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Automobiles

2014 Acura RLX Review & Test Drive

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By Harvey Schwartz

2014 Acura RLX Advance Beauty Right Done Small

‘ADDING THE X FACTOR’

The all-new 2014 Acura RLX with the Advance Package adds more power, performance, comfort, luxury, high-tech connectivity and safety systems that take this all-new ‘top-of-the-line’ Acura into a higher position competing against the best mid-size luxury sport sedans on the market.

The all-new Acura is the most powerful, spacious and technologically advanced Acura sedan ever.  It is powered by an all-new 3.5 liter SOHC Earth Dreams Technology V6 engine featuring an aluminum block/heads, direct injection, and intelligent VVT + Lift electronic control, four-valves per cylinder, generating a healthy 310hp at 6,500rpm and 272lb. ft. of torque at 4,500rpm.  It also features variable cylinder management cylinder deactivation system that improves mpg when cruising.  This advanced engine is mated to a re-engineered, six-speed automatic FWD transaxle with sequential Sportshift paddle shifter on the steering wheel including a Sport mode to remap for faster and higher rpm gear changes and tighten the dampers for more spirited handling.  The new Grade Logic Control works with the transmission to keep it in the proper gear when driving up or down hilly terrain.

2014 Acura RLX Advance Engine Done Small

The state-of-the-art fully independent suspension gives you an amazing ride of a sport sedan and a luxury sedan all rolled into one.  Up front is a double-wishbone, lower double-joint setup with telescopic gas-filled Amplitude Reactive shocks and a 33mm solid stabilizer bar.  A multi-link rear suspension setup also features the telescopic gas-filled Amplitude Reactive shocks and a 25mm solid stabilizer bar to keep the RLX flat when attacking steep curving roads.  It is tremendously responsive and flattens out the potholes on rough roads.  Giving me an even more responsive feedback from my steering inputs is the electric power rack & pinion steering system that features Acura’s Precision All-Wheel Steer (P-AWS) that continuously monitors and calculates the correct amount of independent rear-wheel steering (toe angle) necessary to help you maneuver through tough curving roads with ease and stability.  With these innovative systems and Acura’s Vehicle Stability Assist with Traction Control, there is no hint that the all-new RLX is a front-wheel-drive sedan.  I felt no hint of ‘torque steer’, no understeer with the P-AWS system.  Steering is quick and responsive with a ratio of 13.9:1 and just 2.58 turns lock-to-lock.  You can shut down the Traction Control system to let the rear slide out a little at the apex of the curve to got my pulse running higher.

Quickly and safely slowing the all-new RLX down from speed are big, powerful brakes.  Up front are 12.3 inch vented discs clamped with large, Acura lettered single-piston calipers.  The rear features 12.2 inch solid discs also clamped with large single-piston calipers.  Keeping control of the RLX during hard braking on wet or slick pavement are standard ABS, EBD and BA systems.

2014 Acura RLX Advance Beauty Side Done Small

The all-new RLX with Advance came shod …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Automobiles

Hyundai Announces 2014 Equus Prices, Other Future Model News

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By Clifford Atiyeh

It seems like only yesterday that the first Hyundai models started popping up on our shores; actually, it’s been almost 30 years since the first Excel went on sale here in the late 1980s. Today, Hyundai builds three of its most popular models in the U.S., and Sonata sedans that sell for well into the 20s or Santa Fe SUVs topping 38 large are not unheard of. Hyundai has plans to make its customers pay more a little more for the new Equus, at least, and while the Korean automaker is not even close to toppling that other H-brand from Asia, we’re expecting some upscale additions in the coming months.

The Equus—an honest-to-goodness luxury sedan that does a fair job of shadowing upscale competitors such as the Lexus LS460 and the Mercedes S-class—still can cost around 70 grand when fully loaded. The 2014 Signature and Ultimate models both go up by $1750, to a total of $61,920 and $68,920, respectively. There are no five-figure option packages and/or required bundles like the Germans love to make buyers pay for, just a towering sedan that’s now available with 7-series-style rims and handsome brown paint. On the interior, there’s a redesigned instrument panel and dash; on the exterior, there is a new front grille and bumper along with new rear taillamps. The 2014 Equus also now packs standard blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise with stop-start control.

