a larger rear stabilizer bar, grippier tyres with larger wheels (18 inch versus 17 inch), and stiffer subframe mount bushings.

VIDEO: 2009 Acura RL Unveiling 1

VIDEO: 2009 Acura RL Unveiling 2

Click to enlarge

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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New Acura TSX: US market Accord Euro

Paul Tan — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:41:40 +0000

Click to enlarge

Acura has released a single frontal three quarter photo of the new Acura TSX based on the new Accord Euro. While the new Accord Euro will be unveiled at Geneva 2008 in March, the TSX based on that car will be unveiled at the 2008 New York International Auto Show, also to be held in March.

Under the TSX’s hood is a 2.4 litre i-VTEC inline-4 engine that puts out about 200 horses, should be rather similiar to the European engine. More details later when the car makes its public debut.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept

Paul Tan — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 06:20:06 +0000

Acura says it’s Advanced Sports Car Concept which made it’s debut at the 2007 North American International Auto Show gives a preview of the styling cues of the next generation Honda NSX, designed by it’s Los Angeles-based design team that will be based at the new Acura Design Center. Sleek styling cues include slim and wide LED headlights, a modernized wraparound rear light design and a long pronounced hood.

Technical specs: the car will feature a front engined, rear wheel drive design, with a version of Honda’s SH-AWD modified to be rear-wheel drive only. First appearing on the 2004 Acura RL, SH-AWD, or perhaps SH-RWD as it should be named in this case, can adjust torque delivery 100% to either the left or right wheel. The engine is expected to be a normally aspirated V10. Other specs: a 2763mm wheelbase, 19 inch front and 20 inch rear performance tires mounted to custom billet-machined, polished aluminum wheels that hide powerful, ventilated carbon ceramic brake discs and eight-piston calipers.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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Acura Advanced Sedan Concept

Paul Tan — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 16:10:03 +0000

Acura’s designers seem to have been going the opposite way of Bangleification – while everyone else are going for complicated surfaces, Acura have taken a few pages out of the Skoda design manual – the new Acura Advanced Sedan Concept looks like it’s made out of a few pieces of sheet metal welded together.

According to Dave Merek, head of Acura’s new Advanced Design Studio in Los Angeles, the primary purpose of this concept was to produce a car which would look like an ultra luxurious sedan two generations ahead of current design languages. Merek and his team’s interpretation results in a sporty looking car that’s low in stance yet has a pretty high ceiling line, presumably to allow for greater interior room, with pronounced wheel arches that contain huge 22 inch wheels at the front and 23 inch wheels at the rear, and futuristic jewel-like headlamps and taillamps.

More photos after the jump.

Source: Acura Media Newsroom

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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2006 Acura RDX Prototype i-VTEC Turbo SUV

Paul Tan — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 18:01:16 +0000

Acura (Honda’s premium marque) showcased this Acura RDX prototype at the North American International Auto Show. A 5-seater SUV with four wheel drive and a new powerful turbocharged engine. Is this Honda’s competitor to the Mitsubishi Airtrek Turbo and the Subaru Forester?

The Acura RDX Prototype is positioned as an entry-level premium SUV that’s fun to drive as well as practical for those weekend golf trips. It comes with a 5-speed SportShift automatic transmission sending power to all 4 wheels via the exclusive SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) drive technology. But that’s not the most interesting thing about this car.

Notice anything strange in the engine bay? Yup, this is Honda/Acura’s first stock from factory engine equipped with a turbocharger since the old Honda City Turbo! This 2.3 litre i-VTEC Turbo 4-cylinder all-aluminium engine is turbocharged with a variable flow turbocharger which gives it some impressive performance stats of 240 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque.

The 5-speed SportShift transmission allows you to shift between the 5 gears from paddle shifters on the steering wheel, thus completing the sporty drive experience of the RDX Concept.

This prototype is a near-production vehicle that gives a preview of the new Acura RDX set for release at the end of summer this year.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Tue, 14 Feb 12 08:08:34 +0000.

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Paul Tan's Automotive News » Acura

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