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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Some Hondas and an Acura can now take delivery of your Amazon packages

Some new Honda and Acura owners will now be able to have their Amazon packages delivered directly to their cars starting today. The company just announced a slew of compatible vehicles from the 2018 and 2019 model years that will be compatible with the service. Several other manufacturers offer the same thing — itÂ’s mostly GM and Ford vehicles, but some Volvos will also work. YouÂ’ll need to be a HondaLink or AcuraLink subscriber for the service to function. That subscription costs $110/year, so itÂ’s not exactly cheap. The compatible Hondas include the 2018-19 Accord (including the Hybrid), 2018-19 Insight, 2018-19 Odyssey, 2019 Passport and 2019 Pilot. The caveat here is that you'll need to have the Touring or Elite trim of any of those vehicles. As of now, the Acura RDX in any trim is the only compatible Acura. This system works just the same as it does in other vehicles. YouÂ’ll need to be parked within two blocks of your delivery address. Then the driver will locate your car, scan your package and unlock your vehicle. After placing the package in your car, the delivery person “requests” for the vehicle to be locked, which sends a notification to your phone confirming that your car is now locked with the package inside. ThereÂ’s a certain level of trust thatÂ’s necessary to let a total stranger gain access to your car, but you donÂ’t have to use the service if you donÂ’t want to. That $110 for HondaLink gets you a bunch of other useful stuff like remote vehicle start, remote lock/unlock, stolen vehicle locator and speed alerts and geofencing for parents. All of that can be set from an app on your smartphone.

2021 Acura TLX First Drive | The mojo is returning

Buildup for the 2021 Acura TLX started more than a year ago when Acura released the stunning Type S Concept. It was long, low, wide and graced with gorgeous rear-drive proportions. Plus, it was slathered in some of the best blue paint we’ve ever seen. Acura could not have thought of a better way to say, “Hey, weÂ’re back!” ItÂ’s no surprise that the Type S Concept is a dead ringer for the production TLX. Acura designers told us the car was just about finished when the concept debuted. So yeah, the new TLX and TLX Type S were always going to look this good. The latter won't be arriving until next spring, but our first drive of this next-gen base TLX has us hopeful for the Type S and its 3.0-liter turbocharged V6. And maybe just a little nervous, too.  The bones are really good. Acura developed a new, unique platform for this TLX that was built with performance in mind from the get-go. It's not just an Accord in a fancy suit. With crossovers on the rise, Acura says its shrinking number of sedan buyers are more passionate about driving dynamics than crossover buyers, allowing them to focus on performance to an even greater degree. It makes sense. We heartily approve. The result of this performance focus is the most rigid body in any Acura not named NSX. YouÂ’ll find more advanced materials like aluminum and press-hardened steel in its makeup than any previous Acura sedan. It has a wider track (+1.2-inch front and +1.6-inch rear), a 2.2-inch wider body, a 3.7-inch longer wheelbase and a 0.5-inch shorter height. Lastly, the dash-to-axle dimension is 7.8 inches longer, giving it those sweet rear-drive proportions despite being a front-wheel-drive platform. 2021 Acura TLX Advance View 38 Photos If you're expecting more rear passenger and trunk space with the extended length, keep looking. Rear legroom is up 0.4 inch, and trunk space by 0.3 cubic-feet to 13.5 – paltry gains for how much larger the car got. The size growth benefitted style and body proportions more than it did functional considerations. Then, thereÂ’s the new suspension: double wishbones up front and a five-link rear. Acura previously used a MacPherson strut design in the front suspension and the move back to a double-wishbone design is great news for driving enthusiasts. Acura's well-regarded TL and TSX of the mid-2000s had double wishbones up front, as did many of Honda's greatest hits of yesteryear (Integra, Prelude, Civic Si, etc.).