Acura

The Top 10 Japanese Pocket Rockets of All Time

By Tom Anderson on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 04:00

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For performance enthusiasts on a budget, the “pocket rocket” – a compact, small-engined runabout tuned to strike a balance between performance and practicality – is manna from motoring heaven. And few nations have made as many of those over the years as Japan. The island nation’s automakers turned Americans on to affordable, quality compacts during the energy crisis of the 1970s, and in the 1980s, started turning us on to affordable, quality compacts that were fun to drive.

But which Japanese pocket rockets had the biggest impact on the enthusiast community? Well, we’ve tried to narrow that list down to the top 10 contenders for the title of best all time, though we’ll stop short of naming a number one, since we’re going to be getting enough flack for leaving so-and-so off the following list. Note, too, that we’ve limited the criteria to fixed-roof cars that have more than two seats and were available new in the U.S.; in other words, no whining about gems like the MR2, Miata, Civic Type R and Pulsar GTi-R not making the cut. Yes, we realize that makes the title more than a little misleading, but making a more accurate one would have made for a long-ass title, wouldn’t it? With that out of the way, here are our picks.

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Top 10 Hottest Cars at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

By Tom Anderson on Tue, 01/10/2012 - 21:07

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The automotive world has made its annual convergence on Motown in the form of the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. And as has been the case with many recent major auto shows, the lineup of production and concept vehicle debuts is an ecclectic mix of technologically-advanced green machines and high horsepower (albeit increasingly responsible) speedmongers.

So which of these shiny new driving devices are the ones that can't be missed? Click on through to see our 10 favorites.

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The Top 10 Lamest "Luxury" Cars Ever

By Tom Anderson on Tue, 04/26/2011 - 03:32

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When picturing a luxury car in your mind’s eye, what do you see? Is it a mid- to full-size sedan or coupe with handsome, stately styling and a sumptuous, finely crafted interior? That’s the image we envision, but not every automaker has had that same vision over the years. Some manufacturers have – due to desperation, greed, thinking a little too far out of the box or some cocktail of reasons – released vehicles that, while billed as luxury cars, fail to cut the Grey Poupon. Here are 10 such vehicles that have us scratching our top-hat-capped heads.

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First Drive: 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD 6MT with Technology Package Review

By Ari Cox on Sun, 08/08/2010 - 20:13

Road Tests Acura Japanese Luxury

The third-generation Acura TL first debuted in 2008 and immediately came under heavy artillery fire from pundits of automotive aesthetics. The lines were clean and crisp but the grill was referred to as a "shield", "cheese grater", "plow" and so forth. The blinged out wedge shape design was something many folks couldn't seem to get past. We're all so critical these days and the controversial styling was like a homing device for naysayers. It's always safe to say you don't like something -- it seems like you have a more discerning eye than everyone else. Throwing in a verb such as "like" leaves you vulnerable and suggests questionable taste, but I will go out on a limb here and give the new 2010 Acura TL a firm nod. The styling of the fascia is integrated particularly well with the rest of the car and is solidified with the V-shaped insert below the rear deck. And after all, as a general rule, we like it when car companies are willing to take risks.

When the newly redesigned Acura TL was released, the lack of a Type-S version as well as a manual transmission option also threw some of us for a loop. The company has rectified this with the introduction of the 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD with 6-speed manual. Including the Technology Package this car runs $44,195 which puts it in stiff competition for the luxury performance sedans under $60,000 category. So, how does a vehicle derived from the Honda Accord stack up with its German brethren? Surprisingly well, and with plenty of room left in the budget...

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Honda NSX Super GT Race Car Replicated in Paper

By Tom Anderson on Thu, 08/05/2010 - 10:18

Offbeat Acura Honda Japanese Sports/GT

Racing teams being integrated into their sponsors’ promotions is hardly an unusual phenomenon. Why? Because the practice tends to get attention from fans and non-fans alike. Who wouldn’t want a chance to win a lifetime supply of lumber if Jimmie Johnson wins the Lowe’s 500, or be willing to swim through the world’s biggest Slurpee in search of the golden ticket that will make you one of Tony Kanaan’s honorary pit crew members for a weekend?

In all seriousness, though, not all team/sponsor collaborations are created equal. And to paraphrase Snowball the Pig, the marketing stunt dreamt up by Japanese office machine juggernaut Epson seen in the above and following photos is more equal than most of the promo schemes we can recall seeing. Why is that? It’s the mother of all papercraft models.

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