Acura RLX Leads the Way

The 2014 Acura RLX is Honda's premium brand's new flagship. It is the largest Acura sedan ever made, the better to compete with all those other cars hoping for your luxury car dollar. It succeeds the RL, which has sold somewhat slowly.

Does a midsize luxury sedan have to have a V8? Acura doesn't think so. This new sedan has a slightly smaller 3.5-liter V6 instead of the RL's 3.7-liter, but horsepower is up by 10 to an impressive 310. Torque bumps up by 1 to 272. And more than 90 percent of the engine's peak torque is available between 2,000 and 6,600 rpm, so there's never a slow or hesitant moment behind the wheel. A six-speed automatic is the only transmission offered.

The new car addresses concerns the RL's problem of being slightly smaller than the competition, and therefore falling off many shopping lists. A two-inch-longer wheelbase provides cavernous rear legroom, and the extra 1.7 inches of width gives those happy rear passengers a little more private space.

No one can argue that the car isn't attractive, although it is not the kind of vehicle that jumps out at you. Staying subtle, the sharp-edged beak of recent Acuras is banished. In the now more subtle and rounded nose you'll see the Jewel-Eye headlamps, which look a lot like a large anniversary band, flattened into a plane. The sparkling row of lamps illuminates the roadway with a crisp brightness. At the other end, the taillights use periphery LED illumination, which produces a much more defined light than a traditional incandescent bulb.

Inside, there's all the soft and subtle touches that promote relaxation. I noted leather on the dash, something rarely found in anything short of a Rolls. It's all sweeping and energetic, with black surfaces and brushed-look trim. The leather continues on the seats, armrests, and shift knob. On the steering wheel, the adjustments at 3 and 9 for volume and digital information are little wheels--easy to roll with your thumb to make your selection.

There's a friendly four-note tone when you start the car and then--silence. The direct-injection engine (Acura's first) sends the car along the freeway like a magic carpet. It's rated at 20 City, 31 Highway, 24 Combined by the EPA, which also bestows a 5 for Smog and a 6 for Greenhouse gas--midpack.

Acura has promoted its wares as being filled with high-tech, and this remains true. On the trunk is the acronym P-AWS, which sounds like little cat feet but is actually Precision All-Wheel Steer. This system monitors and calculates the correct amount of independent rear-wheel steering (toe angle) necessary for driving conditions. So, you won't see the rear wheels move, but they do help you around corners.

Another happy acronym is the Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), which scans the road ahead and actively helps you stays in the middle of the lane.

An upscale and handy feature is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which lets you set a desired speed and a distance interval behind the vehicle ahead. This makes it safer to use cruise control in light traffic as well as on the open highway. This system comes with a new Low-Speed Follow capability, so it still works even when traffic slows below the speed you set. It will even stop your car if the vehicle ahead is in range of the system. The next step? Self-driving cars.

There are five models--all sedans--and all made in Japan. The "base" car is loaded already, and the remaining four levels add something each time. The second level is RLX with navigation, which also gives you a seven-inch color display and AcuraLink. The latter connects your car to a world of communication and entertainment. Level three is the one I tested--RLX with Technology. My Crystal Black Pearl tester added nine items to the second level, including nicer interior leather, great-looking 19-inch alloy wheels, and nifty self-folding outside mirrors. It also gave me the accident-preventing Blind Spot Warning System.

The last two levels, RLX with Krell Audio and RLX with Advance, pour on the electronics. Krell, a big name in electronics that I've never heard of, puts 14 speakers in its namesake model along with manual and electric sunshades. The Advance, at the top, ventilates the already heated seats and gives you the Collision Mitigating Braking System (CMBS). CMBS helps prevent your hitting someone, working with Forward Collision Warning, which flashes lights if it thinks you're in danger of having an accident.

It's all very technological, but the driving experience is laid back and effortless. You do get to feel the car when you take it on curving roads, and there's some road feel mixed in. It's not like the land yachts of yore, and I'm grateful for it.

Prices start at $48,450 for the RLX and move up to $60,450 for the Advance. Add in $895 for delivery. My tester came to $55,345.

