A forum member over at VWVortex published Acura’s press release for the 2009 TSX and the news for enthusiasts isn’t good, but not entirely unexpected. The big non-news is that Acura will continue to use the 2.4-liter four cylinder employed in the current model, sending power to the front wheels through either a five-speed automatic or a six-speed manual. The dimensions of the TSX have grown slightly, while two-stage dampers connect to double wishbones up front and a multilink setup out back. Inside, both the driver and front-seat passenger get power seats and upgraded leather, while a USB port for the stereo is standard equipment.

Not long after Honda showed off a single image of the new 2009 Acura TSX for the U.S. market, its doppelgänger was unveiled today as the 2009 Honda Accord and Accord Touring (wagon) for Europe. Set to debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in early March, the new Euro Accord and its sporty wagon variant look much like our new TSX, save for a cleaner face with a traditional grille in place of the shield treatment given to Acura’s new sport sedan. We particularly like the character line that bisects each door handle and meets the flared out front fender. Out back we see a new rear end that should be identical to the hind quarters of the new TSX.

The Euro Accord will be offered with three high-tech engines, all of which are compliant with stricter Euro 5 emissions regulations. The first is the second-gen i-DTEC diesel producing around 148 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque at just 2,000 rpm. This will be the same motor that Honda introduces as its first diesel for the U.S. market in the Acura TSX, and we can’t wait. Europeans also get their choice of a 2.0L i-VTEC producing 154 horsepower and a 2.4L four-cylinder producing nearly 200 hp and 172 foot pounds of torque. All three engines can be mated to a 6-speed manual, while the gas engines get optional 5-speed automatics, as well.

The interior is also all new and combines the elegant design and expensive materials that we expect in a Honda with the button overload of more expensive luxury cars. The gauges are now of the “floating” backlit variety and flank an addition LCD screen that augments the deeply recessed nav system atop the center console.

The new European Accord looks sharp, is filled with new technology and will go on sale in Europe before we get the new 2009 Acura TSX.

[Source: Honda]

This is kind of a long-known fact, but there’s some new data to back it up. Just because you pony up those extra tens of thousands of dollars for a luxury car doesn’t mean you will get bumpers that protect you from damage any better. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) just released a new report on the amount of monetary damages suffered by some luxury and near-luxury vehicles in low-speed impacts - parking lot mishaps and fender benders at 3 to 6 miles per hour. They found that in this group of cars, repair bills could be as high as $14,000! While that doesn’t mean the passengers are inherently unsafe in these vehicles, the high repair costs can get people, well, a little upset.

While we don’t necessarily agree with IIHS VP Joe Nolan when he says “There shouldn’t be much or any damage in collisions at these speeds,” we were a little shocked by the numbers. While testing 11 different 2007 luxury vehicles, for instance, the IIHS found the Infiniti G35 had the highest repair bill. It totaled a whopping $14,000, which is quite a bit when the whole car retails for just $31,450. But in all fairness, this is a series of four different tests and labor and paint work often add a lot to repairs. Working down the list, the Acura TL and Mercedes C Class required more than $11,000 in repairs, the Lexus ES was just under $11,000, and the Lexus IS was about $9,500. Repair totals for some others were $8,224 for the Volvo S60, $7,554 for the Acura TSX and $6,681 for the BMW 3 Series. The best three vehicles in the tests were the Saab 9-3, Audi A4 and Lincoln MKZ, all with less than $6,000 in damages.

We join the automakers in noting that these tests are strictly about repair costs and have nothing to do with vehicle safety, but maybe it’s time to get back to the rubber stripped, chrome bumpers of yore to keep those parking lot mishaps more manageable. Or, you know, not.

Thanks, FRM!

[Source: MSNBC]

Although the big news on the Honda/Acura front was the postponement of the Acura brand launching in Japan, the other shocker was when Takeo Fukui, Honda’s CEO, said that the new NSX won’t be making its debut at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.

There’s never been a firm date for the reveal of Honda’s newest supercar, but there’s been considerable speculation that a revamped version of the Advanced Sports Car Concept might bow soon. Considering that Acura won’t be coming to the Land of the Rising Sun until 2010 – at the earliest — and there’s no auto show planned for that year, we may have to wait until October of 2011 before we catch a glimpse of what Honda has up its sleeve. That’s a long way away, so we hope Honda to makes it worth the wait.

[Source: AutoCar]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has just released its most recent round of crash tests, rating everything from the Kia Amanti to the BMW 5-series in one fell swoop. With a focus set on more luxury-oriented vehicles, the IIHS tested six new models to destruction, and walked away with results for front, side and rear impacts.

