What a Tease... Acura Lifts the Veils off 2012 TL Sedan's Buttocks

In less than 24 hours from now, Acura will debut the facelifted 2012 TL at the Chicago Auto Show, but just to keep us on our toes, the Japanese automaker partially lifted the covers off the mid-size sedan's rear end. We're pretty sure that most readers are interested in what's happening on the other end of the car, but for now, it'll have to do.

From this end, we see that the model pictured here is the TL SH-AWD. Compared to the 2011 version of the car pictured below, the facelifted model gains a new bumper with a less fussy design while it also loses the quad exhaust pipes in favor of twin trapezoid-shape outlets. And well, that's about all we can see. Aside from the cosmetic changes, expect to see some minor refinements to the TL's hardware.

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Honda Rumors: 2012 Civic Si to get a 2.4-liter Engine

Earlier this month, Honda unveiled the Civic Si Concept coupe and Civic Concept sedan at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, signaling that the ninth generation 2012 Civic will follow soon, to be precise, this spring. However, the official press bits weren’t exactly what you’d call detailed, leaving lots of aspects, including the engine lineup, to our imagination.

Today, the Honda-obsessed team at the Temple of VTEC forums claim to have solved part of this mystery thanks some inside sources that told them a 2.4-liter gasoline engine, very similar to the Acura TSX’s powerplant, will make its way into the new Civic Si.

The new four-cylinder engine will replace the current K20Z3 197HP 2.0-liter unit and is expected to deliver a little over 200 horsepower and, thanks to its larger displacement, significantly more torque. The other conventional powerplant for the Civic's North American lineup is said to be the current 1.8-liter gasoline unit, possibly revised to return better fuel efficiency.

In other news, there are also rumors about Honda planning an HF trim level just for the sedan with gray or white exterior color. Fans of the manual transmissions can expect to find them on the DX- and LX-trimmed sedans as well as part of the EX trim level for coupe models.

Last but not least, the list of colors for 2012 has also been revealed and it’s available below.

Crystal Black Pearl

Dyno Blue Pearl

Urban Titanium Metallic

Cool Mist Metallic

Polished Metal Metallic

Crimson Pearl

Alabaster Silver Metallic

Taffeta White

The 2012 Honda Civic will go on sale in the U.S. this spring.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Temple of VTEC

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Acura to Unveil 2012 TL Sedan at Chicago Auto Show in February

*Current 2011MY Acura Shown in Pictures

The next Chicago Auto Show, to be held for the public from February 11 to 20, will host the debut of the updated for the updated Acura TL. Honda's luxury division simply stated that the TL will be "newly refined" for the 2012 model year, without releasing any more details. The current, fourth generation TL was released onto the market in late 2008 and is offered with a 280HP 3.5-liter V6 and front wheel drive, or with a 305HP 3.7-liter V6 and the firm's all-wheel drive system. We'll post any updates on Acura's mid-size sedan as soon as they become available.

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2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon Pricing Announced

Following on from the U.S. launch of the mildly refreshed 2011 TSX Sedan, Acura has released pricing for the new Sport Wagon model that goes on sale December 21. The North American version of the European Honda Accord Tourer will be available exclusively with the TSX's 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine matched to a five-speed automatic transmission and a base price of $30,960.

When equipped with the available Technology Package, which includes among other features, an LED backlit full VGA navigation screen, a 60-gigabyte hard disk drive (HDD), and the ability to download 15-gigabytes of personal music to the HDD, the TSX Sport Wagon will have an MSRP of $34,610.

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LA Show Preview: Acura freshens up 2011 TSX Sedan

Making its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto show tomorrow is the barely botoxed 2011 Acura TSX sedan. Our previous guesstimates about Acura bringing the TSX sedan in line with the new Sport Wagon model, which is based on the corresponding European Honda Accord model, proved to be more or less true.

On the outside, the 2011 TSX gets an extremely discreet facelift that includes, a new front fascia, revised chin spoiler, new fog light garnish assembly and an updated grill. At the back, the sedan model features revised taillights and an updated license plate garnish. The fresh alloy wheel designs and new underbody panels that improve aerodynamics sum up the exterior changes.

Revisions inside the car concern the updated styling of the center console, the darker trim pieces, brightly finished door handles, an updated parking brake handle, new garnishes for the steering wheel and an available LED backlit full VGA navigation screen that generates 400-percent better resolution than before.

Furthermore, there's new contrasting-color stitching for the leather seats and door armrests, while Acura also mounted heating/cooling vents at the rear of the center console.

The thicker side glass, increased use of sound-deadening insulation, improved floor mats and new underfloor covers, complete the interior upgrades.

Under the sheetmetal, the Japanese maker's engineers have tweaked the 2.4L inline four cylinder and 3.5-liter V6 engines. According to Acura, both units receive numerous improvements to reduce internal operating friction which help improve fuel economy, lower carbon dioxide (CO2) output and increase engine life.

The automatic transmission was also upgraded with new programming that helps maximize engine output by allowing for Shift Hold Control during cornering along with "smart shift" functionality that allows for semi-manual operation when in Drive and not just when in Sport Mode as before.

Acura claims that the changes on 2011MY TSX improve both the 2.4L and 3.5L model's fuel efficiency by 1mpg in both city and highway driving.

The updated 2011 TSX sedan goes on sale in the U.S. on November 23, with prices starting from $29,610 for the 2.4L engine with both manual and automatic transmissions, and from $35,150 for the 3.5L V6 version.

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