Acura

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Honda, Acura expand exploding airbag recall, total now 876,000 cars

The continuing dilemma of possible rupturing airbags has prompted American Honda Co., to recall another 273,000 Honda and Acura vehicles from 2001 to 2003 and thus pushing the total current recall to 876,000 cars. Honda said the additional recall is because the airbag could potentially explode causing injury or death. In a notice on its website, Honda wrote: "Affected driver's airbag inflators may deploy with too much pressure, which can cause the inflator casing to rupture and could result in injury or fatality." "Because Honda is unable to determine the specific vehicles that may have received the affected service parts through existing information, Honda will inspect an additional approximately 603,000 vehicles and replace those parts as necessary." The expanded recall

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Acura TL, 2012: Grille makeover, new transmission for refined sedan

Now it its 17th year, the 2012 Acura TL continues the middle-age brand's legacy while addressing the concerns of the high-end Honda line's discerning fans. Acura owners are loyal, but they often complain about the awkward front end grille described by one reviewer as reminiscent of a giant bottle opener. This year, the front grille features a smaller insert that flows better with the overall design of the car. But there are also several other positive changes for the Acura TL, including: a six speed, automatic clutch transmission, ventilated seats, side mirror blind-sport detection and upgraded wheels. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Performance is an Acura strong point and the TL is a shining example. It features a 3.7-liter, 24-valve

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Acura TSX Sport Wagon, 2011 car review

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon is new to the luxury segment of Honda. The manufacturer has added versatility to its lineup, with a sleek new design, and more interior space — cargo areas to storage bins. The manufacturer hopes to offer an alternative to the more expensive wagon options from Audi and BMW. The Sport Wagon is equipped with the TSX 201-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engine and a five-speed automatic transmission. And it’s a limited supply offering for a debut vehicle; Acura will produce only 4,000 units in North America. The Weekly Driver Test Drive As a new design, the Acura TSX Sport Wagon drew immediate attention. The guys who checked me out of the car agency at the

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Acura TSX, 2011: Chasing the USA Pro Cycling Challenge

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon may be the perfect car for a cross-state trip chasing a professional bike race. As contributing editor and videographer Roman Mice details, that’s exactly how The Weekly Driver is reporting on the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The inaugural event, Aug. 22-28, featuring 17 teams and the top-three finishers in this year’s Tour de France, covers 518 mile in seven days. Driving throughout Colorado, including well-known cities, Aspen to Vail to Denver, the Acura TSX advanced throughout the mountains as comfortable wagon. It appears it likes the challenge of chasing the riders of the 2011 USA Pro Cycling Challenge. To receive The Weekly Driver newsletter via email, visit FREE NEWSLETTER Facts & Figures: 2011 Acura

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Acura TL, 2012 car review

The aggressive, blunt styling of the Acura TL has given way for 2012 to a smoother, more mainstream look. The nicely built car’s controversial front “beak” is gone, replaced by a reshaped fascia with a smaller grille. The rear also has been revised, with new bumpers, reshaped taillights and a thinner trunk edge. The car’s front overhang has been reduced, which helps give the car a lower, wider appearance. Adding to a sporty look are prominent dual exhaust outlet tips and body color door handles. The TL is a sleek four-door sedan offered with front-wheel drive or Acura’s advanced “Super Handling” all-wheel drive (SH-AWD) system. That system prevents torque steer and helps stability. It comes only with the larger 3.7-liter,

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Honda extends airbag recall in six models dating to 2001

Honda is again expanding a recall for faulty airbags, with the issue now involving more than 1.7 million Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V and to Acura models dating to 2001. The Japanese manufacturer reports the airbags can inflate with too much force, causing a casing break and a risk of injury or death. Honda says it is aware of 12 incidents, including 11 injuries and one death. The latest addition to the recall includes 833,000 vehicles among the following styles: Accord (2001-02), Civic (2001-02), Odyssey (2002), CR-V (2002-03), Acura 3.2 TL (2002-03) and Acura CL (2003). The original Honda recall in 2008 included 3,940 of its 2001 and 2002 models. Honda expanded the recall to about 443,000 vehicles in July 2009

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Acura TSX 2011 car review

The Acura TSX (Touring Sportscar eXperimental) debuted in April 2003 as a 2004 model. It remains the smallest and entry level sedan of the luxury brand. As the replacement for the Integra, the TSX and its new sibling wagon edition are built in Sayama, Saitama, Japan. The Weekly Driver Test Drive It seems fewer sedans are readily available with manual transmissions, which is the dominating reason my weekly test drive of the Acura TSX was so enjoyable. The standard engine remains the 2.4-liter,  4-cylinder with 201 horsepower. But with the six-speed manual transmission rather than the  5-speed automatic, the TSX moves into the unique category of sports car sedan. With the smooth-shifting manual transmission, it’s hard to categorize the vehicle

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Acura ZDX, 2010: Roman Mica Reports (Text and Video)

Roman Mica, contributing editor to TheWeeklyDriver.com, compares the new offering to a BMW. But he also questions the vehicle’s practicality while simultaneously appreciating its performance. Here’s Mica’s text and video review: Perhaps the closest competitor to the ZDX is BMW‘s X6. BMW took the DNA of a SUV/Crossover and spliced it together with a 4-door coupe to create the X6 and a new kind of car. Acura has done basically the same thing, but the approach is much subtle. While the BMW engineers took a sledge hammer approach to performance, Acura takes a scalpel with its super handling all-wheel-drive. And while the X6 screams “Get the hell out of of my way” on a twisty stretch of road the ZDX

