Automotive Trends

The personal luxury coupe is a bit of an endangered species these days so we were excited to see Lexus offer one in the form of the RC 350. The nicely sized two-door features an intricately detailed version of Lexus’ giant front grille but here it works with the overall design that is also highlighted by beautiful wheels, stunning greenhouse and tidy rear end. The interior remains our biggest concern where, like all Lexus models of late, a design theme inspired by the late ’80s seems to be in place.  The RC 350 uses the corporate 3.5-liter V6 tuned to 314 hp to move it’s rear-wheel drive chassis through the corners but we’re even more excited for another NAIAS debut we’ve heard about where this car receives the full-monty F package and the delicious V8 that goes with it. Now that is the kind of personal luxury coupe we all want to see more of.

For 2015 the SUV side of Chevrolet’s lineup benefits from the same improvements that propelled the Silverado pickup to North American Truck of the Year honors. That includes the revised engine family now featuring direct-injection as well as the chassis improvements that yield an improved ride and quieter cabin. The interior is vastly improved with better materials and a car-like center stack design that puts everything within easy reach.

Since the ILX came along a few years ago the TLX has seemed a bit redundant. Well Acura is getting around to moving it a bit upscale and they’re including a whole host of new components at the same time. The 2.4-liter engine is now paired to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission and Acura’s 3.5-liter V6 is now tied to a 9-speed automatic. Both engines now offer direct-injection, which is a technology Acura seemed slow in adopting. In addition, all wheel drive can be specified for the V6 model and even Acura’s all-wheel steering assist system can be added to the 2.4-liter model to make this a seriously impressive mid-size premium sedan offering. With the way Acura works we know the production version of this prototype will be on sale by summer and you can be sure we will keep you posted.