What are your thoughts on Acura?

[SilverRex]

Originally posted by Xtrema
I knew this thread will become troll bait.

IMO Audi and Acura are very much alike. Audi are pricier version of VW. Acura are pricier version of Honda. Both lacks RWD platform and relies on AWD to boost performance.


Acura's god awful new grill is also killing the brand. They really need to poach some new designers or keep the accountants out of the kitchen.

I saw a new TL with an aftermarket grill, I cant recall what grill it was, but after seeing that in action, the TL instantly looked night and day.

I dont think I will ever get into a TL considering my next car will most likely be a SUV, but if I was to get into one, the grill's got to go, otherwise it aint so bad.

while I agree audi and bmw are higher brands than of Acura, but you cannot ignore the value seen here, that is why it is true, Acura's are entry luxury vehicles for folks where they cannot afford Audi's or BMW or even mercedes. If money is a choke point, Acura appeals period. No use in arguing Acura having no RWD or this or that. 90% buyers look at value more than anything else, that is why you continue to see kias and hyundais out there.

Acura's are a good solid vehicle that's priced right. You get your money's worth, if you one seeks more, then look else where and be prepared to shell out more dough, even though you dont really need to break the bank to move on to more luxurious brand, but you will surprise to find how many buyers are seperated just because of a half a % percetage rate or merely a thousand dollars.

[n1zm0]

without reading through all the fanboy stuff, prepare for wall of text!

the original question from OP - the decline of the product reputation over the last 10 years all IMO:

i worked at one of the local Acura dealerships for about 4 years, i was super excited when i started, with the tuning craze just starting (early 2000s), NSXs, souped up integras omg!! I got to drive NSXs even forced induction ones, ITRs more than i can count and some other unique and high end makes/models that encompass working on 'rich folk's' cars, it was great! but to take a snapshot on my time there regarding the product quality i'd have to say the following:

the year 2000 is when you saw Acura (and Honda as well - odyssey/pilot) start to really domesticate the production of some of their models, over the years that i was there, of all the recalls that were addressed/issued, almost a good 80% them were the VIN #s that started with 1s and 2s (2=Canada-ontario and 1=USA-ohio produced). very very minor and mostly insignificant service bulletins/recalls were issued for the J-VIN'd stuff (Japan manuf.) that i can recall. Those of you who say the country of manufacture has nothing to do with quality - look at how much of a POS the first gen ML was when Merc decided to start producing it in Alabama, same goes with Acura, the production for most of the stuff in the past decade that we see on our streets had been newly assigned to both the alliston, ON and marysville, OH plants . the ontario plant had only been producing civics before then and the ohio plant had been doing accords and goldwings.


The great 3.2/3.5L auto tranny recall, the TL bumpstop wearing out tires excessively, the EL/MDX premature strut leaks. It was consistent to the tee for all these N.A produced Acuras. The blueprint was great for most of them, like the UA6/7 TL - great look for the time, decent HP (aside from the fact that its a fat obese pig for a FWD), nice balanced footwork (nice wide rims and a suspension system that wasnt too hard or soft), but someone dropped the ball during production, when you work on these things every day you start to notice flaws, like Chevy Cavalier-esque type of panel fittings i.e: misalignment of 2 mating surfaces - trunk to bumper etc and this is straight off the Allied Systems car-carrier truck from the train, from Ohio, yet the sales for the first of the 3rd gen TLs were huge - everyone who had a UA4/5 wanted to trade in for one, i know at a few points we had ran out completely for PDI'd stock and there was one whole day when all i can remember was helping techs do PDIs on them.


For the new stuff during this past decade, the RSX/integras, TSX, RL were the only things that were Japan built during that 10 year period. so you have 3/9 (not including the NSX, class the CSX/EL together as well as RSX/Integra) that were built in Japan, those 6 N.A built models (namely the TL/MDX/EL-CSXs) were also the bulk majority of sales for Acura during the past 10 years, so safe to say that a 'neutral' car enthusiast could see obvious the quality drop.

The old crap: first gen TLs, Legends-legend coupes, Vigors , integras. ALL were J- VIN'd, they're what made the Acura name = Affordable and reliable luxury (mostly the sedans), they are what made lifelong Acura customers ( i remember meeting customers who've only bought acuras all the way back to their first legend or integra in 86')

It's really all just as said above, soomewhat glorified Hondas.. with leather seats save for the the RL i guess, i remember people would bring in their ridgelines/pilots/odysseys because they thought they were getting better trained/higher quality techs, 3/4 of the old school guys there and a handful of apprentices all came from a honda dealer at one point in their careers or straight from one, the simplicity of them (older hondas obviously) is what keeps them with the brand.

So all-in-all as i said, good blueprints are there, but something falls off from there to the time the car rolls off the assy line under its own power, i've also been actually looking into getting a pre-facelift first gen TSX for daily driver as i can remember those the problems with those were always very minimal, the quality of that product impacted me enough to make that top 3 on the list for the next daily driver i would purchase.

[rc2002]

Originally posted by n1zm0
wall of text

I agree. I let the country of assembly dictate the cars I buy too. Acura is now designed in North America, assembled in North America. I hate to generalize, but every Honda I've owned that was not assembled in Japan has had a lot of issues.

As far as the original discussion about Acura, they are pseudo-luxury vehicles. At least Lexus, Infiniti, and Audi bring it to the next level. But Acura feels no different from a Honda when it comes to ride quality, fit and finish.

[t-im]

Originally posted by richardchan2002
As far as the original discussion about Acura, they are pseudo-luxury vehicles. At least Lexus, Infiniti, and Audi bring it to the next level. But Acura feels no different from a Honda when it comes to ride quality, fit and finish.

I think this is the biggest point for me. Acura Canada still feels the need to market the CSX, which as we all know is purely a rebadged Civic. I mean at least make some body changes to it, because to a casual observer, it's a Civic. It's hard to take Acura seriously when they have that sitting in the showroom.

Case in point: the Lexus ES350, the interior/exterior doesn't particularly resemble a Camry.

Infiniti moved upmarket in my eyes when they ditched the Qx4 and G20.

[n1zm0]

Originally posted by t-im

I think this is the biggest point for me. Acura Canada still feels the need to market the CSX, which as we all know is purely a rebadged Civic.

they are holding onto the fact that the EL was their best selling model for almost 6 years in CDN. the first gen EL (domani) was awesome yes, the 2nd gen got progressively worse imo. so the CSX replaced the EL line and theyre beating a dead horse in hopes that it'll get another run at 'stardom'... not with that pricing it wont..

edit:
same goes for that insane excuse for a $40k corolla, the HS250... who were they trying to attract whem they built that thing??!

[heavyD]

Originally posted by richardchan2002


I agree. I let the country of assembly dictate the cars I buy too. Acura is now designed in North America, assembled in North America. I hate to generalize, but every Honda I've owned that was not assembled in Japan has had a lot of issues.

As far as the original discussion about Acura, they are pseudo-luxury vehicles. At least Lexus, Infiniti, and Audi bring it to the next level. But Acura feels no different from a Honda when it comes to ride quality, fit and finish.

IMO the delsol (I owned a rare VTEC model) was one of the poorest made Honda's I've seen or owned and it was made in Japan. Maybe some of you forget but integras, delsol's and other hondas in the 90's had door panel vinyl that pulled off the doors looking terrible or the poor water drainage that causes nearly every integra to rust at the bottom of the doors. The 5-speed synchros that were biodegradeable over 100K km's. The paint on most 90's hondas chipped to a nice sandblasted look and overall poor rustproofing.

Don't get me wrong. Honda has always built a great car and the 4-cylinders are bulletproof but they have had their share off issues just like everyone else and that includes the ones made in Japan.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by SilverRex


I saw a new TL with an aftermarket grill, I cant recall what grill it was, but after seeing that in action, the TL instantly looked night and day.

Ron Jon

http://ronjonwheels.com/4g-tl-grille.html

[schocker]

Originally posted by n1zm0
edit:
same goes for that insane excuse for a $40k corolla, the HS250... who were they trying to attract whem they built that thing??!

I thought it was for people looking for something a bit of a step up from the prius with still reasonable fuel economy at 35mpg.

[b18cr]

Acura's are a great and reliable product, in my opinion, Lexus are the biggest waste of money and are extremely way over priced dressed up toyotas for that matter. lets do some comparisions

2004 accord v6

2004 TL


nothing similar whatsoever exterior wise.




u dress up the taillights and you get a lexus.

at least in infiniti, the models between the M series and Maxima, there are vast differences.
and from the lower level G35,G37 compared to an altima.

in toyota/lexus the interiors are always going to be toyota, with the Gauge cluster all the same as a toyota. toyota landcruiser or seqouia, to the lexus lx470,570 versions.

porsche cayenne to the volkswagen toureg.

i think acura/honda is doing a great job, keeping thier luxury class apart from looking like their top class honda.
no mdx can compare to a honda pilot, body, and interior wise.
no TL can compare to a honda accord,
RSX cant compare to a civic si,
RDX cant compare to a honda crv.
everything except the CSX /civic.

as far as lexus goes, to me, they are the way over priced ones. when u sit in one campared to a toyota, everything feels toyota.

[01RedDX]

.

[Type_S1]

Originally posted by SilverRex

Acura's are entry luxury vehicles for folks where they cannot afford Audi's or BMW or even mercedes.

Do you even know car prices? I could go buy an entry level Audi or BMW for the same price as an Acura

Your a dumbass to think they are for people who "can't afford" fucking idiot.

This whole thread all I can say is...Some people like Toyotas(or Lexus), Some people like Hondas(or Acuras), some people like VW's(or Audis--->which I think are the worst car anyone can possibly buy, horrible quality and value), and some people like BMW and Mercedes.

Cars all range in different values so you cannot compare a 90,00 BMW or Audi to a TL or TSX. You compare dollar for dollar. Dollar for dollar I think Acura compare to any other company on the market for quality vehicles, but it really comes down to which company you like more and which style of cars you like.

To add to another comment, that front grill on new acura's is , but there are some pretty nice looking aftermarket ones that make the cars look WAAAYY better IMO.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Type_S1




Do you even know car prices? I could go buy an entry level Audi or BMW for the same price as an Acura

Your a dumbass to think they are for people who "can't afford" fucking idiot.

Don't call people idiot til you take your own advice.

A fully loaded TSX is $43K. A4 is $54K.
A fully loaded TL A-Spec is $52K. S4 is $72K. Base A6 is $65K.
A fully loaded RL is $64K. A6 3.0T is $65K, A6 4.2 is $76K.
A fully loaded CSX-S is $34K. A3 is $40K before I start with options.

The question here is, for the price of an Acura, you can barely afford a similar European model that is stripped bare of options.

Even if I don't want to argue on price, what's Acura's answer for S4, 335i, IS-F, M3, M5, RS4, R8, C63, various cabriolets and coupes?

There's no denying that Acura's selling model is "why have a 328 with a crappy radio when you can have a fully loaded TSX". And for some people it works. It basically the same marketing tactic with Hyundai Genesis and upcoming Equus.

And if you think Europeans are not worth it, Infiniti has a range of G37s (sedan, coupe and convertibles) that are way more fun to drive and priced similar to Acura with similar options.

Originally posted by b18cr
blah

Unfortunately, that's only badge engineer car in the Lexus line up. (Well may be RX too).

But you won't find a Toyota equivalent of IS, GS, LS, GX.

Everything in Acura's line up is based on Honda platform. And other than CSX, everything else are pretty good form of badge engineering.

I think marketing need to do more for SHAWD. Like making it standard on all cars like quattro for Audi in North America. SHAWD is very good tech. Unfortunately it came at a time when Acura make the ugliest cars possible.

And the other knock on Acura (and even Honda) is powertrain advancement. What got Honda here today is they have VTEC before everyone else know what it is. Now everyone got FI, DI, DCT, 7 and 8sp auto that make Acura spec sheets looks like that are from last decade.

It Honda's stubborness to use everything in-house that caused the great tech retreat. Honda/Acura was great because they were run by engineers. It has been ran by accountants for over a decade now.

[SilverRex]

Originally posted by Type_S1




Do you even know car prices? I could go buy an entry level Audi or BMW for the same price as an Acura

Your a dumbass to think they are for people who "can't afford" fucking idiot.

This whole thread all I can say is...Some people like Toyotas(or Lexus), Some people like Hondas(or Acuras), some people like VW's(or Audis--->which I think are the worst car anyone can possibly buy, horrible quality and value), and some people like BMW and Mercedes.

Cars all range in different values so you cannot compare a 90,00 BMW or Audi to a TL or TSX. You compare dollar for dollar. Dollar for dollar I think Acura compare to any other company on the market for quality vehicles, but it really comes down to which company you like more and which style of cars you like.

To add to another comment, that front grill on new acura's is , but there are some pretty nice looking aftermarket ones that make the cars look WAAAYY better IMO.

strange, that is exactly my point, I stand by Acura as a good solid car and is priced right. The idea of getting an Acura because one cannot afford audi/bmw are true. At least to me anyways, when I got my tsx at the time, it was loaded under 40k, and since I couldnt afford anything over 40k at the time, there was no where I can even get into an entry level audi or bmw for that matter, and even if I do, I'll be buying a base model with no options.

Therefore the value factor is bigger than you think, I have a friend who just picked up a MDX again few weeks back, same deal. since the price he pay for a loaded mdx, he would be not be able to get into a loaded X5 or Q7 for that matter.

And I agree, hate the grill on the new TL and seen some pretty sweet aftermarket ones. Acuras will remain as one of my car of choice. The service at silver hill some times is worth the purchase right there.

[Prelude_dude]

Originally posted by SilverRex


is this the new TSX? because my 04 TSX 2.4L I was getting 10L/100km city, some times even at 9.6L/100km for 5 straight years.

wow 10L/100km city... hitting multiple vtec daily lol? I have to resist the urge to rever up lol, but my 2nd gen i usually get anywhere as low as 7.8-8.5L/100km, but if im reving it and racing around the city then im up in 9-10km/100km range

Overall, yea i personally chose my TSX over a IS250 because I wanted all the options for a good price. can't complain for the price i got everything i wanted, navi, handsfree, back up camera, HIDS, ELS s10 speaker stereo system, memo seats, and memo keys, usb input, aux input, 8 way adjustable power seating and alot more. Im pretty tech savy, and i like all those little thingys and extra gadgets, so it makes a big difference for me. I also test drove both cars as i really actually liked the is250, in the end the TSX just felt like a better drive in terms of comfort, and performance, little roomier also. I can say to this day im pretty happy with my choice, the grill takes a little getting used too, but it grew on me alot, and i personally love the grill now

[gpomp]

tsx should be well below 10L/100km

judging by this graph, it should be in the high 8s or low 9s

http://www.fuelly.com/car/acura/tsx

[94boosted]

Originally posted by Speed_69
It's poser luxury IMO.

And the shield on the front makes me

I don't know who in their right mind would pay an extra 10-30k for a civic/accord when your really not getting that much more.

[Aleks]

2010 Acura TSX

11.8L/100kms City, 8.4L/100kms highway EPA. Or, if you use the numbers from NRC 10.5/7.0

If someone can get 46mpg in a turbo saab on this site I'm sure a few peeps on fuelly can manage high 20s as well

[heavyD]

Originally posted by Aleks
2010 Acura TSX

11.8L/100kms City, 8.4L/100kms highway EPA. Or, if you use the numbers from NRC 10.5/7.0

If someone can get 46mpg in a turbo saab on this site I'm sure a few peeps on fuelly can manage high 20s as well

Ha ha ha. Of all arguments fuel mileage is one that I just can't relate to. I can't even get 20 mpg no matter how hard I try.

[rc2002]

Originally posted by b18cr
as far as lexus goes, to me, they are the way over priced ones. when u sit in one campared to a toyota, everything feels toyota.

Aesthetically, Toyota might have some similarities to Lexus but when you drive one, it's a whole different story. Cabin noise, vibration and ride quality are much improved in the Lexus. It actually drives like a luxury car.

When you drive an Acura, it feels exactly the same as a Honda.

[nixrx8]

Originally posted by b18cr
Acura's are a great and reliable product, in my opinion, Lexus are the biggest waste of money and are extremely way over priced dressed up toyotas for that matter. lets do some comparisions

2004 accord v6

2004 TL


nothing similar whatsoever exterior wise.




u dress up the taillights and you get a lexus.

at least in infiniti, the models between the M series and Maxima, there are vast differences.
and from the lower level G35,G37 compared to an altima.

in toyota/lexus the interiors are always going to be toyota, with the Gauge cluster all the same as a toyota. toyota landcruiser or seqouia, to the lexus lx470,570 versions.

porsche cayenne to the volkswagen toureg.

i think acura/honda is doing a great job, keeping thier luxury class apart from looking like their top class honda.
no mdx can compare to a honda pilot, body, and interior wise.
no TL can compare to a honda accord,
RSX cant compare to a civic si,
RDX cant compare to a honda crv.
everything except the CSX /civic.

as far as lexus goes, to me, they are the way over priced ones. when u sit in one campared to a toyota, everything feels toyota.

Thanks for referencing 05 Models for your Lexus/Toyota Comparison. Judging by photo's even Lexus/Toyota figured out they should differentiate shared platforms a little more than they did.

I'd encourage you to go sit in a 2010 ES350 and a 2010 Camry XLE and tell me the materials are the same.

Last time I sat in a RSX it had the same shitty rock hard plastic dash materials that I found in a Civic Si.