Posted in Arizona, Car Show on November 26, 2014 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 531,905
Odometer (ILX): 105,232
Hey, everyone. Just about to set sail on a road trip to Utah for a long Thanksgiving weekend (is anyone surprised?), but have a few pics to share. Last Saturday afternoon in Phoenix, I took advantage of the perfect weather by zooming up to South Mountain in the ILX (moonroof open, of course) for a quick loop around one of the overlooks. Here’s a shot from westbound on Loop 202.
Rolling on Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix.
Scenic overlook with Phoenix in the background.
I also swung by one of the local “pick & pull” junkyards to see what kind of treasures I could dig up. I didn’t end up finding much. The second-generation Legend sedan inventory was plentiful, but this Granada Black 1994 LS was the only coupe in sight. At only 170k miles, it was retired at a young age.
Later that night, I hit up this car show:
“HIN” is a well-known acronym in the import car enthusiast scene, particular among “tuner” types (think Fast & Furious). This was my first time at a Hot Import Nights event. There are a total of 19 HINs held annually, spanning from Seoul, Korea, to Honolulu Hawaii. The Phoenix-based event is always one of the last of the year, and it’s held at the Phoenix Convention Center, starting at 5:00 p.m. Here are just a few of the rides in attendance. This super-clean 1991 Acura NSX was one of my personal faves.
On display with it were a die-cast model car and the factory hardbound sales brochure.
Interesting ‘rust’ finish on this Civic coupe.
This Eclipse was just a little over-the-top.
Clean Civic
And a really low Accord
Finally, just one TSX in this mix, this brown one on an airbag suspension
…. with curtains in the back windows.
This was a good one: VW wagon with a (stocked!) grocery cart in matching white.
The plate? “Grocery Getter.”
RSX
And a few shots I captured of the ILX as the sun was setting over central Phoenix that evening
Chase Field in the background: Home of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team since 1998.
It would have cost me $460 to fly round-trip from Phoenix on Southwest for this week’s trip to Los Angeles. Was there any question I’d rather get behind the wheel and just drive? Still I get the “Are you driving or flying?” question from plenty of people who don’t yet know me well enough! For this trip, I had a copilot who’s a fellow seasoned driver: Jason from Las Cruces, who you’ve read about on Driven for Drives, accompanied me on this trip to the City of Angels.
The LA Auto Show started in 1907 with 99 vehicles on display at a skating rink. Since then, it has evolved into one of the largest annual automotive events in the country, filling 760,000 thousand square feet of space at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I’ve attended on two occasions in the past:
I attended this year’s show as an Associate Editor for DC-based automotive media company Redline Productions. Jackson and Sofyan from the Redline management team had asked me to work with them on some vehicle launch videos, and I was excited for the opportunity to collaborate with them again. Jason rolled into Phoenix on Tuesday afternoon from Las Cruces, New Mexico, and we hit the road just in time to savor some of Phoenix’s worst afternoon stop-and-go westbound traffic on Interstate 10. It was a relief when we finally broke free from the gridlock and set the cruise on 80 for the next 5 or so hours.
(photo credit to Jason)
Taking the ILX for a quick lap around Los Angeles International Airport’s terminal 5 to scoop up Sofyan and Rob, we checked in at the Sheraton in downtown LA for the night and charged up our batteries – literally and figuratively – for the adventures the following day would provide. Equipped with our press credentials and loads of ambition, we attacked Wednesday’s Auto Show with organization and strategy.
Throughout the day, each automaker got a 25-minute window of time to “wow” the journalists. We got ahold of the schedule and decided which press conferences we each wanted to attend. When we weren’t following the hordes of press people around, we spent time tidying up our scripts and networking with old friends, some of whom we hadn’t seen since last year’s show. I ran into Acura’s Chuck Schifsky and we caught up for a few minutes.
I got my moment in the spotlight when I did an on-camera preview of the newly-refreshed 2015 Chrysler 300 (above picture captured by a friend during my on-cam time), and then had some free time to explore at my leisure. Some of the automaker booths offered free food, drinks, and swag, so I was keen to keep my eyes open for such goodies. In all, I walked over 5 miles during the day while exploring the huge conference center, according to my iPhone’s “Health” app.
The afternoon hours flew by, and before we knew it, the 5:45 p.m. PA announcement was made: The show halls would be closing in 15 minutes. We hurried to wrap up our current activities and then made our way back to the hotel. The evening’s activities included dinner with a friend from Acura’s PR team and then a drop-in at a Hyundai-sponsored after-party at historic Hotel Figueroa.