The rear “first-class seats” that reclined like those in a Maybach are gone, as Hyundai realized that Americans don’t enjoy crushing their front passengers into subservience. Instead, the Ultimate packs two 9.2-inch screens and power lumbar adjustment for rear passengers (we’d have liked Hyundai to keep the rear-console fridge, but apparently we are the only ones). Signature models no longer have a massage function for the driver’s seat. Despite the car’s low volume, Hyundai doesn’t want any unpopular features standing in the way of increased sales.

Changes are coming for the less-pricey Genesis, too. Just as Jaguar has righted its rear-wheel-drive ways, the Genesis sedan will be available with all-wheel drive when it debuts at the Detroit auto show next January as a 2015 model. (We previously reported on this drivetrain change a while ago.) If Hyundai is smart, it’ll add a torque-vectoring system to pry hands away from Acura’s new RLX, but that’s just our wish. Also, forget about hybrid trims for the Genesis and Equus models. The company confirmed it would not sell gas-electric versions of its premium cars, the Genesis coupe included, in the “near-term.” Considering how little fanfare the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 and Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid have received, Hyundai is playing it safe – plus it’s smart enough not to hike prices that quickly.

…read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver

Automobiles

Shanghai: Acura Concept SUV-X is where brand should be going [w/video]

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By Jonathon Ramsey

Acura Concept SUV-X

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We’re not saying Acura should off their Concept SUV-X for sale as-is, we’re just saying we’d like to see Acuras that are interesting to look at on the outside, rather than just being packed full of technology on the inside. Revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show, the Concept SUV-X joins other compact high-rollers like the MG CS concept as an entrant for China‘s compact SUV segment.

But this won’t be a concept forever. Acura says that the SUV-X is the precursor to a production offering from the brand in China that will come “in about three years.” A presser below sheds a little more light on this and the Chinese version of the RLX that will go on sale in a few months, and there’s a short video detailing some of the concept’s finer points, as well.

Continue reading Acura Concept SUV-X is where brand should be going [w/video]

Acura Concept SUV-X is where brand should be going [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Automobiles

Official: 2014 Acura MDX shows up exactly as expected

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By Steven J. Ewing

2014 Acura MDX - front three-quarter studio view, silver

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Acura (and parent company Honda, for that matter) doesn’t always leave a lot to be left to the imagination when they unveil prototypes at auto shows. Case in point: Take a gander at the Acura MDX Prototype that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show this past January, and then look at the production-spec 2014 MDX pictured above. See what we mean?

Design-wise, there frankly isn’t a whole lot to get excited about with this MDX. Sure, a lot of the chiseled, sharp lines from the previous-generation model have been smoothed out in favor of something that will likely have more mass-market appeal, but to our eyes, the MDX has simply lost a lot of its visual flair in the process. To quote Autoblog senior editor Seyth Miersma, this new one just looks like the old one after melting by 10 percent. The end result is something that more closely resembles the company’s smaller RDX crossover than anything else, with other subtle design elements mimicking what we’ve seen on the ILX and RLX sedans. It’s all fine, but again, not exciting. The good news, however, is that thanks to the use of new lightweight materials, the 2014 MDX is 275 pounds lighter than the outgoing model.

Updates to what’s underneath the MDX’s new skin are hardly surprising, but still welcome. Power comes from a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 making 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with both front-wheel drive and Acura’s Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive on offer. Acura estimates that front-drive models will achieve 20/28/23 miles per gallon (city/highway/combined), and says that adding the SH-AWD drops those numbers to 18/27/21. Acura will offer a new Integrated Dynamic System that allows the driver to choose between normal, sport and comfort settings, and the new MDX will ride on a choice of either 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the MDX is loaded with comfort and technological features, including AcuraLink, a premium ELS audio system, and the dual-screen display that’s similar to what we experienced in the company’s new RLX flagship earlier this year. Up top is an eight-inch display that houses things like navigation data, while the seven-inch display below with haptic feedback works as a sort of command center for the whole infotainment system. Other new goodies for the 2014 MDX include Acura’s Jewel Eye adaptive front lighting, a host of standard safety equipment and premium features like a rear entertainment system with a 16.2-inch screen complete with HDMI compatibility.

