Acura has released a teaser shot of their upcoming 2009 TSX, facelifted to give it Acura’s new corporate face, a new rear end, a better interior and some mechanical enhancements. Reserved for North-American markets only, the car is based on the European-market Honda Accord, which itself has received a similar makeover, and already unveiled.
So what does the “Five Hundred” stand for, especially since it’s in words rather than numbers? Does it have a 5.0-litre engine? Nope. 500 horses maybe? What. Celebrating 500 years as a company? Unlikely. About the only “500” we came across is that the 2008 model has more than 500 changes compared to the 2005-2007 version, which wasn’t sold here anyway. And it was still called the Five Hundred even before the 500 changes, although they did tack on the “500” number on many models decades ago. But Ford already calls the 2008 model a “Taurus”
So our modified Toyota Supra Twin Turbo is in the hands of a capable new owner now. Its duties as a benchmark sports car have now been taken over by our BMW M Roadster.
A full review for the Supra was in order, so we finally wrote about it, and we gave an account of what it’s like to own a really old and heavily modified car for very little money. But some of you might be wondering what a “benchmark” means.
Volkswagen is so desperate to make a buck in the United States that they simply facelifted the latest Chrysler Grand Voyager, upgraded the interior a bit, and renamed it the VW Routan. It is their attempt to cheaply add a conventional minivan to their range, cashing in on the blind faith that some people have on the VW badge.
The not-so-prominent 2008 Chicago Auto Show is on its way, and their main exhibit seems to be the new Dodge Challenger SRT-8, dubbed as a limited-edition 2008 model. Official specs and performance figures have finally been revealed.
The 2008 Chicago Auto Show played host to the American-market 2009 Acura RL, which is sold as the Honda Legend in the rest of the world. The anonymous-looking current Legend was released late in the GCC, and it looks like it will soon be replaced by this one.
The existing Mitsubishi Eclipse, sold only in North America, gets a facelift for the 2009 model year to make it look like the new Lancer Evolution. Except that the Evo remains the true sports car of the range.
I believe the borrowed car I am driving right now is the only new XKR I’ve ever seen on local roads. This was our ride to the Supercar Show in Abu Dhabi, although we went on the last day of the show simply because Jaguar postponed our date with the car. It’s interesting how this car made us feel invincible. Power to excite. Handling to break backs. And looks that make pedestrians stare at us like we are celebrities.
The 2009 Hyundai Sonata will debut at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, with a new front end, a small bump up in power, and a totally revised interior.
The late-entry V6 Galant may have just been released here, but the American market is already readying a facelifted replacement for the sleepy Mitsubishi midsizer, to be shown at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show next week. The front gets a minor facelift, but the rear is completely changed.