Honda’s all-new 2016 HR-V model, a subcompact crossover based on the Honda Fit platform, was the subject of my focus on Thursday morning for day 2 of the auto show. After completing a quick vehicle intro on camera for Redline Reviews, I scampered quickly to the Acura press conference which was scheduled to begin at 9:35 a.m. Luckily I was able to score us some second-row seats for the entertainment. Right on cue, we were surrounded by thundering music, spotlights through smoke, and a gigantic countdown clock on the big screen ahead of us.
Acura’s Senior Vice President Mike Accavitti took the stage and teed up his introduction of the refreshed 2016 Acura ILX. As most of my readers will know, the ILX debuted for the 2013 model year and aside from some new standard features, has been largely unchanged since. For 2016, the car will now get a host of new appointments to sweeten its appeal to young car buyers looking to enter the luxury segment.
The climax of Mike’s presentation happened when two Acura ILX models – one in silver and one in stunning Catalina Blue – blazed their Jewel Eye headlights at us and drove up onto the elevated stage. Mike proceeded then to teach us a little about what makes the new ILX so special.
Among those highlights are the following:
Now-standard 201-horsepower, 2.4 liter direct-injected 4-cylinder motor (up 51 horses from the prior “base model” engine)
Standard 8-speed dual-clutch transmission
New front & rear styling, including signature Jewel Eye headlamps
Addition of power passenger seat and available memory seats
Seven-inch touch-screen on the instrument panel
New trim levels: Standard, Premium, and Technology Plus.
Available A-SPEC package for Premium & above – rolling in 18″ wheels, fog lights, suede seat inserts, red instrument illumination, gray interior stitching, and aluminum brake & throttle pedals
I’m saddened by the elimination of the 6-speed manual as a transmission offering, but I love everything else about the new ILX. It looks like Acura has listened to customers who had complained about the previous ILX 2.0-liter “base” engine being underpowered, at only 150 horsepower. I love the resurrection of of the “A-SPEC” name, as it’s great to see Acura getting back to its “Precision Crafted Performance” heritage. I look forward to taking a new ILX for a spin.
Among the show’s other world debuts were some important vehicles, 18 of which are listed on the show’s Wiki page under the “2014” heading. All-too-soon, it was time for Jason and me to collect our gear and ponder the 400-mile trek back to the desert. We said farewell to our friends from Redline Media and grabbed some boxed lunches to-go from the Media Center, then hit the road. Jason was great company for the drive and I thank him for coming along! Thanks also to the Redline Productions team for making it a great experience. I hope that you as my readers enjoyed the show as much as we all did. Below are the rest of my pics!
This is a video of an 8-minute segment of the Acura press conference, leading up to the ILX rollout/unveil.
Wednesday morning view from the 20th floor of the Sheraton in downtown Los Angeles
Jason, Tyson, Rob, Sofyan, ready to tackle the first day of the Auto Show
Media Center: Getting set up with our camera gear
The 2016 Acura ILX waits under black covers until its reveal the following day.
Celebrity encounters in the Media Center: Steve Ewing, Sr. Editor of Autoblog, and Steve Siler, featured author in Car & Driver
Another celebrity encounter: Davis Adams of Honda Public Relations, and “Lance the Driver.”
And a third! This is the MAN behind Acura: Mr. Kurt Antonius. His name appeared as the designated point of contact on the press releases back in the mid-1980’s when the Acura brand was created as a separate entity from Honda. He’s since retired, but still comes back to attend the shows from time to time. It was great to run into him!
Honda HR-V debut
Filming the HRV with Jason and Sofyan the following morning
Dinner meet-up with great friends
Hyundai after-party with a plexiglass cover over the swimming pool at Hotel Figueroa so we could walk on top of it.
Additional pictures of today’s 2016 Acura ILX unveiling – first, Mike Accavitti’s presentation.
This is the A-SPEC model that rolled out to the stage in Catalina Blue.
Interior
Rear
Rear again
Front
2.4 liter engine
Driver’s side interior
Driver’s side exterior
Accompanying silver ILX on display, with the new accessory 18″ wheels
Nice looking rear end
My good friend Scott who works for Acura’s media agency, Mullen
A few other sights from around the show: Mazda – with Jason conducting a review of the newly-revised 6
Volkswagen’s sexy new “Golf R”
Subaru
Toyota
Hyundai
Infiniti
Infiniti concept car
Bentley
Audi
BMW
Lexus
My trusty old car when leaving the Sheraton to head home from Los Angeles.
