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Next-gen Acura TLX spied out testing in heavy camouflage

We’re sure you all remember that stunning Acura Type S Concept from yesterday. Acura said itÂ’s meant to influence the next-gen TLXÂ’s design, and lo and behold, here is the next-gen TLX. Of course, Acura has no intentions of letting us see the production car anytime soon, so weÂ’re treated to a heavily cladded prototype in the photos here. Looking at it in profile, the camouflaged car looks a whole lot like the Type S Concept we saw yesterday. The short rear overhang is similar, but the front of the production car looks like it hangs out over the front wheels a little further – it still shares the concept's overall long-hood/short-deck proportions, though. The roof tapers down into the decklid at a shallow angle, similar to the concept car. WeÂ’re sad to see the same quad exhaust isnÂ’t protruding from the rear bumper of this tester. Instead, it gets a dual exhaust with wide, rectangular outlets on both sides. We think the car weÂ’re looking at here is likely a regular TLX, and not the spicy Type S variant most likely seen last year. ThereÂ’s one interior photo our shooter was able to snag, showing a similar infotainment screen as that used in the new RDX, something we fully expect for the production car. That touchpad system is far superior to Acura infotainment systems of the past, but it still isnÂ’t perfect. An analog tachometer is visible off to the left, indicating that the regular TLX trims probably won't introduce a fully digital instrument cluster. Not that we'd expect that; even the new RDX maintains analog gauges in its top spec. However the TLX story plays out, it wonÂ’t hurt if the production car looks just like the well-received Type S Concept. ItÂ’s unclear how long weÂ’ll have to wait to see the car in full, but we'll keep you posted.

Honda is spending $124 million on a new wind tunnel facility in Ohio

Ford isn't the only company building a multi-million dollar wind tunnel this year. Honda is also getting in on the action. Its new facility will cost less than Ford's at $124 million, and construction begins this summer. It will be built at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio, which is where Honda's NSX proving grounds are located. Honda will install a five-belt rolling road in the tunnel for testing of more pedestrian vehicles, and a wide, high-speed, single belt version for testing of sports cars and race cars. However, it seems the Honda facility will only be capable of testing wind speeds of up to 192 mph, whereas Ford claims a top speed of 200 mph. Cameras and microphones will also be set up inside the testing area at the Honda tunnel to help find wind noise trouble spots. Honda won't necessarily be the only company using the new wind tunnel either. The facility will be available for other groups and companies to use. There are even secure bays those groups can use for their work. Related Video:

2024 Acura ZDX price starts at $64,500 before destination, incentives

When the Acura ZDX was revealed in August, we wrote the A-Spec will be in the $60,000 range and the Type S in the $70,000 range. Official pricing shows that to be the case, the entry-level A-Spec with rear-wheel drive starting at $64,500 before destination. Acura charges a $1,350 destination fee for the RDX and MDX, it's two current SUVs. We'll use that as a placeholder sum for the ZDX, resulting in these MSRPs: A-Spec RWD: $65,850 A-Spec AWD: $69,850 Type S: $74,850 Type S (Perf. wheel & tire): $75,850 Before we get to the comparisons, let's recap what buyers get for the money. The A-Spec comes standard in rear-wheel-drive, its single motor making 340 horsepower. A dual-motor AWD version costs $4,000 more; Acura didn't specify a difference in output, it could be the same 340 hp no matter the number of powered axles. The Type S comes with dual motors producing 500 horsepower to share among the four wheels. The suspension here is upgraded from the A-Spec's multi-link independent with fixed-rate shocks and springs to height-adjustable air springs and adaptive shocks. The brakes go from 12.6-inch rotors to 15.6-inch discs clamped by Brembo six-piston calipers. The A-Spec sits on 20-inch wheels, the Type S wears 22-inchers on tires that are 10 millimeters wider. And that Type S gets the option of Double Apex Blue Pearl from the Precision concept or Tiger Eye Pearl from other Type S models. Inside, there's a a low dash with slim air vents and a pair of split screens for instruments and infotainment; 11 inches and 11.5, respectively. The steering wheel and climate controls come from the related Blazer EV, this being Acura's version of a battery-electric SUV sitting on GM's Ultium platform. Unlike a GM product, though, Acura's back end runs on Google Built-In, and there's an 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system as standard equipment. Assistance features include rear emergency braking with rear cross-traffic and pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring with steering assist, automatic parallel parking and, thanks to being based on a GM platform, hands-free highway driving assist (Super Cruise by any other name). Every ZDX is powered by a 102-kilowatt-hour battery, the onboard charger capable of 190 kW of DC fast charging. Every unit's CCS charging port can plug in at places like Electrify America and EVgo, Acura dealers will provide free NACS adapters for use at Tesla Supercharger stations.