Refresh VS Redesign – What’s the Difference

Sounds similar, but there’s a huge difference:

Refresh = slightly updated from the previous model year
Redesign = all-new from the ground up

How to know which it is? Use the 5-year Test – typically, a vehicle is redesigned once every five years.

Read it online at Autonet.

Use this to your advantage when shopping, because all-new doesn’t mean it’s all-better (see last 3 paragraphs)

Favourite line:

Say to the salesman: Next year the car is being redesigned, so who is going to want this year’s model? It’s about to become outdated, so give me a better price!

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

Car Skeleton

Other post title was: Car without its Outfit

It’s Acura’s all-new 2014 MDX.

What you’re looking at.

See the yellow? The door ring?

Yellow = the World’s Largest Piece of Hot Stamped Steel

Car with its outfit.

Here’s my MDX review.

 

In Oregon with the 2014 Acura MDX

I travelled with Acura to Portland, Oregon, to test their heavily-refreshed MDX 7-passenger SUV.

It’s an important vehicle launch for them, the MDX accounts for 1/3 of Acura’s total sales.

So the vehicle was re-built from scratch; new chassis and body, designed specifically for this SUV (non-car nerds: this is rare).

Read the full review over at Autonet.ca.

Short review – an excellent refresh; if a 7-passenger 3rd row vehicle is important, test this MDX, it’ll make the shortlist.

The interior ergonomics were updated, it used to be “a bit like climbing back into 1999”.

Breathes better, eh.

The new model is only the tiniest bit bigger, but the interior feels bigger, more open.

Steering is improved; engine provides more than enough power for a fun drive; it’s really quiet inside; all seats now fold flat for loading cargo; a secret storage compartment; the base model is loaded up nicely; great safety features come standard; 6 cameras; and for winter, you can pre-condition the car remotely, a just-for-Canada added feature.

Meet my driving partner, Sylvain Raymond.

Il écrit les belles histoires pour le bon website, Guide de l’Auto. Bienvenue à ma blog, mon ami!

2014 Acura MDX
Available July 2013
$49,990 – $65,990

 

Quick Car Update

2 weeks ago I had the Acura RL, their flagship vehicle.

300 hp, every feature you can imagine, the interior colour (which isn’t translating in photo) was a cream coloured leather everywhere, like butter.

My review prints this week, and it contains 2 lines I invented that are pure gold.

That’s day-of-the-photos, but actually spent the majority of time driving their crown jewel in jogging pants.

Re-broke my toe slamming the brakes on College Street on Saturday evening (not my fault). Saved the car though; I never ever want to have to make that phone call.

Had this Chevy Spark the week before that, just never blogged it.

84 hp! (non-car nerds: anything below 3 digits makes car nerds roll their eyes). For what it is though, I thought they did a good job with 84 hp.

The colour though, woah it’s bright. That green continues into the interior, into everywhere.

That review prints 3 weeks from now.

Then I was back in my Jetta for a minute.

I sometimes prefer this lunch box to the new cars I drive, just because like, less worry. As in, you’re looking at almost $100,000 above, like that.

I’m closing in on my next benchmark, $1.5 million in cars tested.

 

My Favourite Concept at the NAIAS Show

The Acura NSX

I gasped audibly when I saw it, this is so my style.

I learned afterwards that this is the second version of the NSX Acura has presented, but it was my first time seeing it.

The Movie that Played in my Mind when I Saw It

Somehow, this is ‘This Week’s Car’.

I book the car based around a big Friday, downtown evening event I have to attend. I clear my schedule and spend the days prior up north, practicing and training.  I put together a ridiculous outfit that matches the car (basically how I dress now, but flashy mercenary).

I place my team around the event’s entrance, cameras ready and communications in my ear. Subtly they start to clear the area, then you hear me before you see me (lots of superfluous revving is happening), and I come flying in, drift-to-park, blip the engine, then a team member calmly opens the door and assists me out, everyone melts.