If you're a fan of Honda products and want the nicest, biggest sedan they make, you'll gladly forgo Lexus, Infiniti, and various German and American sedans for this new model. Still hewing to the balanced, restrained look of generations of Honda Accords and the original Acura Legend, it's bigger and better, and will not disappoint.

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport - Upgraded in Midcycle

Mitsubishi has gone through some changes over the last few years. Some of the old favorites, such as the rugged Montero Sport Ute and the sporty (built in America) Eclipse have gone away, along with the unlamented Galant midsized sedan. Now, the compact Outlander Sport crossover is the brand's biggest seller. Of course, there are lot of folks angling for buyers in the increasingly crowded segment.

I first drove this pleasant little model almost exactly two years ago, when it was introduced. Since then, it's picked up a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and has moved the metal at Mitsubishi dealers. With its RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution) body design technology, it protects occupants and shields against damage to the fuel system in a rear collision.

Its looks have worn well, to where the 2013 version isn't heavily changed. Yeah, there's a pretty good looking revision to the bold, Lancer-inspired big-mouthed face, with new grille and fog lamps. New side sills integrate nicely with the revised rear bumper. Every Outlander Sport now comes with 18-inch alloy wheels--no cheap steels. There are two new colors. This is what you do when a car enters its third year to keep it fresh.

Inside, it's now quieter because of better insulation, and the seat fabrics are upgraded. From a health standpoint, the interior materials are lower in volatile organic compounds.

You can pick from ES or higher level SE models. Do you think they have one barrel of chrome S's and one of E's in the factory and just switch them depending on which model is coming down the line? At least the name "Outlander" sounds like something you'd take on an adventure. 

Remaining the same is the durable, proven 148-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder. The EPA thinks fairly highly of this one, with an average of 27 miles per gallon (24 City, 31 Highway). That's not going to impress any Prius owners, but it is better than the old SUVs of yore. I earned 24.2 mpg, but a lot of my driving is in commute traffic, so your mileage could be significantly better.

There's a manual five-speed transmission available in the ES model, but you can order up an upgraded continuously variable automatic. The SE comes only with the automatic, with an artificial six-speed sport setting. 

With its crossover SUV configuration, the Outlander Sport hauls stuff easily but still feels contained and taut in town. It sits up nice and high for seeing over sedan-driving folks in the daily commute. You can take the thing off road if you want, but you'll probably want to order up four-wheel drive. My Rally Red tester had only two-wheel drive, which is great for most drivers.

Every Outlander Sport is pretty well stocked with stuff when it arrives. Inside, there's a 140-watt stereo system and a leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel. Every car these days has things like power windows, locks and mirrors, but the Outlander Sport also provides a full USB connection for your music and Bluetooth for your phone--and the FUSE hands-free link system. Interesting that this is the first car in which I've added my phone to the Bluetooth using only voice commands.

The SE has more stuff than the ES, including standard SiriusXM Satellite Radio, two more speakers to hear it with, high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlamps, automatic climate control, keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers (a luxury car feature), and more.

My SE tester featured two nice options. For one, it seemed like the entire roof was one huge panoramic moonroof. It doesn't open, but it does expose everyone to lots of sunlight, and it has cool lights around the edges that are a date-pleasing novelty at night. The 710-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system, with subwoofer, added significantly better sound, although the speakers didn't seem that impressive.

The Outlander Sport saves Mitsubishi a lot of taxes by being built in the good old U.S.A., but local content is only 20 percent. The engine and transmission are Japanese. Assembly quality felt fine to me, and I certainly had no issues during the car's brief stay.  

There's nothing that remarkable about the way it drives--it's smooth and quiet where it needs to be, even though continuously variable transmissions don't make a sporty gear change sound. 148 horsepower is decent but not exhilarating with 3,120 pounds to move, but it's no slug either.

The Outlander Sport starts out pretty inexpensive, to compete against a variety of models from Hyundai Tucsons to Honda CR-Vs to Toyota RAV4s. The ES begins at $19,995, including shipping. My SE, with two-wheel drive but the fancy roof and powerful audio system, came to $27,170, but without the packages would be just $23,000.

