jhr3uva90

The Lexus ES is the only Lexus sedan that shares a platform with a Toyota-brand model. The IS does not share a platform with a Corolla.

It is time for Honda to create a separate platform for Acura sedans.

CL6

My understanding was that the RL was on its own platform.

jhr3uva90

The current RL is based on the same Global Mid-size Platform as every other Acura sedan.

neuronbob

100% correct. I don't get all the griping about that, though....if you want to design a FWD car, the Accord platform is pretty solid.

larrynimmo

I stand corrected...the corolla and IS are not the same platform...what i find interesting though is the IS weighs 1,000 more and has less interior room than the corolla.

Chas2

You just hit on the reason why fwd platforms are so popular...much more efficient packaging. For most, the efficiency, including cost, is why fwd is the configuration of choice for most.

jhr3uva90

The problem is that no other luxury-car brand relies on a FWD platform as much as Acura does. In my opinion, that is one of the reasons why Acura is not taken seriously as a Tier -1 brand. Acura needs a separate platform!

Chas2

I don't disagree at all, a RWD platform seems mandatory for Tier 1, and it is what got Infiniti out of trouble so much so that it is at least mentioned in the same breath as Lexus, whereas Acura is no longer considered a luxury marque. In fact, last week, the Washington Post had a test of the Hyundai Genesis, and mentioned the three German companies, Infiniti and Lexus, but not Acura, as the competition...

Anyway, I was just trying to point out why the IS, as a small car, does not have the same amount of room as the other small car, the Corolla. As your car gets larger, the extra space devoted to RWD does not become as important.

I was pretty surprised at how tight the BMW 1 series is. It is almost like the excuse for a backseat the Honda Prelude had, or I suppose in this company, Porsche or Jag XK.

CL6

The IS sucks and is filled with Toyota parts and bad construction. Anyone who buys one is lame. The seat bolts go right through the floor for god's sake! Sad what marketing can do.

dwboston

Pretty detailed review of the 2009 TL, including the SH-AWD version. Interestingly, not a lot of focus on the interior or amenities and doesn't really seem to imply that it's moved upmarket, as the competition mentioned is the same cast of characters (3-series, G, CTS).

http://www.boston.com/cars/car_revie...ll_Cars_Review

club_euro2

I would get the RL over the TL. True Japanese Built Quality.

db22

The same argument was very prominent for the Cadillac STS 5 - 10 years ago. Great car but it will never compete as a flagship until it has Rear wheel drive. But: I am not sure that many STS owners cared less whether it was front or rear wheel drive. The RL owners are probably the most savvy out there with some money to spare.

Chas2

After all the talk about a 2010/2011 V-8 and $70K rwd LS and 7 Series competitive sedan, here is an interesting quote out of the Washington Post, in an article about how Honda has it right, from Dan Bonawitz, Honda's U.S. vice president for corporate planning:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...082102970.html

...A Honda V-8?

Bonawitz laughed.

"These are very challenging times for our industry," he said. "We are witnessing what is likely to be a watershed moment for the American automobile industry" -- a moment when smart power, getting the most out of an engine using the least amount of fuel, trumps horsepower, Bonawitz said.

"At Honda," he added, "we've always been geared toward this moment."

I suppose he could also mean, I never said that there would not be an Acura V-8