Lycos

They design their vehicles to last, not only mechanically, but also aesthetically. I have a TL-S, a 2003 to be exact, and after seeing the brand spankin' new 04 TL, I'm not so worried about my car looking old. Sure, the car looks quite a bit different than the outgoing model, but they still look close enough alike that the average Joe on the street won't be able to tell them apart.

Honda does a tremendous job of this, better than anyone out there in my opinion. With the possible exception of the Element, I feel this way about all cars in the Honda/Acura lineup,... even the much-maligned RL, which still looks very classy in my humble opinion.

Compare Honda to, say Nissan, its polar opposite in this respect. The new Maxima looks nothing like the outgoing model, which suddenly looks very dated, not to mention the disparity in the styling department between the old Altima and New. BMW did a good job, until now, Yuck! Audi does a pretty good job of this too, keeping a cohesive look and feel in their cars from year to year, but Honda does it best.

I'm sick and tired of reading about the new "plain" or "conservative" car from the Acura stable. Bite me! I remember Car and Driver describing the TL as "Styling by Sears" a "...visual Halcion" I assume, this means the design puts you to sleep. Well suck eggs you car writers!

And, god all the reviews of the TSX now talk about the no risk styling. We'll see how good the TSX looks in five years compared to say the G35 or IS300!

Anyway, sorry about the long post!

Lorne Miller

...totally in agreement with you on the styling issue, that's why older hondas all still look good today, older Preludes, for example, with the exception of the original one, still have the same draw they had when they first came off the lots. The only Accord that lost it a bit was the 'sqared off' one in the mid eighties, I think Honda has to be a bit careful right now and not pay a lot of attention to criticism from the automotive journal types, who tend to like daring styles and design work, which more often than not become quickly dated and faddish.

Lorne Miller

larchmont

I'm surprised you think that. And I think it's wrong.

Does anybody confuse the TSX with the TL? Nobody at all, I don't think. And the new TL looks a lot more like the TSX than like the current TL.

rb4580

Yea not to be rude man, but your TL and the 2004 TL look nothing alike!

eyescream

Lycos

Well, I wasn't saying they look exactly alike. Take a look at the front shot of the 03 TL-S here (The silver 03 TL on page 3 of 8):
http://www.hondanews.com/forms/acura/TL/

Now, you have to admit there are certain similarities. While the overall proportions are quite different there is a strong family resemblance, with the pentagonal grille, headlight treatment, aggressive front, wedge shape, etc.

Now look at the new TL pic from the Autoweek article, there is a head-on shot, which is very similar, and you'll see the strong family resemblance. I'm not saying they look alike, or the TSX looks just like a 03 or 04 TL, but Acura's doing a good job of not dating their cars.

My wife saw a new TSX the other day while we were out and said it looked just like my TL-S. I think a lot of people out there will certainly see the same. Now the difference between an 03 and 04 Maxima, well...

Lycos

Sure they do!

myfirstacura

The writers have been raving over extreme styling like the Caddy CTS. They call it bolds and fresh. I call it UGLY. Maybe the TSX is more conservative than the CTS, but I'll take classic and stylish over brash and soon-to-be-discontinued anyday.

TSXautoXer

I think Acura/Honda is on the right track of building up their family look. They have not reach the ultimate yet, but they're doing a good job. Most german car makers are better at having a family look to their car. Especially Mercedes-Benz. Look at the brand new E-class and almost anyone can recognize it as a Mercedes. I think car design has something to do with culture and history. European countries had a long history of art and style. For german cars, their current design (I think) is based on a mixture of Bauhaus(?) and Gothic style. Japan car makers has the ability to do the same but Japanese people tends to want more revolutionised look on their new product. Thus car maker can only stay that much with their 'family look' without suggesting 'old' design to the car buying public.
Anyways, that's just my point of view.

kenbiddulph

I think some people who have self-esteem issues buy flashy cars that scream "look at me". I prefer something more subtle with some class. The RL is a very nice looking car, its too bad the powertrain wasn't a little more fun. (Then again, its a car that encourages you to relax and enjoy a smooth quiet ride).

Nissan just looks cheap, has anyone seen their new Quest minivan? The exterior was bad enough, the inside is NASTY looking. I don't know where Nissan lost it, I think the French had something to do with it though. 10 years ago the Maxima was a nice car overall, now its just a bloated and disjointed design that embodies the fact that Nissan was close to bankruptcy not too long ago. The "in your face" styling is a major put off to me. Then again, designs like that and from Dodge (the king of in your face) attract a certain demographic and it certainly doesn't work on me.

