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Acura considering Vezel-based compact crossover

There's a distinct benefit to automakers having their own premium brand. After all, why develop one vehicle to be sold under one nameplate if you can turn it into two? Especially if a little reconfiguration and some premium accoutrements allow said automaker to charge significantly more for the luxury version. It's a winning formula - for crossovers especially - that Toyota has used to turn the Highlander into the Lexus RX (even if the first-gen RX arrived before the original Highlander), that Ford has used to transform the Edgee into the Lincoln MKX and that General Motors has applied to the Chevrolet Suburban to turn it into the Cadillac Escalade (to name just a few of the many examples out there). And it's one to which Honda and its Acura division are certainly not unaccustomed.
Acura has adapted its Euro-spec Honda Accord into the TSX, the Civic into the ILX, the CR-V into the RDX and the Pilot into the MDX. And now that the Honda Vezel is coming to market, Acura reportedly has its eye on that as well. The idea was first introduced when Acura unveiled the SUV-X concept (shown above) at the Shanghai Motor Show this past April, just a few months after Honda revealed its Urban SUV concept that previewed the production Vezel. At the time, says Automotive News, Acura said it intended to put the concept into production in China for the Chinese market, and it's reportedly moving ahead with those plans. But now that it is, executives are wondering where else they might find buyers for the premium compact crossover.
With the Vezel soon to begin production alongside the Fit at Honda's new plant in Mexico, it wouldn't be a stretch to see the Acura version follow suit. The market does, after all, seem to be heating up with entries like the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, and we couldn't blame Honda - pardon us, Acura - for wanting a slice of that pie.

2019 Acura RDX undercuts rivals with base price of $38,295

The all-new 2019 Acura RDX will hit dealers on June 1, 2018, and it'll come with a window sticker bearing a base price of $38,295. That's for a front-wheel-drive RDX; adding all-wheel drive brings the base price to $40,295. Standard equipment includes the AcuraWatch safety and driver assistance package, which bundles automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and road departure mitigation. All RDX models, regardless of trim, are powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that sends 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission to the drive wheels. That's more power than rivals like Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC300, and Volvo XC60, all of which are cited by Acura as key competitors in the small premium crossover segment. The EPA has given the 2019 RDX estimated fuel mileage ratings of 22 city, 28 highway, and 24 combined, or 21/27/23 with all-wheel drive. That's better than the AWD 2018 RDX's 19/27/22 rating, but under the class-leading 22/29/25 figures of the BMW X3, though the Bimmer has less horsepower and torque than the RDX. Perhaps even more important than the low-for-its-class starting price is the reasonable increase in cost as the trim level rises. Opting for an RDX with the Tech Package will cost $41,495 and bring with it navigation with real-time traffic, perforated leather seating surfaces, an ELS Studio audio system with 12 speakers, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic monitor, and front and rear parking sensors. The new RDX A-Spec package branches off the Tech trim level and adds sportier styling with blacked-out accents replacing chrome, 20-inch wheels, 4-inch exhaust tips, an ELX Studio audio system with 16 speakers, heated and ventilated seats, LED fog lights, and sport seats trimmed in leather and Ultrasuede. A red interior package is optional. At the top of the RDX pyramid sits the Advance trim for $46,395. That model gets cool stuff like a high-tech adaptive damper system, 16-way power driver and passenger seats (heated and cooled up front and heated in the rear), a head-up display, surround view camera, genuine wood trim, and a hands-free power tailgate. It's worth noting that since the A-Spec is based on the Tech and not the Advance trim it's not possible to get the adaptive dampers or fancy front seats packaged with the sportiest-looking RDX model. Here's hoping those bits are added as A-Spec package options at a later date.

2019 Acura NSX Track Test Review | Exotic tech, exhilarating performance

EAST LIBERTY, Ohio — The 2019 Acura NSX makes sonorous noises behind my ear as the tachometer soars toward 7,500 rpm. My hands grip the squared-off steering wheel a bit too hard as I scrub off about 60 mph and dive into the first corner of the Transportation Research Center (TRC) dynamic handling course. There's 3,878 pounds of car beneath me, but the front tires do exactly what my hands tell them to, without hesitation, and I'm through the double apex corner without even thinking about the defiance of physics I just witnessed. On paper, a nearly 4,000-pound track car makes no sense. Yet in practice, it's just as tossable and eager to change direction as something much lighter. This is the NSX's party trick, thanks to some magic with the suspension and all-wheel drive system on this car. And while the new NSX is a very different vehicle than its predecessor, it was born of a similar spirit of innovation and forward thinking. The original Acura NSX hit the streets in 1991, establishing a new set of rules for every supercar released since. Constructed of an aluminum body — still an exotic material mainly used in competition vehicles — with curves that still drop jaws today, it was every bit as sophisticated as a Ferrari. But unlike Ferraris of the time, it was also reliable and easy to drive. Slide behind the wheel of a 1991 NSX, and you'll be transported back to a time when outward visibility was still in style. You can see the ground right in front of the nose. Turn around, and there's nothing blocking your view but a low wing. It's essentially a bubble canopy. Acura knows owners of the original NSX, your author included, absolutely love this about their cars. The effort to make the cockpit of the NSX similar is appreciated, even if modern crash standards prevent a perfect implementation. There are other subtle throwbacks. Every original NSX made a distinctive intake whine when winding it up to 8,000 rpm, and the new NSX has real intake noise physically pumped into the cabin to replicate this sweet sound all the way through the rev band. Another echo of the original is the simplified, sedate dash layout — eminently usable and likely to age well. A simplified version of the new RDX infotainment system would have fit the bill, too, but sadly it's not present. Under way, however, the generational similarities cease. Our time on this trip in the 2019 model was spent solely on track at TRC, and it was a wholly different experience from the old car.