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2021 Acura TLX Review | Back to the future

The best-selling luxury car used to be an Acura. The brand's combination of reliability, quality, design and driving dynamics clearly resonated with buyers. In the past decade-plus, however, those last two elements stopped resonating, while the Acura brand subsequently lost its luxury luster. Simply put, the 2021 Acura TLX is intended to turn things around. Its look is bold and athletic in a way not seen since the best-selling TL of the 2000s, while its long-hood/short-deck proportions are like no Acura that's come before. Although they're usually indicative of a rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan, the TLX remains based on a front-wheel-drive architecture with Acura's brilliant Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system. A return to a double-wishbone front suspension ensures truly charismatic handling. That architecture is also unique to Acura as opposed to being related to the Honda Accord. All of the above adds up to a new TLX that's a far more compelling and competitive luxury sedan. If you're considering a BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 or Mercedes-Benz C-Class, it's definitely worth expanding beyond the German borders and giving Acura a try. It's different to be sure, but different can be good, especially for driving enthusiasts who've seen some zest ooze out of the 3 Series in recent generations. Even its interior is suitably luxurious in quality and distinctive in appearance – it looks like nothing else out there and, importantly, doesn't give off the vibe of an Accord in dress pants. While we're not ready to declare it any sort of class leader, it's worthy of playing with the big boys. What's new for 2021? The TLX was completely redesigned for 2021. What's the TLX interior and in-car technology like? The TLX cabin has a modern, high-tech look that won't be confused with something in a European luxury sedan. Materials quality is excellent, while padded simulated leather on the dash and doors provides an undeniable air of luxury. There are style differences between trim levels as well, most notably the open pore wood trim and ambient lighting in the Advance (above left) and the A-Spec's sport gauges, unique aluminum trim and available red leather (above right). There's still some switchgear shared with Honda – particularly the annoying push-button shifter – but at least Honda makes some nice switchgear.  There are notable, Acura-only exceptions to that. First is the large silver knob prominently placed on the center stack that controls the car's driving modes.

Honda is first Japanese carmaker to be a net-exporter from US

Over the last decade or so, many foreign automakers have challenged the idea of what defines an "American car," but Honda took things a step further last year by exporting more cars out of the US than it imported in. Reuters is reporting that in 2013, a total of 108,705 Honda and Acura models were exported from the US with only 88,357 being shipped in. This gives Honda a net exporter status here, and makes it the first of such among the major Japanese automakers.
Honda's US imports have been dropping over the last five years while its exports have been steadily increasing. In 2008, the report indicates that Honda shipped 187,000 vehicles to the US and exported only 20,000, and even by 2012 Honda still favored imports with 136,000 imports and 74,000 exports. The article says that US-made Honda and Acura vehicles were exported to 50 countries with most ending up in Mexico, but the big news is that the Honda's US production set a record in 2013 with 1.3 million units built.

Comma.ai makes your car semi-autonomous for $999

At TechCrunch's Disrupt conference in San Francisco, Comma.ai founder George "Geohot" Hotz announced the launch of the Comma One semi-autonomous driving device. Hotz said at the conference that his company has worked on the Comma One for about a year, and it will be available at the end of the year for $999 and a $24 per month subscription fee. But aside from the reasonable price, which TechCrunch points out is possible thanks to off-the-shelf components, the appeal here is that it's an add-on to an existing car that can be installed at home by the car's owner. This gives people with normal cars the opportunity to have semi-autonomous features without having to buy an entire vehicle... that is, if you have a Honda or Acura with lane-keeping assist, since Comma One is currently only compatible with those vehicles. It remains to be seen if the company will add more vehicles to the list over time. The device is roughly the size of a large cell phone or aftermarket navigation system, and it has a screen on the front and a pair of cameras on the back. The computer combines information from the device's cameras and the car's radar sensors to understand what's happening and how to respond. Hotz explained at the conference that this system is similar in capability to the Tesla Autopilot system, and will be able to complete a drive, start to finish, without the driver having to touch anything. He did however emphasize that the driver must still pay attention in the event something goes wrong, comparing the experience to watching a young student driver. Hotz told TechCrunch that the device should start shipping at the end of the year. He also said that owners of compatible Honda products in the San Francisco area are eligible for beta testing, and can get involved by emailing him at george@comma.ai. So if you've been pining for a semi-autonomous vehicle of your own, but couldn't spring for a Tesla, you won't have to wait much longer. We should point out that we don't know yet how well the system works, though we hope to find out soon. Related Video: