UDel

Acura vehicles come with just about every luxury feature that Lexus/Infiniti and most German brands come with and even with features they don't have. Actually Acura vehicles come with all this stuff standard where you have to pay thousands extra from other brands to get it. Acura has what most agree as the best NAV systems out which are standard on all RLs and optional on the other vehicles and has the most advanced all wheel drive system available on a number of vehicles. The RL is loaded with all the luxury features that you pay thousands extra for in most other brands. What luxury features do Lexus or Infiniti or other makes have that Acura does not have in their vehicles? HID headlights are standard in all Acura vehicles now and was in most of them where it is still an option in the Lexus IS250 and maybe other models if I am not mistaking. I have seen cloth interior 2nd gen GSs that did not have HIDs or heated seats which all this came standard in my parents 99 TL and 03 CL.

Acuras are not cheap they are just not way overpriced like most other luxury marks especially BMW and Mercedes. With Acura you get a vehicle that may have a slightly higher base price then some lexus and infiniti models and even Audi and BMW models but the Acura will come standard with all the options that you would have to pay much more for with the other brands and even then you may not get as powerful or nice a car. Acura did build and sell the most expensive and highest performing car to come out of Japan the NSX so they are not just entry level. Compare an RL with a GS, M, 5 series, E class, A6, and it will be just as nice if not nicer.

Acura's only problem or what they don't have available is full size large engined expensive luxury sedans and coupes to compete with the S class, 7 series, LS, A-8, CL, 6 series, etc. Either Acura does not want to compete in that sector or they are about to and may have some trouble at first until they can build up the reputation to sell large vehicles priced at or over 60K.

doug_999

This is true. I think the head scratching comes in with specifics such as keyless entry/start and cooled seats (as well as a couple of other things) - things that Acura really should have. In fact, up until just recently, I think Acura had a separate remote from the key (I know my wife's MDX has them separate)

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

need to retire J series, cant compete with toyotas new generation of engines

Lil4X

It looks like Acura lost its original focus. Introduced as a step up for the Honda buyer, it was the Buick to the Honda's "Chevy" division - a cut above, but not yet a full-boat luxury car. Its performance was once advertised as "balanced", neither overwhelming, nor anemic - just a balance required for interesting, spirited driving - not record lap times.

There was no V8 because such an engine did not fit with the "balanced" vision of the car. In time as Camrys and Accords got V6's, that was becoming an untenable position, particularly as the Acura line began to march upscale in the MSRP department. Evidently not all management was on board, as the brand moved into the luxury segment's price range, it steadfastly refused to offer a V8 - thought by most buyers to be de rigeur for the luxury class. Instead of the big motor, the public got lectures.

Despite offering a fine product, particularly in their sedans, Acura still suffers from this lack of product focus. If they are going to stake out a position in the luxury market, they need to offer a V8. They are not in business to train their market to the correct way of thinking, but to manufacture what the public is buying. In the US, that accounts for a huge segment of the Acura market, we don't give a rat's rear end about what will sell in the home islands, we want to stop being smoked by lesser cars. I mean if a Bentley can haul its immense leather-lined carcass through the lights in 13 seconds . . .

Call it corporate hubris, but if Acura is going to sell in the numbers it deserves, Honda corporate needs to develop a very specific vision for their market and their product, and stop taking pot shots at segments.

mmarshall

You're forgetting one thing, Lil. While Mercedes AMG, BMW M, and Audi S-car buyers may be exceptions, the average luxury-car buyer, in general, does not purchase his or her vehicle to "smoke" other vehicles, run funny-car quarter-time times through the traplights, or sprint from stoplight to stoplight like a jackrabbit. Acura knows this....and does not design its upper-level cars to do that. Neither, I might add, has Lexus up to now..........although there are, of course, plans for a Lexus " L " performance division.

jgscott

iTrader: (1)

PS : Every Indy car ran a Honda engine last year, not one of them failed. I think they can built a higher performance V6 or V8 if they wanted too.

Acura motors are still some of the only motors out there that can still run 300k to 400K miles like Lexus in daily drivers.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i give him lots of props for talking about all the problems and even admitting the issues with the acura (and the RL).

the way the RL is designed and as a flagship for acura, that's just a bad decision imho. as i have always said, honda they can do it, they can make it happen. they just need to execute right and make some difficult calls which everyone has been waiting for

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Honda is a wonderful company and it's not like they're falling apart. They need some introspection on the Acura strategy and I've no doubt they'll be fine. Plus, many auto makers would love to have a problem like the TL which continues to sell like crazy.

IS_Mine

I think they should just bring the prelude back. I always loved the latest body style. I know off topic but still Honda. :P