Vegas + Cars = Fun. Las Vegas, Nevada is one of the entertainment capitals of the world, but add on top of that the fact that the city plays host once a year to one of the biggest car conventions on the planet, and the fun factor skyrockets off the charts. The SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show is a place for vendors to display their wares – and anything that’s automotive-related is fair game. Some 60,000 domestic and international buyers are expected to visit the 4-day show each November at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Over the next few blog entries, I’ll share with you the highlights of a 4-day, 1,133-mile trip through Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and California. This first one will include just the SEMA piece.
My friend Justin and I hit the road on Friday morning in the ILX to make our way to Sin City for this year’s show. Drive time was only about 4.5 hours – not too painful at all. We found our way to the convention center on Paradise Road and parked the ILX, shuffled our way indoors along with hundreds of other people who were also arriving for the last day of the show. Right off the bat, I ran into my friend Nyko from Local Motors who had a booth outside next to a huge Meguiar’s display. My main focuses for the SEMA show during our short visit were to meet up with my friend Jason and to document the Honda / Acura booth so that I could share it with you all.
The eye-catcher this year was the “Andaro Blue” customized 2015 Acura TLX, built by Galpin Auto Sports. It featured:
Aero body kit with new front and rear bumpers, side skirts and deck-lid spoiler
ADV5.0 M.V2 SL custom wheels with gunmetal inner and liquid smoke outer – 19×9+38 Front/19×9+35 Rear
Pirelli 245/40/19 P Zero Tires
RSR Sport SI Series suspension kit with fully adjustable coilovers featuring 36-way damping adjustment
Wilwood Superlite 6 Piston Caliper with 14″ Vented Rotor Front Brakes
Have a look at this beauty. A camera simply cannot do justice to how eye-popping that custom color was in person.
Indeed I did find “Honda Pro” Jason there at the show – standing among several highly modified Honda Fits in the Honda booth. I’ve introduced you to Jason before here and he’s a fellow high-mile connoisseur, having logged over 200,000 miles on his now-sold 1997 Honda Civic EX coupe.
The rest our short visit was spent wandering around wide-eyed and trying to soak in as much as possible. I managed to find my brother and his wife in the show, as well as connect with a few friends who were also there for the occasion. Below are a few of my other pics from the day!
Vegas-bound!
Highway 93 northbound, approaching Hoover Dam from the Nevada side.
With Nyko from Local Motors. He and his company were part of the ALV program last month.
Feasting my eyes on the Galpin-modified 2015 TLX.
Overview of the Acura booth.
A few PHX-based friends who we ran into at the show.
Heading up an escalator to eyeball some other vendors.
My sister-in-law and brother, with a wildly-modified, 6-door stretched Dodge Ram pickup. No, it’s not street legal.
Lexus booth with a couple of RC coupes.
Toyota concept car.
Next up: An action-packed hike in southern Utah’s Zion National Park. See you soon.
Let’s take a moment today and appreciate our elders. Elderly vehicles, that is. Among the oldest I’ve owned (one of three 1986 models in my past) was this Montreal Blue Metallic Honda Prelude 2.0 Si, and that was 14 years ago. These pictures were taken August 26, 2000. Back then, I was collecting Preludes instead of Acura Legends. Simpler times.
For 10 years now, the Southern California community has rallied together to celebrate the heritage of vintage Japanese automobiles. This year, I made my first visit to the annual event called Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS). Registration for this year’s program opened on July 1 and was already booked to capacity by July 25! In order to qualify for entry, participating vehicles must be from pre-1985, with a few exceptions. For example, this year, JCCS allowed early 1990’s Mazda Miatas to enter as well as first generation Acura Integras.
The 6-hour drive westward on Interstate 10 started after an early departure from my office in Scottsdale on Friday afternoon. Though storm clouds in the horizon threatened to dump monsoon rains on me, the weather cooperated aside from a lot of humidity in the Palm Springs area. My ILX knows the I-10 route between Phoenix and Los Angeles very well, and I’ve grown accustomed to its 3,300 RPM whirr at 78 miles per hour in 6th gear. I had a lot of great music to accompany me, like this classic road trip anthem.
I admired the sunset and lucked out on traffic, sailing into Long Beach around 8:00 p.m. for check-in at my motel. Saturday was the big day. By 7:00 a.m. I’d driven the 6.1 miles to the Long Beach Waterfront which would shortly be overtaken by hundreds of vintage Japanese automobiles. I stashed the ILX in visitor parking and I watched as a steady line of cars & trucks – some as pristine as if they’d driven off the showroom floor, and some with nary a stitch of original architecture intact, rolled into the participant gate and into the grassy park.
By 10:00 a.m. I’d already worked up enough of an appetite to drop $14 on a basket of chicken strips and French fries from a truck-based vendor in the entrance. Ouch to my wallet, and ouch to my diet, but that greasy goodness fueled me all the way through the afternoon. I wandered among the various participating vehicles and met a few of their proud owners. Honda & Acura had a booth set up – it was the second year they’d participated – complete with various cars & motorcycles from the Honda Collection museum in Torrance. Among them, a 1979 Prelude and a 1992 NSX. I had the chance to interact with a few folks from Honda HQ who I’ve known for some time.
My focus was directed primarily to the Hondas in the show, but I couldn’t help but glance an eyeball at the bright red Lexus LFA on display (“How’d that get in here?” I thought). I saw some truly amazing rides: A 47,000-mile all-original 1986 Prelude, my friend Armando’s ultra clean 1974 Mazda RX-4, an extremely rare 1976 Mazda Cosmo, and a dealership fresh Toyota Corona.
Amidst all the chaos, I received a visit from my friend Davis who’s recently moved into the Long Beach area from his former home in Atlanta. We wandered over to take a closer look at the RMS Queen Mary. Long Beach is home to this a 1,000-foot-long ocean liner from 1934 that went into service in 1936 and been parked at the harbor since 1967. Queen Mary’s size makes her a couple hundred feet longer than Titanic, even. Today, the ship has been converted into a hotel & museum. I want to stay there someday!
The good news came around 2:45 p.m. when we learned that my friends Scott & Sandy (who I featured in a blog post back in March) had been awarded “Best in Show” for their immaculately restored white 1965 Honda S600 Roadster. Scott is pictured above with the car. The Roadster was one of 3 vehicles that he and Sandy had entered, alongside a red 1965 right-hand-drive S600 Coupe and a “pop orange” 1972 Z600. All of them got a great deal of attention throughout the day. I’ll never forget one wide-eyed spectator, who took a look at the Coupe and said, “This car gives me goosebumps.” He really did have goosebumps on his arm. Ha!
The capstone to our amazing day was when I got to have dinner with a celebrity: famed racecar driver Peter Cunningham (above), known for having achieved 91 professional race wins since the 1980’s. Peter and his company, RealTime Racing, have been key players in Honda & Acura performance world. Cunningham is still at it, with a full race-equipped Acura TLX that was on display at the car show. We dined with a few other friends at Federal Bar in downtown Long Beach. I said my farewells a little after 7 p.m. and started the long journey home to Scottsdale.
Thanks to those who made it such a great weekend! Here are the rest of my pics for your viewing enjoyment.
Pit stop in Desert Center, CA: Home to rusted pumps and an abandoned restaurant.
Sunset approaching the Los Angeles area.
Saturday morning arrival at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, home of the RMS Queen Mary.
Entryway to the Japanese Classic Car Show, with a lineup of Honda CRXs.
My friend Chris Hoffman’s immaculate 1987 CRX Si. He’s the original owner, and the car has just 109,000 miles on its odometer.
Couple of sexy looking Nissans.
Here’s a closer look at Honda/Acura’s booth.
Trio of Toyota Celicas.
Scott was busy all day telling the story of his gorgeous 1965 S600 Coupe.
Perfect day at the Long Beach Waterfront to look at some nice cars.
My friend Chris Green’s 1986 Honda Prelude. Just 47,000 miles on this beauty here.
I especially enjoyed some of the visual aids he’d put together.
I got to tool around in this little thing for a bit. It’s Scott’s 1972 Honda Z600. 4-speed manual and an absolute riot to drive.
Armando and his 1974 Mazda RX-4.
Another amazing Accord: This one, a rare 2-speed “Hondamatic” 1979 sedan owned by the same Chris with the blue Prelude.
Just view that plush interior!
Ever seen a 9,500 RPM redline? This is the gauge cluster from Scott’s red 1965 S600 Coupe. Love that wood wheel.
Another one from Chris Hoffman: His 1980 Accord with just 18,000 miles on it. Frequently (as in the case with my friends) participants enter multiple vehicles.
Car culture in the Phoenix, Arizona area is alive and well year-round. On any given weekend, you’re bound to see a fair share of classic and collectible cars. One of the events that I attend regularly is called Cars & Coffee. An entire parking lot fills to the brim every first Saturday of the month, and I took my 1992 Acura NSX out this past weekend.
Here are a few of the other vehicles in attendance.
This one really puts a size differential into play. A Nissan GT-R dwarfs my friend Neil’s Berlina Black NSX.
It’s easy to see that “anything goes.” The diversity of vehicles in attendance at C&C was evident.
Nice rides all around.
This event is one of things worth getting up early on a Saturday for.
Oh, and did I mention a Bugatti Veyron was in attendance. We’re looking at a couple million dollars right here.
Makes my NSX and this Porsche seem so humble in comparison.
My friend Chase showed up in his 26,000 mile beautiful NSX, too. In the background you’ll notice a Volvo much like the one that Irv Gordon drove to 3,000,000 miles not long ago.
Another red NSX. They were scattered throughout the show! This was a 1996 with 40,000 miles and a bunch of performance goodies.
Of all the cars in attendance, this one intrigued me the most. This is called a Facel Vega. It was produced from 1962 through 1964 in France and powered by a Chrysler engine.
I loved those subtle tailfins with integrated brake lamps.
Rallying the troops for the next event: Supercar Saturday. About once every six months, a Scottsdale-based company called Supercar Specialists hosts a road rally of sorts that I’ve attended on a few occasions.
Here, a hundred or so cars got together for a cruise to the mountains.
Even an Enzo Ferrari made came out to play.
Meeting & mingling with other car owners before heading to the hills.
Gotta love that color.
Yet another Formula Red NSX.
And Chase’s car again.
After distributing maps to the day’s destination, everyone got in their cars and rolled out in a giant caravan.
Start your engines.
There’s a sexy black Lambo.
I followed my friends Kelvin and Neil as we made our way toward the Interstate 17 northbound onramp.
Posted in Car Show, ILX on January 20, 2014 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 528,535
Odometer (ILX): 64,779
I had to chuckle when I saw this picture posted on Facebook today:
Well, it wasn’t even 50 years old, but I’ve already restored a Honda product. I brought a 25-year-old Acura Legend back to life just a couple months ago. Feast your eyes on some before-after goodness:
How’d I get the engine bay so clean? It took time, elbow grease, and a toothbrush.
I thought I was doing well to sell that “collector” low-mileage 1988 Acura Legend coupe for $3,000. But it’s a whole different ballgame to watch a vehicle being sold for 100 or even 1,000 times that price. As part of this past weekend’s festivities, some friends and I went to the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction. B-J dates back to 1971 is one of several premiere car auctions held in the Scottsdale, Arizona area each January.
I wanted to quickly share a few pictures here from the heat of the action during our visit last Saturday. Entry tickets – even just for spectators – go for $60 each at the gate, but my friend David who works there got us in for free-ninety-nine.
Let’s go!
Saturday was one of the busiest days in the auction’s 7-day duration. It was so busy, in fact, that not only was the main parking lot full, but also a couple of the overlow lots. We ended up stashing the ILX on a grassy soccer field over 4 miles away and taking a shuttle bus to the entrance!
Credentials in-hand, we got ready for the sights & sounds.
Whole lotta bling going on here with this Chevy motor.
This is the main hall where the vehicles are brought up on the auction block. The folks who are seated in the center of the room are bidders and they have special credentials. There’s also bidding going on behind-the-scenes. My friend David works with the Internet team to place bids on behalf of people who are watching the auction online and who wish to make a bid electronically.
Here’s a 12-second taste of what it’s like in that room.
Outside, we were able to wander around and see the hundreds of vehicles which had been (or were yet to be) sold throughout the course of the week.
I quite enjoyed this 1953 Buick Skylark convertible.
One of my favorite things about the cars at B-J was that each one had a very detailed history. This Corvette Roadster, for example, was a numbers-matching, 2-owner car with only 36,000 miles and complete documentation back to when it was brand new.
Anything goes. Who would have thought a 1978 Olds Toronado would someday be collectible? This example had only 5,000 original miles on it. It was a highly equipped model with lots of factory add-ons.
Each vehicle at the auction has an information sheet in the window which gives the story on the vehicle as well as provides the Sale Number for those who are interested in tracking it.
Row after row of vehicles awaited their fate outside.
The only Acura I saw – and boy, was it a beauty – was this Spa Yellow NSX-T 6-speed manual. It had only 3,000 miles on it!
It went for $56,000. Cheap for the miles, I say! Pictured here are Alan, Tia, Matt, and myself. Tire kickers – none of us had anywhere near the kind of money we would’ve needed to drive home in one of these fine rides.
Matt later sent me a picture of this Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution which was up for auction. This is the car that was driven by Paul Walker in Fast & Furious 2.
Heading home in my humble $30k ILX after being surrounded by so many great vehicles.
Bon voyage, mom! I had a great time with her, and hope she comes back to visit again soon!
Posted in Car Show, TLX on January 14, 2014 by tysonhugie
I’ll spare you the suspense and start throwing pics in here right away.
Here is the 2015 Acura TLX Prototype.
And here’s the reveal video.
It was so cold this morning, I had to scrape frost off the inside of the windows in my 2013 Nissan Altima rental car. I was at Cobo Hall bright and early to score a front row seat for Acura’s 11:05 a.m. press conference. Thumbs up here!
The booth (pictured empty here) later filled to complete capacity well in advance of the press event. Standing room only!
Before
Lights, Camera
ACTION!
Beauty shots as the music and smoke add dramatic effect.
TLX spins on a turntable
And finally a chance to get up close and personal.
Here you go.
Total stunner. Especially that lickable paint. From Acura’s press release:
Like any truly world-class athlete, the TLX will pair power and efficiency with deft agility. With its low and wide stance, rigid yet lightweight body, and nimble and responsive chassis, the TLX is designed to deliver confident, precise and refined ride and handling performance in almost any driving situation.
From low-stress urban commutes to relaxed long-distance cruising, or adrenaline-inducing runs down twisting country roads, the TLX is designed to be an intuitive and confidence-inspiring driving partner, a vehicle that epitomizes Acura’s dynamic concept of “performance at the will of the driver.”
Jarad Hall – the man who spent the last several years of his life designing this car! He succeeded masterfully.
Profile. The prototype pictured here had no interior, but we do know some specs about the powertrains. This car will incorporate available Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive and Precision All-Wheel Steering. There will be available 2.4 liter 4-cylinder and 3.5 liter V6, direct-injected engines. Also available are two different transmissions: an 8-speed dual clutch, and a 9-speed automatic. Yes, NINE!
With Vince Manganiello of Acura Public Relations. We’re both quite proud of how this turned out!
The car drew quite a crowd.
Nice looking rear.
I’ll spare you the rest of the nitty gritty and link you to the official Press Release.
Posted in Car Show, TLX on January 13, 2014 by tysonhugie
Greetings from Motor City!
Weather’s been cool, but the action’s been hot. Sixteen automakers today set out to dazzle the press with their latest models and extravagant displays. Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit provided more sights and sounds than I could even dream of soaking in, my I did my best to learn about the direction the automotive industry is going.
Tomorrow I’ll be seeking a front-row seat for the reveal of the 2015 Acura TLX at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. In the meantime, here are some of the adventures from my first day at the 25th Annual North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).
What have we here? This would be the successor to the Acura TL and TSX. It was oh-so-tempting to grab a corner of that sheet and just have a little peek. Rest assured I’ll give you all a look at what’s under the cover promptly after its unveil tomorrow.
In the background, the Acura RL Sport Hybrid SH-AWD in Pearl White looks on.
Are you as excited as I am? Tune into Acura’s YouTube channel tomorrow.
Recapping the trip so far: Here’s the ILX as I was preparing for departure via Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
36 degrees when I landed? Brrrrr.
Dinner in Dearborn Heights with local friends Waseem and Hass.
Waseem’s 1990 Legend sedan has taken a licking and keeps on ticking!
Map of the facility at Cobo Center. Lots of area to cover — too much for just one day, in fact.
I spent a good chunk of my time here.
One of the cars that caught my eye was the new 2015 Honda Fit. It’s lighter and faster, yet more fuel efficient than the outgoing model.
Lexus had a beautiful RC350 coupe on display.
Lexus’ booth always does make me feel like I need sunglasses! Bright & shiny.
Big news for Toyota was the FT-1 Concept. Could this be the next Supra? Some say so.
Infiniti showed a performance edition of the Q50 sedan called the “Eau Rouge” with over 500 horsepower. That’s some serious get-up-and-go. Loved the color, too.
Audi’s S3 is a handsome little sedan.
And the Chrysler 200 shares a lot of lines with its Dodge Dart sibling.
You’ll probably recognize the Honda FCEV Concept from the Los Angeles Auto Show reveal last November.
Check out the 2015 Ford F-150. It has a ton of new features like an illuminated cargo bay.
Aside from the great cars, NAIAS has been full of great people too. I met up with Sofyan Bey of “2theRedline” along with his crew.
My friends Christian and Davis, of Rockland Media Group, made the rounds with me as I walked around a bit.
Vince Manganiello, Acura Western Region PR, talked with me a little about the TLX. We’re both excited for tomorrow’s presentation.
This is Mat Hargett who’s spent the last 5 years designing the TLX. He said he didn’t sleep last night (and probably won’t sleep tonight) in anticipation of his baby’s big debut.
Acura VP Sales, Jeff Conrad, was soaking up the sights as well. He and I caught up for a few minutes near the Mercedes-Benz booth before checking out the brand new C-Class.
Vicki Poponi works in the Service area currently but she has a long history with Acura. She asked me how my ILX travels are going and I brought her up to speed.
Finally, I ran into Jon Ikeda, Chief Designer. He’s got a keen eye for style.
It’s time for me to get out of the Media Center and get back to the circus! See you all tomorrow.
Posted in Car Show, TLX on December 20, 2013 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 528,197
Odometer (ILX): 62,384
This was some great news to start my morning yesterday when I checked my phone.
TL + TSX = TLX, at least according to Acura. The company’s current TL and TSX bodystyles have been around since 2009, and both models will be killed off in 2014 as a new model takes over. The new TLX, Acura reports, will be “the perfect blend of style and muscle with its elegant, well-proportioned exterior that cloaks the true sport sedan chassis and powertrain beneath” (Mike Accavitti, Senior Vice President of American Honda Motor Company).
TLX will serve as a mid-range model between the entry level luxury ILX and the flagship RLX, which I road tested last month. Its heritage can be traced back to the Acura Vigor. Back in 1991, Acura had only two sedan models: the Integra and the Legend. The Vigor was born in 1992 and sized between those two vehicles. It even came with a 5-cylinder engine that bridged the 4- to 6-cylinder gap. Since then, the car’s evolution has looked something like this:
As a side note, I owned a 1993 Vigor GS 5-speed for a short time in 2010. It was Frost White with black leather interior and had 241,000 miles on it. This was the key hand-off, taken in May 2010.
The Vigor, especially equipped in manual transmission form like mine was, exhibited fun around-town behavior. It felt a lot more light and nimble than the Legend. Here is the car pictured in my garage next to the Legend sedan:
My family also owned a Cayman White Pearl 1st Generation 1997 Acura 3.2 TL in 2003.
Bonus points for anyone who can identify what Acura model those wheels were swapped from.
You’ve already seen examples of Devan‘s 3rd Generation and Jason & Paul‘s 4th Generation TLs. That brings us to the TLX, which has not yet been seen by the public eye except in heavily camouflaged form, while out for testing.
I’m excited to see what this new car is all about. The TLX Prototype is set to debut on Tuesday, January 14th at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan. The best news is: I’ll be there to watch. I’ve finalized my flight arrangements and media credentials, so I’ll be bringing you all the latest updates from the show.
Two directed-injected engines will provide the power and an “all-new transmission” will put that power to the ground. I really hope there will be a manual transmission offering. Acura will be keeping details about the TLX under tight wraps, but for now here’s the press release that highlights a little bit about what we can expect to see from the company’s all-new sedan. Keep on driving, my friends. And Happy Friday!
Posted in Car Show, ILX, RLX on November 22, 2013 by tysonhugie
Odometer (Legend): 527,902
Odometer (ILX): 60,130
Trip Distance: 767 Miles
The City of Angels welcomed me this Wednesday & Thursday for a feast of automotive eye candy. It’s hard to believe that it was already a year ago when my friend Branson and I took my Acura ILX to the 2012 LA Auto Show. It was time once again to head westward and see the latest reveals from Acura as well as other automakers.
I attended the show as media colleague of the “2theRedline” team. 2theRedline is a YouTube auto review channel with over 30,000 subscribers. Featured there are hundreds of videos highlighting many late-model vehicles. Sofyan Bey, host of the channel, takes viewers beyond a simple “specs & walkaround” of the vehicles and instead takes us inside each one and allows us to experience a digital driving experience with his candid & thorough feedback.
The big debut from Acura was the flagship 2014 RLX Sport Hybrid, Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive. This sedan is the most powerful in the company’s 28-year history and delivers an impressive 377 horsepower. On top of all that, it sips fuel, achieving 30 miles per gallon with combined city/highway driving. The powertrain specs are a tongue-twister: We’re talking about a V6 engine, but the fine print takes some time to digest:
That makes for some fun science & engineering, but the bottom line is most important: This thing scoots. A first for Acura is the head-up display which can show Sport Hybrid system operation, turn-by-turn navigation, speedometer and compass, as well as alerts from various driver-assistance systems. Also new to the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD are a push-button transmission gear selector. Pricing for this model is yet unannounced. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel and take the RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD for a spin.
Sofyan allowed me to “host” 2theRedline for a 2-minute segment discussing some of the features of this newest iteration of the RLX.
Check out the video here:
On the Honda side, the star of the show was a car called the “FCEV Concept.” At Honda’s press conference on Wednesday afternoon, my colleagues and I sat transfixed by the lights, music, and water show that was performed before us — just before a white sheet was pulled off the FCEV for dramatic effect. The FCEV is Honda’s latest creation in fuel cell powered driving. Here’s more info on this unique ride:
The curious contraption is powered by a fuel cell that uses a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen to create electrcity, which powers the wheels and the car’s electronics. The result is emission-free motoring, with water and heat the only byproducts. Clean, it most certainly is. Fuel cell technology has the added benefit of more range (and therefore less worrying about running out before you reach your destination) and faster charging than a standard electric battery.
Range for the FCEV is 300 miles, and it can refuel in just 3 minutes.
Also, here’s a 10-minute video from my iPhone capturing the complete unveil.
My ILX made the trip to California and back effortlessly. Even faced with heavy rain in the Riverside area as I made my return trip eastbound on Thursday night, the car was confident and controllable. I ended up turning over 60,000 miles on the odometer near Quartzsite, Arizona before approaching the Phoenix metro area.
For the rest of the nitty-gritty on this trip as well as the people & cars that made it memorable, enjoy the photo gallery below. It was a great Auto Show and I’m already looking forward to next year’s.
A lot of people hate the long, sparsely populated stretch of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and the California state line. I love it. It’s the type of road where you can set your cruise control and just relax.
My Garmin Nuvi GPS unit led the way for the drive.
As I got closer to that CA state line, the sun had started to descend beneath the horizon.
This, my friends, is my favorite time of day to drive.
For once, traffic in LA was a breeze. Within about 6 hours of my departure time from Phoenix, I was arriving in downtown at the Westin Bonaventure hotel. I met up with my friends there, including Sofyan pictured here.
Sofyan and I took my ILX for a spin. He drives a Fathom Blue ILX 6-speed back at his home in Washington D.C. so he felt right at home!
Redline Productions provided me the Media credential that would allow me into the show.
Weather in Los Angeles was overcast and a bit wet for my two-day visit, but our view from the 20th floor of the hotel was still pretty nice to look at.
Arriving at day 1 of the auto show: Sofyan and I were ready to geek out on all the shiny new rides.
I made a beeline for the Acura exhibit, of course. Here was the new RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD in all its glory.
Notice that push-button transmission selector on the center console.
The entire Acura booth is new & improved this year with a fresh redesign. The RLX and MDX were featured on turntables, with the rest of the Acura models (black in color) surrounding the center stage. There was no NSX on display this time.
The ILX there was a 6-speed manual.
I met up with a good friend from Atlanta named Davis who runs Rockland Media.
On the automaker side, I met up with Chuck Schifsky, Manager of Acura Public Relations. Chuck asked how the ILX was doing and I happily gave him a full report.
Here’s John Watts, Sr. Manager of Digital Marketing. John played a key role in my Drive to Five celebration as well as my entry into the ILX ownership world. He and I have continued to keep in touch over the years.
Finally, I met up with Alicia Jones (National Manager, Honda & Acura Social Marketing) and Lauren Ebner (Assistant Manager of Social Media at Honda). These ladies are fun to visit with and I always look forward to reconnecting with them at events like these. Social media is a lot more difficult to manage than it looks!
The new Civic coupe sports a fresh front end for 2014, as well as some new technology including push-button start for certain trim levels.
Honda Accord Hybrid was named as 2014 Green Car of the Year, thanks to its remarkable 50 mpg rating.
A few non-Honda/Acura cars also caught my eye. One was the Cadillac Elmiraj concept.
The new Subaru WRX was unveiled before a huge spectator crowd.
Beautiful Audi R8 in matte blue – I enjoyed!
Just hanging out inside a $400k Lexus LFA!
Jackson, Sofyan, Rob, and Tyson – finishing out day 1 at the auto show.
I had considered attending an after-party in West Hollywood sponsored by one of the automakers, but I took one glance at the map and decided against that idea. Look at all that red! LA traffic at its finest.
Day 2 of the show was a little more laid-back. Each automaker had brought out its entire fleet for display.
I had the opportunity to meet a celebrity! Brian Cooley, host of “CNET on Cars” auto reviews, was filming a piece on a Ford Fusion Plug-In, and I approached him to get a picture.
I was star-struck! What a great time at the LA Auto Show.
In closing, what you can’t see in my hand in the below picture is a license plate. An ARIZONA license plate. Yes, my friends, I have now taken full custody of the ILX and made it my own!
This means the ILX and I are in it for the long haul, and you can expect to see a whole lot more in the future as I continue to explore the country in my Acura. Thanks to all of you for reading!
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