2005 Acura Rsx Type-s Coupe 2-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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2022 Acura ILX dies this year, replaced by Integra

In August 2021, Acura brand officer John Ikeda told Motor Trend, "Integra is not a replacement for ILX but Integra is our entry gateway vehicle. We don't plan on having something below that." Seems what he meant is that the Integra shouldn't be viewed as a new-generation of the ILX, because the Integra is replacing the ILX in every other way. In a video podcast on YouTube, two podcast hosts at Serra Acura said, "The Integra is replacing the ILX. That has been the clear message from them without saying the ILX is going away." Motor1 asked the Japanese luxury brand about the statement, getting the reply, "The 2022 model year is the final model year for the ILX, in anticipation of the new Integra." The Acura spokesperson then followed up with, "The new Integra was developed from day 1 to deliver on the original lineage that began with Integra back in 1986 ... and will be the new entry point to the brand." This is in the vein of Ikeda's comment, where we're not meant to connect the Integra to the ILX, but see the two models as distinct branches in the family tree, like cousins by marriage instead of siblings. Acura wants this Integra to be seen as a delayed new generation for the lineup that ended in 2001 if you're a purist, or 2006 if you're willing to let the RSX into the house. The effect today is still the same, the distinction unimportant. The 2022 ILX is the final model year for the 10-year-old sedan, which has sold more than 2,000 units in the U.S. in a single month only once since October 2013. The new entry-level vehicle is the Integra, priced a touch above the ILX at around $30,000.   With Integra pre-orders expected to begin March 10, the real surprise is how much we have let to learn about the coming hatchback. We're looking forward to the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder up front, its output still unknown. That 2.4-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder in the ILX makes 201 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, the Integra's 1.5-liter produces 200 hp and 192 lb-ft in the Honda Civic Si. We'd love for the Acura to get its due and make a noticeably more power than the Si. We know the Integra will offer a six-speed manual, but the automatic gearbox option remains a mystery. And other than checking out the interior of a static Integra on display at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, we're missing a whole bunch of details on features and amenities. We expect the blanks to get filled in soon. Related video: 2022 Acura NSX Type S revealed

2014 Acura MDX shows up exactly as expected

Acura (and parent company Honda, for that matter) doesn't always leave a lot to be left to the imagination when they unveil prototypes at auto shows. Case in point: Take a gander at the Acura MDX Prototype that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show this past January, and then look at the production-spec 2014 MDX pictured above. See what we mean?
Design-wise, there frankly isn't a whole lot to get excited about with this MDX. Sure, a lot of the chiseled, sharp lines from the previous-generation model have been smoothed out in favor of something that will likely have more mass-market appeal, but to our eyes, the MDX has simply lost a lot of its visual flair in the process. To quote Autoblog senior editor Seyth Miersma, this new one just looks like the old one after melting by 10 percent. The end result is something that more closely resembles the company's smaller RDX crossover than anything else, with other subtle design elements mimicking what we've seen on the ILX and RLX sedans. It's all fine, but again, not exciting. The good news, however, is that thanks to the use of new lightweight materials, the 2014 MDX is 275 pounds lighter than the outgoing model.
Updates to what's underneath the MDX's new skin are hardly surprising, but still welcome. Power comes from a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 making 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with both front-wheel drive and Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive on offer. Acura estimates that front-drive models will achieve 20/28/23 miles per gallon (city/highway/combined), and says that adding the SH-AWD drops those numbers to 18/27/21. Acura will offer a new Integrated Dynamic System that allows the driver to choose between normal, sport and comfort settings, and the new MDX will ride on a choice of either 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels.

Honda signs on as Pikes Peak sponsor, race participant

Honda plans to storm the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 30, entering ten cars in nine classes at the race to the sky, and signing on as a corporate sponsor. Part of the company's return to grassroots racing - if that's what you can call factory-backed efforts - the banners of Honda R&D and Honda North America will fly on these entries: a first-gen Acura NSX, an Acura TL SH-AWD, Honda CR-Z, Honda Fit EV, one CRF450R and two CRF250R motorcycles, a CBR1000RR motorcycle and a TRX450 ATV.
One more entry, details of which are to be announced later, will be driven by IndyCar pilot Simon Pagenaud of Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports. LoveFab (pictured above during practice last year) will be there with its new, NSX-based Enviate, but as a privateer entry.
Honda's been to the mountain before, with high-powered gear in 2012 and record-setting EVs in 1994 and 1999, but it's never made noise like this. Have a read of the press release below for more info.