Thanks to our dutiful following of VolvoXC60 on Twitter, we learned today that Rolling Strength’s revolutionary new crossover has made the list of finalists for Motor Trend’s 2010 SUV of the Year award. Of course to be fair, the XC60 was neither engineered or marketed as an SUV, but the majority of Motor Trend’s other finalists weren’t either. Given the current market and auto maker’s eagerness to distance themselves from the often negative stigma attached to SUVs, however, MT would be hard pressed to assemble a similarly lengthy list if limiting the criteria to only those vehicles explicitly billed as SUVs. Thus, the one aspect all the candidates have in common is ride height, multi-function capability, and an all wheel drive train.

In addition to the XC60, the other contenders vying for the coveted award include the Toyota 4Runner, Acura ZDX, Audi Q5, Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain, Lexus RX, Lincoln MKT, Mercedes-Benz GLK, and the Subaru Outback – none of which can hold a candle to the XC60’s dazzling debut and bevy of innovative technology.

If we were betting people, we’d put our money on Volvo.

Of the three Japanese automakers (Toyota, Nissan, Honda) that have luxury brands, most would agree that Honda’s Acura line has slowly dropped behind the other two with regards to performance. Not to mention the German brands all three initially set in their sights. A sad state of things given that it wasn’t that long ago that Acura offered the only true sports car in the bunch. But don’t get us started on the demise of the NSX. Instead, start a slow clap for the 2010 TSX which has finally been given enough guts to at least be competitive in the small luxury sedan segment. Now, let’s talk about this whole front-wheel drive issue.

Many things can be excused around these parts, but with regards to sporting luxury cars, an absence of power is not one of them. This has finally set in for Honda/Acura with the 2010 TSX and its available V6.
Power for the new engine is a solid 280 horsepower engine, 254 foot-pounds of torque, and with a harmonious accompaniment of an appropriately revised suspension, and 18-inch high-performance tires and brakes to facilitate its newly found sporting intentions. Of course, we are still left to dream of the day a rear-wheel drive TSX is a reality. But baby steps folks. Base models in comparison come with a 201-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic. A five-speed automatic transmission with SportShift, which can be shifted manually without a clutch pedal, is the only transmission for the V-6. Not to be a downer, but it should be mentioned that with the V-6, the TSX is rated at 18 miles per gallon in city driving and 27 mpg on the highway; a decrease from the 21/30-mpg rating of a four-cylinder TSX with automatic transmission.

Standard features on every TSX include seats trimmed in perforated leather, power-adjustable and heated front seats, power moonroof, Bluetooth phone interface, high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, XM satellite radio with complimentary service period, and USB and auxiliary jack connectivity ports built into the center console.

Price of admission into a base TSX model has been elevated just $150 over last years versions, to $30,120. The starting retail price for a 2010 Acura TSX with 280-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 is $35,660. Of course, in the luxury world at least, the Acura name does not loom as large as other options, but pricing of the new TSX is more the competitive.

2002 Acura TL Type S

Honda is the latest automaker to catch the recall bug as they announced Friday that they are recalling another 440,000 vehicles, including some of their best-selling Accord and Civic models, for an airbag defect. As opposed to the sometimes mundane warnings for one thing or another, this recall has the potential to cause serious injury. How serious? How does airbag projectile shrapnel to the face sound?

2001 Honda Civic

The potentially lethal airbag defect of concern involves the airbag inflator mechanism, which Honda says may rupture because of too much air pressure. The pain resulting from the explosion carries with it the even more upsetting possibility of causing metal fragments to slice through the cloth airbag cushion material and strike vehicle occupants. At least one fatality and six other injuries have already been linked to the defect, Honda spokesman Sage Marie said.

2002 Honda Accord

This recall is in addition to a previous Honda announcement that it would recall some 2001 Accord and Civic sedans for the same defect last November. The updated list of cars affected by the latest notice include some 2001 and 2002 Accords, 2001 Civics and a number of 2002 and 2003 model Acura TL sedans. The driver’s side steering-wheel airbag is the defective component on theses vehicles.