Who is buying the new Outlander Sport? Folks who know a good value, I'd say.

Honda Accord - Ninth Generation Aims High

Does this new Accord look like a BMW to you?

The Honda Accord is a common sight these days. The midsize sedan (or coupe) is one of the top sellers year after year. Funny to think that it started out as such a modest little hatchback in 1976, only becoming a sedan in 1979, and becoming larger and larger ever since.

But that's OK, because it's had an important job to do--displace the old standards, namely the fullsize Ford, Chevy and Plymouth. Today, Plymouth is gone and the Ford and Chevrolet entries, the Fusion and Malibu, are all new, so it is a very interesting playing field now for a midsize car.

The new, ninth-generation Accord may be the best looking ever. It's taken some of its appearance from the car that folks all seem to admire--BMW. Just look at the "flame surfacing" along the sides, and the chrome trim around the grille. There's the Hofmeister kink" in the side window line, too. You have to admit it's nice looking, but familiar, too.

The original Accord weighed about 2,000 pounds and was propelled by a 68-horsepower four-cylinder engine. Today's car has a four-cylinder or a V-6. The new four is a 2.4 and generates a healthy 185 horsepower--and the V6, like my top-of-the-line test car flaunted, generates 278 horsepower from its 3.5-liter powerplant. Of course, the car weighs 3,500 pounds, now, too. It's a whole different deal.

The EPA gives the V6 Accord an average miles-per-gallon rating of 25. That's pretty good. I achieved 22.8 mpg. The EPA awards a 5 for Air Pollution and 6 for Greenhouse Gas. That's average.

Honda is calling their newest engines "Earth Dreams Technology." I haven't found out what this means other than being a positive sounding nomenclature, since the numbers these new engines generate are nothing sensational so far. Honda, as a company, does have a history of working towards cleaner and more efficient engine technology, so this will bear watching. A plug-in hybrid version of the new Accord is due early next year as an early '14. It will not be alone in the market when it arrives--a Ford C-Max and Toyota Prius version will challenge it for ecologically minded buyers. But it is another step forward.

One easy and practical way to get people in non-hybrid cars to drive more ecologically is Honda's Eco Assist technology. There are two "parentheses" around the central speedometer. They glow green when you're driving responsibly and go white when you're not. The goal--stay green! That means not stomping on the accelerator or the brakes. It's more subtle than showing you a gauge or a number. It might even work.

As usual, Accords come in economical DX and well equipped EX levels, with an SE sporty model, too. Now, there is the new Touring model, with enough content to push the Accord up to near luxury car status. Think leather seats, electronic helpers of every type, including safety and confort/convenience features galore. It would be a very long list to name them all, but you can count on keyless locks and ignition, dual automatic climate control, top-drawer audio, seat heaters, rear camera, and so much more.

LaneWatch system greatly enhances safety.

One new and kind of surprising safety feature is the LaneWatch system. You may have heard about blind-spot warning systems that flash a light if there's someone where your outside mirrors can't display, but this new item actually shows you! I noticed that every time I put on the right turn signal, I got a shot of the right side of the car in the display screen at center dash. Well--there is a camera in the right mirror and it switches on, with the aim of preventing a collision when you're turning right. Nice.

The Accord sails down the Interstate and zips around town effortlessly. I didn't hear or feel much, and the nicely proportioned dash, with its carefully rendered surfaces in a variety of textures, was pleasant and felt reasonably upscale. Recent Honda products have received some criticism about the quality of their interiors so this is an important point. I think prospective owners will find a lot to like here. Of course, the instrument panel takes cues from the aforementioned BMW, so that is already helpful. There were great expanses of black, but it was good quality "charcoal."

Honda Accords have been built in the U.S. for thirty years now. The Marysville, Ohio plant--the first of its kind--continues to pump them out--including my test car. Although my tester's sticker showed 25 percent Japanese parts, the engine and transmission were made here. The Accord has been essentially an American product for a long time.

