Torque News spent a week with 2015 TLX touring Oregon’s Duck Country. As we wave farewell to Acura’s “Next Big Thing,” we reflect on our ride and what Acura could do to make TLX a world-class game changer.
How much horsepower and torque does one need to take the edge off of a workday drive,
Is all this techno-wonder dual screen connect-ability wanted by today’s driver?
Acura refers to TLX as your “Red Carpet Athlete,” we took exception to the buzz phrase before spending a day driving what we consider to be Acura’s next big game changer through Oregon Wine Country.
The 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon was delivered to my house with “#Unminivan” sprawled across the sides and back, but while this funky little European convert doesn’t feel look the part of a traditional American minivan – it offers all of the functionality of a proper minivan and the pleasant driving characteristics of a small sedan.
I recently had a chance to spend some time in the 2014 Fiat 500L and while Im generally not a fan of these compact family utility vehicles, I was truly impressed with how well the design of the smaller Fiat 500 has been transformed into the roomy and surprisingly fun to drive 500L.
Ford showed that they wanted to dominate the American sport compact segment when they introduced the Focus ST, but the 2014 Fiesta ST serves as a perfect precursor to the larger Focus for those buyers who want a car that is a little lighter on its feet and a little less expensive – while still delivering on the term “sport compact” in every possible way.
Last week I put my family of five into the 2014 Toyota Sienna and made two hour-long trips from Hickory, NC to Blowing Rock and then to Charlotte. We drove this family-friendly van through the beautiful scenery of Blue Ridge Parkway and then to a church on a Sunday morning in Charlotte. What follows is my impression.
The 2014 Lexus LX570 is arguably the most impressive luxury SUV to ever come out of Japan, but like all luxury models it wears the stigma of not really offering any true “utility” – so I spent the week using the LX570 in the same way that I do my half ton truck and the Lexus SUV was beyond impressive in every way.
In a world of truly “smart” cars, 2015 Acura RLX V6 P-AWS with Advance Package outsmarts the competition. Question: Do we want or require this much high-tech from Acura?
While arguably not the most photogenic luxury sport sedan in its segment, 2015 Acura RLX looks and performance still turns a head or two while outpacing the competition in comfort and safety features. We were pleasantly surprised by RLX more than once.
Over the past few years, General Motors has failed to offer a proper luxury model Silverado, but the 2014 Silverado 1500 High Country solves that problem in a very big way – offering comparable comforts to the likes of the Ford F150 King Ranch and the Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition
I recently had the extreme pleasure of spending time in the 2014 Dodge Challenger Shaker and while some will accused it of being little more than a gussied up Challenger R/T, I think that it is the coolest special edition appearance package on the market today and based on the number of compliments I got on it – so do many other people.
In our review of the 2014 Tundra Double Cab we do the usual things, but also enlist the help of a mechanical engineer, homebuilder, father, and lifelong Ford F-150 owner.
The modern Lexus GS350 F Sport totally changed my perception of the Japanese luxury brand and for the 2014 model year, the only real change is the addition of a new 8-speed automatic that doesn’t improve performance – but it improves fuel economy a bit while preserving all of the qualities that makes the GS350 F Sport so easy to love.
Entry level 2015 Acura TLX retains the fun driving aspect of the outgoing 4 cylinder TSX while capturing the interior dimensions and polish of the TL. We believe that the 4 cylinder TLX will be the best selling midsize luxury sport sedan in Acura’s lineup.
Since driving the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, I have been asked by countless people whether the 6-speed manual transmission or the new heavy duty 8-speed automatic transmission is the better choice so today I will answer the $60,000 question – although there is really no “right” answer to that question.
We believe that Acura TLX will not only elevate the brand to new hights, but change how you and the auto industry measure economy driven performance. TLX is a giant killer.
In a recent 280 mile real road conditions driving trial through the wine country of West Virginia, we determined that Acura’s latest offering has a measurable advantage over BMW, Lexus and Infiniti in handling and superior ergonomics driven comfort.
The Chevrolet Volt is a fantastic extended range electric vehicle so it should come as no surprise that the 2014 Cadillac ELR arrives as the best option for anyone looking to buy a true luxury EV from a company that will still be around in a few years – while also doing away with range anxiety in the true premium style.
The 2014 Toyota Highlander was introduced to America by the Muppets and their catchy “Aint Got No Room for Boring” theme song that is surely attractive to family minded buyers, but the Highlander fitted with the Limited Platinum brings a luxury feel to this spacious, comfortable SUV.
This past weekend I had the extreme privilege of flying to Portland Oregon to spend some time with the 2015 Dodge Challenger lineup and while we had an opportunity to drive all of the new models, all of my attention was on the new Challenger SRT Hellcat. With 707 horsepower, this is the most powerful American production car of all time and the 6th most powerful in the global production performance car market so while the chance to drive the entire lineup was on hand – for me it was all about the Hellcat.
We revisit Acura’s iconic V6 TL with a final test drive. A great car in a very crowded segment, Acura fans bid farewell to a groundbreaking automotive design.
We bid a fond farewell To Acura’s TSX. Unfortunately, 2006 was the best sales year for the European Accord’s first cousin. We believe that TSX deserves a final test ride and review,
still an exciting performance sedan.
Our review of the 2015 Mazda6 mid-sized sedan with the 6-speed manual finds that the car is a unique blend of old-school sporty driving at a great value, but you will need a smart phone.
The Chrysler Group has introduced diesel powered passenger vehicles in the past with little success but with the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel, the company has put a name to their new diesel technology that will help market it to consumers while the power and efficiency of new 3.0L V6 diesel does the rest as this is one fantastic engine option.
