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2013 Acura ILX
The ILX is a new member of the Acura lineup, a compact sedan conceived to straddle the murky border between luxury and premium market segments. However, while its sheet metal is all new, its styling is strongly reminiscent of that of other Acura sedans—the slightly larger TSX in particular. There’s familiarity beneath the skin as well. The foundations are adapted from the latest Honda Civic, including identical chassis dimensions (wheelbase and track), and the three powertrains are derived from the Honda inventory. This includes the Civic’s gasoline–electric hybrid system, a first for the Acura division.
Tech Tidbit: Like its Honda counterpart, the ILX hybrid has a multifunction display that tracks battery status, mpg, and system function and posts an Eco Score. Unlike the Civic, there’s an Econ switch, altering electronic mapping to reduce consumption even more. An Econ switch for an econ system may be a hybrid first. Read the rest of this entry »
2013 Ford Escape Test Drive
What’s New: Compact crossovers are a hot segment, and after an 11-year run, Ford’s Escape was due for a revamp. The 2013 Escape rides a version of the Ford Focus platform, dubbed C1, though it’s a good bit larger: The length is up by 3.5 inches, the wheelbase has been stretched by 2.8 inches, and it’s slightly wider. That added room helps for hauling people and stuff. You’ll find a little more than an inch of increased legroom in the back seat and around 3 more cubic feet of cargo capacity.
Under the hood, you’ll have a choice of three engines. The base Escape gets the 2.5-liter, normally aspirated four-cylinder from the old rig. But we recommend the upgrade to one of the two turbocharged four-cylinder engines—a 1.6-liter EcoBoost with 178 hp or the 2.0-liter EcoBoost with a full 240 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. That’s the same horsepower and even more torque than the old 3.0-liter V-6 could produce. Every engine comes paired to a six-speed automatic. There’s no manual-transmission option, and the hybrid model is gone from the menu. Read the rest of this entry »