gilboman

um...i disagree...the TSX is nice from the front and sides..but the rear end is too tall and narrow... I hope the next RL can bring Acura in from the fringes... the MDX is a joke..look inside..crap materials, RSX handles like a dog and looks like a civic, TSX is a good start, some guts and it can compete as a low cost alternative to GERMANS and the new TL wont help Acura much at all...it still hasnt even managed to catch up with G35 and with AWD G35 comming... Acura better realize you can only mod Accord and odyssey platforms so far before acutally have to design a platform that is suited for the intended vehicle. Acura needs to realize they need a real luxury car to be take serioiusly..not a line up of entry luxury cars.... they dont have a single real luxury car right now..and the RL is still a couple years away..until then, it will still be considered 2nd class luxury because all it has are entry luxury vehicles and nothign else.

larchmont

Any thoughts about the TL, gilb?

1SICKLEX

Having had an IS and knowing the car inside out it was designed with some help from Nintendo designers. They also wanted the car to mimic German proportions, thus the long wheelbase and short overhangs. I love how the car looks. SO many details so many other cars miss.

The TSX is a nice looking car but blends in with everything else. And considering you can get an IS 300 for 30k loaded (they are dealing the hell outta them), I'd ante up the 5k for it.

The next IS 300 is promised to come in 4 door, 2 door, wagon, convertible and High Performance versions. But the 2JZE will be bye bye.

The old RX 300 was the best selling luxury SUV even 5 years after it was out. The new one is BLOWING away all sales expectations. It must do something right...

1SICKLEX

Someone PLEASE buy this man a beer, he is right on the money.

SteVTEC

So are they putting the new 3MZ-FE in that puppy or what? That would lighten the car up a bit and give it a lot more torque. If so, I hope they give it more than 5900 revs to play with though. Needs some more top-end.

1SICKLEX

We don't want that V-6 in the IS. The tuneability totally sucks. We want to keep the 2JZE, but emmisions is gonna kill it as toyota moves to more effiecent motors and hybrids.....But yeah it's coming. IS 330.

I am not sure a tuner has the tech now to tune a hybrid car.

SteVTEC

I do.

I prefer mostly stock cars though. The 3MZ will be a ton lighter since it's all aluminum vs the iron block / alum head 2JZ. It would probably lighten the car by close to 100 lbs which will improve performance. The the larger displacement will improve performance even more. Plus, use of the corporate V6 will reduce design costs in the powertrain department and allow more money to be spent elsewhere, like on the interior.

Yeap, the 2JZ is one sexy engine and it'll be sad to see it go, but it really doesn't make much sense to keep it around IMO.

TheDude_RENAMED

I may HAVE to get an IS300 the way things are going. Not one dealer in my area has a silver or carbon 6spd w/ or w/out navi.

larchmont

You must be joking!

You can't order the TSX you want? And if not -- you consider the IS300 the closest thing to a TSX???

TheDude_RENAMED

I am trying to sell my GSR right now. If I sell at the price I want, I need a car. No dealer in my area thinks they can get me such a car until Thanksgiving.
I'm not inpressed w/ the 325i. I don't like the Mazda 6. The WRX is a kid's car. My wife owns a IS300 Sportcross and it's a great car. Any other suggestions?

fdl

Other cars that are in the ballpark ...

Audi A4, Saab 9-3, Honda Accord ... G35 if you dont mind the extra $$$...the list goes on..

Dont rush..test drive everything..do your DD and you will feel better in the end.

dnb

Until now, Acura has been extremely conservative with its designs. Honda has at least taken some chances with the Prelude (several generations) and the Accord (3rd, 5th and 7th generations).


This is interesting. Just today I was thinking about how the current Lancer is similar in proportions and styling to the 3rd- and 4th-generation Civics. (The ones with boxy bodies, low cowls and large greenhouses. I actually like these.)

TheDude_RENAMED

My limit is $30K

larchmont

DD????

I guess when you become a mod, they teach you all kinds of secret abbrevs.


BTW, fdl -- Howya liking it so far? (You seem just the same!)

dnb

Looks like DD == due diligence. fdl is springing some lawyer lingo on us. Wait til he says "I'll take this under advisement" which really means "I'll pretend to think and then fugettaboudit."

On more family-oriented boards, "DD" would mean "dear daughter." However, this term would not have made any sense in the context of fdl's message.

fdl

sorry ... dd = due diligence.

Its good..and yes I am the same You seem disappointed

larchmont

No way!

fdl

OK cool ... I thought maybe you were hoping I changed into a thread locking maniac!

Actually everything goes so smoothly on a-tsx .... I am like the Maytag repairman.

SouthernCalOdysseus

I can't write for Automobile Magazine. I'm too busy doing what I'm doing.


I think Larchmont should apply to Automobile once he finishes his Ph.D. at the community college.

larchmont

Too late -- I was expelled.

SouthernCalOdysseus

I have no idea what Gilboman and 1SICKLEX are talking about. Even Larchmont admitted to dropping out of community college.


The TSX's rear end is too tall and narrow? What, compared to a Dodge Viper? It's true that the vertical bend/crease lines on the rear create a sort of illusion, but it's a GOOD illusion. On the freeway, at any distance at all, the rear end looks awesome. It doesn't look too narrow in the least. You'd have to go up to a foot away from the car for the "illusion" to have its effect. Maybe you guys think fat women are hot.


With regard to the G35, it seems you guys are overfocused on performance. I mean, what's the "intended" vehicle? LOL. You forgot to mention that Infiniti went downhill faster than Fen-Phen before Carlos Ghosn came to the rescue by focusing on, of all things, platform sharing. Ghosn, in my opinion, borrowed from Chrysler's example the philosophy of focusing on exterior design while cost-cutting on the interior and platform. And you wonder why I called Nissan the Chevrolet of Japanese cars in an earlier post? Nissan-Infinitis are the most underengineered pieces of shit I've seen in a long time. They have undercut so much R&D, it's unconscionable. The magazines have been going on and on about how the different systems/modules don't seem to interface very well, as if Nissan had not finished the R&D when the car went into production. This same comment has been written about the Q45 (talk about a disaster), the Altima (what a complete piece of shit), and the Maxima (pimp car). In addition, there's a consistent comment about a harsh ride in the G35, Altima, Maxima, Murano, and FX, although this comment is attenuated (because the writers want, it is clear, things to go well for Nissan) and attention goes back to the powerful engine and "fun factor." I can only wonder what Nissan failed to do when they mated the body to the suspension. I can just see Ghosn saying smugly, "Hey guys, we can cover up undercutting R&D by $200,000,000 if we implement the phrase "fun factor." The only thing Nissan has going for it is that engine, which is the centerpiece of the whole platform sharing.


As for the interiors, it looks like Nissan-Infiniti got some American retarded kid off the street to be their interior designer. Across the board, those interiors look like shit, from the Altima and Maxima to the FX and G35. Just look at those aluminum accented steering wheels. LOL. And how about those aluminum accented center consoles. HAHAHA.


The only Nissan-Infiniti I would EVER consider buying is the Z car. I wouldn't even seriously consider the G35. I just don't trust the build quality. And i can't live with the interior and dashboard.


The engine alone does not make the car. Even one of this month's car magazines said the G35 exterior is already getting old. I couldn't agree more. The G35 and the FX can not alone return Infiniti to respectability. I predict Nissan's comeback will last longer than Infiniti's.


I especially like the comment about the new TL "not even managed to catch up with..." This might be because the new TL isn't even out yet.


Here's some food for thought. Everyone wants an opinion on everything, but some opinions are better than others. Dumb is dumb but dumb doesn't know it.

Y2K4 TSX

Go with your bad self! That post rocked! (and it was accurate too!)

1SICKLEX

SouthernCalOdysseus, I'll buy you a soda. I agree with the Infinit/Nissan comments. Their interiors are horrible. The Q45 is good but it is 60k. Nissan did concentrate on looks and putting the VQ in everything sold. Selling an Altima for 28k is nuts and a 35k Maxima is nuts but Nissan marketing has done a great job fooling people to think they are sport sedans.

They have NEVER won a comparison, we are talking over 10 years here. The G35s are IMO, their best product. Infiniti has proven to be very reliable.

The TSX, I am sorry but it is as eye catching as a cup holder. It is typical Honda conservative. Every magazine has said the same thing. It is nice, it is not ugly at all. I think the G35 sedan is terrible, looks like an electric shaver/car. The Audi A4 with the sport package looks spectacular on the other hand.

SteVTEC

Wow...that rant was a little like arguing over chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. What's the point? Everybody wants different things and has different priorities. With Acura you get one thing, with Lexus you get something else, and with Infiniti you get something different still. Just align your priorities with whatever company is closest to being on the "same wavelength" as your self and enjoy the ride.

