Rob L

yeah how can ANYONE look at the interior and say it doesn't look luxurious or that it doesn't ahve a lot of luxury car items.

Amazing how biased people can be just because a product comes for a different company. If this was a Lexus model I guarantee most here would love it.

The new GS can only be so lucky to have as nice an interior as the new RL...from the pics of the GS shown in January, it won't. Shame because the current GS' interior is awesome as are the other Lexus models.

I just love seeing people here making comments about how the RL is overpriced, doesn't ahve performance and all this stuff yet every single car mag/person who ahs driven it has said it is amazing. So funny. I swear, it is going to easily out handle the new GS3 and probably the new GS430 as well. I don't want that to be the case but I think it will.

LexFather

I disagree, as we are giving the new Infiniti M35/45 props. This car simply does not move us for 50k. Leather and wood does not make for "luxury". You can get it in a Corolla nowadays.

doug_999

Could not agree more.

SecPole14

I'm making it OFFICIAL:

A.) I will no longer participate in discussion regarding Acura or the vehicles that carry the badge. (It's becoming a waste of time and energy; you all know where I stand.)

B.) I recant many of the negative statements I have made about Infiniti's new cars. My criticism and violent dislike for Acura has recently made me realize how great the 'new' Infiniti is. I may not think the asthetic design is top-notch and might still nit-pick things, but I will never again criticize the company or the cars as a whole. Now that Infiniti has decided to play with the big boys, I could care less what happens to Acura. Two top-teir (Infiniti will be unquestionably top-teir if they keep this up for the next 5 years) Japanese makes is enough to satisfy me.

The end. Bye folks.

LexusLuver

TCC seems to really like the car, I'm going to wait and see how the new GS, 5series, RL, and M35/45 compete against each other. It should be very interesting.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/inde...&sid=183&n=157

Gojirra99

Haha, you reposted this article that I quoted in the last page with a link.

Yes, I'm worried for the new GS going against it's rivals in this highly competitive segment given what we've seen & heard of the new GS so far.

XeroK00L

One truly innovative feature in the new RL that most people seem to have omitted, is the Active Noise Cancellation System (ANC).

The ANC not only lowers the noise level by adding extensive amount of noise-insulation materials around the cabin, but it also utilizes the audio system to generate opposing sound frequencies to neutralize/cancel noise from the outside(!!!). This, my friend, is something I would call a true, astounding, ground-breaking, innovation.

Kudos to the scientists at Honda. I agree that anyone who says the new RL isn't a true luxury car is insane.

Iceman

That's where you're losing the logical argument, Mike. This car offers a helluva lot more than leather and wood. Now that I'm a Lexus owner I understand much better than I did before the little things that set Lexus apart, so when I get a chance to see this new RL in person and watch the reliability figures over time I'll be a little skeptical, wondering where Acura cut corners to put so much car in a $50K package. But if I was looking for a sports sedan right now, the old RL would not make the short list while this new one definitely would. $50K too much? I think it's a freakin' bargain.

RNM GS3

When ur spending 50,000 on a car, value for the money is not something u really consider IMO. Thats a lot of money to spend for anyone and MOST people will get a car that appeals to them in terms of styling and prestige, rather than HP #s and various technological options. Its usually an emotional rather than a rational decision.

I will use myself as an example.......I have a 02 GS300, and at that time i could of purchased the 02 Acura TL typeS, which was much faster, cheaper, and would of came with HIDs and Navigation system, features that my car does not have. The Acura wins hand down right? WRONG........To me the GS was one of my favorite cars from the first day it came out in 1997, its a classic design.....while the TL looked like a typical common Accord. The Interior of the GS was much nicer and more comfortable. And ofcourse the prestige of having a Lexus is much higher than Acura.

Anyway my point is a luxury item is purchased not based on how great of a value it is, but based on a customer's emotional attachement to it. Economy cars and family cars like the Nissan Altima, provide most of the features and HP#s that cars costing much more do. Its the prestige, styling, and attention to detail that the Luxury marques have that separates them from the others and which makes customers still purchase them.

This is my interpretation of the current mass production LUXURY Brands.

Tier 1 - Mercedez-Benz
BMW
Tier 2 - Lexus (IMO they need a V12 model, and M, AMG competitor to be a Tier 1 luxury brand)
Audi
Tier 3 - Jaguar
Cadillac
Infiniti
Tier 4 - Acua
Volvo
Lincoln?
Chrysler?
VW?

doug_999

Two questions
1. Why does Audi go in Tier 2? Has the W12 and the S series.
2. If VW means the Tourag and Phaeton, shouldn't it be at least Tier 3? Or do the lower end cars in the line up cars demote it?

Just curious - oh and no way should the Acura be in the same class as Chrysler or Lincoln - those guys are at least a level below (the Chrysler two levels below)

Iceman

Everyone has their own list of which brands fit in which tiers, but the line I quoted above is the one I want to discuss further. Since prestige IS an individual thing, that leaves styling and attention to detail. Styling, too, is subjective. Your boring TL Type-S is a classicly designed sporty sedan to someone else. One man's Bangled-up 745i is a daring design direction to another shopper. I'll just say that this new RL is unlikely to OFFEND many people with its styling, but is clearly more aggressive and corporately-cued than the model it replaces. So that brings us to attention to detail, which is something Acura used to excel at but has struggled with in recent years (blown transmissions are one extreme, but there also have been increased complaints of things like rattles, fake wood, and slightly imperfect fit/finish). Recent indications are that they have learned this lesson, and only a first-person inspection of the RL combined with long-term trending will reveal the truth.

Based on all that, do you still think Acura belongs in such a low tier?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

WAAAAY COOL! I'm definitely gonna look at an RL next time around cuz it's only going to be better by the time I'm looking.

RNM GS3

1) I personally like what Audi is doing and they make very nice designs, espedially the new A8.......But they are not on the same level as MB and BMW. Their marketing and brand direction is horrible in the US, in large part to bad decisions by VW. Why was the Tourag branded a VW and not Audi?? Audi needs a luxury SUV to compete with ML, RX, X5. And the Phaeton was a disaster imo. Imagine Toyota selling a car that competes with the LS 430.

2) VW is not a luxury company in anyone's mind bec most of the cars are priced well under 30k.

doug_999

1. Pikes Peak. http://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/437077.phtml
2. The Phaeton is a luxury car. A disaster? Maybe in terms of sales and weight, but overall, an incredible car - even Autoweek picked it over the S500.

RNM GS3

1) The Tourag is more of a luxury car therefore should of been an Audi, it would help its sales and help build the Audi brand. The new SUV from ur link seems promising, but still no reason why Tourag is sold as a VW. MB, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, and Cadillac have at least 2 SUV products currenty on the market. Audi has ZERO.

2)I never said the Phaeton is not a luxury car, for 100k it should be one. But WV is def not a luxury company bec most of the cars they sell and make are jettas, golfs, passats, and beetles. Just bec they make one car that is luxury doesn't make them a luxury company.

Phaeton is a HUGE disaster. Bad sales, bad marketing, bad decision.