jwong77

Smart-Luxury was where they were before going on the recent "Bling"-binge. That was the Acura that I respected and owned. There should always be a niche for a conservatively styled, well equipped, middle of the road performance vehicle, that is value priced. But now the problem goes back to how do they differentiate Acura from the high end Accords.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Smart luxury is the new "value luxury"???

I agree.
However, don't charge the people Tier 1 price and they should be ok where they're at.

lucasb7

I think this was a good decision because they needed to produce some tier 1 products before stating that they want all of them to be.

I'm really happy that they are going to the RL in hybrid form. I just REALLY hope it isn't IMA. Make a powerful hybrid!!!

LexFather

What is not mentioned again is just how pissed off dealers are. They were promised Tier 1 products were coming and told to INVEST millions in new or upgraded dealerships that customers of that level expect.

Dealers instead now will get a complete turnaround in strategy. Their only new product, 6,000 units of the ZDX a year is 2 a month at each Acura dealer for the year. TWO!

You think Acura fanbois are confused/pissed. Talk to a dealership owner/management.

An unhealthy company/dealer relationship hurts the customer.

From day one when I saw them make all the hype of dropping the RSX b/c it was cheap and a 4 cylinder and not for a luxury brand and the very next car they bring is a 4 cylinder 4 door and call it the TSX, I knew that their going upmarket was going to be a complete disaster. I called this YEARS ago.

Now funny the Acura fans making fun of hybrids and the RL will become a hybrid hilarious!

I completely Agree with you guys that Acura being Honda plus is no bad thing. They have tons of loyal HOnda fans that want to move up to that level. They will get a few people that want nice features, reliability etc at a lesser price.

Hopefully we are done with their useless news and we just see the products

I8ABMR

I have to admit I am impressed by the new MDX. I just back from a local dealership looking at an )( with technology package for the wife and I love it. The car is much roomier than an RX, has more power, 3rd row seating, and AWD standard. I was impressed by the price as well. The sticker is at about 46 but they have 6k rebates on the MDX right now because its being refreshed for 2010 and Acura is hurting right now. On consumer reports its ranked as one of only 3 SUVs that are recommended in its class. (RX,MDX,ML) For 38,700 I can walk out with a solid SUV that will protect the wife and baby on the way. They even have lease deals at 469/month.

Right now I am, looking for smart luxury not "tier 1 " luxury. I think the labels are funny. What I want is luxury, safety, and reliability. Bottom line, Acura gives you a lot for your money. It also handles very well, and unlike the RX is available with a sports package. We will probably pull the trigger in the next 2 weeks

Nextourer

So Acura has finally seen the light. The quote below exactly mirrors my sentiments

Affordable luxury is what Acura is known for and that's how they decided to enter the market with their vehicles. It's offering more equipment than standard Hondas but not making them so expensive like a Lexus or Infiniti. Granted, they also didn't get the same level of prestige as either one of the two brands above but given that Acura is still here, it's obvious that a lotta people bought into the idea of affordable luxury. It's having what you want without looking so snobby or looking as if you got a huge pay raise.

A price hike doesn't help either. The difference between a 2003 RL and the all-new 2004 RL was Cdn$15,000. I wonder how the dealers justified such a price jump (esp. during the transition stage when both vehicles would've been on the lot at the same time). SH-AWD and a few extra luxuries don't make it $15,000 better. It's also knocking at GS/E/5 doors at a cool $70,000. They have since dropped it to $65,000 with a $5,000 Tech option somewhere in 2006 I think which includes CMBS and real wood among other things.

Well the ONLY Acura dealership on Vancouver Island in B.C. has closed down. All Acura owners now have to service their cars at a Honda dealership. The owner of the dealer has converted his dealership to sell Kias. He said the upgrades that Acura Canada wanted him to do was much too costly.


So we don't have a Civic-based CSX any more?

mmarshall

Actually, Acura dealerships, at least in my area (D.C. suburbs) are pretty upscale as it is. The problem is that, like with Suzuki, there probably just aren't enough of them.




Well, Mike, based on YOUR view of the ZDX, even THOSE two, at each dealership, will have a hard time selling.


That could be true in some cases, but, in general, I don't quite see it that way. In buying a car, as I see it, two of the most important things are the quality of the vehicle itself and the quality of the service that the dealership provides. How much the dealership management and the factory kiss each other's a**es is not of concern of most car buyers, except maybe for some issues after the standard warranty is expired.