Topping the list, were the 2007 Acura RL, Kia Amanti and Volvo S80, all of which earned top marks. The S80, not surprisingly, garnered the Institute’s Top Safety Pick for overall crash worthiness, rating good in all three categories, plus having standard stability control. The BMW 5-series didn’t fare as well, getting a “marginal” score on the side impact test, despite being equipped with side airbags.

Mercedes asked the IIHS to retest the 2007 E-Class after only scoring an “acceptable” rating when test previously. After re-engineering a number of interior bits, the score remained the same, although the Institute noted a slight improvement, but not enough to affect the overall score. IIHS president, Adrian Lund, remarked that the E-class could have earned the Top Safety Pick award if the side impact rating had increased.

The IIHS also retested a revised version of the 2007 Cadillac STS, which included reinforced B-pillars, front door trim and a modified side torso airbag, which resulted in an “acceptable” rating.

The Institute made it a point to say that nearly every passenger vehicle now earns a top rating for frontal crashes, but side and rear impacts remain all over the board.

If you’ve spent any amount of timing tweaking the B16 in your EK hatch, you’re probably all too familiar with Hondata. The firm specializes in providing easy-to-use, plug-and-play components for the world’s Acura and Honda owners, and has proved invaluable on at least two past project cars of ours.

The So. Cal.-based tuning firm decided to take to the Bonneville Salt Flats a couple of weeks back and came away with four new class records, all behind the wheel of a heavily modified 2003 Acura RSX. The stock two-liter K20 was built by Prototype Racing and was able to produce 270 naturally aspirated horses running VP Racing fuel, and 390 HP when injected with everyone’s favorite go-juice, nitrous oxide.

When the salt settled, the Hondata crew set a one-way speed of 190.1 MPH in the G/FCC class while running the NO2, and 172 MPH in the G/GCC class with the aforementioned racing fuel.

You can follow the jump for Hondata’s press release and check out its website for more information on its products.

[Source: Hondata]

Within ten-minutes of our Alabaster Silver Metallic Acura TSX tester being delivered, our bags were in the trunk and we were out the door. A much-needed respite was in order after a long summer, and Lake Tahoe beckoned. Wait. We fed the cat, right?

After revamping its crossover lineup for the 2007 model year, Acura will have a very incremental 2008 model year. There are no new or redesigned models, but more equipment is being added across its entire lineup. The main emphasis this year is what the automaker calls its Super Handling-All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system. The all-wheel-drive system is available on the RDX, MDX and RL this year, and will be added to other models in the coming years including Acura’s upcoming “exotic” car, a.k.a. the NSX replacement.

The key feature of SH-AWD is its integration with the stability control inertial and driver input sensors. Most stability control systems rely on modulating the engine torque and selectively applying and releasing the individual wheel brakes to apply forces to the car and try and force it to follow the drivers intent. SH-AWD instead uses the clutch packs on either side of the rear differential to transfer drive torque to the appropriate wheel to stabilize the vehicle with much less brake intervention.

Acura held its 2008 model introduction near Detroit last week in conjunction with the Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle. The race this year was a double header with an ALMS feature on Saturday and the IRL race on Sunday, and Honda figures prominently in both. Jack Spurney of Honda Performance Development gave a rundown on the activities of Honda Performance Development this year.

The Acura LMP2 cars are in their first year of competition in 2007 and are currently running second in the manufacturer standings to the Porsche RS Spyders. In line with Acura’s place as a sport luxury brand, they decided it was worthwhile to compete in the more technological and competitive ALMS against the likes of Audi, Porsche and all the brands in the GT classes. The new ALMS V-8 was designed completely in-house at HPD with no outsiders involved. The Acura engine is also the first Honda race engine completely designed outside of Japan, with all the work having been done in California.

What’s pictured above looks like a stylish, if conventional, compact crossover utility vehicle. As is so often the case, however, appearances are deceiving. While the vehicle has four doors and a tailgate, this is indeed a sports car. Acura gave us an opportunity to thoroughly flog the RDX compact CUV at the Waterford Hills racetrack and it acquitted itself astoundingly well.

The RDX is equipped with Acura’s Super Handling-All Wheel Drive system which, combined with a well tuned suspension, makes for a thoroughly tossable unit. The RDX has a 2.3L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the first of its type in a North American vehicle from Honda. The responsive powerplant turns out 240 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque with minimal turbo lag.

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