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Acura puts on display of mechanical horsepower in new ad

Originally forged with a brand identity based on luxury, sportiness and practicality, Acura has spent the last decade or so struggling with its image. The sporting credibility suffered a mighty blow with the loss of cars like the Integra, RSX and NSX, and recent years have seen the Japanese company attempting to recast itself as a technology leader.
All of that makes this latest Acura commercial, Let The Race Begin, even more difficult to understand, metaphorically speaking. The horsepower-horse race 'theme' certainly isn't difficult to fathom, with mecca-equine versions of popular luxury brands filling the screen. But the choice to make Acura's filly a flesh-and-blood creation seems odd, for the high-tech theme. Acura as "thoroughbred apart from the rest of the field" seems to be the rough message here, though we're not sure we're buying it. We're also not sure we're comfortable with how much these ponies reminded us of a certain off-putting robotic dog...
Looks expensive, at any rate. Watch the robot ponies run for yourself, below.

2019 Acura ILX first drive | New looks, same lackluster performance

Acura knows what it takes to make a fun, compact car that enthusiasts desire. It did so for three decades with the Integra, which eventually morphed into the still fun RSX. Then the ILX came around for the 2013 model year, and the world collectively yawned. It's actually still yawning, and the 2019 redesign isn't doing a whole lot to change that. One might expect more wholesale changes from a car entering its seventh year on the market, but we're still staring down the barrel of the same 201 horsepower 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder and trick dual-clutch automatic transmission (which also features a torque converter for low-speed smoothness) from before. These pieces aren't necessarily the problem though. It's enjoyable to thrash the engine out to 7,000 rpm, and the dual-clutch snaps off surprisingly quick shifts when using the paddles in manual mode. It's a bit of a throwback to before all of Honda's performance engines switched to turbocharging for power. It pulls harder the more you wring it out, and begs to be paired with a slick-shifting six-speed manual like it was in the ninth-gen Civic Si. Sadly, everything else outside the powertrain (still) just misses the mark. The greatest part of Acura's old performance compacts was how they made you feel when you were driving them. There was an intimate connection between the driver and road at all times that is sorely lacking from the ILX. Turn in feel is soft and doesn't offer satisfying quick changes of direction. The old chassis feels its age in controlling body movements too. It all culminates in making the ILX feel like a larger car than it actually is. That's not to say the ILX handles poorly, though; it simply does so without any eagerness or feel — just like it has from the beginning. This is unfortunate because the ILX looks better than it ever has. Acura re-did the whole front nose from the A-pillar forward, and it attacked the rear fascia too. We got to check out and drive A-Spec trimmed cars, which add even more aggression to the styling but no performance upgrades. Sure there's three-too-many fake air vents, but the car finally grew some teeth compared to the ultra-bland looks from before. Props for not following the terrible industry trend of totally unreasonably-sized fake exhaust outlets too. The interior isn't as exciting.

Honda recalls 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S.

DETROIT — Honda is recalling over 1.4 million vehicles in the U.S. to repair drive shafts that can break, window switches that can overheat and a software flaw. The software recall includes 737,000 Accords from 2018 to 2020 and Insights from 2019 and 2020. A programming flaw in a control computer can cause the rear camera, turn signals and windshield wipers to malfunction. Owners will be notified in late January about when they should take their vehicles to a dealer for repairs. Two drive shaft recalls cover 430,000 Honda Civic Hybrids from 2012, the 2007 through 2014 Honda Fit, the 2013 through 2015 Acura ILX and the 2013 through 2015 Honda Accord. TheyÂ’re in 22 states where salt is used to clear roads in the winter. The drive shafts can break due to corrosion. Dealers will inspect the left and right drive shafts and replace them if needed. Parts arenÂ’t available yet. Owners will get an initial notification in February and will be told later when to go to a dealer. About 268,000 CR-Vs from 2002 through 2006 are included in the power window switch recall. Water can get into an open driverÂ’s window and cause an electrical short, possibly touching off a fire. ItÂ’s the second recall for the same issue. The cars were recalled starting in October of 2012, but the repairs didnÂ’t work. Honda says it has reports of 16 fires but no injuries. Honda says owners should take the SUVs in for repairs as soon as they get a recall notice. Those will be mailed starting in late January. Owners can also check https://owners.honda.com/service-maintenance/recalls or call (888) 234-2138 to see if their vehicle is affected.