Have a look at Acura’s press release below for the full list of changes for the 2014 model. We’ll have live images straight from the New York Auto Show floor in a jiffy, too, so stay tuned.

Continue reading 2014 Acura MDX shows up exactly as expected

2014 Acura MDX shows up exactly as expected originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

UPDATED: Ralph Lauren Corporation Declares Quarterly Dividend

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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UPDATED: Ralph Lauren Corporation Declares Quarterly Dividend

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– On March 18, 2013, Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYS: RL) issued a press release announcing that its Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share on Ralph Lauren Corporation Common Stock to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 29, 2013. The dividend is payable on April 12, 2013. As March 29, 2013 falls on a holiday observed by the New York Stock Exchange, the effective record date for the dividend will be the close of business on March 28, 2013.

ABOUT RALPH LAUREN

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYS: RL) is a leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories and fragrances. For more than 45 years, Ralph Lauren‘s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company’s brand names, which include Polo by Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Collection, Black Label, Blue Label, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, RRL, RLX, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren, Chaps and Club Monaco, constitute one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands. For more information, go to http://investor.ralphlauren.com.

This press release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company contain certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, our current expectations about the Company’s future results and financial condition, revenues, store openings, margins, expenses and earnings and are indicated by words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “we believe” and similar words or phrases. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the future results, performance or achievements expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based largely on the Company’s expectations and judgments and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control. The factors that could cause actual results to materially differ include, among others: the loss of key personnel; the impact of global economic conditions and domestic and foreign currency fluctuations on the Company, the global economy and the consumer marketplace and our ability to access sources of liquidity; our ability to successfully implement our anticipated growth strategies, to continue to expand or grow …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Ralph Lauren Corporation Declares Quarterly Dividend

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Ralph Lauren Corporation Declares Quarterly Dividend

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYS: RL) announced that its Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share on Ralph Lauren Corporation Common Stock. The dividend is payable on April 12, 2013 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 29, 2013.

ABOUT RALPH LAUREN

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYS: RL) is a leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories and fragrances. For more than 45 years, Ralph Lauren‘s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company’s brand names, which include Polo by Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Collection, Black Label, Blue Label, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, RRL, RLX, Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren, Chaps and Club Monaco, constitute one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands. For more information, go to http://investor.ralphlauren.com.

This press release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company contain certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, our current expectations about the Company’s future results and financial condition, revenues, store openings, margins, expenses and earnings and are indicated by words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “we believe” and similar words or phrases. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the future results, performance or achievements expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based largely on the Company’s expectations and judgments and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control. The factors that could cause actual results to materially differ include, among others: the loss of key personnel; the impact of global economic conditions and domestic and foreign currency fluctuations on the Company, the global economy and the consumer marketplace and our ability to access sources of liquidity; our ability to successfully implement our anticipated growth strategies, to continue to expand or grow our business and capitalize on our repositioning initiatives in certain merchandise categories; changes in our effective tax rates or credit profile and ratings within the financial community; our ability to secure the technology …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Automobiles

Acura Publishes Pricing Of Its RLX Flagship

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By Kurt Ernst

2014 Acura RLX - image: Acura
2014 Acura RLX - image: Acura

2014 Acura RLX – image: Acura

Acura’s current range-topping sedan, the RL, is now end of life. Critics would say it’s been end of life for some time, since sales of Acura’s premium sedan have been in the bottom ten each month for quite a while. It’s not hard to see why, either: the RL’s styling is dated, and its technology (once the hallmark of Acura) isn’t exactly class-leading.

On March 15, Acura will begin delivering its new flagship sedan, the RLX, and it’s betting that content and technology will lure buyers back to the brand. Front-wheel drive models (which benefit from Acura’s Precision All-Wheel Steer to aid handling) will hit dealer showrooms first, with a more-powerful hybrid variant debuting around mid-year. The hybrid will debut Acura’s Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, and it has the potential to be revolutionary.