The Japanese automaker said it was encouraging owners to wait until they received a recall notice to go to a dealership and have the inflator for the steering-wheel airbag replaced. But since anything exploding in/around our face sounds mildly unpleasant, we would suggest owners of those models check to see if their vehicle is covered by the recall by going to the automaker’s Honda and Acura websites and click on the “Owner Link” to get a status of their car. Wearing a helmet might be a good idea too.

Acura ZDX Concept

Despite some lackluster feelings about the concept, the ZDX “sports coupe” that was first introduced at the New York Auto Show this past April will be arriving later this year as an Acura competitor to the BMW X6. It’s probably the most frivolous Acura since the NSX, which at least was a killer sports car. With a panoramic glass roof, hidden rear door handles and aggressive fender flares, it rather shamelessly adopts more than a little of the X6’s DNA. The question of whether the X6 should even exist is debatable; so is there really enough of a market for two “sport coupes” (three if you count the Cayenne) to be successful?

The outer styling, which is supposed to be something of a blend between a crossover and some sort of four-door coupe (which is pretty much a contradiction), may be hit or miss with some people. But its powerplant is not. Under the hood will reside an all-aluminum 3.7-liter V6 engine good for an even 300 horsepower and 270 lb feet of torque via a 6-speed automatic transmission. Acura is counting on this new 6-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters to give the ZDX one advantage over the X6; fuel economy. Efficiency numbers naturally haven’t been released, but as a point of reference, the X6 turns out a jaw-dropping 12 and 18 mpg in city and highway driving. So the bar is set pretty low for Acura.

When the ZDX arrives three trim levels will be available: ZDX, ZDX with Technology Package, and ZDX with Advance Package. Standard on all ZDX models is the panoramic glass roof, leather interior, Bluetooth connectivity, power tailgate, USB audio interface with iPod integration, Acura’s exclusive Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system and 19-inch, 7-spoke alloy wheels. The Technology Package adds navigation with voice recognition, an Acura/ELS Surround premium audio system, and a new multi-view rear camera. The Advance Package adds a blind spot information system (blind spots indeed), a Collision Mitigating Braking System (CMBS), and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).

ZDX Interior Sure To Be High-End

Heavily touted is the utility of the ZDX, which can seat up to handle five adults while maintaining a generous amount of cargo space behind the second row of seats. The cargo area can also be expanded to accommodate longer objects by removing side panels in the cargo-compartment sidewalls. Additionally, there is an integrated under-floor storage area.

Acura hasn’t released pricing or date of availability, but is expected to run between $40,990 and $46,830.

A few months ago Honda aficionado’s were buzzing over spy shots of the resurrected NSX carving corners around the Nurburgring, with rumors of a GTR-killing V10 under the hood. But a poor economic climate nixed that great return. Or so we thought.

Sources from 7Tune.com have reported that the NSX will indeed be produced, although Honda’s focus for the car has substantially shifted away from world-class supercar benchmarks towards more environmentally-friendly purposes. Instead of the GTR, the “Super Hybrids Sports” NSX will be a direct competitor with Toyota’s FT-HS hybrid sports car, another performance nameplate reslated as a green car to take advantage of an increasingly petrol-phobic market.

Click the jump for more details.

Instead of a V10, the new NSX will make use of a next generation “valveless throttle” 3.5L V6 coupled with a hybrid system (predictably from the Legend/Acura RL) to produce around 450HP. But if Honda hopes to take the fuel-efficiency crown from the FT-HS, it will have to solve some pesky weight problems resulting from the use of the SH-AWD bolted to the aluminum platform as well as a rear transaxle similar to the GTR.

Whatever the final product will look and drive like remains to be seen, as the previously announced 2010 release date will no doubt be delayed at least a year.

Pricing has also not been confirmed, not even in ball park estimates. So the NSX falls under similar scrutiny as the Tesla and other green-spun sports cars: Will the car be fun enough and efficient enough to justify its premium price tag? It’s a question most middle classers will have to ask in the hypothetical.

SOURCE: 7tune.com

Also known as the Honda Integra in Japan.

The theme today is stepping out of the shadow of one’s predecessor. The RSX’s pappy was the DC2 Integra of 1994-2001. And the baddest DC2 was the Type R. The name has since become diluted by certain people’s slavish devotion to slapping “Type R” stickers all over anything that moves, but the original Type R was no appearance package. To understand the RSX, you have to understand the Type R.

A DC2 Type R with aftermarket wheels.

The 1.8L B18C5 engine was heavily modified from the stock GSR, including an entirely new head design, molybendium-coated high-compression pistons, lighter connecting rods, a balanced crankshaft to support higher revs, and hand-polished intake runners. Making 197 HP at 8000 RPMs and maximum torque (130 ft-lbs.) at 7500 RPMs, this was a motor made to scream on a level not usually seen outside of motorcycles or F1 cars. A close ratio 5-speed helped keep the revs up, and a 150 lb. diet helped this front-driver hit 0-60 in 7 seconds and pull 0.92Gs on the skidpad. It was a serious drivers car, but the best part was the chassis. Beautifully neutral in most situations, skilled drivers could coax oversteer in appropriate situations out of the Type R’s chassis. A limited slip helped put the power down when you exited the corner. That’s why this isn’t a Rust or Lust about the Type R: it’s a LUST shoe-in. It was, quite simply, universally regarded as possibly the most balanced front-wheel-drive sports car ever created.

K20A2 engine.

Honda, for some inexplicable reason (but likely involving a meeting between bean-counters and the marketing department), decided to wipe the slate clean and start anew, creating a common chassis to underpin the both the RSX and the 2001 Honda Civic. Possibly an engineer with any sense of poignancy shed a single tear. We can’t be certain. What is clear is that this was meant to leave the DC2’s boy-racer image behind and to cater to a more sophisticated (read: older and wealthier) clientele. Along with the increasing girth of their newly-sought customers came some poundage – about 250lbs more than the outgoing Type R. Despite making 200 HP from its 2.0L K20A2 motor, and ticking off the old Type-Rs 0-60 time by a half-second, the RSX had lost something.

That something was poise and balance. No longer was the raison d’être of the car to be the track weapon its predecessor was. By switching to MacPhearson struts in the front and porking the thing up, they’d killed the scalpel-like precision of the old car. The new variable-resistance steering sucked, with big dead spots and crappy feel. The chassis was set up to understeer. It looked like a streamlined suppository. As one wit on the Automobile Magazine quipped, its “a modern Toyota Paseo.” Ouch. Ultimately, this isn’t so much about what the RSX was (a luxury coupe for 28-year old marketing managers), but about what it wasn’t (a car better than the one it replaced). That’s why we can’t love, nay, lust after the RSX. It is the equivalent of taking fine sake and diluting it with Pepsi.

Verdict: RUST

While the Type R will no doubt be a sort of ‘66 Mustang K-Code Fastback of the future, the RSX will find itself in a no-mans land, lacking the charisma to inspire nostalgia and therefore being unable to justify its existence. The engines will be cannibalized for use in track-day cars, and what is left will likely be an unseemly pile of primered nonsense. If you have one, love it, but don’t expect it to become the next barn-find Bugatti.

[Sources: Wikipedia, AutomobileMag, Motortrend.com]

Popular Used Car: 2006 Acura TL

Not surprisingly, while new cars sales take a steady beating, used car sales continue to stay up.  Naturally, some used cars are more popular than others, not only because of a specific car’s perceived fuel efficiency or utility, but as a result of the longevity or sheer number of each model’s production.  So for those in the market for a newer but not new car, here is a breakdown of the Top 10 Used Cars for 2009 based on sales numbers compiled by the auto information statisticians at Edmunds.com.  Some of these results may surprise you.

Dealer retail and private party prices are based on actual transactions from Edmunds.com for previously owned vehicles considered to be in “clean” condition that have been driven an average of 12,000 miles a year.

2005 Honda Civic EX Sedan

Price When New: $18,860
Dealer Used Price: $12,405
Private Party Price: $11,426
Certified Used Price: $13,338
MPG (city/highway): 31/38

2005 Honda Civic EX

Civics are solid, quiet on the road, and easy to drive, but in 2005 they also epitomized the “Asia Anonymous” look that the Japanese automakers haven’t quite exorcised from their design palette.  Those aspects may be overshadowed easily by Honda’s reputation for quality and dependability.  The fact that you see so many on the road is a testament to both the car’s durability and the loyalty of Honda owners.  The Civic EX is about as good as compact sedans get.  This small sedan is fuel-efficient and fun to drive, and you can save almost $6,500 over the original price of the ’05. 

