All-wheel drive means the car sends power to all four wheels to help it grip the road better. If this system breaks, the car might only use the front wheels to move.
Honda is a big company from Japan that makes cars and motorcycles. They are working on making cars that use electricity or a mix of gas and electricity.
Tesla is a company that makes electric cars. They are very popular and sell more electric cars than anyone else, even though some people think their cars have problems.
Vehicle allocation means the car company only lets a few of certain cars go to dealers, so you can't always pick exactly what you want online because they have limited numbers.
A 360 camera is a set of cameras on the car that show you a full view from above, so you can see everything around your car when parking or driving slowly.
Electronic traction control helps your car keep its grip on the road by stopping the wheels from spinning too much. This keeps you safer when driving on slippery roads.
Rigid axles are strong parts that hold the wheels together, good for rough roads. You can turn on four-wheel drive yourself to help the car drive better on dirt or rocks.
Four wheel drive high helps the car drive on slippery roads at regular speeds. Four wheel drive low helps the car go slowly but with more power when climbing rocks or rough trails.
Apple CarPlay lets you use your iPhone safely while driving by showing apps and controls on the car's screen, so you can do things like make calls or listen to music more easily.
A-pillars are the parts of the car frame that hold up the front windshield on both sides. If they are thick, they can block your view and make it harder to see around corners or at night.
A reverse camera is a small camera on the back of a car that shows you what's behind when you are backing up, so you don't hit anything.
LIVE
And I remember just ripping it and then.
This is our parking brought to you by right under right Toyota out of Scottsdale,
Arizona. I am your host, Jay Finning reporting from my home studio here in
Gilbert, Arizona.
Acura has recalled 137,000 vehicles.
I'm about $300 more poor.
We picked up a new vehicle and I want to talk a little bit more about the
Suzuki Jimny that we had in Costa Rica.
All that more coming up after this word from Arcus Foundry.
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As you can probably tell, this episode is going to be more car-centric than
you're used to, but there's a lot of things I think I left on the table.
After last week's episode with Catherine Cox, there's just some things about
the rental car that I kind of wanted to explain a little bit more than it just
doesn't really make sense to talk about that with someone in front of you because
that was more of a free-flowing and very fun conversation.
But before we get to that, this article from AutoBlog, Feds investigate over
137,000 acres for failing all-wheel drive system.
This caught my attention.
It's only 137,000 vehicles, but two things caught my attention.
Number one, it said the Feds investigate.
Like it can't be the car has been recalled or national highway traffic and safety.
There's an NTSA, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Yeah, the NTS, I already screwed that up.
NTSA, whatever the case.
The NTS national highway, the NH, those people, usually you see that, but
actually had this happen to me in our 23 MDX a couple of months ago.
You know, back when I was complaining about my backyard and having to redo all
that kind of stuff, I was driving to pick up some pool parts and the car goes,
could you, I looked down and it said something about the all-wheel drive system
has failed and you're now using front-wheel drive.
That's the only time it's ever happened to me.
We've had the vehicle for three years.
And so this article is that what the investigation says so far, according to
the office of defects investigation, ODI report, the probe involves an estimated
137,329 vehicles, specifically the 2021 to 23 TLX and the 2022 to 23 MDX,
which is what we had at the core.
The problem is a mechanical link between the transmission and the rear wheels.
The NHTSA, there it is, says that the splines that connect these parts can foil.
Cutting off power to the rear axle.
When that happens, the car is basically running as a front-wheel drive model,
even if the badge and price tag says all will drive.
It only did it that one time when I stopped the car, picked up the parts,
got back in the car, it didn't do it again.
Now we had 32,000 miles on that vehicle.
That's the only time granted.
My wife put most of those miles on there, but I'm the one who drives it long distance.
And that's the only time I've seen and I brought it up with my wife and she said
she saw it once or twice.
Of course, she didn't say anything about it because that's just what they do.
Sometimes they don't say anything about a car.
They is in whoever the spouse is, but I don't know.
Apparently this was kicked off by a petition.
It's too bad it had to be kicked off by a petition.
Says for now, the investigation remains in the early stages.
Regulators will review the complaints to conduct a technical assessment before
deciding whether to proceed with a formal defect investigation or deny the petition.
There's a defect. I've seen it. My wife has seen it.
We have a 2023 Acura MDX or had a 2023 Acura MDX.
It says that's only been 48 complaints.
That's a thin slice of the 137,000 vehicles.
Yeah, because I would say it's intermittent and it wasn't broken for us.