Keep in mind that the RDX is the only American-market 4-cylinder Honda/Acura vehicle with any real low-RPM torque, though the CR-V's non-turbo 4-cylinder's torque figure at least matches its HP rating. The others are all high-RPM HP with little if any torque. It would be a shame, IMO, to see the RDX dropped, or see that nice turbo 4 go.

Perhaps those fans were wrong. You yourself see how nice an upscale hybrid can be.....you drive one.

LexFather

The MDX is my favorite Acura by far and yes they are dealing the 2009s like nuts.Yes it is sportier than the RX, whooty doo However let me clear misconceptions;
1. The MDX has a little more power but is no faster than a RX
2. The RX does offer a sport package now

I8ABMR

I happy to hear that the RX offers a sports package. If I could go out and buy any SUV I wanted it would be between the RX and the MDX. One of the main reasons we are sticking with the Acura is that my wifes 06 TL has 75k on it and we are way over on the mileage. I am going to turn it in and stay with Acura to avoid paying the extra mileage. I really do like the 3rd row seats and the sporty handling


I still wonder what the ZDX will look like in person. I think its going to be another X6 . More "SV" than "SUV". There is little utility designed into the shape but it looks cool

mmarshall

Have you driven an RDX? In my experience, it will handily outpower and outcorner the MDX, though, of course, at the cost of a stiffer, noisier ride. I know, of course, that, like me, you don't particularly like stiffly-sprung vehicles.

mmarshall

I know I may sound repetitive and like a broken phonograph record on this, but the 2Gen RL's money goes to buy some quality materials. Check out its sheet metal, body solidness, interior hardware, SH-AWD, paint job, and numerous other quality features and you will see why the 2Gen model cost more than the 1Gen. Though it has not been the most reliable of Acuras (according to Consumer Reports), the solidness of this vehicle is like a tank.

Also, consider that, because of low sales, it usually doesn't sell for full list either, so that big price increase you mention, right off the bat, is whittled down some. I've seen new RLs offered as low as 41K, not far above the 35-38K or so limit I myself would spend on a new car.

LexFather

Its ugly as sin, its small, it has average acceleration for a turbo, it has no MPG for a 4 cylinder and it has a hood prop . I've got a guy at Acura but honestly the lineup is so ugly and blah to me, I can't even waste one of his salesman time.

Mike, I'm not some nut that needs a SUV that marketing tells me handles like some Ferrari on stilts. If that day does come, it will have some UTILITY to the equation, (think Cayenne/X5).

I guess my priorities are different for a SUV. IMO, I would get a used MDX over a RDX anytime. I don't mind the MDX styling, the interior is pretty good (the fake wood is too much), it feels well built, it handles well for a big SUV, is a damn good drive and well, its big and has some utility.

Nextourer

Oh don't get me wrong, the RL is a fantastic car. I showed it to my dad and he was just amazed. He told me if I covered up the badge, he wouldn't have guessed it was a Honda (Acura). It's spacious, and like you said, feels very very solid. I love the interior lighting too.

But in a price-sensitive country such as Canada, you better have a LOT of things to justify the price jump otherwise, with prices like you've mentioned, why wouldn't we buy your US$41k RL instead of our Cdn$75k version? Even with customs and paying full US sticker price, we're well ahead. It's also one of the rare cars that are nearly identical in both countries.

mmarshall

Of course it is ugly. There is probably no such thing as a truly handsome Acura there days, though the Accord-like styling of the RL is probably less-offensive than some of the others.

Considering the RDX's weight, automatic transmission, and the drag of its AWD system, the turbo powertrain has some pretty good scoot. I don't know what you consider "average" for a turbo, but I was rather impressed with the one I reviewed. It was the first Honda-designed four-cylinder I ever drove that didn't need to be wound out to motorcycle RPMs to get any torque. Like the VW/Audi 2.0T (another engine I think highly of), it was surprisingly responsive at lower RPMs.

Agreed, but you can buy two moderately-equipped RDXs for what a loaded X5 runs, and probably three for a Cayenne Turbo. The Cayenne, though superbly designed for both off-road and on-road performance, IMO, is grossly overpriced, even in non-turbo form. Even its sister VW Touraeg is quite expensive for a VW, and unreliable.

The fake wood in the 2Gen MDX, BTW is darker and considerably less wood-like than in the original model.

IS-SV

Your priorities (SUV-wise) are in-line with the market. The MDX outsells the RDX by a 14 to 1 ratio. MDX is consistently the top #1/#2 seller in the Acura product line in the US.

Acura is probably trying to make the same business decision with the RDX as with the RL, both incredibly slow sellers.