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Where is Honda taking Acura?

1091 messages,  Last post on Apr 01, 2013 at 7:55 AM

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What is this discussion about? Acura, Automotive News

Messages Page 110 of 110

#1083 of 1091 Then and Now by hpmctorque

Feb 14, 2011 (7:19 pm)

Acura used to represent quality, value, designs, cool names and prestige. Acura still represents quality, but no more so than Honda. The value factor has about vanished, as other premium brands have caught up. Design is no longer ahead of the pack. Model names, as has been mentioned, are confusing and not cool. Finally, the prestige factor of Acura versus, say, Honda, is marginal. This begs the question, then, of why pay a premium price for a fairly ordinary car?
 
to Acura's credit, resale values have remained relatively high, but that's not enough in the premium category. To succeed over the long-term, a premium product must feature the "gotta have it" factor, which Acura has lost. Hopefully, it will regain it, plus value, with future platforms. Honda has the resources to do it.

#1084 of 1091 Re: Wishing for Updated 2003 TL [car_dude] by isellhondas

Feb 14, 2011 (8:07 pm)

Replying to: car_dude (Feb 14, 2011 1:53 pm)
You are the exception. The majority of Pilot buyes FAR perferred the changes on the new models. Same applies to the Accords.
 
But, every time a model get's changed, ther will always be a few and I mean just a few who will ask..." why did you mess it up?"
 
I think Acura shot themselves in the foot when they renamed their models. The Legend that everyone knew and loved became an RL! Does that mean "Renamed Legend?". They spent years building a model name and they changed it for some dumb reason. Why?
 
Then they ruined the looks acrosds the line when they hung those hideous "beaks" on the front ends.
 
While they were renaming cars and screwing up the looks, the competition grew stronger in an already overcrowded marketplace.

#1085 of 1091 Re: Wishing for Updated 2003 TL [isellhondas] by car_dude

Feb 15, 2011 (12:16 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (Feb 14, 2011 8:07 pm)
I guess design wise new Pilot was fine, but it just didn't feel right. I was excited when I got 08 Pilot, but when I drove the latest Pilot - it din't feel special.
 
I also think that Pilot got to be too expensive for what it is, at least to lease the configuration we looked at. For a little bit extra in monthly payment you can get more upscale SUV.

#1086 of 1091 Re: direction [gs42] by xrunner2

Feb 16, 2011 (10:21 am)

Replying to: gs42 (Feb 14, 2011 9:00 am)
Clown face. That is a good description. Did they make the front end worse?
 
We will hang onto our 04-08 gen TL. Runs fine, no trouble. Hopefully, Acura is working on a major rework of the TL to be ready in 2014.
 
Might get a hint if Honda/Acura have purged their inept stylists/designers when they replace the baroque-looking Accord.

#1087 of 1091 Re: direction [xrunner2] by hpmctorque

Aug 25, 2011 (2:37 am)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Feb 16, 2011 10:21 am)
The '12 Civic seems to have missed the bulls-eye by a rather wide margin. I'm sure it's a good car, but, in a market that's full of excellent compact cars, the Civic is no longer is special. It'll be interesting to see whether the next all-new (2013) Accord will devolve in a similar manner, or not. The '13 Accord will give us a hint of what to expect for the next generation TSX and TL, since they're based on the Accord.

#1088 of 1091 Re: direction [hpmctorque] by xrunner2

Aug 25, 2011 (7:58 am)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Aug 25, 2011 2:37 am)
New Civic will lose sales to Elantra and Focus.
 
Acura division goofed up with current version of TL. Don't know the reason why they still make RL. And the Acura soopy roof car with rear hatch is a joke with car magazine writers.

#1090 of 1091 to the woodshed! by steve_ HOST

Dec 17, 2012 (3:33 pm)

"Dealership got caught fleecing an 83-year-old, and refused to unfleece him until American Honda Motor Co. stepped in."
 
Swindle in Texas a lesson for car buyers (Detroit News)
 
Good for Honda. The Dealer Ratings here for them is pretty poor too (zip 76137). Gotta wonder how many other people have been ripped off.

#1091 of 1091 RLX by hpmctorque

Apr 01, 2013 (7:55 am)

The new RLX got a negative review in the Wall Street Journal. Among the comments, Dan Neil, the reviewer, said the RLX, Acura's flagship sedan, is little more than a larger, heavily contented Accord. While adapting Honda's FWD architecture to a car with E-Class and 5-Series fighting pretensions saved money, the result is a car that doesn't accomplish its mission, in the reviewer's opinion. Further, it's not even an effective competitor to the A-6 Quattro. Was Dan Neil too critical of the RLX?
 
Incidentally, Consumers Reports rated the 2013 A-6 best-in-class; better than the E-Class or 5-Series.
  
It should be mentioned that the RLX will be available with AWD later this year. The AWD version will also have more power. I hope the WSJ tests that model too, to see whether that will make the RLX more competitive with its German rivals. And, let's not forget Cadillac, which just introduced an all-new, larger CTS to take on the Germans. Plus, Lexus, Infiniti and Jaguar aren't standing still.
 
There were many years when Acura cars were important players in the entry luxury car segment, and one level higher with the Legend and NSX, but in recent years Acura's successes have only been in SUVs and crossovers. Acura badly needs a successful sedan on the order of the '99-'03 and '04-'08 TLs. Maybe the '14 TLX will be that car. Or maybe there's still hope for the RLX, once the AWD version becomes available.

Messages Page 110 of 110

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