Every company has different priorities in design. As long as there are customers out there that agree with those priorities, the cars will sell. The reason that Honda/Acura is so good at winning comparisons is because they always seem to take the middle ground and design a car that will please everybody. Of course, you make a lot of compromises when you do that and you end up with a car that is pleasing overall in all areas, but does not excel in any single area like a more focused car will that made less compromises. Some people like that. Others do not.


Just enjoy the ride.

larchmont

Yeah -- Not that we want to scare Gilbo away or anything (actually quite a few people do ) -- but I wonder wtf he could possibly have meant by that.


By the way:

Wesley Clark hasn't come anywhere close to George Washington as a great president yet.

LeBron James isn't anywhere close to Kareem's scoring record. (Or, is it Malone's record? )

Try as it might, civilization on Mars has a ways to go before approaching ours.

fdl

I think gilbos IQ dropped a little when he got his new car. I've noticed a change.

larchmont

Hmmmm -- No smiley????

I guess that means FDL's serious.

dom

No, thats the same old Gilbo IMO. He's always viwed Acura as a second teir luxury company.

And his IQ was never that high to begin with

majormojo

When I first read this, I thought that was a negative. Now I'm thinking that for kids raised on Nintendo, that might actually be a good thing. I hate getting old, I'm confused all the time... I used to joke about lame GM interiors as "dashboard by Atari". (Note to youngsters: Atari was a company that made videogames back in the stone age). That was an insult. Looks to me that "interior by Nintendo" is a compliment?

Not only that, but I can remember when "gay" meant "happy". Now, where's my rocker....

dnb

Absolutely. And "Dick" was an often-used nickname.

larchmont

Yeah, me2. When I saw that about the IS300 being "designed with some help from Nintendo designers," I couldn't believe anybody would intend that as a positive -- it sounded like a joke. Kind of like when I was a kid, and we were tying knots, and I did one, and a big kid asked if I learned that knot from Betty Crocker.

fdl

I grew up on Nintendo (first gen) and I think the IS300 interior looks like ass. I'm not sure what he meant by this anyways...what about it relates to nintendo?

I heard a similar comment said about the Nissan Skyline..but in that car you've got a pop-up display which shows you things like g-forces while you drive!

On another note..I agree with his comment about the european look of long wheel base and small overhangs. I love that look. Look at the distance from the front tire to the front end of the car on a bmw...its tiny. German cars have a flat nose, while japanese cars have a long nose.

dnb

Same here; I like that look.

However, I think it's more of a FWD vs. RWD matter. The RWD cars (BMWs, MBs, IS300s, etc.) can afford to have short front overhangs since the drive wheels are in the back. The FWD cars (most Japanese makes, Chrysler cab-forwards, VW/Audi) can't have the drive wheels hanging way out in front.

Iceman

Don't mind Gilbo. He can't help himself -- he can only find fault with Honda products. If it ain't a RWD car with a 6-cylinder engine, it ain't worth buying, right Gilbo?

TheDude_RENAMED

Maybe we can get past the insults about each other's education and answer my question? Will 225/40 tires fit the OEM rims?
Also, I am getting the Carbon/Ebony navi 6spd w/ mp3 player for 28,000 before tax and licensing. Also comes w/ the all weather rubber floormats and trunk tray. Whaddaya think?

adam fiooz

is300 is ugly inside and out!

TheDude_RENAMED

Again, I ask... 28K for a navi Carbon 6spd w/ mp3 player good deal? Will 225/40s fit the factory rim? Anyone care to share their impressions of living w/ the navi? Bear in mind I'm a pretty technical kind of guy ( I don't run Windows, just Linux and OpenBSD!).

darth62

Yes, that is a very good deal for the TSX.

No, 225/40 will not fit the factory rim.

I have the NAVI and absolutely love it. On a day to day basis, it is incredibly useful. Its got a few ergnomic snafus, but all in all, is very easy to use.

One downside: It does absorb your HVAC and audio controls. Some drivers don't like that. I don't love that feature, but don't hate it either.

I have absolutely no regrets about buying the NAV and wouldn't buy another car without one.

TheDude_RENAMED

Thanks for the answers man. This is a stupid question but is the navi touch screen? How well do the voice commands work? Especially on the CD playing? Anyone know if the MP3 player is integrated into the voice commands?

TheDude_RENAMED

I'm kind of surprised there isn't heated rear view mirrors on the TSX but is there one-touch moonoof controls or do you have to hodl the button down?