i know some ppl on here are sick of my over-critical analysis of Acura as applied to the RDX....but u kno what, watching/following leftlanenews forever and seeing the current auto shows leaves me with nothing but WTF from acura or even honda
- where are they
- where are fuel efficient technologies
- modern designs
- more models
- powerplants
- innovative ideas and concepts

hopefully someone can post some links to some of Acuras newer products - not reslaying beat models (altho the TSX wagon seems to be the only product that professional reviewers tend to like these days)

BUT WHERE IS ACURA IN THE MODERN CAR WORLD????????

wait....i hear they ALMOST have 6 speed transmissions on most of their models!! holy crap.

- let me guess, hondas newest unveiling will be a CRV with the same but "improved" 4 cylinder engine.

Where is an Acura RDX concept to match its competition - seems like every day you wake up to a new BMW, BENZ, AUDI, INFINITI etc concept/idea/design moving the market forward. These days even non lux brands are creating things very often. Nissan, Hyundai, Toyota the list goes on. The RDX remains to this day the same vehicle that was developed starting in the mid 2000 model years. Sold in 06, probably started in 04-05, CMONNNNNNNNNNNNN give us SOMETHING!!!! and what boggles the mind is that Acura charges 38+ for a tech pkg RDX. HOW? there hasnt been a significant improvement in the vehicle since it came out. Nothing engine/tranny related...just various screw arounds. i dunno they seem years YEARS behind what this years auto show/manufacturers are showing.

 

If Acura is not satisfying you with its products, you should let them know by not buying one. Maybe an RX 400h is in your future.

 

Mike, I'd love to see Acura bring some excitment and true innovation to their product line-up. I also feel that they don't have the right mix of vehicles in the showroom for today's market. And the power plenum grill was a good idea (distinctive brand identity) taken to a grotesque extreme.

But when I step back and look at the broader automotive marketplace, I'm actually pretty happy with Acura. They have not lost focus on the things that are truly important to me--high quality, excellent construction, lots of relevant technologies, fair pricing, and a focus on excellent customer service. There is not another lineup of vehicles from any other manufacturer that matches the balance of those items.

Hyundai is getting there, and they have gotten my attention. But with the other brands you're enamored with, there's always a trade-off. BMW--crappy reliability and build quality, plus nickel-and-diming to outfit cars the way they should be standard. Benz--boring designs, high prices, and snobby dealers. Audi--polarizing designs, high prices, and questionable reliability. Infiniti--well, I just don't see anything there except what you complain about for Acura.

I guess that's why, less than a month ago, I became a two-Acura family again for the first time in 11 years. The current line-up doesn't seem to work for you, which is too bad, but they can't be all things to all people. Maybe there are enough people like me, who appreciate what Acura brings, to keep them succeeding in business.

 

Looking at the current list of best Luxury Compact SUVs on Rankings and Reviews: "Luxury Compact Suvs", where the RDX now places 6th -- if I was buying again today -- I'd still buy the RDX.

Some have improved fuel economy or a better interior, but the RDX still combines reliability with performance and price that appeals to me. I don't love the beak, but whatever...I'll paint it a subdued color.

One thing's for sure: RDXs will still be gracing the driveways of their original owners, long after Audis, Mercs, Volvos and (shudder) Land Rovers have passed on to that great auction in the sky.

 

every car company has its ups and downs - its great that Acura still maintains resale & reliability; they should - theyve been making & remaking the same products for quite some time - if they havent perfected it by now, id actually be concerned not upset. Fact is, theyve been turning out the same with zero innovation, increases in MPG are basically due to the addition of 6 gears finally. Thats not exactly a break through. Yes they have a good formula, its just no where near as engaging, valuable and thrilling as it once was. Competition is much better and the price gaps are much more narrow these days.

Instead of recommending cars to friends on their merits, the first question i ask is whether they are buying or leasing. If people arent buying, no acura is on my list of recommendations because if you are not an owner that is in it for the long term, many of the Acura values are irrelevant. Who cares about resale when you lease, its pointless when getting a new car every 2 or 3 years. Buying a used/new RDX could be a good idea, leasing an RDX? not a shot in hell...@ time of MY purchase, i bought Acura for ownership purposes, i knew that the point in my life required me having the same ride for over 5+ years. With that no longer an objective, Acura falls of the list real quick. not much in the line up that makes you go, WOW!

All im saying is, looking around the auto world these days, Acuras look like dinosaurs. Maybe thats not a bad thing to some, they have a decent formula and obviously if it aint broke Acuras not fixing it, they tried with the beak and got slammed. They have to find themselves again & invigorate the brand. No reason why Type S should be obsolete. Theres no character in Acura anymore. =(

 

Been gone a while back for a few weeks.
'sup guys?

Does anyone from R&D acura/honda read this?
my wishes to help everyones problem:

1. I want a push cigarrette lighter right next to the gas tank or maybe a halogen light in the filler neck so I can see down into it at night. I am tired of using lighters!
2. Can we get some more wheels and be innovative and have a 3 axle suv (is this right 6 wheels? 5 is good too)? Windowlickinggood showed me a pic of something along a dif line but it seems to costly for acura but these wheel ideas may catch on. 6 wheel SH-AWD.
3. AWS with SH-AWD, in a 2/3 door SiR model?
4. Can we have a convertible I like to roll with top down in the rain and snow.
5. Lincoln continental'ish ride no more performance riding rails stiffness, my prostate and everything around it is shrivel'd up and I am becoming a woman.
6. Torsen Diffs and a manual transmission with dog engagment with a 6 disk wet clutch
7. a Craddle to charge my ipad on the dash infront of me so I can watch movies and drive; routes music to stereo headunit.
8. .... not serious about most of this

It is not mmike saying this, but as I remember several months ago that is all these threads were about, and everyone was so wraped up in the negs, glad you guys like the RDX

 

^ hahah

 

I guess my first question to you is why do you own one? I am a long time Honda/Acura owner and we just got a new RDX for my wife. I really like it, it's just the right size. If you bought a Lexus of the same size and I don't think they have a similar unit, you would pay a lot more for the Lexus. Case in point, the Lexus IS series is way more than the TSX. The Lexus may be nicer, but the cost is where Acura has a price point advantage. That and I love the way the Acura's drive. Lexus seems to start out at a reasonable price but if you load it up like the Acura, the price goes through the roof and I will not pay the extra, especially when I like how the Acura drives. Infiniti has a similar unit, but I don't like the way it looks. Finally the beaks on the TL (pre 2012), are aweful and the RDX's beak is not great but is liviable. Why they did not keep the original beak on the RDX. I don't know because it was great. The stylist should be fired. That said, I am satisfied.

 

Acura/Honda has always been good at giving you what you need instead of giving you what you want.

I'm always looking at other makes and models wishing for those little extras you want to have or show off to others. At the end of the day, Acura/Honda is just a car, the second most expensive purchase in most of our lives with daily depreciation with every second of ownership. All I do 85% of the time is listen to XM radio while I commute 30 miles round trip daily or run errands around town. I really don’t need push button start, DSG 8 speed trans, or 3D navigation to do that. Basic transportation with a touch of style sprinkled on top.

If you compare the Acura line-up to the other luxury brands, Acura does the best job overall of giving you what you need in reliability, performance, styling, innovation, technology, cost of ownership, fun to drive and resell value. Acura/Honda does have a conservative styling over the years that have the uncanny ability to maintain modern looks and lines compared to other luxury brands.

My wife’s co-worker purchased a 06 Infiniti G35 sedan at the same time we purchased our 06 TSX. His car has more of everything compared to our car. He is constantly telling us he wished he purchased the TSX or TL instead because it feels unexciting to driving his G35 and the older styling inside and out doesn’t look as good compared to the TSX 5 years down the road.

 

? I don't want what I need, I want what I want!!!

If that was the point in a Luxury category, the category itself would not exist. Why bother with an Acura instead of a Honda? I don't want the sprinkle, I want frosting!

All of those, minus the technology.

That's just because the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I don't think that a FWD less powerful TL will be more exciting to drive than the RWD G35.


I love my RDX, love to drive it, but I always have the feeling that the car should have more. We have beaten to death all the "lacks" in the RDX, so no need to go there again.

 

Push-button-start is a solution looking for a non-existent problem.

 

Yes, sort of. Now that I have my first car with push-button start, I have to say that I do enjoy never having to take my key out of my pocket. Just walking up to the car, touching the door handle and having it unlock, and pushing the button to start the engine is really quite convenient.

In a way, whenever I get into my RDX now, having to push the button on the remote to unlock the doors, push the button to open the switchblade key, stick the key into the ignition and turn it... well, it seems so archaic.

 

It's not a problem, it's a matter of convenience....

 

Speaking of convenience:

If pushing the button on a remote is too much effort; how in the world would you summon the energy to actually raise your arm and use the push-button-start?

 

If only you were right about this....everyone has recognized the convenience of push button start and key-less access, and they started using that technology years ago in the premium brands, and now is very common in the popular ones.
Finding a set of keys can be a hassle, you may have them in your pocket, or backpack or computer bag, you can't find them, but you know you have them! How about just touching the door and have it open without having to find the key? The same goes for starting the engine.
I don't hate keys, I don't love them either. One thing is for sure, not having to use them is more convenient.

 

+1 here btw why have keys at all?

Have a door latch mechanism that scans your figure print and starts the car in a stand by mode as you open the door sittdown a pressure sensor turns the safety off the ignition. It turns he engine over the second you grab the wheel using grounding contacts, the car starts. Unless in service mode. When you voice prompt the tranny to park and open the door and get out of the seat the car shuts down.

Lot of effort involved in getting the mail from the mail box these days... It's all good tho.

 

Voice command? even Acura has that....and getting the mail from the box? that's why most people have gone with electronic bills, coupons, letters, documents, etc, not only because it requires less effort, it also is more convenient and less wasteful.

 

Speaking about keyless entry and push button start:

I love watching Top Gear from England. One episode, the 3 hosts were in the USA test driving American muscle cars. One of the cars, Dodge SRT8 I think, had keyless entry and start. The 3 host stopped at a diner for lunch and while the driver of the Dodge was sitting in the diner with the keys in his pocket 10-20 feet away. One of the other hosts went out to the parking lot, unlocked the car, push button start the engine, and drove the car in the middle of the street and left it there as a joke.

I hope the Acura keyless system is a little smarter compared to the Dodge system.

 

Fwiw

You can get a push start button for any car FYI, If I could wire a button on just about any car. I could pass it of for an exotic... Maybe I've missed the point, but a push button start makes a newer car more like another car line? A pinto with a push button is still a pinto-- but has a push start. It's not hard to pull this off with a rdx, or any other Acura.

May have still missed the point, people are still lazy, if I'd hand write this post in cursive and use us postal service to deliver this first class registered, signature on delivery, to a admin so he could post it instead of me typing it I would.. Haha.

Reminds meow of my friend hopping on my bike asking to ride it,"where's the reverse?" said to him "right hand... clockwise!"

 

why do i own one? my first CUV was a lemon, i cross shopped the CX-7 and RDX. Basically, they came out within months of each other. I bought the CX-7. Lemon under 2k miles. I then said well, i should have bought the Acura for reliability, so i bought an RDX. That was a lemon under 6k miles. Acura gave me a new RDX as a replacement and here i am. Back in 06, there were far slimmer pickings in this category, the Mazda new to the field, BMW X3 which i didnt care for, and the RDX generally. The murano was out but that didnt combine the performance attributes of the "new" CUVs. Also have a Q5 in the fam. RDX is my daily driver.

 

...maybe i posted this in the wrong place, this wasnt the beat down RDX thread, it was just some observation of at least what I thought some current status of Acura vs others, waiting for Acura to get in the fight

 

I just don't understand the passion of some people against it. We have replaced keys to unlock doors in our cars, we now have buttons that do that work for us. We have replaced keys to access buildings, we just swipe a card and doors are unlocked and/or opened for us.

I just noticed that my switchblade key keeps opening up while I have the keys in my pocket, sometimes it pokes areas that are very sensitive. I started examining the key and it turns out that the plastic housing is starting to crack/fail. I guess that the metal portion of the key, when you turn the ignition, applies force to split open the housing. so there is a problem that actually exists.