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Honda recalls 167,000 Acura TSX models with potentially faulty power steering hoses

The power steering hoses, according to the manufacturer, could deteriorate prematurely from prolonged exposure to high under-the-hood temperatures. Visit: owners.acura.com/recalls or call 800-382-2238 for a full list of recalled vehicles. Dealerships will replace the power steering hose, O-ring gasket and fluid will be replaced without charge. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers,

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Honda recall: Nearly 400,000 Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V and Acura TL models may have faulty airbags

The newest recalls applies to 2001 and 2002 model-year Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V, and 2002 Acura TL vehicles. The move expands a recall first announced in November 2008 for less than 4,000 Accord and Civic sedans due to faulty airbag inflators. The initial recall was expanded in July 2009 to cover an additional 440,000 vehicles. The company said it was not aware of any new incidents after the airbag recall was first broadened in July 2009. “However, we have concluded that we cannot be completely certain that the driver’s airbag inflator in the vehicles being added to this recall at this time will perform as designed,” a Honda spokesperson said in a statement. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist

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Consumer Reports to Sean P. Diddy Combs: Cars for young drivers

Sean P. Diddy Combs recently attracted a lot of attention when he gave his son a new Lamborghini valued at $360,000 for his 16th birthday. The presentation was held in front of MTV cameras and a celebrity crowd gathered in New York in part for a Haiti relief fundraiser. Consumer Reports didn’t pass judgment on Combs’ actions. Instead, it compiled a list of cars it has determined as “appropriate for young drivers.” In part of story detailing its selection, the Consumer Reports’ reporter wrote: “We did not consider cars with 0-to-60-mph acceleration times faster than 8 seconds or slower than 11 seconds, those with braking distances longer than 145 ft. in dry conditions, or those with mediocre emergency-handling scores. Many

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Honda Fit to Lexus GS450h, The Weekly Driver's Cars of the Year, 2009

Lots of car buyers purchase $15,000 cars or prefer SUVs and midsize sedans. Hybrids and sports cars are fun drives, but they still comprise niche market choices compared to more popular choices — Honda Accord to Ford F-150 pick-ups to Toyota Camry. It’s these cars I’ve most often reviewed since 2003. In 2007, I began a Best-of-the-Year list. Like during the list’s previous two editions,  I waited until the end of the year — the opposite approach of the major car publications. The industry’s renowned magazines and web sites often select their lists to outdo each other. Sometimes, some of the cars chosen have just debuted or in some instances they’re not yet available to the public. How does that

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Acura sets car industry precedent with new safety rankings

Acura has become the first automobile manufacturer to simultaneously earn top government and IIHS safety ratings for every vehicle in its line-up. In late March, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as part of its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) testing, awarded the 2009 Acura TL performance luxury sedan a 5-Star rating — its top rating — for side impact crash safety for both front and rear passenger seating positions. In November 2008, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the 2009 Acura TL performance luxury sedan its top safety rating of “GOOD” for Frontal Offset Crash Test, Side Impact Crashworthiness Evaluation (SICE) and Rear Crash Evaluation. Furthermore, all Acura vehicles employ Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), an electronic

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Acura TSX, 2009: The Weekly Driver Car Review

I drove the 2004 model and thought highly of it as a near-luxury car with superior handling. I recently drove the 2009 model for a week and felt the same way. It’s a sedan designated by the odd term “four-door coupe.” Redesigned for 2009, the TSX is Acura’s entry-level offering, and it shares its the basic design with the European-market Honda Accord. The new version is 1 inch long in the wheelbase, 2.5 inches longer overall and 3 inches wider than its predecessor, the only previous TSX version. The new version is 150 pounds heavier than its sibling. Handling is an Acura trademark, and the TSX does not disappoint. It grips the road and never lacks confidence, sudden weather changes

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Acura TL, 2009: The Weekly Driver Car Review

Like previous models, the current edition is all good with the vehicle’s largest engine to date and a good selection of other new additions. The Weekly Driver’s Ratings Acceleration (8) The front wheel and AWD models have plenty of power, both testing in the 0-60 mph standard in 6.0 seconds. The only transmission is a smooth and responsive five-speed automatic with two keen features — manual shiftgate and steering wheel paddle shifters. It all adds up nicely, particularly since there’s an expanded 3.5-liter, 24-valve, 280 horsepower engine. Braking/Steering/Handling (7) Smooth and steady on all accounts. Confident turning, strong and steady stopping and maneuvering through all traffic situations as if it’s in charge, which it is. Cargo Room (5) Interior areas,

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Acura TSX, 2009: Weidel on Wheels

And if I were shopping for a vehicle in this category, the Honda Accord would be a wiser selection. Redesigns always come highly touted by manufacturers, but the results can be less than impressive. That’s the case here, where Acura made few significant changes to the interior or exterior. No other alterations are memorable, either. That makes the TSX a tough sell compared to the formidable Audi A4, Volvo S40, Mercedes-Benz C300, Audi A4, BMW 328i and Lexus IS 250. This year’s TSX is slightly larger than its predecessor. It remains a peppy vehicle that won’t disappoint in performance, despite a horsepower reduction from 205 to 201 — a change rarely seen in “more power is better” conventional thinking. All

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