Car designs are becoming more and more "different" each year, yet to me they are becoming more and more the same. Gaudy, bloated and trendy. People will laugh at a Nissan Maxima/Altima 10 years from now and say "Thank god those days are over". I look at a '93 Accord and I say "Wow, such a nice design, I wonder how many miles are on it..."

Sorry for the rant, but I totally hear you on this Lycos.

gilboman

i really dont see any resemblence between the old TL and the new one...

besides... i rather get a car that was good looking once and get old instead of having a car that was never good looking..i mean who keeps their cars 5+ years?? especially so called luxury car like an Acura. 5 years is tops for me despite any car that i get.

Lycos

Well I do see a resemblance between the old and new TL, sorry.

I've kept all my cars for 5-10 years and I think a lot of people do, especially with Acuras. I see old 90's Legends and Vigors just about every day. Pretty common here in Seattle, and people take care of them, it shows. I also take comfort in the fact that my TL will look good for years to come, not become dated, and with 100k on the clock I can still sell it for a decent price if I choose to part with it.

I'm a bit more tempted to make a change now,... say every four years or so because a make a bit more money than I used to. But, one of the main reasons I go for Honda/Acura is because of longevity. We have an Odyssey which we intend to keep for quite a while.

dom

Us average folk keep our cars for more than 5 years Gilbo. Not everyone can afford a new 330Xi every 5 years unfortunately.

Having said that, I have never kept a car more than 5 years. Had my Mazda pickup for 4 years, my GS-R for 1 1/2 and my Civic for another 3. But I still would have had my 98 GS-R if I did'nt wreck it.

larchmont

To me, one of the things about having some money is, you can afford to buy a car that's going to last a long time!

I had my '88 Legend for 14 years.
When I got it, I joked that I expected it to take me into the next millenium. It did.

phile

I get tempted to switch cars, but with Hondas, you're kind of reluctant to let them go. With the current incentives and deals on new cars, I'm tempted to let go of my Civic, but that little car served me so well through the years, and it's not even breaking down yet. And that's why I'm saving up for another car, but I'm not getting rid of the Civic. Looking to move up to a TSX or TL in a few years.

BuddySol

I kind of started losing fate in Honda when the whole huge bug-eyed headlight became a standard design element in every vehicle they debuted: the 96+ Civics, the last generation of Preludes, RSX, the new CR-V, the Si/CTR, and the new Accord. In general, modern car design has gotten worse and trendy, and altho Honda has gone in that direction, at least it's more subtle than most. But, I'd think I'll start considering other brands when the S2 becomes bug-eyed...

Buff-Daddy

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Only ugly people say stuff like this...

rb4580

I dont' care what anybody says, I like to be seen.....

kenbiddulph

Guilty conscience? Buffdaddy, I sell cars, I notice patterns as to why people buy things. Besides, I wasn't putting any people down, there are as many reasons people buy cars as there are personalities, some sound silly to others but everyone has their reasons.

JeffPhx

Well, I guess you just summarized the entire truck and SUV movement too.

fdl

If someone from the Honda marketing department heard this they would cringe. The idea is to keep chaning vehicles so the owners constantly feel like they need to upgrade.

JeffPhx

I agree with you too. I'm not to thrilled style-wise with the lastest Hondas, but I think Acura is headed in a good direction though. I love the styling of the current TL and TSX and the 04 TL is good too. I can't wait to see the next gens of the MDX, NSX and RLs.

Iceman

It's called "planned obsolescence", and Honda doesn't play that game. Honda builds cars to last, and look good, as long as you care to drive it.

fdl

Right, but I was speaking from a pure business sense..not an owner sense. And in in that business sense I would think Honda would want us to buy a new car every 3 or 4 years.

captainjack

I can't imagine Honda thinks it feasible that customers could buy new cars that often. Even leases hover around 48 months now.

I always thought "planned obsolescence" was 1) a GM invention, and 2) had to do with performance/features. "Two cupholders? Loser. Any serious car has at least FOUR."

captainjack

I can't imagine Honda thinks it feasible that customers could buy new cars that often. Even leases hover around 48 months now.

I always thought "planned obsolescence" was 1) a GM invention, and 2) had to do with performance/features. "Two cupholders? Loser. Any serious car has at least FOUR."

Brad

Agreed. Flashiness and Class are most definately at odds to each other.

By flashiness, I mean overstated, overchromed, overlabeled, overmarketed, overhyped, or oversized. I never knew what flashiness was meant to compensate for...besides a lack of Class.