2007 Ford Five Hundred SEL

Price When New: $23,785
Dealer Used Price: $13,902
Private Party Price: $12,807
Certified Used Price: $14,872
MPG (city/highway): 21/29

2007 Ford Five Hundred

Ford’s Five Hundred’s short lifespan was attributed mostly to replacing the hugely succesful Taurus and not any major deficiency.  Except that it is about as exciting to look at as a plate of mashed potatoes.  Still, it is roomy, reliable, safe and because the Taurus is back, low mileage Five Hundreds can be had for a song.

2006 Infiniti G35 Sedan

Price When New: $31,910
Dealer Used Price: $19,257
Private Party Price: $18,222
Certified Used Price: $21,536
MPG (city/highway): 19/26

2006 Infiniti G35 Sedan

Before the G37 impressed both critics and owners, the G35 was turning heads as capable and comparable competitor to upscale European brands such as the  BMW 3-series.  One area that is sure to please used car buyers is the blend of sporty performance without the steep sticker price.  The 3.5-liter V6 produces 280 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque.

2005 Lexus LS 430

Price When New: $56,875
Dealer Used Price: $26,237
Private Party Price: $24,079
Certified Used Price: $28,951
MPG (city/highway): 18/25

2005 Lexus LS 430

New luxury cars take a huge hit in depreciation after they roll off the lot.  Their loss is your gain.  Loaded with luxury items that are offered as either standard or optional equipment, Lexus’ flagship sedan has a six-speed-automatic transmission that works with a 4.3-liter V-8.  With a one-two punch of performance and luxury, an ’05 LS 430 costs less than half its original price. 

2005 Toyota RAV4

Price When New: $20,665
Dealer Used Price: $13,157
Private Party Price: $12,127
Certified Used Price: $14,776
MPG (city/highway): 24/29

2005 Toyota RAV4

Toyota’s smallest sport utility vehicle received a face-lift for the 2004 model year and gained a larger and more powerful four-cylinder. Safety features were also emphasized in 2005. Competing against such SUVs as the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V, the RAV4 may be equipped with either front or all-wheel drive.  As is typical for the entire Toyota line, the RAV4 consistently tops its class for its mix of functionality, fuel-friendliness and value.

2007 Honda Pilot LX

Price When New: $27,690
Dealer Used Price: $17,209
Private Party Price: $16,284
Certified Used Price: $18,428
MPG (city/highway): 18/24

2007 Honda Pilot LX

Although it gets knocked often for un-Honda-like fuel inefficiency, the Pilot seats eight, hauls 3,500 pounds and has 48 cubic feet of cargo room behind the second seat for those that need to do serious hauling.  The 2007 Honda Pilot is available in three trim levels: the base LX, the EX and the EX-L. If you can live without some of the luxury extras of the upper trimmed Pilots , you can save some dough and still get a great people hauler that is backed by Honda’s history of solid engineering and reliability.

2006 Volkswagen Golf GL

Price When New: $16,440
Dealer Used Price: $10,995
Private Party Price: $10,278
Certified Used Price: $11,878
MPG (city/highway): 24/30

2006 Volkswagen Golf GL

VW’s versatile hatchback is safe and solidly built and can haul lots of gear despite its smaller footprint.  The availability of the increasingly popular diesel engine here in America is a practical choice for economy-minded drivers.  But even the normal gas sipping 4-cylinder gets 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

2007 Hyundai Sonata GLS

Price When New: $18,970
Dealer Used Price: $11,576
Private Party Price: $10,838
Certified Used Price: $13,171
MPG (city/highway): 24/33

2007 Hyundai Sonata GLS

This two-time Best in Class winner was a big reason Hyundai went forward with the new Genesis.  It is also a strong competitor to the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, although with a much lower price tag.  Redesigned the year before, the revised ’07 came with a new Ultra Low Emission Vehicle rating for the engines and a five-star crash safety rating. 

2006 Acura TL

Price When New: $33,995
Dealer Used Price: $21,162
Private Party Price: $19,812
Certified Used Price: $23,019
MPG (city/highway): 20/29

2006 Acura TL

Honda’s entry-luxury nameplate delivers quality and reliability.  The midsize sedan was redesigned in 2004 with a more powerful 3.2-liter V-6 engine.  The TL won Best in Class two years running with stellar resale values, standard safety features and fuel-efficient performance.  In addition to greater performance, many feel the older TL is far more attractive than the current model and its chromed-out shield grille.

