Acura Tsx on 2040-cars

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Best places to get your car maintained and repaired

In this era of rampant inflation and high interest rates, the challenges of acquiring a car or SUV have been well documented. And so it has never been more important to protect that expensive investment by maintaining it. In recent months, Autoblog has shared Consumer Reports' evaluation of the least and most expensive car brands to keep running, as well as tips to prolong a car’s useful life. Especially since the pandemic, a number of factors have impacted these costs: more complex vehicles, new materials and manufacturing methods, a shortage of qualified technicians and replacement parts. Since 2022, repairs costs have jumped each year by about 10 percent. This month, Consumer Reports is offering a useful primer on keeping your ride in great shape, suggesting what might be the best options for searching out a repair shop, depending, as CR says, “on your car and your situation.” Author Ben Preston identifies three basic types of repair facilities: dealership service departments, independently owned repair shops, and chain repair shops. Building up trust with a specific shop and feeling comfortable going there is important. Preston quotes John Ibbotson, chief mechanic at Consumer ReportsÂ’ Auto Test Center: "You might be able to save a few bucks by going to whichever shop offers the cheapest prices, but if you want consistent, reliable service, itÂ’s best to find a repair shop you trust and stick with it,” Ibbotson says. The story goes on to evaluate each type of service facility. HereÂ’s a breakdown of CRÂ’s findings: Dealerships These work well for owners of newer cars, especially for covered warranty work. But the disadvantage is the high labor rates common to dealer service. Satisfaction ratings for dealer service departments range from very good (Acura, Lexus, Mazda, and Volvo) to not-so-good (Jeep and Kia). Dealers are best for: Fixing infotainment system glitches: "If the screen in the center of your dash has a habit of freezing up, or the touchscreen-activated climate controls arenÂ’t working, the dealership is the most likely place to find someone with the know-how to fix problems that maybe only a factory-authorized technician can access," Ibbotson says. Safety system recalibration: "Anything from a crack in your windshield to a minor fender dent can upset the calibration of the sensors that make features like automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control work," says Ibbotson.

Is the Acura Legend coming back?

Great news for fans of the Acura Legend: Honda has applied for a trademark in Europe for the word "Legend," pertaining to "Vehicles; Apparatus for locomotion by land; Apparatus for locomotion by air; Apparatus for locomotion by water; Parts and fittings for land vehicles; Parts and fittings for air and space vehicles; Parts and fittings for water vehicles." This trademark was first spotted by AutoGuide.com, and gives more credence to our speculation from a couple months ago about the possibility of the Legend nameplate returning to the Acura lineup in the States. If you were reading closely before, you'll notice that it was actually Honda that applied for the trademark, not Acura. The Legend was sold with a Honda badge on it in Europe back in the day, so this trademark filing in Europe makes perfect sense. In our previous report, we put forth the idea that Acura could bring the Legend name back with a successor to the RLX flagship sedan. Specifically, we were thinking that Acura would use the four-door coupe form previewed by the Acura Precision concept. That story also suggested a new Legend flagship could debut during Monterey Car Week. The 1986 Legend sedan was one of Acura's first two vehicles when the brand launched (the other being the Integra). It had a smooth 2.5-liter V6 that made all of 151 horsepower at the time. A sweet-looking coupe soon followed the sedan. The name Legend would be applied to a second-generation, which is arguably the one best-remembered. The coupe in particular has lived up to its name. Much of that legendary status, though, is the result of what followed: the Legend name and coupe body style dying for 1996 in favor of the RL, a four-door sedan as bland as its name. Acura's flagship has never recovered. We'll be quite pleased if Acura ultimately decides to reveal a totally new Legend to blow us away in Monterey. The return to actual names for the lineup would also be lovely. It's certainly working for Lincoln. Now if they'd only trademark "Integra" ...

Editors' Picks June 2022 | Acura MDX and the revamped GMC Sierra

This month of Editors' Picks include a pair of excellent vehicles vying for a spot at the top of their respective classes. GM has long disappointed us with its latest generation of Silverado and Sierra pickups, but the 2022 update is a turning point. Plus, Acura rounds out its MDX lineup with a Type S model, and it's enough to earn an Editors' Pick. In case you missed our previous Editors' Picks posts, here’s a quick refresher on whatÂ’s going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get EditorsÂ’ Pick status. Those are the ones weÂ’d recommend to our friends, family and anybody whoÂ’s curious and asks the question. The list that youÂ’ll find below consists of every car we rated in June that earned an EditorsÂ’ Pick. 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate View 44 Photos Quick take: GM fixes the GMC Sierra's biggest flaw this year with a new interior. Plus, it gains the AT4X trim for more off-road prowess and keeps all that was good from before. Score: 8.0 What it competes with: Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Pros: Top-notch luxury interior, stout capability, wide range of great powertrains Cons: Ride is flinty/rough, looks that divide From the editors: Road Test Editor Zac Palmer — "It really depends on what trim level you spring for with the Sierra. Buy the Denali Ultimate, and the interior is just as good as the competition. If you're not going all out on luxury features, though, at least get the diesel. It's the smoothest operating diesel engine out there, and it's also efficient. This is one great truck when you set it up in the ideal configurations." Senior Editor James Riswick — "The GMC Sierra Denali interior has gone from "They just didn't try" to "They tried harder than everyone else." The Denali Ultimate's design, detailing and materials are particularly impressive. If you want a luxury truck, this delivers." In-depth analysis: 2022 GMC Sierra Review | GM's 'premium truck' is actually now premium   2022 Acura MDX 2022 Acura MDX Advance View 23 Photos Quick take: The MDX is one of the best luxury bargains in the three-row class. It has great looks, a sumptuous and sporty interior and even offers a Type S performance variant.