Autoblog

Click above for gallery of the Euro-spec Honda Accord

Honda's Euro-spec Accord Tourer (a.k.a. wagon) has taken home the the 51st international Red Dot Award for high quality design, marking the third time that Honda has managed to win this award. Back in 2001, the S2000 brought home the trophy and in 2006, it was the current-generation Civic nabbing the honor. The Red Dot Award for design is a big deal in international circles, and while there are awards for products in 11 categories, there's only one Transportation award. Honda winning three times, including two-in-a-row, is remarkable.

While our Accord is a different animal entirely, the Euro-model Accord is available here, albeit in sedan form only, as the 2009 Acura TSX. It's amazing that an award-winning design as classy and elegantly understated as that of the European Accord could share so much in common with the polarizing lines of the redesigned 2009 Acura TSX.



[Source: Car Pages]

Click above for high-res live gallery of the 2009 Acura TSX

The redesigned 2009 Acura TSX was revealed live at the New York Auto Show just a few moments ago, and despite the new face of Acura, the TSX isn't nearly as ugly in person as we suspected. We've found that the key to the new nose is partnering it with lighter colors (silver, white, etc.) and avoiding the darker hues that don't do much to blend with the bright metallic mug.

While we've already covered details of the TSX in our previous post, a few of the high points are worth repeating. The new 2.4-liter four is making 201 hp and a much-needed 176 lb.-ft. of torque, while still doing extremely well on the fed's sniffer test. The track has been widened and the wheelbase lengthened, but the emphasis on the TSX's sportiness was lost in the list of standard and optional equipment.

The TSX gets standard Bluetooth, a USB port, iPod integration, a seven-speaker sound system, dual-zone climate control, HID headlamps and a moonroof. Option up for the Technology Package and you get an additional three speakers, a rear-view camera, plus voice-activated navigation with Acura Link, traffic rerouting and real-time weather. Aiming at the well-to-do youth market is Acura's plan for the TSX and execs hope to "dramatically increase" the 30,000 or so TSXs they've unloaded per year since the car's introduction. And in an effort to raise the high-class status of the entire Acura brand, the automaker has also partnered with the W hotel chain to have Acura vehicles as the preferred whip at the high-end urban enclaves.

Hit the jump for Acura's full press release.

Click image to enlarge

Never mind the spy shots, Acura's gone and released the first official photo of the 2009 TSX in conjunction with its announcement that the car will make its big debut in the Big Apple next month. No specifics about the car itself were released other than the usual boilerplate telling us that the next-gen TSX represents a "significant advancement" and that it will go on sale this Spring. One of those "significant advancements" is almost sure to be the availability of Honda's new i-DTEC clean diesel, which we're all anxious to try in the new sport sedan. In terms of its appearance, Acura has gone the evolutionary route, applying its current design language to a shape that should still be easily identifiable as the TSX. A modest application of the shield grille is in place, the wheel wells now have more pronounced flares, and the reshaped headlamps still retain that skinniness that was one of the calling cards of the last-gen car. The new face is definitely more conservative than that of the freshened RL, and better for it. We'll get a really good idea of what to expect before the New York Auto Show in late March when the car is unveiled as the new Euro Accord earlier in the month at the Geneva Motor Show.

UPDATE: Honda Europe has unveiled the new Accord Euro in sedan and touring (wagon) bodystyles. Since the TSX and the Accord Euro sedan are the same car, you can get a very clear idea of What to expect the Acura's rear end and interior will look like now as well.

[Source: Acura]

Click image to enlarge

While we're all awaiting the Euro-market Honda Accord's debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, Honda appears to have already begun shipping examples of its new machine. At least that's the impression we get thanks to readers Zane and Bojan P., who sent the accompanying shots of the new Accord on a Japanese transporter. While the taillamps are mostly obscured on the white car, the dark one in front of it leaves nothing to the imagination, and overall, you get a pretty good sense of what to expect when we see this car unveiled as the new Acura TSX (probably in New York). In any case, we don't have much longer to wait. Thanks to Bojan and Zane for the tips!

Gallery: Spy Shots: 2008 Honda Accord (Euro)

Gallery: European Honda Accord - teaser images

Our friends over at the Temple of VTEC got a hold of a communiqué from Acura regarding the automaker's plans for the 2009 TSX and RL. While it doesn't divulge the rumored drivetrain upgrades, both vehicles are apparently going to receiving several enhancements inside, including the AcuraLink Satellite Communication System and a premium sound upgrade on the TSX, while the RL will get an improved HVAC system and a few other bells and whistles.

TOV's forum members have been posting about the '09 RL's future, specifically a 300+ hp, 3.7-liter V6 and a revamped SH-AWD system that will shovel more torque to the rear wheels. The body of the RL will supposedly undergo a massive refresh, with only two body panels carried over from the outgoing model, along with a new interior that boasts more room. We know that changes are coming to the TSX, which, in addition to some new sheet metal, is likely to include some new drivetrains, with the possibility of a V6-powered variant with SH-AWD being considered.

Thanks for the tip, Jay!