2014 Acura RLX - image: Acura

2014 Acura RLX – image: Acura

Front-drive RLX models will use an all-new 3.5-liter V-6, which gains technologies like direct fuel injection and Variable Cylinder Management for optimum fuel economy. A six-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift mode (and the obligatory paddle shifters) is the only choice of transmission. While performance data is pending, Acura says the combination will deliver 24 mpg combined, 20 mpg city and 31 mpg highway.

Expect to see plenty of standard or available technology, too, including the latest version of AcuraLink, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning and a choice of high-end audio systems. There’s even an adaptive cruise control that features a low-speed follow function for stop and go driving in traffic.

2014 Acura RLX - image: Acura

2014 Acura RLX – image: Acura

Base front-drive RLX models will be priced at $48,450, while adding the voice-guided navigation system will raise the price to $50,950. Add the Technology Package (which also includes features like heated and ventilated front seats), and the price climbs to $54,450, while choosing the 14-speak Krell Audio Package variant bumps the sticker to $56,950. If you want it all and then some, the RLX with Advance Package is priced at $60,450, though none of the prices shown here include the mandatory $895 destination fee.

If you want to test drive the RLX, dealers will have demo cars starting next month as part of Acura’s “Destination RLX” event.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts

Automobiles

Official: Acura RLX pricing and launch plan detailed

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By Michael Harley

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Acura has released pricing for its upcoming flagship, the RLX, at the Detroit Auto Show this week. Powered by an all-new direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 rated at 310 horsepower, the front-wheel-drive sedan replaces the outgoing RL model (2011’s worst-selling car of the year) as the automaker’s new flagship.

In addition to boasting the most spacious passenger cabin in its mid-luxury class, the new range-topping Acura features the automaker’s first-ever application of Precision All-Wheel Steer and Jewel Eye LED headlamps. Standard equipment includes Lane Departure Warning and Forward Collision Warning, with Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow, and Blind Spot Information (BSI) system trim and option specific.

The four-door will initially be sold in five grades (prices exclude a destination charge of $895):

  • RLX – $48,450
  • RLX with Navigation – $50,950
  • RLX with Technology Package – $54,450
  • RLX with Krell Audio Package – $56,950
  • RLX with Advance Package – $60,450

While the new model doesn’t officially go on sale until mid-March, to provide potential customers “with the opportunity to experience the numerous new technologies,” Acura will preview its sedan at dealers during a “Destination RLX” program beginning in February.

As previously mentioned, an even more powerful version of the RLX, equipped with Acura’s new Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (Sport Hybrid SH-AWD) and a 370-hp powerplant, will debut later this year.

Continue reading Acura RLX pricing and launch plan detailed

Acura RLX pricing and launch plan detailed originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog

Automobiles

Detroit: 2014 Acura MDX Prototype is exactly what we expected

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By Steven J. Ewing

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Acura MDX Prototype

Yep, it’s the new MDX. And despite being totally redone, it looks exactly like we expected. That is, it’s an up-sized version of the RDX crossover with fancy LED lights stolen from the RLX sedan. And while that might not sound too exciting, we have to say, it is handsome – certainly a more cohesive, refined design than the angular, beak-tastic model that’s currently on sale.

Acura is calling this 2014 MDX a prototype, but that’s only because it isn’t 100-percent finished. Everything you see here will likely carry over to production, maybe with a couple small tweaks. Under the hood is the same 3.5-liter V6 that we know and love from the Honda group, and while we don’t have power figures just yet, Acura says it will deliver more torque while improving efficiency. In redesigning the MDX, the Japanese automaker has managed to lighten and stiffen the chassis, improving driving dynamics. More interestingly, for the first time Acura will offer a front-wheel-drive version of the MDX, but don’t worry, the automaker’s SH-AWD all-wheel drive will be available.

Inside, the usual smattering of tech goodies will be on hand, including the next-generation AcuraLink system, satellite radio, tons of comfort amenities and every single alphabetic safety device known to man (okay, maybe not all of them).

This MDX may be a prototype, but we’ll see the production version very, very soon. Scroll down for the full details in Acura’s release.

Continue reading 2014 Acura MDX Prototype is exactly what we expected

2014 Acura MDX Prototype is exactly what we expected originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog