Archive for the ‘Acura’ Category

2002 Acura MDX

Big deal, you say. Another luxury sport utility vehicle appears in an all-ready overcrowded market. But the Acura MDX, in its second year of production, at least offers a great, albeit unusual, appearance that will set it apart from other vehicles in this category. And wait until you get in and drive it.

While this wide-body vehicle with an overall rugged appearance may not visually appeal to everyone, at least people should give Acura credit for developing a unique style. To start, the MDX is the widest vehicle in its class at 76.3 inches, which contributes to its athletic design.

The clean exterior styling can be credited to the use of crisp angles that are a trademark of Acura vehicles. The hood comes to a V-point at the small, uplifted grille, flanked by angled headlights. The entire “face” of the MDX sets high with fog lights and a grey skid guard below the grille. The crisp styling continues on the sides and rear of the vehicle. There isn’t any cladding or unnecessary embellishments that detract from the refined styling.

The interior design is not as appealing as the exterior, but it still is attractive. There is leather on the doors; steering wheel and shift knob and wood-grain trim around the stereo and climate controls. The dashboard is constructed of a low-gloss hard plastic that blends well with the rest of interior design.

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2002 Acura 3.5 RL

The RL, flagship of Acura’s car division does plenty of things well. It has great handling and plenty of power to soothe driving enthusiasts. But overall, the car is hampered somewhat by bland exterior styling and the lack of features that you would expect in a luxury sedan.

Thanks to powertrain and suspension enhancements, the 2002 3.5 RL should be high on any driving enthusiasts’ list of must have cars. Acura increased engine output to 225 horsepower at 5200 rpm, up 15 horsepower from the previous year’s model.

While the front-wheel drive system delivers a spirited, smooth performance, some driving enthusiasts may yearn for a rear-wheel-drive V8 engine, especially since most of the competition has those powertrains. For examples, the Lincoln Continental (275 hp), BMW 5-series (290) and the Cadillac Seville (275), all have V8 engines that generate more horsepower than the 3.5 RL.

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AUSTIN, Tex. — A dash across hills of Texas to reach the capital city should consume far more than an hour, although on this run the traffic seems sparse, the route along U.S. 290 out of Johnson City spreads in a broad and smooth path, and that sleek sedan carrying an impatient driver melds with the blacktop and asserts itself whenever we put our foot into it.

Packing the strength of 260 horses charging out of a sophisticated aluminum engine, our machine leaps around slower vehicles as we rip through the passing lane.

With its taut suspension tuned for sporty maneuvers and a quick rack and pinion steering mechanism aboard, the car hugs contours of the road and carves out crisp corners when wiggling around curves in the hills.

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PORT JERVIS, N.Y. — Stylists in the California design studio of Acura, the upscale Honda line for performance and luxury, have reworked the CL coupe series by borrowing structural and mechanical components of Acura’s impressive 3.2TL sedan, adding the TL’s powerful engine plus a silky five-speed automatic with clutch-less manual shifter, then carving out a four-place passenger compartment with overtones of luxury while dressing the package in crisp sheetmetal shapes that look smooth and sophisticated.

Acura’s product planners also equipped the CL with all sorts of active mechanical hardware, from independent wishbone suspension for all wheels to precise rack and pinion steering with speed-sensitive power assistance, anti-lock brakes and a traction control system.
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Santa Barbara, CA) The guy who showed me to my room at the Biltmore was right in the zone for the preferred Acura coupe customer . . . late 20s, in an upwardly mobile job . . . but he already had an Acura coupe. He had inherited his parent’s Legend coupe, and while he wasn’t ready to run to the dealer, his family’s excellent experience and the sexier styling of the CL sharpened his interest. The combination of track record and appealing styling may keep him out of the ranks of European car buyers, and that is the main objective of Acura.

There is a bit of a jump from the US Saturns, Cougars, Monte Carlos and Sebrings, and Acura would like to the CL to be compared with Mercedes CLKs, Lexus SCs, Volvo C70s and BMW 3 series. That may take a while, but with the solid success of the 3.2 TL luxury performance sedan, Acura’sall-new, completely redesigned 3.2 CL luxury performance coupe is not just a two door exercise on the sedan theme, but a clean and appealing coupe for the young at heart. My young friend at the Biltmore is likely to find the Legend a bit stodgy in this trendy beach community and Acura is ready.

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The Acura MDX was completely redesigned for the 2007 model year. Larger than before, it improve upon on the first-generation MDX (2001-2006), which had a unique combination of style, design, utility, and a rock-solid power train. The MDX balances power and fuel economy well. All that made it very popular among mid-size luxury SUVs. Given last year’s complete redesign, there are only a few minor changes for 2008.  Read the rest of this entry »

At the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, Acura announced a mid-cycle enhancement to the Acura RL.

On sale in July, the 2009 Acura RL will feature a new 3.7-liter engine, a new five-speed automatic transmission, improved steering, better handling, a reworked interior, revised styling, and a host of new technology and entertainment features.  Read the rest of this entry »