vicpai

....his source is probably himself ....track and see how the thread progresses and how his info keeps constantly mutating!!....The moment he claimed that the Civic Hybrid is equipped with VCM, a light went off right away in my head!!

.....note that he claims in his original post that the RDX will come equipped with VCM!!....Yeah that would REEEALLY be a first for Honda. A turbo-4 with VCM capable of running on 2 cylinders....and then maybe the engine even has something else that he knows, but we don't, such as rocket boosters that instantly turn it into a space shuttle

vicpai

.....on the Civic Hybrid's powertrain:

On further reading, I found that Honda does refer to it's 3-STAGE-i VTEC system in the Civic Hybrid engine as "Variable Cylinder Management" in some places, but it's not cylinder DE-ACTIVATION that lets it run on 2 cylinders (partial power), as has been claimed above. VCM in the TRUE sense is what is found in the other Honda vehicles, where a certain number of cylinders are shut down and the vehicle runs on PARTIAL POWER in some circumstances, such as during constant speed cruising. (So far, Honda has implemented this system only on 6 cylinder engines, where 3 cylinders are deactivated. Some other manufacturers have done it on V8s, where 4 cylinders are deactivated!!.....there is no technology today that supports deactivating 2 cylinders of a 4 cylinder engine, so that it can run on just 2 cylinders....I don't think this is even technically feasible from an Engineering standpoint)

OTOH, the 3-STAGE-i VTEC in the Civic Hybrid, simply closes all the cylinders COMPLETELY, when the driver lifts his foot off the gas pedal, such as when coasting or braking, in order to reduce PUMPING LOSSES!!

vicpai

.....according to Acura's press release, the only confirmed safety feature is the ACE (Advanced Compatibility Engineering) Body Structure. This, by itself, is an amazing safety item!! ...However, I seriously doubt that the RDX will get the CMBS avoidance system and the associated Dynamic Radar Cruise Control as in the '06 RL's tech package (it would probably drive the price too high).....it would be nice, but I'm not counting on it. Besides, Acura has been showcasing all the RDX's "special" features at this recent NAIAS introduction, and if they were going to offer it, they would have definitely mentioned something to that effect.

.....the redesigned MDX, OTOH, which is said to be coming out this fall, could get that as an option on the top end model!!

AcuraRLBlue

Thanks for the info.

SteVTEC

MPG may drop or actually improve on regular fuel all depending on how the vehicle is driven and the specific loading conditions applied. A default 2-6 mpg drop on regular fuel is nonsense. I built a simulation model for the RAV4 in CarTest using both the old 280hp/260tq numbers on premium and then the 269hp/246tq numbers on regular and there is not more than a 0.1-0.2s difference. Either way this is a pretty quick SUV that's also darn efficient.

To those not familiar with Toyotas, Toyotas high end models are practically Lexuses so this will definitely compete with the RDX in fully loaded Limited 4x4 trim. And comparison of MSRP prices is just not really fair either because after initial market demand dies down the RAV4s will probably be going for at or near invoice whereas Acuras tend to stick up around MSRP more.

Actuary

Honestly I have a feeling V6 AWD loaded with sunroof and everything will be very high priced.

Look at Sienna AWD limited. There will be a point people wonder.... do I really want to pay this much for a RAV4?


I think whole car industry is retiring their biggest SUVs (excursion, land cruiser and so on) and make small SUVs more profitable by making it avialable with many optiosn and engine choices

SteVTEC

To that I would say yes. I realize this is an Acura site which is more of an upscale brand, but a lot of people out there do not need or even want a luxury "badge" and would prefer nice cars without that. My proof of that is the redesigned Avalon, which Toyota sold 95,000 of last year vs Acura selling 78,000 TLs. A lot of these Avalons can get up to the same price range as a TL also. So yes, Toyota has plenty of customers that are willing to pay up to Acura/Lexus prices for a really high-end Toyota. And let me tell you, they're damn nice cars.

Colin

I've seen no indication that there is enough capacity for Acura to produce 95,000 TLs. The new Avalon is a nice car, but it is pointed at a larger segment of the market than the TL. Yes there are some pricing similarities, but price alone is not the determining factor on whether a car is viewed as a premium product. Can you say Phaeton? (maybe they should call it the Phaeton Torpedo..... it was sure a bomb!)


.......Bwhaaaa I crack myself up!

SteVTEC

The Phaeton was a different story and was doomed to failure from the outset. At $30k there are still plenty of people that will buy a non-luxury badge. But not at the Phaeton's price point (what was it, $50-70k?).

