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Honda protective of Type R name; NSX Type R not in the works

During a roundtable during a recent event hosted by Honda, we joined in on a roundtable interview with Honda Technical Consultant Ko Yamamoto and Honda Civic Type R Project Leader Hideki Kakinuma. Questions were asked about the Type R brand broadly, as well as the potential for some new projects. The answers were both good news and disappointing news for Honda fans. The good news is that Honda takes the Type R name and brand very seriously. Yamamoto and Kakinuma explained that the name and its associated red "H" badge are only for vehicles with a racing connection, such as the Honda Civic Type R that has a couple of racing variants. As such, you won't be seeing a CR-V, Odyssey or Insight with the Type R name. Furthermore, the Type R name is only for Honda-badged vehicles, despite the existence of the Acura Integra Type R a couple decades ago. We also asked about the potential of an NSX Type R, which certainly meets the performance and racing credentials mentioned, but is much more of an Acura product and is badged as such in the U.S. Kakinuma and Yamamoto couldn't go into deep detail, but they said that there aren't plans for one at the moment, and the chances of one for the U.S. are unlikely. They noted that the previous NSX Type R was a Japanese-market exclusive, and if such a car did come to fruition, that might be the case yet again. Kakinuma did say that if he was the one in charge of NSX, he would have already had it in the works. So it's not impossible that there could be an NSX Type R in the future, but don't look for one anytime soon. Related Video:

2019 Acura RDX compact crossover goes into production in Ohio

Acura has kicked off production of the all-new 2019 RDX, capping a $54 million investment in new technologies and processes at its plant in East Liberty, Ohio, where the compact crossover will be built. It goes on sale starting in June, though prices are yet to be announced. The RDX is Acura's best-selling model, and the 2019 model was designed and developed in the U.S. for the first time. Acura says it's the first in a new generation of vehicles based on its Precision Crafted Performance brand direction, which is based on the Precision Concept and Precision Cockpit concepts from 2016. Honda's investment in its East Liberty Auto Plant brought two firsts for a mass-produced Acura: a new roller hemming process for the crossover's large panoramic sliding moonroof and the use of high-performance structural adhesives to increase body rigidity. It also gets a new multi-layer paint system to handle the new premium exterior color options. The RDX is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder VTEC Turbo engine built in nearby Anna, Ohio. It makes 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque and is paired with Acura's 10-speed automatic, made at the company's transmission plant in Tallapoosa, Ga. Also notable is the "Super Handling All-Wheel Drive" system, which shifts more power to the rear axle to improve handling. It also gets a new, lightweight Acura-only platform that stiffens the body and adds more interior room and cargo space. Acura is also debuting a new True Touchpad Interface in the RDX that offers a unique one-to-one position with the 10.2-inch center display screen that works a little differently than a traditional cursor interface. You can read our review of it here. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Acura RDX production Image Credit: Acura Plants/Manufacturing Acura Crossover acura rdx

2019 Acura ILX first drive | New looks, same lackluster performance

Acura knows what it takes to make a fun, compact car that enthusiasts desire. It did so for three decades with the Integra, which eventually morphed into the still fun RSX. Then the ILX came around for the 2013 model year, and the world collectively yawned. It's actually still yawning, and the 2019 redesign isn't doing a whole lot to change that. One might expect more wholesale changes from a car entering its seventh year on the market, but we're still staring down the barrel of the same 201 horsepower 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder and trick dual-clutch automatic transmission (which also features a torque converter for low-speed smoothness) from before. These pieces aren't necessarily the problem though. It's enjoyable to thrash the engine out to 7,000 rpm, and the dual-clutch snaps off surprisingly quick shifts when using the paddles in manual mode. It's a bit of a throwback to before all of Honda's performance engines switched to turbocharging for power. It pulls harder the more you wring it out, and begs to be paired with a slick-shifting six-speed manual like it was in the ninth-gen Civic Si. Sadly, everything else outside the powertrain (still) just misses the mark. The greatest part of Acura's old performance compacts was how they made you feel when you were driving them. There was an intimate connection between the driver and road at all times that is sorely lacking from the ILX. Turn in feel is soft and doesn't offer satisfying quick changes of direction. The old chassis feels its age in controlling body movements too. It all culminates in making the ILX feel like a larger car than it actually is. That's not to say the ILX handles poorly, though; it simply does so without any eagerness or feel — just like it has from the beginning. This is unfortunate because the ILX looks better than it ever has. Acura re-did the whole front nose from the A-pillar forward, and it attacked the rear fascia too. We got to check out and drive A-Spec trimmed cars, which add even more aggression to the styling but no performance upgrades. Sure there's three-too-many fake air vents, but the car finally grew some teeth compared to the ultra-bland looks from before. Props for not following the terrible industry trend of totally unreasonably-sized fake exhaust outlets too. The interior isn't as exciting.