2006 Pontiac Vibe

Price When New: $17,675
Dealer Used Price: $10,227
Private Party Price: $9,548
Certified Used Price: $10,880
MPG (city/highway): 25/31

2006 Pontiac Vibe

Not only is now a great time to buy a new Pontiac for next-to-nothing, but the GM twin of the Toyota Matrix costs less as a used car as well.  Thanks to its shared underpinnings with the Matrix, even after Pontiac closes for good, parts  should be plentiful.  Pontiac’s crossover wagon has 19 cubic feet of cargo space and comes with a choice of four-cylinder engines including a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that gets 30 miles to the gallon in the city and 36 on the highway.

2009 Infiniti G37 Coupe

According to the ratings done by Consumer Reports in their June issue; the 2009 Infiniti G37 has conquered competitors from Acura, Audi and Volkswagen for the best overall rating in the upscale sport sedan category.

Potent 328 HP V6 Engine

The G37 received an “Excellent” overall test score, while the Acura TSX, Audi A4 and Volkswagen CC reported a road test score of “Very Good.” In their overall assessment, the G37 and TSX are the only vehicles that have performed at a level to receive a coveted recommendation by Consumer Reports. The pricing on the vehicles tested range from $29,675 for the TSX to $37,525 for the A4.

Infiniti Interior

Specific praise of the G37 is focused on the which delivers “very strong performance while getting better fuel economy than the previous generation.”  This is the byproduct of the  3.7-liter engine that produces 328 horsepower while still averaging 21 mpg overall with the seven-speed automatic.  Other bright spots in the Consumer Reports evaluation that helped earn the G37 the top spot are the car’s excellent braking and spacious cabin.

When teaser photos of the new Acura ZDX crossover concept vehicle leaked late last week, we were struck with this crazy idea that we might actually like it. Perhaps it was the result of too many hours spent secluded in our poorly-lit office hunched in front of our laptop for 20+ hours a day with little nutrition beyond amphetamines and goldfish crackers with which to sustain us, but for whatever reason, we were harboring this idea that the Acura ZDX was going to be a leather-upholstered, luxury version of the ass-hauling Subaru Impreza WRX STi. We were, of course, wrong.

Apparently intended to compete with the BMW X6 (good luck with that Acura, have you seen the X6 M?), the Acura ZDX Concept that bowed at the NY Auto Show is a prototype version of the luxury 4-door “sports coupe” that is tentatively scheduled to hit the Acura lineup around 2010-11. Although the specifications are always subject to change, the design language of the ZDX prototype is just unexciting enough to indicate that the final production model will likely differ very little. Beneath the hood, the Acura ZDX prototype is powered by an aluminum VTEC V6, the specifications of which Acura has decided to withhold for the time being, but rest assured that it will most likely be as uninspiring as the rest of the vehicle.

Source: Acura

As a committed Volvo fanboygirl, allow me to start by saying that yes, Acura might be safe now, but Volvo was safe first.

Thanks to what Acura is billing as their “steadfast dedication to passenger safety” (or “steadfast dedication to turning a profit”), Honda’s luxury brand has officially become the first brand to receive top marks from both the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) for every vehicle in its line-up. After slowly but surely teaching the safety dance (sorry, there was a thing on VH1 last night, it got stuck in our heads, you know how it is) to every new model, Acura was finally able to claim their victory this week after the NHTSA wrapped up testing on the 2009 Acura TL.

According to Acura, their newest accomplishment can be directly attributed to an extensive list of standard safety features, including an Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), anti-lock braking system (ABS), dual-stage/dual-threshold front airbags, front-side airbags w/ passenger side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), side airbags for all outboard seating positions, front seats with integrated active head restraints, front seat belts with automatic tensioning system and load limiters, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and Daytime Running Lights (DRL).

“No other automotive brand has accomplished what Acura has, nor can make the safety claims that Acura can,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of automobile sales. “When consumers think safety, they really should think Acura.”

Source: Acura
Image Cred: AP Photo