Lo Cost 2009 Acura Mdx Awd Tech on 2040-cars

Auto blog

A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

2015 Acura TLX production gets underway in Ohio

It's been three months since Acura unveiled the supposedly production-ready TLX sedan at the New York Auto Show, but dealers have yet to receive any units to sell. That's because, as we reported back in April, production of the TLX was pushed back. We're glad to report now, however, that production has commenced at the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio.
The Honda facility in Marysville, just south of Columbus, also produces the Accord sedan and coupe for local consumption and export. With over 30 years since its founding, the factory has previously handled production of the Acura TL and RDX as well as the company's Gold Wing motorcycles.
The Marysville Auto Plant is one of many facilities which Honda operates in Ohio. Among the others, you'll also find the East Liberty assembly plant that handles the Acura RDX as well as the Honda Crosstour and CR-V, an engine plant in Anna, a transmission factory in Russells Point, several R&D centers, component manufacturers and a new Performance Manufacturing Center being built to handle the coming NSX sports car in Marysville.

New TLX A-Spec leads Acura's three-car Pike's Peak attack

Once again, Acura is headed to Pikes Peak for the hillclimb on June 25 with a small group of machines. This year the focus is on the TLX, with two vehicles bearing the sedan's name and shape. The two cars are very different, though, and will compete in two different classes. The first is the TLX A-Spec. This started life as a production TLX, but the 3.5-liter V6 has been reworked with pistons, rods, camshafts, and a valvetrain from Acura's TLX GT race car. The engine also has a turbocharger, which helps the V6 make an impressive 500 horsepower. All those ponies go to the front wheels through a limited-slip differential. In addition to the powertrain upgrades, the interior has been gutted, and a big wing and front splitter fitted. The A-Spec will compete in the Pikes Peak exhibition class. The other TLX is a TLX GT. This is the type of car from which the A-Spec borrows engine components, but not the TLX GT's twin-turbocharger system. TLX GTs have already been competing in motorsports, specifically in the Pirelli World Challenge. Acura did make some changes to this car for Pikes Peak, though. The suspension and engine computer have been tweaked, gear ratios shortened, and additional aerodynamic bits added for more downforce. The TLX GT will compete in the open class. Despite the focus on the TLX, Acura is still bringing an NSX to the hill climb. This car is similar to the one that raced in the Time Attack 1 class last year, but has some changes for the Time Attack 2 class. Most notable of these changes are the massive rear wing and front splitter. According to Acura, these aerodynamic aids were based on those used for the NSX GT3 race car. Acura also reduced weight, changed the tuning on the engine computer, and fitted sticky R-compound tires. Related Video: Featured Gallery Acura Pikes Peak race cars View 9 Photos Image Credit: Acura Motorsports Acura Coupe Racing Vehicles Sedan acura tlx acura tlx gt