So we'll just keep an eye on that and I will update you maybe as the story progresses.
In other news, Honda has canceled.
I have it pulled up right here that the development and sale of the zero series,
which includes the zero series SUV, the zero series saloon, and of course,
the RSX EV, you know, the RSX is interesting to me because I don't really like
the concept as an RSX.
I think that is reflective of probably almost everyone out there
that could talk about it like it's a great thing.
But, you know, it's hard to name something the same thing as something else
and have it look so different.
Same deal with the NSX.
But I always felt that the NSX is an NSX, the one I have
because we have new sports car experimental,
then you also have new sports car experience and they both kind of set the needle.
You know, much like the Honda Prelude that people are just destroying right now.
I think it's a good looking vehicle.
We recently talked about it.
But when it came to this RSX, it just looked like something completely different.
I just wish they wouldn't have called an RSX.
It doesn't really matter at the end of the day because it's been canceled.
And I think it's the right move.
We've talked about this on the podcast many times in the past.
We is in myself and other guests that the future isn't EV or the maybe
maybe the distant future is EV.
But you have to take a take a look at the room.
Everything is far more efficient and improved hybrid.
That's the way to go.
Our grid, our infrastructure can't support EV vehicles.
It just can't.
That's not my opinion.
That's a fact because we just don't produce enough energy.
And so when you look at those EV mandates, it was never going to happen.
It was very it was very ambitious.
But we just at the end of the day, we just can't support it.
I think Honda is trying to figure that out or I think Honda has figured that out.
And I kind of think it's too bad because I don't remember if it was the
the Saloon or the SUV, but one of those two I thought looked really good.
The other one was kind of weird and different, but it was still kind of
cool to look at, looked at the prototype.
I think last year, maybe at the Long Beach Grand Prix, they had it.
I fear maybe a lot of layoffs.
They're probably going to blame the tariffs.
Everybody blames the tariffs.
But at the end of the day, people just do not want to buy EVs.
The EV market is struggling.
Tesla is king and they're not the best vehicles, but Tesla is still king.
And I hope maybe one day we revisit the EV market.
I mean, one of them I'm looking at right now.
The Honda Zero SUV, I'm looking at it and that's a good looking vehicle.
It's funny that rear splitter looks like my Type S NSX.
I never noticed that till right now.
But who knows what the future holds for Honda?
I don't.
OK, so despite what people think, I don't really have an inside track
on what's coming out with the brand and what isn't, and I do have
connections within the company, but I don't really ask those questions
because then it's like I'm just using you or use anybody.
But what do you think about it?
If you're listening to this, you're watching this.
What do you think about this shift to cancel pretty much all their EVs?
Really think I'd tease this.
Maybe, maybe not.
But I do have apparently a traffic surveillance photo.
And I paid this three hundred and thirteen dollars photo enforcement
camera in the city of Scottsdale.
I tell you what, so with these tickets around here,
these they say they're not tickets, but if you don't pay them, that's your ass.
No city in the United States is more aggressive on these tickets,
these photo radar tickets than the city of Scottsdale.
And so I already know that going into this.
I almost got away with it last time, but it wasn't Scottsdale.
It was it was in Scottsdale, but it was like the Gila River Indian tribe thingy.
But I do remember this.
I do remember this.
But first off, do you think this looks like me?
Does that look like me?
Does that look like my car?
Is that is that me driving?
Is that my one auto on the thingy?
Yeah.
It's me. Look, I know I remember exactly when this happened.
I was leaving Barrett Jackson and I remember just ripping it.
And then the lights flashed and I looked and speed them at forty five.
And I was going like fifty eight because I was shooting it over.
And you know how it is when you're in a car.
Sometimes you get out and you join traffic and you just floor it.
And that's what I did.
And it took this thing two months to get to me.
But I received it.
I paid it.
Effort.
So I tease this in the opening.
We did get a new vehicle.
I think I've mentioned in the past, especially the most recent episode
or one of the recent episodes with with Dre in studio.
We talked about buying, selling cars.
And first off, a shout out to Mark Stillman.
He had reached out and said, I'm pretty sure you can't sell at least
to somebody else and he's right.
You could trade it in.
You can trade it into another dealership, but you can't sell it to another individual.
You would have to buy the car first, then turn around and sell the car.
If that's what you wanted to do, I think the light just blinked behind me.
There we go. We drove a Toyota forerunner.
She really liked the forerunner.
The problem with the forerunner is it's a little snug in the second row.
It's hard to find a third row forerunner.
We could build one online.
It doesn't cost nearly as much as some of the other vehicles we're looking at.
