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2019 Acura NSX Track Test Review | Exotic tech, exhilarating performance

EAST LIBERTY, Ohio — The 2019 Acura NSX makes sonorous noises behind my ear as the tachometer soars toward 7,500 rpm. My hands grip the squared-off steering wheel a bit too hard as I scrub off about 60 mph and dive into the first corner of the Transportation Research Center (TRC) dynamic handling course. There's 3,878 pounds of car beneath me, but the front tires do exactly what my hands tell them to, without hesitation, and I'm through the double apex corner without even thinking about the defiance of physics I just witnessed. On paper, a nearly 4,000-pound track car makes no sense. Yet in practice, it's just as tossable and eager to change direction as something much lighter. This is the NSX's party trick, thanks to some magic with the suspension and all-wheel drive system on this car. And while the new NSX is a very different vehicle than its predecessor, it was born of a similar spirit of innovation and forward thinking. The original Acura NSX hit the streets in 1991, establishing a new set of rules for every supercar released since. Constructed of an aluminum body — still an exotic material mainly used in competition vehicles — with curves that still drop jaws today, it was every bit as sophisticated as a Ferrari. But unlike Ferraris of the time, it was also reliable and easy to drive. Slide behind the wheel of a 1991 NSX, and you'll be transported back to a time when outward visibility was still in style. You can see the ground right in front of the nose. Turn around, and there's nothing blocking your view but a low wing. It's essentially a bubble canopy. Acura knows owners of the original NSX, your author included, absolutely love this about their cars. The effort to make the cockpit of the NSX similar is appreciated, even if modern crash standards prevent a perfect implementation. There are other subtle throwbacks. Every original NSX made a distinctive intake whine when winding it up to 8,000 rpm, and the new NSX has real intake noise physically pumped into the cabin to replicate this sweet sound all the way through the rev band. Another echo of the original is the simplified, sedate dash layout — eminently usable and likely to age well. A simplified version of the new RDX infotainment system would have fit the bill, too, but sadly it's not present. Under way, however, the generational similarities cease. Our time on this trip in the 2019 model was spent solely on track at TRC, and it was a wholly different experience from the old car.

Acura Precision Cockpit Concept is much more than a digital gauge cluster

Audi Virtual Cockpit is one of the single best pieces of technology on the market, bar none. It blends beautiful graphics, easy interaction, and loads of information in a way that similar all-digital gauge clusters from brands like Jaguar, Land Rover, and Cadillac can't match. Other brands might not stand even with Audi, but Acura is certainly going to try. The company is demonstrating its efforts at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show with the new Precision Cockpit. Like Audi, JLR, and Cadillac, Acura is using a 12.3-inch display in place of a traditional set of gauges that changes color schemes and animations based on the driving mode. A prominent central display joins the digital IP and features what looks like an evolution of the company's current infotainment software. But rather than a knob and dial or physical buttons, Acura is taking a page out of Lexus' book, using a touchpad to control the center display. View 7 Photos But before we lament the touchpad too much, it's worth pointing out how Acura says its arrangement is different. Using something called "absolute positioning," the touchpad behaves more like an actual touchscreen – tap a corner on the pad and whatever's in the same corner of the display responds. In that way, it sounds like Acura is trying to marry a touchscreen with a more ergonomically comfortable interface. Color us curious. Precision Cockpit also stands apart in how Acura optimized it, designing the system with semi-autonomous driving in mind. The company went as far as to use a real-time 3D graphics engine to display what the vehicle's sensors "see" inside the instrument cluster. There's even an advanced vision mode that allegedly shows "cars, pedestrians, cyclists, and other objects – even those obscured from vision – using artificial intelligence to predict future pathways." While Acura is calling Precision Cockpit a concept, the company confirmed in its official release that the Android-based system "will power future production cars." If it comes with all the tech Acura's promoting here, Precision Cockpit stands to be a significant step forward in the digitization of car interiors. Related Video: News Source: AcuraImage Credit: Acura LA Auto Show Acura Technology Emerging Technologies Infotainment Concept Cars Videos Original Video

Vehicles awarded IIHS Top Safety Pick awards skyrockets for 2015 [w/video]

By practically every measure, passenger vehicles in the US are continuing to get safer. With the year rapidly coming to an end, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing its annual list tallying of the scores for the latest vehicles to see how they compare to last year. Judging by the agency's evaluations, the numbers look quite positive. According to the institute, 71 vehicles earned either the Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ rating so far in its testing for 2015. Among the latest winners, there have been 33 TSP+ awards and 38 TSP medalists. That's a healthy increase over the 22 TSP+ and 17 TSP grades in 2014. The figures appear even more impressive when you consider that it keeps getting harder to earn the + designation. In the latest round of testing, a vehicle must offer some form of front crash prevention automatic braking to get the mark. Previously, just a warning to drivers was necessary. This list also illustrates the ways that automakers adapt to new testing procedures. In 2013 there were 117 TSP ratings and 13 TSP+ awards. Then, the IIHS mandated that to be a safety pick, a model had to score Good in the institute's four crash tests, plus a Good or Acceptable in the small overlap front test. That brought a plunge in 2014 to just 17 TSP grades. With the numbers climbing again, companies apparently have deciphered how to perform better. Some brands especially stood out on this year's list. The IIHS praised Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Acura for offering standard front crash prevention systems on some models. Subaru received at least one of the awards for all seven of its models. Toyota also had seven, and the Honda brand did too – though the institute counts the two- and four-door versions of the Civic and Accord separately. Check out the full announcement below and a video about this year's winners. The full list can be viewed, here. Safety gains ground: More vehicles earn top honors from IIHS The number of vehicles earning either of the Institute's two awards has jumped to 71 from 39 this time last year, giving consumers more choices for optimum protection in crashes. The number of winners in the top tier - TOP SAFETY PICK+ - has increased by 11 for 2015, despite a tougher standard for front crash prevention. "This is the third year in a row that we are giving automakers a tougher challenge to meet," says IIHS President Adrian Lund.