The original Accord ran just $3,995. Yes, that was 1976 dollars, but today's car starts at $22,000 for the LX sedan with nothing extra. My Touring model, with an incredible load of everything you could want, came to $34,220, including $790 for shipping charges. Yes, that sounds like a lot to me, too, for a car that is not an actual BMW, but you should sample the car yourself to see how much it offers.

See my video on Castro Valley TV.

Nissan Maxima - Maximum Nissan

A Nissan Maxima has served me well over the last week as a commuter, family hauler and bass schlepper. Nissan's flagship, dubbed the "four door sports car," has the style and the muscle to justify that slogan.

The Maxima has been around awhile, originating as the Datsun 810 before becoming the Maxima as Nissan shed the Datsun name in the early 1980s. It's been Nissan's flagship ever since and is now in its seventh generation. The one I drove is actually built in Smyrna, Tennessee.

This latest Maxima is a large vehicle, with a dramatically sweeping treatment of the sides and a surprising ridged edge to the rippled hood. You can see this from the driver's seat, and it makes you more aware of road presence of the car from the inside--a nice trick today.

The interior fittings are much like the upscale Infiniti division, with a "floating" dash and well-equipped console. The whole experience is luxury without excess and nothing amiss. After a week driving it I can hardly remember the car--I just know it's very pleasant to drive.

There's plenty of power from the 3.5-liter V6--290 horsepower and 261 lb.-ft. of torque do the job admirably. The automatic is a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), showing that Nissan is putting this kind of "gearbox" into practically everything it builds now. I couldn't hear the transmission much, but on acceleration sometimes the engine rpms would climb more than they would in a standard, geared automatic. It all added up to 20.4 mpg average. The EPA says 19 City, 26 Highway (22 average). That's pretty close, I guess.

My car came to $40,055, including shipping and the Sport and Sport Technology packages. These significantly upgraded the car's looks and feel, but that price is really encroaching on luxury car territory.

Funny, but the XM NavWeather feature in the Sport Technology package kept warning me that it was freezing someplace within five miles of the car. I finally figured out that it must be five miles directly above in the atmosphere.

Suzuki Kizashi - A Japanese Audi

I don't know what Kizashi means but it certainly conveys "from Japan," and Suzuki's premium sedan is. It's as if a well-known manufacturer of motorcycles and small cars decided to build an Audi A4.

The seats, for example, are not only covered in leather, but are beautifully stitched and proved quite comfortable on the hour-long rides to work and back. I would have gladly sat longer if I had a more exotic destination, but alas, that was not to be this week.

The craftsmanship of the dash was, as far as I could tell, perfect, with padded sections and exquisite matte finishes (Audi again). The instrument panel rises up behind the steering wheel and back down gracefully in a simple, clean curve, much like the Audis of the early to mid 2000's. The effect of it all, including the stitched door panels, is luxury absolutely without ostentation.

And, its very quiet inside the Kizashi (sounds like something to do with Samurai, doesn't it?) Hey, Suzuki sold the Samurai small Jeeplike vehicle years ago! The Samurai was and is known as the Jimny worldwide, where it is still sold. Popular in the 1980's in the U.S., the tiny 4wd trucklet tipped over easily, earning it some notoriety. It was replaced by the larger and presumably more stable Sidekick (Escudo elsewhere) which is now known as the Grand Vitara in the U.S.

The Kizashi provides 180 horsepower from its 2.4-liter four. Through the continuously-variable automatic in my test car it zoomed forward energetically with little fuss. Competitors may have more guts but offer no more satisfaction, to my mind.

Like the Audis they resemble, Kizashis are available in front wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive, with manual or automatic transmission. The FWD, manually equipped car starts at under $20,000, including destination charge.

My test car's Deep Sea Blue Metallic paint was well-applied and lustrous, offering the informal elegance of a nice blue blazer. It's tan interior mimicked the tan slacks that would set that blazer off. All that's missing is the brass buttons, although my car did have glistening 18-inch alloy wheels.

Sadly, most people won't consider this fine car when they go looking because they don't know how good it is and don't think "Suzuki" when they head out to the dealerships. I say, don't miss out on this car!