I like the forerunner.
That's a vehicle I would love to have, but I just can't see my wife
as much as she liked it.
I can't really see her enjoying it for more than like a few months
before she started missing some of the luxury and some of the other items
she was looking at.
Another vehicle we drove, where she drove, was the Toyota Sequoia.
I think it looks like a diesel, like a semi.
I love the Sequoia.
We're looking at some of the limited and some of those other ones,
the turbos they have in the and the Toyotas are really nice.
My wife really liked the interior.
I was shocked.
I thought the interior was just, I don't know,
it just didn't seem like it's something she would like, but she really liked it.
But she didn't like the price tag and it felt like a big vehicle.
But I I'd take a Sequoia, too.
I'd take a Sequoia and a four runner.
What we really loved was the Land Cruiser.
Notice these are all Toyotas.
Shout out to Show Sponsor, Right Toyota and Right Honda.
These were all Toyotas that we're looking at.
And we really liked the Land Cruiser.
But the problem with the Land Cruiser is it does not have the third row
for the five or six times a year that my wife's going to use it.
She really wants to have that seven passenger.
Actually, probably more.
I give her shit to say it's five or six times.
But I bet you it's a couple of dozen times,
or you just want to use that extra space.
And if you don't have it, you can't use it, right?
So that pretty much will.
Well, that just completely eliminated the Land Cruiser.
In comes the Lexus, the Lexus GX 550.
That is a bad ass looking car.
The problem with the Lexus is you can't.
You you can't spec it online.
They're just we've learned they're just allocated.
So we get the hook up with the Lexus dealership, the general manager
who's going to keep an eye out for us.
We've got wanted a white one with brown interior thing is awesome.
We went and looked at one sitting on the lot.
We couldn't sit in it.
We couldn't drive it because it was somebody else's.
So the thing is they give us a call.
They tell us, hey, we have a white one coming or whatever color color you want.
Do you want it? Yes, we do put the money down on the down payment.
And then we have to wait for it to finish getting built.
And then we can go and then we can pick it up.
We can buy it.
The problem with her old MDX that I talked about earlier,
that had the four wheel drive to two wheel drive system error
is we called Acura or Honda Finance and they would not extend the lease.
Of course, they wouldn't extend the lease.
If we were to if we if we had plans of sliding into another Acura vehicle,
they probably would have worked with us.
But we had a decision to make
and the timeline got tight.
And first off, I think I said this before, but
I've been saying for seven months that the lease is coming up.
I told my wife, you got to check when's the lease come up?
I don't want to get two weeks outside of your lease expiring.
And also we're we're panicking and trying to get a car.
What what are the numbers?
And it was kind of like, I don't know, look at it later and number got it done.
And I'm like, what are you going to get?
She goes, what should I get?
I told her what she should get.
Well, I don't want to get that.
I don't want to get this.
I think I want that.
I think I want this.
So, you know, at the end of the day, what we ended up getting was another MDX.
So we have a 2026 Acura MDX A-spec, but it's the A-spec with the advanced package.
And so the difference between an A-spec and a non-A-spec is styling.
That's it. So we have the aggressive bumper, the black wheels, the black trim, no chrome.
We got a white with red interior, just like we had on the 23.
But this one has a touch screen, same power, same everything else.
But it has all the all the upgraded technology speakers, a 360 camera,
massaging front seats.
What I was, I drove it back from the dealership.
My wife wasn't able to go with me to pick it up.
But you hold down the massage seat button.
And this is probably the same for any vehicle that has this.
I wouldn't know we've never had a vehicle massages before.
And then you could select and there's like five or six different type
of massages you can pick from.
You can customize it to the person, which is great.
And so I was driving back home and I was just getting a massage the whole way.
And it was just, it was great.
And, you know, we got a hell of a deal on it, you know,
shout out to Acura of Tempe for working with us.
And, you know, now we have warranty because she was just going to buy the old car.
And I said, why would you buy a car you complain about every time we're driving it?
Too much wind noise.
You know, it's got obviously manufacturing issues intermittently,
like the one I opened up this podcast with and no warranty.
And you don't even like the car.
She loves a car, but all those other things.
So now we have warranty.
We have everything plus a nicer, nicer, cleaner, newer version of what we just had.
So we'll take it.
All right.
Let me tell you a little bit more about the Suzuki Jimny that we rented.
What it was good for, what it wasn't good for and what we use it for.
So if you go on vacation and they have a Suzuki Jimny,
you could decide if you want to rent it or not.
The rental car section returns with the Suzuki Jimny.
All right, let's talk about Costa Rica a little bit.
So if you plan on going to Costa Rica and doing any driving outside of the city,
you should absolutely at minimum rent a small four by four capable vehicle
you can probably survive with a two wheel drive configuration
like an SUV or a light pickup truck as well.
And I'm going to tell you why you need those vehicles
in this fun little video rental recap of our trip to Costa Rica.
Some of you love these rental car reviews.
Some of you probably hate them.
First and foremost, I think I mentioned this in a prior episode,
but you start with the rental car company.
I hit Google and there weren't really anything I'd ever heard of,
but I tried to go to the website and try to configure it and I was striking out.
Fortunately, I was able to rent through national rental car,
which is one of the accounts that I typically use anyway, which is great.
Once we got to the rental car facility, our vehicle is already waiting outside.
Just kidding. But this is what we ended up getting.
We got a Suzuki Jimny.
This is a very compact SUV, has a five speed manual slash automatic gearbox,
electronic traction control, starting aid, hill descent control,
ABS breaking system, two rigid axles with manually swishable four by four drive
and power steering vehicle has space for four people with very limited luggage
powered by a 1.5 liter engine with an output of 102 horsepower
and 130 in M torque.
The vehicle is equipped with off road tires rolling on 195 15 80s.
Jimny all grip, which is kind of their all wheel drive.
Taking a look around inside, you have the window controls in the middle.
You have traction control laying to part going down to the selector.
You can switch it from two wheel drive to a four wheel drive high
or four wheel drive low if you want to go rock climbing,
which this thing is very capable of doing.
And then, of course, in a super weird spot, you roll your windows down.
It takes you a while to find those switches, not in a very good place.
Has an old crap bar for your passenger to hang on to.
And of course, it's got a glove box, which actually pretty roomy for being such a small vehicle.
The door pockets are really small.
They don't really hold very much.
I could put my phone in mine in the center console.
You could put like one coffee cup, but not enough for two, which is super kind of weird.
And a about a seven inch touchscreen give or take
and half inch or so, maybe closer to like a six and a half inch touchscreen in the middle.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is an absolute must.
And now for the important stuff.
We got the five door, but the thing is, we have two full size suitcases
and it's not really big enough for both.
You have to put the rear seat down, as you can see here,
just to get the two suitcases in.
So we got the alcohol, we got the both full size suitcases.
And of course, we got both backpacks in.
But if we had another bag or possibly an animal or a child with us, we would be out of luck.
We drove for a little bit.
And one of the first things I noticed was how terribly slow this thing is.
We were only about 70 miles away from where we needed to go.
And Waze told us it was about a five hour drive.
Well, you realize it's because this thing only has 105 horsepower.
I took advantage, though, of the stops that we did have to kind of get out and walk around
and look at the car as well as look at the scenery.
The drive from the airport up to the Mount Aranol was beautiful,
starting to get dark, though, and starting to get rainy.
And I got to tell you, at night, in a vehicle like this, the A-pillars are so thick,
you can't really see through them.
That's a major complaint.
And the headlights, despite how well it looks on this video,
with this thing sped up to 250 percent speed,
were not very good.
It does not have HIDs.
For the life of me, I do not understand why any vehicle made in 2026
does not come with high intensity discharge bulbs.
Those incandescent ones suck.
Going to different excursions and driving around Aranol was an absolute breeze.
We almost got stuck on the side of the road one time,
but it was definitely worth it.
We actually used the AWD maybe once or twice.
Otherwise, it just rained the whole time we were there,
and we never had a problem finding a place to park
or getting this little thing anywhere.
After a couple days, it was time to leave on another long journey,
and we decided to stop for gas,
because while this thing is great on gas mileage,
it is a long ways to where we're going about six hours.
And despite me complaining earlier about how painfully slow this thing is,
this was the part of the journey that I praised having a vehicle like this,
because unexpected to us, as we were taking ways,
it told us to turn right because it is the most direct route,
because in this country of Costa Rica,
these side streets essentially are farm roads.
Big enough for one vehicle, sometimes one and a half vehicle,
and if you have a clapped out Civic, you will bottom out.
In fact, the last stretch, I could have sworn we were going the wrong way,
but finally we arrived at the JW Marriott Guanacosta Resort,
and we were essentially where we needed to be.
After getting settled in and having a pop,
it's time for a night.
As the next day, we had some excursions,
we had some beaches we needed to go to.
Once we got there, it was beach after beach after beach.
We took this Jimny everywhere.
Of course, it was capable parking was easy.
I think I said parking was a breeze and this thing could go anywhere.
In fact, some of the beaches in Costa Rica,
you are, you have to go basically overlanding with your vehicle.
I'm telling you, most of the vehicles, at least here in the States,
that you see people driving around on that aren't pickup trucks,
would have a hard time getting through it.
But what happens when you get to the other end,
you see all the other vehicles that have braved the way,
and you find other really beautiful beaches.
After a few days, it was time to go back,
and it's time for me to tell you what I didn't really like about this vehicle.
The reverse camera was super basic.
It felt like one of those aftermarket ones.
It was adequate enough,
but probably one of the worst ones I've ever seen.
And my number one biggest complain about this vehicle
is its connectivity to car play and or Android Auto.
Sometimes when you start the car,
it can take the Suzuki startup screen two,
sometimes three minutes to kick on and initiate.
So you're just sitting there in the hot car
waiting for the maps to turn on.
So you can know exactly where it is you're going.
It's a minor thing to complain about,
but you might be in a country where maybe you want to buy a Suzuki Jimny.
This could be a very frustrating thing for you.
In fact, I sat there and I waited and timed it,
and it got hot.
And eventually I turned the car off and back on a few times,
and the display kicked back on.
So that's something you may want to pay special attention to
if you decide to rent a Suzuki Jimny.
Last but not least,
and this has nothing to do with the rental car,
but if you are going to Costa Rica
and you plan on driving back to the airport,
make sure you give yourself plenty of time
because if traffic stops you,
you could be in for a very long day.
I mean, guys, at the end of the day,
when I rent the Suzuki Jimny again,
I gotta tell you, I went from hating this vehicle
when I first rented it to absolutely loving it
when I got done with it.
And I didn't know when I rented it,
it was only like 105 horsepower,
which made all the sense in the world
because I'm sitting there driving this thing on the highways
thinking, man, this thing isn't much quicker than my K car.
Most of the roads, at least where we were at,
were not major highways.
They were just side streets, two lanes,
sometimes dirt roads, farm roads,
like you've heard me say earlier.
That annoying carplay initialization screen
is one of the things that just drives me absolutely batty.
I wouldn't buy the vehicle,
but I think if I ever read some place where I'm going,
and it says you need to rent a 4x4 vehicle,
I would have no reservations about renting one of these again.
Again, it is really small,
so if there's two people,
then you have two full-size luggage and two backpacks,
not a lot of room.
All right, I got the official script out.
If you like what you heard today,
hope you're subscribed to this podcast.
Hope you're subscribed if you're watching on YouTube.
I don't even know if you subscribe on Spotify or you just hit follow.
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About this episode
The discussion covers Acura's recall of over 137,000 vehicles due to an all-wheel-drive system failure, with personal experiences shared about the issue. Honda's cancellation of its Zero Series EVs, including the RSX EV, is analyzed in the context of market realities and infrastructure challenges for electric vehicles. The host also shares a detailed review of renting and driving a Suzuki Jimny in Costa Rica, highlighting its off-road capabilities and limitations. Additionally, the episode touches on the host's recent vehicle purchase of a 2026 Acura MDX A-spec and experiences with traffic enforcement in Scottsdale.
Hard Parking EP316 - Honda Cancels Zero Series EVs, Acura MDX Issues & Jimny Rental Review body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px; } h1, h2 { color: #333; } ul { list-style-type: none; padding-left: 0; } li { margin-bottom: 10px; } .chapters { background: #f9f9f9; padding: 15px; border-radius: 8px; } Hard Parking EP316: Honda Cancels Zero Series EVs + Acura MDX AWD Probe & Suzuki Jimny Costa Rica RentalEpisode Summary
In the latest Hard Parking episode, Jhae dives into big automotive headlines: the NHTSA's investigation into over 137,000 Acura TLX and MDX models for intermittent all-wheel-drive failures, sharing his own experiences with the glitch on a 2023 MDX. He breaks down Honda's shocking cancellation of the Zero Series EVs—including the 0 SUV, 0 Saloon, and Acura RSX—citing EV market struggles, infrastructure limits, and a smarter pivot to hybrids. Jhae recounts the family vehicle hunt, from Toyota test drives to landing a sleek new 2026 Acura MDX A-Spec with Advance package upgrades like massaging seats. He also delivers a fun, honest review of renting a Suzuki Jimny in Costa Rica, praising its off-road prowess despite its quirks like slow acceleration and CarPlay delays. What do you think about Honda ditching those EVs—smart move or missed opportunity?
