Honda, we fold too.

[TJPark01]

You want foreign full size RWD that's not 100k. Lets see there's LS 460, Genesis and um, gee, let me see.... Nissan your turn.

Honda chief: No plans for a rear-drive, V8 Acura model
Most ‘traditional’ luxury automakers offer at least one model with V8 power and rear-wheel drive, but Honda’s new chief says the Acura luxury brand will focus on fuel-efficient drivetrains rather than trying to emulate some of the more well established premium marques.

read more...

 

[LLT]

I don't think I'd ever consider an Acura anyway - they've never made anything that appeals to me. In fact, as days go by, there seems to be very little that I like. I'm becoming one of those cranky old guys - now just to sit on the front porch widdling wood, talking about when gas was $.10 / gallon.

 

[TJPark01]

I don't think I'd ever consider an Acura anyway - they've never made anything that appeals to me. In fact, as days go by, there seems to be very little that I like. I'm becoming one of those cranky old guys - now just to sit on the front porch widdling wood, talking about when gas was $.10 / gallon.

Me neither. They are nice cars, no doubt. But with all their racing heritage, you think they'd use Acura to make cars with some balls. I really don't wanna rev my car to 8000 rpm to get the thing going.

 

[JOwest]

The "beak" in the new Acura design language is killing sales. High revving and low torque engine do not make luxury cars.

 

[wallymn]

You want foreign full size RWD that's not 100k. Lets see there's LS 460, Genesis and um, gee, let me see.... Nissan your turn.

Honda chief: No plans for a rear-drive, V8 Acura model
Most ‘traditional’ luxury automakers offer at least one model with V8 power and rear-wheel drive, but Honda’s new chief says the Acura luxury brand will focus on fuel-efficient drivetrains rather than trying to emulate some of the more well established premium marques.

read more...

A BMW 750 can be had for 85k (unless you want a steering wheel)...
A Cadillac STS is larger than the Genny and can be had with a wimpy v-8 for 55k. (never impressed by the northstar)
An Audi A8 can be had for 78K..

Honda's "Luxury" brand always made the least sense to me, their cars are small and usually underpowered. Heck the "new" TL just delivered the FIRST 300 HP engine in an Acura... most brands consider this the entry point for power today.(G37,GS3xx,CTS v-6, etc)

As for Nissan, they have a very nice sedan in the M45. It was high on my list but lost due to a narrow body compared to the Genesis...

 

[moose66]

I thought not too long ago that Nissan was working on another Q45. Haven't heard anything about that recently. Maybe that has been shelved with the success of the M series. Plus they seemed to have moved smaller with a heavy emphasis on the G series and the smaller FX.

 

[TJPark01]

A BMW 750 can be had for 85k (unless you want a steering wheel)...
A Cadillac STS is larger than the Genny and can be had with a wimpy v-8 for 55k. (never impressed by the northstar)
An Audi A8 can be had for 78K..

Honda's "Luxury" brand always made the least sense to me, their cars are small and usually underpowered. Heck the "new" TL just delivered the FIRST 300 HP engine in an Acura... most brands consider this the entry point for power today.(G37,GS3xx,CTS v-6, etc)

As for Nissan, they have a very nice sedan in the M45. It was high on my list but lost due to a narrow body compared to the Genesis...

You're right on, the Audi, 7 series and S class, although palatial are pushing 6 figures and beyond, that's insanity. I was really looking at the M35/45 and was hoping for some type of Q45 replacement that hasn't manifested. The M class is really nice, the cars are comparable, until that little price thing gets put into the equation, then it's a no brainer. Full size sedan for a G35 price. Done.

 

[Sayantsi]

Honda lost sight of making good cars that aren't econoboxes for the Greenies - its all it really has anymore. Acura isn't successful in the big picture - look at how much market share Infiniti gained in the past 5 years with its FM cars - classic style of front engine, rear drive - that's how you win buyers in the Acura's market. Acura has always been an also ran - imo the only people that buy Acuras are Accord owners looking for a nicer sedan.

Hyundai knows the game, delivered on the classic style of car to play in the market with the Genesis (and the Coupe), and is becoming what Honda is shying away from imo. Heck, if you say Hyundai fast, it kind of sounds like Honda, and if you squint, the H badge is the same.

