2012 Acura Tl 3.5 on 2040-cars

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Acura NSX to end production in blaze of glory with Type S

Production of the Acura NSX is coming to an end after the 2022 model year. Before it goes, though, Acura is promising one last hurrah, in the form of a Type S variant. Said to have performance improvements and limited production, it will prove to be the ultimate form of Honda's second-generation supercar. So far, Acura has only released some teasers and a few vague statements. Now, normally when car companies make ambiguous declarations about improved performance, that means something like stiffer shocks or bigger rims (after all, handling is a form of performance, no?). In this case, Acura specifically says the NSX Type S will have more power and quicker acceleration in addition to sharper handling. That's some real talk, even if no hard figures were provided at this time. From the teasers, we can see a few visual signifiers that will distinguish the Type S from regular NSXes. Firstly, the engine cover is finished in red, a color that has traditionally been reserved for high-performance Hondas like the Type R Civic, Integra, and the NSX of the '90s. Much of the brightwork seems to be blacked out, like the door handles and rear badge. They've also added a small Type S emblem located just in front of the rear wheels. Only 350 Type S variants will be built, with 300 of them allocated for the U.S. market. And it looks like the regular NSX may not even be available. Acura's website no longer shows the regular NSX. Only the Type S is shown under the model selection menu. Prices of the first-generation NSX, introduced in 1990 and considered one of the best supercars of its era, have been on a steady rise in recent years. It's hard to say whether this generation NSX will follow suit in the collectors' market decades from now, as despite positive reviews it never quite caught with brand-conscious buyers. But if it does end up becoming a sought-after classic, though, the Type S will surely be worth a hefty premium. The NSX Type S will be fully revealed next Thursday, August 12, during Monterey Car Week, where the very first serial production 2022 NSX Type S will be sold to the highest bidder at Mecum Auction’s Monterey sale on Saturday, Aug. 14. All proceeds from the sale of VIN #001 will benefit charity, including a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) education program for underserved youth.

Acura Infotainment Review | Just give it some time

Acura’s True Touchpad infotainment system is a hot topic at Autoblog HQ. Some of us utterly detest its functionality. Others, myself included, will plead its case as a worthy alternative to normal infotainment systems. “ItÂ’s not that bad,” IÂ’ll say over and over. I had to eat my words to a certain extent when our long term 2021 Acura TLXÂ’s infotainment system broke recently due to bad wire connectors, but now that itÂ’s up and running again, itÂ’s time to give it a proper shake. The screen in this TLX is a high-resolution, 10.2-inch monitor that sits far from the driver on the carÂ’s dash top. ItÂ’s oriented horizontally in a widescreen format. The controversial bit I mentioned at the beginning is all to do with how you navigate the user interface using AcuraÂ’s unique touchpad. It uses something Acura calls absolute positioning technology, meaning that where your finger is on the touchpad corresponds to the same spot on the screen, allowing you to select whatever is in that location. Press down on the top right corner of the touchpad, and the square located in the top right corner of the screen is selected — no need to “swipe” over to it. This takes a considerable amount of time to adapt to. I didnÂ’t master it or get used to it overnight. In fact, itÂ’s really rather frustrating out of the gate. Virtually all touchpads in cars before this one are more intuitive at first. Just swipe around the pad, and your “cursor” swipes around with you. After a couple road trips, plenty of takeout runs and everything in between, IÂ’ve become a believer in AcuraÂ’s technology, though, with one major caveat IÂ’ll address later on. 2021 Acura TLX infotainment View 7 Photos Once you have enough time and practice to become fluent with AcuraÂ’s way of doing things (something our long-term Acura TLX has allowed us the rare opportunity to do), the absolute positioning strategy starts to make more sense. You can select an app like FM radio or Apple CarPlay in an instant — faster than any regular touchpad or scroll wheel will allow. ItÂ’s no wild speed demon, but you can navigate the main menu structure faster here than you can in most cars.  AcuraÂ’s user interface is tailored to fit its operation with big squares that are easily findable in your touchpad to press. It gets a little tougher once you get into an app like Navigation or Sirius XM, as it requires more precise positioning of your finger to get to the right spot.

The Aston Martin DB11 leads this month's list of discounts

We've got something of a broken record to report this month. The 2020 Acura NSX and 2020 Aston Martin DB11 have swapped places atop the discounts leaderboard for a fourth month in a row. For the month of March 2011, it's the British entry again in the lead. The DB11 earns top billing with an average discount of $24,614 off its sticker price, meaning buyers are paying an average transaction price of $177,206. That still a large suitcase full of bills, but at least it means buyers get to stare at a drop-dead beautiful coupe in their driveways with as much as 630 horsepower underhood. And if you love Aston Martin's svelte sense of style but don't want to spend quite so much money, you could always choose the 2020 Vantage that's selling for around $143,000. That's nearly $13,600 off that car's sticker, which is enough to land in seventh spot overall. Up next, as we've come to expect, is the Acura NSX. The hybrid-powered supercar from Japan is selling for $137,663 on average this month, which represents a $22,340 discount and seems like an exceptional deal for a 573-horsepower technological marvel that can scoot from 0-60 in just 2.9 seconds. That also represents the largest percentage of savings off the sticker this month. In third place for the month is the Audi R8, making March the second straight month that this trio of supercars has led the list of discounts. Buyers are saving $18,331 off the R8's sticker, which equals an average transaction price of $175,508. That's awfully close to the selling price of the DB11, for those lucky enough to be deciding between the two. Related Video: Driving Iron Man's Favorite Supercar, The Acura NSX | Translogic 215