Actuary

at this point Im interested how many V6 loaded vs 4-cyl RAV4 will be on road.


Even people buy RAV4 with fully loaded, what does sound better to you?

"hey i drive rav4 or I drive TL with navigation system"

Stevens24

Why buy a RAV4 at 33k when you can buy a Pilot for the same money and have more room.

SteVTEC

that's just brand snobbery.

SteVTEC

because...

- not everybody wants or needs a bigger SUV (hence the small SUV market)
- because the Pilot gets much poorer gas mileage
- because the Pilot is a lot slower
- because very few RAV4s will actually cost $33k

97AcuraCL

rav4 = another piece of shit from toyota... they're starting to act like the big 3 with the introduction of this crap... i've said this once and i'll say it again though they have reliablity on thier side, u will never catch me buying any non-lexus toyota as long as i live.

97AcuraCL

brand snobbery? Hmm i drive a Benz ML55, or hmm I drive a Hyundai Santa Fe.

who cares if its considered snobby; bottom line is they're two totally different classes of vehicles though they may have roughly the same power and size...

its like comparing a GTO to a 911. you've gotta be a friggin idiot.

moomaster_99

Toyota = reliable
Honda = Value

You pick and choose...

Colin

I find value in reliability

No car is a good value if it's not reliable.....

ostrich

Colin, I do see what you mean.... but then everyone says that the Corolla is reliable, but I would not be caught dead driving one....

Thank goodness Honda and Acura are reliable, of good value and IMHO much better and less geeky looking than Toyota.

moomaster_99

They are reliable if they are still built in Japan....for whatever reason, all the midsize cars out of Ohio for Honda are crap....I feel so deceived after buying my CL...its hard for me to justify that Honda is as reliable or well-built (unless built in Japan) as my old corolla that was built at the Nummi plant in Fremont.

98AccordEx

That's BS! I have a American-made 98 Accord with 86000+ troublefree miles on it. Don't blanket every car built in the US with your one bad experience..that's just BS!

p.s. It's was our 3rd American-made Accord (94, 97, 98).

p.p.s. 1998 was also a FMC so I guess I can argue against those who tell people not to buy a 1st year FMC car as well.

foolioness

I had the V6 98 accord. I had to replaced the tranny at 120k. From what I heard (I cannot confirm this), Honda designed a weak tranny for the the 98-02 accords/acuras (include 4 cyl and v6).

Colin

Of course the ULTIMATE irony is that the Transmissions are the only part of the car assembled in Japan..........

98AccordEx

DOH!!!

reynaldo

Check out the new 2007 camry.it will kick ur ass even if u drive an acura.come on guys,whats the big deal driving a toyota?Isnt it supra is a toyota?people buy what they like.Its a matter of preference.I saw the show in japan and detroit the
2007 lexus es350 based on 2007 camry will kick with its 275 bhp/260lbs any acuras butt stock for stock.In detroit they said TRD toyota's tuner will come up with suspension/wheels made by rays/volk and even supercharger with factory warranty to back it up as options for both toyota and lexus.I still have a 2003
acura TL-S now its time to trade it in for 07 camry just the LE v6 it has 6 speed tiptronic/leather for $25,000 and of course cheaper insurance.

Count Blah

From Edmunds' review:

1092

Camry = UGLY! It is the Ford Taurus of Japanese cars. Should play well in the reirement communities.

luketc

I was disappointed when I showed up at the Philadelphia International Auto Show's Acura section, and there was NO RDX. I also looked at the V6 RAV4, but it is just too small for me. Any idea how the exterior and interior dimensions of the RDX will compare to the RAV?

jaobrien6

Well, the current (new) RAV4 is within an inch of the current CRV in every dimension, so I would bet that the RDX and the RAV4 will be pretty close to each other in size.

thorium

The RDX should appear next at the New York Int'l Auto Show. Apr 14 - Apr 23 (http://www.autoshowny.com/)

vicpai

.....that the REDESIGNED ACURA MDX will show up at the New York Auto Show as well, and that there will be an MDX HYBRID model!!! (the latter piece of info comes from a very reliable source over at www.acuramdx.org) ......There will also supposedly be an MDX "SPORT" model!!

I bet the MDX hybrid will be a "performance hybrid" like the Accord Hybrid.

see this thread:

http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/showt...threadid=23746

...I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it!!!

SSN_FT1(SS/DV)

Wow, man. You edited your post and your grammar is still that bad?

Count Blah

I wonder if reynaldo is a guerilla marketer?

http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/show/21589