LexFather

I am trying to decide am I going to actually argue about two cars that r both complete failures for over a dozen years each. To b honest I'm attempting to care at this point. Once again your arguement lacks basic logic again as you missed my point again; one was a truer flagship and the other is a lower level vehicle that is forced to be a flagship.

Why are we even talking about the Q45???? This is about the RL.

joe80

v8 or no v8, RL failed because it's ugly and overpriced. you can't sell something for near 50k when it looks like a 35k car.

dunnojack

it better be a v6 turbo if it wants to be called a flagship.

otherwise

nthach

Honda, GM, Ford, and Chrysler can't engineer a tranny to save their lives - more so with Honda/GM/Chrysler - Ford and GM have been improving over the last decade. Shoot, it took GM and Ford several years to work the issues out of the 4L60E/4L80E/4T6xE and the AX4N/4R70W trannies. Chrysler and Honda trannies, OTOH drop like flies.

Blackraven

Oh sorry I forgot to note that. Here it is then.

KB1





KB2





When comparing the KB1 between the KB2 (based on both Honda Acura versions), you can tell that the KB1 has a better design yet uses the archaic J35A3 engine with standard VTEC while the KB2 has went down on the design part but has better features and a new + better engine which is the J37A2 unit with i-VTEC.

You can thus see the trade-off. Hopefully, with the next-gen version, there would be no trade-offs (hopefully).

@regarding night vision

I found the pic



Unfortunately, it's only for JDM-spec models for the KB1 and KB2.

Hopefully, they could make it standard feature or at least an option (that will be available for all territories).

@DRLs

Some markets like Canada and Scandinavia require DRLs (though just lights). Perhaps in the next model (and with upcoming EU mandate), LED DRL lights *might* be part of the new model I think.

Hehe, let's continue on with the discussion

mmarshall

One could argue, with some credibility, that the Q45 was indeed a failure in the American market....unlike its rebadged Nissan Cima cousin elsewhere. That is less the case with the RL. True, its sales numbers have not been impressive nationwide, but, locally, here, I've seen quite a few of them lately. Acura also, despite the low sales, does not seem to be losing money on them.....if that were the case, it would (probably) already have been dropped. And, like the Cima/Q45 relationship, the RL seems to be sold elsewhere as the Honda Legand.

joe80

RL is a great car. I drove it many times, and i really like how it drives. interior is awesome, and I would have to say probably best honda interior ever. sadly, it's love/hate design on outside and most people hate them.

The G Man

On one hand, Acura is saying they will not make a V8 engine because they want to design cars that gets good mileage. On the other handle, their V6 engine gets worst gas mileage than some of the other manufcaturer's V8 engine. It seems to me Acura have no more tricks up their sleeve. What ever their new design is for the RL, I am sure others have already done it with better results. Acura, for the most part, is a US market company. It still amaze me that they do not produce what the US market demands and remain totally out of touch as far as market trends is concerned.

TRDFantasy

Interesting point. Assuming Honda does finally adopt and use some more modern technology on the next-gen RL, it will still be technology other automakers have already done for years.

Hypothetically, if they use Direct Injection, or turbocharging, it will all be technology the competition is already using.

Sure it's possible Honda might have something else up it's sleeve, but at this point I doubt it.

There is one more question that is bothering me; where did all of Honda's profit go? Before the economic crisis hit, Honda had a sizable chunk of cash and profit. Honda has used the crisis as an excuse for cancelling and shutting down many projects, like their F1 program, the V10 Acura supercar, a European design studio, and the list goes on.

So the question is, WHERE did all of Honda's cash and profit go? Honda had plenty of surplus cash reserves specifically for a situation such as an economic crisis. So why is Honda cutting spending on everything, while some of the competition is still spending heavily?

LexFather

TRD I am no Honda expert but I am thinking maybe their other holdings, motorcycles, lawn mowers, robots, airplanes etc....maybe in the Clarity?

I am going to compile a list of the "useless press releases" of the last few years so we can look and reflect on how they have talked so much and done nothing.

Remember when they said they were going after Maybach and RR!!!! lol

http://www.leftlanenews.com/acura-we...y-maybach.html

The G Man

Those are Honda other mistakes, they let the bean counters run the company instead of managers who are passionate about building the best cars. They back out of the NSX problem and the F1 program. both of which would have done wonders for their current image. The European design studio would have save them from their bird beak grill design disaster. Sometime if you play it too save, you will lose.

TRDFantasy

I'm not sure that motorcycles and lawn mowers would eat up most of their cash reserves and profits. The Clarity by itself I also doubt it. I know they spent a significant amount of money on robots, but I'm not sure if these are all the causes.

If they are, that is poor decision-making on Honda's part IMHO.

I completely forgot about that old press release mentioning Maybach and Bentley.

PAULGS430

Look. All Acura has to do to make the RL better is simple.
1) Make the car slightly larger or longer.
2) Just put in the friggen V8. Gas prices & environmental aside.
(All their competiors have em) Even Hyundai. Why is this so hard to figure out!!!
3) They really need to set it apart from the TL & supposed flagship RL.
(It's like were talking about the Lexus GS & LS. It's like saying hey our GS350 is our flagship...really??? Acura's RL is no (Lexus LS !!)
I think that Acura considers their MDX as their Flagship vehicle.

LexFather

Considering it is near its priciest, maybe best executed and sales history, I could go for that. Its my fav Acura by far.

UDel

I have been questioning the same thing, Honda overall has been very successful before the economic crisis hit. They only had a few sales duds like the RDX and maybe Ridgeline. RL did not sell in big numbers but in the beginning sales were decent. I don't know why Honda is all the sudden acting like they are in serious trouble and have little to no money to spend and had to suddenly make quick and big cuts to save face. They were the only major automaker to make a small profit in the crisis where everyone else pretty much had big loses. They are not nearly as big as Toyota but I don't see why they are acting like things are so dire considering how successful they have been before the crisis, they should have huge reserves of cash.

The only thing I can think of is they are so spread out with making engines and other things that it took a pretty big chunk from their automotive manufacturing especially when the crisis hit. Building a jet engine and a jet had to have been insanely expensive and took a ton of R and D plus they have a motorcycle line, outboard marine motors, ATVs, lawnmowers, lawn equiptment, jet skis, generators, etc. I am sure the hydrogen Clarity took a ton of money to develop also. I don't think any automobile manufacture is as spread out with other products as Honda and that could be the reason or they are not in as bad of shape as they let on.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...73368839153285

It seems they are in a little better shape then they seem to lead on they are.