2014 Acura ILX: What's Changed

• Most significant changes: More standard features 
• Price change: $1,000 increase
• On sale: Tuesday 
• Which should you buy, 2013 or 2014? The 2014 gets more features for a minimal price increase.

Acura launched its new entry-level sedan in 2013, but it hasn't exactly been lighting the sales charts on fire. For 2014, the base ILX gets more standard features, "providing more content and value for the luxury brand's gateway sedan," the automaker said in a statement.

The compact sedan gets eight new standard features for an extra $1,000. Model-year 2014 base models start at $27,795, including an $895 destination fee; model-year 2013 models started at $26,795. New standards include 17-inch alloy wheels, new leather seating surfaces and leatherette door liners, an eight-way power driver's seat, heated front seats, a multiangle rearview camera, a new audio-system subwoofer and a noise cancellation system. These features were previously available as part of the Technology or Premium packages.

Model-year 2014 lineup pricing is below and includes destination; the compact sedan goes on sale Tuesday. Acura says information on the 2014 Acura ILX Hybrid will be announced at a later date.

Why Luxury Sales Could Thrive in 2013

Leather-clad luxury cars may seem the domain of an affluent few. After all, this year's best-selling luxury car through March — the Mercedes-Benz C-Class — ranked 51st among all cars. But the group may be poised for a comeback. Total sales improved 12.3% in the first three months of 2013, outpacing the industry's 6.4% gain. By year's end, one in every 7.5 new cars sold in 2013 could be a luxury model.

That would buck a trend several years in the making. Luxury cars, including Buick, hovered around 13% of the new-car market from 2005 to 2010. In 2011 that share slid to 12.9%, and in 2012 it tumbled to 12.6%.

It seemed counterintuitive, given the wealthy are alive and well.

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Acura ZDX

Acura's flashy-looking ZDX may have an exciting exterior design, but looks are decieiving in this case. The ZDX is not very fun to drive and pretty uncomfortable, says Cars.com reviewer David Thomas. Poor visibility, gutless power and high prices top his laundry list of ZDX misses.

2013 Acura ZDX Review

Concept Cars Make Big Splash at Shanghai Motor Show

On April 20, the 2013 Shanghai motor show kicked off. As The Detroit Free Press puts it, the event served up a high-decibel dosage of fashion, sports and music (oh, and cars) to some 10,000 journalists. More than 100 automakers vied for attention in the world's largest car market, where 94% of consumers don't own a vehicle — and young people dominate the ranks of those who do.

Automakers introduced plenty of concept cars, including Ford's Escort reboot and two small SUV concepts: Mercedes-Benz's GLA-Class (pictured above) and BMW's X4. Check out some others that caught our eye:

Recall Alert: Honda CR-V, Honda Odyssey, Acura RDX

Honda is recalling some 204,500 SUVs and minivans for a brake-shift interlock that can allow the transmission to shift away from Park without the driver pressing the brake. The recall, which affects the 2012-2013 Honda CR-V SUV and Odyssey minivan, as well as the 2013 RDX SUV from Honda's Acura luxury division, has not resulted in any incidents or complaints, Honda says, but an internal investigation found the automatic transmissions can slip out of Park in freezing temperatures.

In total, the automaker will recall around 128,000 CR-Vs, 59,000 Odysseys and 17,500 RDXs.

Honda will send notifications in May and encourages owners to bring their cars to authorized dealerships. Owners can also visit www.recalls.honda.com or www.recalls.acura.com, call the automaker's recall lines at 800-999-1009 (Honda) or 800-382-2238 (Acura) and select option 4, or call the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.

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Best Hybrids for the Money 2013

Gas prices remain volatile, but even so, no one expects prices below $3 per gallon ever again, and many parts of the country consistently see prices near or above $4. As much as ever, shoppers need to know how effectively hybrids deliver efficiency for your dollar — if they do at all.

To determine if a hybrid's added expense is worth the cash, we devised an efficiency-cost rating to reflect efficiency bang for your overall buck.

It's simply the combined city/highway mpg divided by the base price (MSRP plus destination charge). We then multiply that number by 1,000. This formula can be applied to any type of vehicle, hybrid or not. A high mpg rating and low price provide a high efficiency-cost rating. A higher score is the better score.

We don't account for equipment levels, quality judgments, cost of ownership or any variances from EPA mileage estimates. The goal here is to pay the least for the most mileage, barring all other considerations.

Cars.com Reviews the 2013 Acura TL

What's inside counts for a lot, but in the case of the Acura TL, inelegant exterior styling overshadows the sport sedan's powerful engine, roomy interior and convenience features, says Cars.com reviewer David Thomas. If you can look past its garish grille, Thomas says, there's a lot to like about the TL, even if it didn't win the Cars.com $46,000 Sport Sedan Challenge.

2013 Acura TL Review

Does Honda's LaneWatch Replace a Blind Spot Warning System?

I recently spent a week in the 2013 Honda Crosstour. While I couldn't get over the aesthetics of this oddball (a fellow mom said it looked like a reincarnated Pinto), it did prove to be a practical family car with some innovative features.

The Crosstour has a new Honda safety feature called LaneWatch, which is also found on the 2013 Accord. According to Honda, the system "uses a camera positioned below the passenger-side exterior mirror to display a wide-angle view of the passenger side roadway on the intelligent-Multi-Information Display. The image appears when the right turn signal is activated, or when a button on the end of the turn-signal stalk is pressed."

I was a little baffled as to why LaneWatch was not integrated with a blind spot warning system, which can alert the driver with a tone or light if someone is in the car's blind spots. The two seem like a natural pair, but if they're not paired together, is LaneWatch a replacement for blind spot warning?

2014 Acura RDX: What's Changed

• Most significant changes: New exterior color
• Price change: $200 price increase
• On sale: Today
• Which should you buy, 2013 or 2014? 2013

Acura's compact crossover was redesigned for 2013, and for 2014 the only big change is its price. The RDX gets a bit more expensive this year; it starts at $35,415 for 2014. The 2013 model has a base price of $35,215 (all prices include an $895 destination fee).

The extra $200 buys you a new exterior color option: Kona Coffee replaces the previous Amber Brownstone this year. The front- or all-wheel-drive RDX again comes with a 273-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.

The 2014 Acura RDX goes on sale today. Trim level pricing is below:  

2014 Acura MDX Video

Overall, Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays seemed underwhelmed by Acura's 2014 redesign of its best-selling SUV, the MDX. The more aerodynamic MDX is longer, narrower and shorter than its predecessor, but a lack of fresh styling provides little exterior excitement.

More 2013 New York Auto Show Coverage

Still, the interior is comfortable, with ample headroom and legroom in the first two rows, and a nifty one-touch feature that powers the second row forward for third-row access is convenient. However, space negotiations will be continual among anyone not in the front seats unless you designate the back row a kids-only zone. Watch the video below.