[Source: TOV]

click above for more high-res teaser images of the Euro Honda Accord

Honda plans to unveil the new European-spec Accord at the Geneva Motor Show in early March, and a batch of teaser images previewing the vehicle have surfaced on the web today. They show the European Accord Tourer model, which is the station wagon version based on the Honda Accord Tourer Concept that was unveiled at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show.

We like the few design details that we can make out from the teaser images. Note the sharp new shape of the headlights, the chrome door handles that look like medieval hand-to-hand combat weapons and the subtly flared fenders. Very nice. And it's a good thing we like what we see so far since the European Honda Accord is basically the same car as the Acura TSX sold in the U.S. Thus, what we see in Honda's booth at the Geneva Auto Show in a couple months is what we can expect in Acura dealers shortly thereafter. Except for the Accord Tourer model, that is. Interest in wagons in the U.S. is notoriously low and responsible for the demise of the wonderful Dodge Magnum and still-born Pontiac G8 Wagon, so don't expect a TSX Sportwagon anytime soon.

The new European Accord will also be the first application of Honda's new 2.2L four-cylinder i-DTEC diesel engine that we saw at the Detroit Auto Show this year. It will also make its first U.S. appearance in the Acura TSX.

UPDATE: Teaser video of the new Euro-spec Honda Accord added after the jump.

[Source: Carscoop]

click above image for more spy shots of the 2009 Acura TSX

Chris Doane has finally caught the 2009 Acura TSX outside of a Honda facility in the U.S. It would appear the car is about the same size as the current model, or perhaps slightly larger. From the rear it looks like those fender blisters give the car a wider track. The design will reportedly get more aggressive, which you can already see on the nose of this test vehicle despite the liberal application of tape by Honda engineers.

We're especially excited for the next iteration of the TSX, because along with a 20 - 30 bump in horsepower for its rev-happy 2.4L four-cylinder, we're also expecting an S-Type model powered by a 260+ HP uprated version of the 240 HP, 2.3L turbo in the Acura RDX. We've sampled that mill before, and are addicted based on what it can do in a CUV. The 2009 Acura TSX S-Type, however, should be on a different level entirely. Torque steer is an issue, as the TSX is and always has been front-wheel drive. We have faith Honda engineers, some of the best in the biz, can quell it, though. (NOTE: Thanks to the astute reader who reminded us the Type-S model will have S-AWD, which should irradicate any hint of torque steer.)

Follow the jump for Brenda Priddy's full report on the 2009 Acura TSX.

[Source: Chris Doane for Brenda Priddy & Co.]

Acura's sales are down, and rather than try to be all cars to all buyers, filling niches is more the game plan. Product planning manager John Watts intimated that Acura's looking at segments with a narrower appeal, such as the now-defunct CL, and the possibility of a retractable hardtop vehicle, too. The MDX does well, and the new RDX is the darling of everyone who drives it, but as far as cars go, Acura's not catching anyone's hair on fire. The top-dog RL sedan is a wonderful car – beautifully drawn, SH-AWD moves, and a powerful V6 make it a very pleasant way to devour miles, but it doesn't offer the flavor du jour for premium sedans with performance leanings. The engine layout is wrong, and it's missing at least two cylinders to truly be taken seriously by some buyers who are looking for a V8 and rear drive as prerequesites.

There's talk of a new 8 or 10 cylinder powerplant in the offing. The NSX is supposedly getting a V10, which could then propagate through to other Acura cars. Analysts have noted that there's a need for a flagship sedan above the RL to offer RWD and larger engines. While Acura gets its act together developing the new NSX and readying the new TL for launch in 2009, dealers are enviously eyeing Lexus and Infiniti stores, wishing they had a big V8 boomer to throw into the fray, as well.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Sometimes news is just too good to keep to yourself. Just ask GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. With his company supposedly claiming 13 spots on Edmund's Consumers' Most Wanted list, Lutz just had to brag a bit on the corporate blog before the winners were made public.

And he should brag. Most other car of the year awards are chosen by us automotive writers who usually prefer horsepower over hip room. As the name implies, Edmund's CMW awards are chosen by the car-buying public. And despite not voting with their wallets, the car-buying public who visits Edmund's really like their GMs.

The GMC Acadia got Most Significant vehicle of the year, beating out Honda's Fit, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the Ford Edge and the Toyota Tundra.

Click through to see Edmund's press release as well as the other category winners.

[Source: Edmunds, GM FastLane Blog]

We in this country often complain that Europeans get their pick of fun-to-drive, premium compact cars while we’re force fed SUVs and full-size trucks. The Volvo S40 is a rolling rebuttal to that argument. Europeans, however, have become accustomed to paying a premium for small cars that perform, handle and feel like a luxury car. Are North Americans ready to pay for the kind of small car they desire from afar, or is the grass growing in the cracks of the other guy’s parking lot just greener?

Can a potent powerplant, all-wheel drive, Volvo’s reputation for safety and the S40’s attractive styling make a convincing case for a compact car that costs over thirty-thousand clams? Let’s crank the S40’s odd little plastic key and find out…