2002 Acura Mdx Touring on 2040-cars

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Acura RLX will die after 2020 model year

Only Acura knows why its flagship RLX sedan is still on sale; every year that we had occasion to remember the RLX — which wasn't every year — seemed like a good year to let the car die peacefully. Automotive News reports the deed is finally done, or rather, will be at the end of 2020, when Acura discontinues the model that started with the RL in 1996. Honda told U.S. dealers yesterday that in other markets like Japan, the four-door will continue to sell as the Honda Legend. Honda's comment to AN included, "With SUVs leading the luxury market, the highly successful RDX and MDX now serve as volume leaders of the Acura brand," and, "We will further strengthen our sports sedans, consistent with the performance-focused direction we have been taking Acura over the past four years." Speaking of the devil, the RL and RLX — and Acura as a brand — never got out from under the weight of the Legend sedan, that ancestor being the second of Acura's three albatrosses after the original NSX and the Integra. The RL never equaled the Legend's worst year of U.S. sales. The RLX, a combination of arousing performance under anodyne styling costing premium German money, might have performed the same feat viz the RL, but the RL sold less than 5,000 units here for the last five years of its life. The RLX has only exceeded 5,000 sales once, in 2013. Last year, 1,019 units found buyers.  Acura's focus now is the NSX halo and the continuing overhaul of the volume lineup. The new RDX is going great guns, the new MDX crossover is due this year. The slightly larger and Type S concept-inspired TLX sedan is expected to be another gift to 2020, followed by the return of a bona fide Type S next year, after which the ILX compact sedan gets its turn. Last year was the first time in five years the TLX dipped below 30,000 sales in the U.S., impressively steady going for a segment with shocking attrition. Although the demise of the RLX gives up on the aspiration for a big luxury flagship, the coming TLX should help us forget what the RLX represented. If we hadn't already.

2020 Acura RDX Driveway Test | How does a stroller fit?

From the people who brought you the Luggage Test, it's the Stroller Test! I know, sequels, right?  However, as someone who was recently in the market for a stroller and didn't want to buy a new/gigantic family vehicle to accommodate it (not to mention needing to potentially store it in every vehicle currently sold), knowing how big strollers were and how they might fit in cars was important.  Now, I can't do much in terms of testing a variety of strollers. For that, I would direct you to Baby Gear Lab, which has quite the comprehensive stroller testing program (Wire Cutter is another good source). One of the things I appreciated about Baby Gear Lab was their independent measurements of each stroller, which through the magic of maths, they translate into more easily comparable cubic-inch measurements.  I ultimately chose the new Thule Spring, which is one of the most compact regular strollers on the market, with a folded volume of 5,402 cubic inches (my own independent measurement based on 30 inches long, 16.75 inches wide and 10.75 inches tall). By comparison, the comparable Baby Jogger City Mini 2 when folded is 8,300 cubic-inches according to Baby Gear Lab, while Thule's top-rated jogging stroller, the Urban Glide 2, is 15,388 cubic inches. In other words, if the Thule Spring takes up a lot of space in a trunk, virtually everything else apart from ultra-compact travel strollers will take up even more. This is essentially a best-case scenario.  First up, the 2020 Acura RDX, which is one of the most family friendly compact luxury crossovers. Actually, "compact" is almost a misnomer given how much passenger and cargo space is present. And don't you worry dear friends, that cargo space will be fully put to the test soon with good old-fashioned luggage. Since the RDX is first to be tested, we'll just have to consider it in a vacuum. Not many words to spill here. Now here's the Spring on its side. I already know that it can't fit like this in my Audi Allroad when the cargo cover and cargo net cartridges are in place. It would in the RDX with its cargo cover.  And that's all she wrote. Hopefully this series will prove helpful. Please let me know if there's anything else to be considered — I'm new to this. 

Honda to recall 1.1 million U.S. vehicles to re-replace Takata airbags

Honda said on Tuesday it would recall about 1.1 million Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States to re-replace defective Takata airbags on the driver's side. The company said it was aware of one injury linked to the defect that may have caused the airbag to rupture when it was deployed in a crash. The vehicles involved in the recall were previously repaired using specific Takata desiccated replacement inflators (PSDI-5D) or entire replacement airbag modules containing these inflators. "Those replacement inflators," Honda said in a statement, "are now deemed defective." Free repairs of the recalled cars would begin immediately in the United States with replacement parts made by alternate suppliers, Honda said. Honda became aware of the issue after a Honda Odyssey crash, where the front airbag deployed and injured the driver's arm. An investigation later showed that manufacturing issues at Takata's Mexico facility introduced excessive moisture into the inflator during assembly, leading to the problem. The total number of recalled inflators is now about 21 million in about 12.9 million Honda and Acura vehicles that have been subject to recall for replacing Takata front airbag inflators in the United States, the company said. Automakers in the United States repaired more than 7.2 million defective Takata air bag inflators in 2018, as companies have ramped up efforts to track down parts in need of replacement. Recalls Acura Honda