I don't care much either way for the push start, but I would really like to NOT have to use a key to access my car. Push start or some keyless start like the one Nissan used a few years ago (you still had to turn the switch) is fine by me.

 

as it stands now, my switch blade key unlocks & folds while in the ignition, those things suck.

 

Although I don't own a push button system, I did get a new TL as a loaner for a while. I found the range to be very disappointing. I don't expect 10 feet, but I remember having to lift my pant leg towards the door lock (or take the keys out of my pocket) to get the door to unlock. I found it pretty annoying. Is the Acura system generally like that, or did I get a bum loaner?

 

Your Kevlar pant must have been blocking the signal...I have had a TL as a loaner before and never had that problem.

 

My 99 Corvette had one of the earliest keyless entries. With the keyfob in your pocket, you simply walk away. At about 30 to 50 feet, the car would lock with a horn chirp. Problem was; in a noisy mall parking lot, you might not hear the horn chirp -- can't be sure it locked. So you walk back to check the car -- and of course, as you get close -- it unlocks again before you get there. I tried it and hated it. Thankfully, it could be turned off.

I want to positively lock the car -- keyfob action and visual/aural response -- then walk away confident the d@mn thing is locked.

Additionally, for safety in lonely parking lots women want to unlock/lock the car when they choose, not have an auto system possibly leaving an opening for a lurking attacker.

 

The keyless entry in my ZDX is entirely customizable, just like everything else. You can set what actions you want the car to take with proximity, buttons pushed, etc. In addition, you can positively lock the car by pushing the little button on the door or the button on the fob (twice, to get a chirp, just like on the RDX). All in all, I love the flexibility they built in.

 

The ones I've used, you have to touch the door to unlock....or lock. Or use the buttons in the fob

 

I have to agree. I didn't think much of them before I got the ZDX but now I don't even take the fob out of my pocket nor my wife out of her purse, works very well and can't be started like they did on Top Gear. Car unlocks when we touch the door handle.

 

Also, if you have watched Top Gear more than once, you know to NOT believe everything you see in the show, after all, it's scripted.

 

The push button start and never having to take the key fob out of your pocket is great. To bad our TSX and RDX does not have this.

 

Well, so things have improved since my 99 Vette. Then again, it was a GM product. Now they probably monitor your activities and unlock it only by On-Star.

The new keyless sounds alright, but I'd still take the RDX, even without it.

 

On-Star Iphone app, you don't even have to be around the car to lock/unlock/start, among other things

 

Thats what acura doesn't understand, luxury is NOT a need! It's a WANT.

Leave the NEED to hondas, WANTS to acura.

 

bum loaner, it works fine on my tl just walking up to it and pulling the door handle
for acuras system, u press a black button outside the door handle and hear a beep. if u hear the beep, you knows it's locked... simple.
beginning w/ all fmc's, all new acuras with tech pkg and up will have the keyless system.. so i guess you'll be sticking to base models from now on?

 

 

So for an Acura lock signal, you either get the convenience of pressing a button on the door handle (with keyless) -- or the common, jurrasic method of pressing a button on the key fob, requiring the enormous inconvenience of reaching into your pocket.

Yeah, yeah, I know Acura has to keep up, but soon we are all going to be just heads in jars (who can't find our #%*ing keys).

 

You know it's not the end of the world to have keys, but when you are carrying bags, kids, trying to get the dog out of the trunk without him escaping, or trying to put him in, the last thing you want to do is worry about keys and to put your hands in your pocket or your wife's purse to look for them.....
Also, I stand to be corrected, but the button in the Acura door does not need to be pressed, that's just an option, I believe that just touching the handle you can unlock the doors.

 

At least on my ZDX, you do have to press the button to lock the doors. You only have to touch the door handle to UNlock the doors. In fact, sometimes I will lock the door using the "lock doors" button on the inside of the door as I'm getting out. Then, if I use the door handle to push the door closed, the car beeps and unlocks again...

 

I didn't think you could use the lock doors button while the door was open in the RDX, I guess I'll have to try it....and yes, I know that you meant your ZDX