 

[YEH]

You want foreign full size RWD that's not 100k. Lets see there's LS 460, Genesis and um, gee, let me see.... Nissan your turn.

I thought not too long ago that Nissan was working on another Q45. Haven't heard anything about that recently. Maybe that has been shelved with the success of the M series. Plus they seemed to have moved smaller with a heavy emphasis on the G series and the smaller FX.

Nissan already stated earlier that they are abandoning their full-size Q45 successor to concentrate on making the M more competitive (the M has fallen short of sales projections for Nissan).

 

[TJPark01]

Honda lost sight of making good cars that aren't econoboxes for the Greenies - its all it really has anymore. Acura isn't successful in the big picture - look at how much market share Infiniti gained in the past 5 years with its FM cars - classic style of front engine, rear drive - that's how you win buyers in the Acura's market. Acura has always been an also ran - imo the only people that buy Acuras are Accord owners looking for a nicer sedan.

Hyundai knows the game, delivered on the classic style of car to play in the market with the Genesis (and the Coupe), and is becoming what Honda is shying away from imo. Heck, if you say Hyundai fast, it kind of sounds like Honda, and if you squint, the H badge is the same.

It feels like they have all the technological capibility in the world, certainly from a manufacturing point of view. But they seem to be content playing in the shallow side of the pool, I don't get it. Their products from a reliability point of view are probably as good as Toyota and better than Nissan, but their brand placement isn't as boing as Toyota and isn't as sexy as Nissan. They're the middle child, the Jan Brady, of the bunch if you will.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[LLT]

It feels like they have all the technological capibility in the world, certainly from a manufacturing point of view. But they seem to be content playing in the shallow side of the pool, I don't get it. Their products from a reliability point of view are probably as good as Toyota and better than Nissan, but their brand placement isn't as boing as Toyota and isn't as sexy as Nissan. They're the middle child, the Jan Brady, of the bunch if you will.

I know what you're saying -- and agree. On the other hand, it's what they do and I'm not sure anyone could argue that they do it very well. I remember them having (at least several years ago) the highest customer retention rate of any manufacturer. They cater to the eco group and again, they do it well. GM and Chrysler are good examples of what happens when you try to fix something that isn't broken (and overpay people to "fix" it.)

 

[jwaters943]

I don't think I'd ever consider an Acura anyway - they've never made anything that appeals to me. In fact, as days go by, there seems to be very little that I like. I'm becoming one of those cranky old guys - now just to sit on the front porch widdling wood, talking about when gas was $.10 / gallon.

I think the Legend still looks good to this day....very timeless.

Their new cars are FUGLY.

 

[BigElm]

Come on guys... seriously????

Moving to Lounge!!!

 

[mikec]

Honda has stated many times over the years their staunch belief in FWD or AWD platforms for road cars - better safety and the "right weight distribution optimizes the handing." Only cars intended for real sports/racing (NSX, S2000 today) are RWD. Not that I agree with this; I happen to like power oversteer. Honda also borrowed a page from Lotus founder Colin Chapman: "add lightness." I remember reading about Honda engines, in plain vanilla cars - not the pricey ones, having hollow camshafts to save a couple pounds. Honda has never skimped on machining costs unlike so many other manufacturers that penny-pinch everything to death.

Honda has also always prided itself on being on the leading edge of technology, especially engine tech. Thus their concentration on extracting the most power from smaller displacement engines. Like racing motors, the key is tuning the engine for lots of RPMs since horsepower is basically Torque * RPMs * unit conversion factors. It works for race engines and motorcycle engines... why not cars? Of course, you or the auto tranny has to shift often to take advantage of that RPM. Not exactly "low stress" driving so many luxury buyers expect.

I whole-heartedly agree with the others that think the current Acura styling, especially the "grill" treatment, is horribly ugly. The "5 sided" whatever-it-is shape started off weird many years ago (digging into the bumpers - why?) and has grown worse and worse with each revision.

mike c.

 

[Poopsicle]

Acura/Honda doesn't want to emulate?..... uhhhh... okk.... Perhaps he should read the history of Honda.