Rexorg

Just got the new survey as to whether I would like to save $500-$2,000 if Acura would use plood versus wood and $500-$2,000 pleather versus leather on future Acuras.

neuronbob

Dang, you beat me to it!

Just filled out the survey. Took less than five minutes.

Rexorg

You snooze, you lose!!!

mg7726

plood and pleather?! are they kidding?

which marketing genius at acura failed college - fire that maroon!

SpicyMikey

I definitely want real leather and will pay for it. I've seen the pleather in BMW's and don't like it. But I can't see the difference between real high gloss wood and plastic. The panels on the RL doors are plastic and the dash is wood. Can anyone tell the difference? I can't. I say save the money on the wood and put it into better wheels Acura!

lindros2

I haven't received a single survey.

Could be because I told them that my next car won't be an Acura...

Shotgun

"Ouch..." Check out TOV for design changes on the upcoming features of the new MMC 09 RL...Very dissapointing! If true I too may opt for a different brand. Keeping my fingers crossed that they don't screw this one up...

Chuck091279

No survey here either. When they put plood and pleather in the RL along with that silver trim that I can't stand after having real wood - I'll be making an exit from the Acura familia.

neuronbob

Don't worry, those of us filling out the survey are (hopefully) telling Acura not to shortcut on the leather, at least on seating surfaces. I know I'd pay for the leather and real wood. In fact I did.

lumpulus

Did mine last night...Looks like we all want the real thing.

SpicyMikey

Would someone raise their hand if they can honestly tell the difference between the front dash trim piece (real wood) and the door trim pieces (plastic)?

gavine

I can't tell the difference. Ignorance is bliss.

GoHawks

Disappointing that instead of trying to move Acura's image upmarket, their focusing on those who are looking to save $500 when purchasing a $50K car.

They don't get it.

dalieu

I agree... they want to be Tier 1 luxury, but they're still thinking cheap luxury. I think they should offer real everything and build up the brand/image. Once they get that respect, then they can start offering the fake stuff, but also have an option to pay extra for the real stuff.

SpicyMikey

BMW and MB offer fake leather. In fact, I'll bet most people opt for the fake leather as they brown bag PB&J sandwiches to work so they can afford the car payment. But at least they got the badge!

Having said that, you're probably right. Don't give the german worshipers anything to use as proof of Japanese product inferiority.

I personally want leather but don't seem to see the big deal about the wood. I can't tell the difference.

lland

I thought the door trim was wood! Guess I can't tell either.

LL

lland

Is any wood, real or imagined, necessary? Plenty of cars have gone to carbon fibre, brushed aluminum, etc.

LL

scottj

No survey for me, either, but I'm not surprised. Avaliability of real wood & quality leather are requirements for the LPS class. I'm fine if they're optional further down the product line. For me the brushed aliminum or carbon fibre might as well be plastic -- guess I'm totally old school.

If I want cheap imitations, I'll go get a Kia Amante. If you don't actually touch anything, those look pretty amazing. Yuck.

CL6

I can't tell you how many E350s run with MB-Tex not leather.

TampaRLX-SH

I want real leather. And the RLs leather has a nice balance of softness and durability.

I like the wood in the RL. I like the warmth it adds with the techno look center stack. It is difficult to differentiate the real wood from the plood mostly due to the high gloss finish. Only when the sun hits it at the right angle does the real wood have depth and the maple gives off some pearl glows. Plood just reflects light.

But just as aluminum body panels appear no different, I like that they are there.

I have yet to be in a vehicle where the style, feel and sounds appeal to me as does the RL.

larrynimmo

Like Spicey Mike, I am not willing to pay bling for real wood. Don't even mention fake leather....I don't even want to hear regular Acura or Honda leather...I want and like the RL upscale soft leather seats. I also consider the non seat area fake leather to be of the highest quality fake leather that I have ever seen. As nice as it is, I still want and am willing to pay for real leather.

Of every car I have ever seen, I think the RL has the BEST combination of interior materials. The fake wood is well done...the leather...the fake leather...molded plastic for door sections and dash sections. I especially like how the a/c vents are made and with their smooth operation.

one other thing, in my old Hondas I always liked the smooth operating turn signal & dimmer switch control. When Hondas were made in USA, they have a certain roughness to the operation...The RL has the perfectly smooth function and I appreciate it.

neuronbob

I suspect the point of the survey is to figure out what sort of buyers we are. So far, we seem to want the real thing (leather or wood) and are willing to pay for it in the RL. Acura will probably get the message. I don't think it's at all sad that they are asking. The fact they are asking indicates how interested they are in creating a no holds barred luxury car to me. (Glass half full approach. )

I'm willing to bet that TL owners feel differently, especially since it's more sports-oriented. Frankly, I wouldn't want any wood, fake or otherwise, in a TL.

I personally think that real wood has its place...like on non-mobile surfaces like the dash. On a mobile area like a door, plood will probably last longer. The plood on the doors of the RL is well-matched to the maple on the dash. Should it be real wood?

Would you guys like if I added a poll to this thread?

larrynimmo

i wish to add one thing....to me its all about perception...because all know that the RL wood is real, no one suspects or even asks if my wood is real or not. If they do ask, I will huff in discuss and say"of course its real wood, what do expect in a flagship car"

TampaRLX-SH

Perhaps Acura is exploring the S&M marketplace?

I can see the ad campaign now.....

"We've got leather, have you got wood?"

Acura: Make Advances...

Rob144

I can tell...the giveaway for me was that there's a visible cutout dimple the size and shape of the driver's side memory seat button panel on the passenger side plood.

Every time I've sat in an '07 base model RL, the first thing I notice is the plood -- confirmed when I see the "Compass" instead of the Map/Guide button.

I will concede that it is darn good plood. But there's no substitute for the real thing if you give it any scrutiny.

I haven't gotten that survey, but I'd say no to pleather, too. Velour/cloth would be a better choice (and I've seen photos of a JDM Legend with cloth).

Rob144

sleepinxlionhart

really? i tried to find it, but i couldn't find it before.

TOMH-RL-TLS

I filled out the survey yesterday I am heavily in favor of the leather slightly less for all wood
I find it difficult to really tell the difference with the wood & plood

SpicyMikey

haha, good one

Leather? Absolutely. It feels and wears better then vinyl and cloth. I would never buy a car without leather, even if I was shoping for a Civic. To me it's worth the money for sure.

But the wood? Maybe I'm not enough of a car snob to appreciate the perception aspect of real wood, but I just can't see the big deal about it.

To me it's like the difference between a $20 bottle of Merlot and a $60 bottle. Nothing! I love wine and would almost call myself a wine enthusiast. But the only reason I bring someone a $60 bottle from a recognized vinyard is to impress them. When we open it, it really almost tastes the same to me . (That's just between us)

Like many said, it's perception that makes the wood a better choice. It's also what probably makes the wine taste better. But neither are really better. Maybe I'm missing that gene that allows me to appreciate the intangibles. That's why I guess I drive an Acura RL instead of a MB E350.

Rexorg

Wood and leather have been in cars since the beginning and as Acura is pointing out pretty expensive for what you get. It really doesn't bother me one way or another. If I had my choice I would prefer suede in the seating surfaces. For what the wood costs I would prefer to have a higher end sound system. Just my 2 cents.

CL6

I think what is most troubling about this is the Honda mentality of 'If we just lower the price further more people might buy the car.'

This exemplifies many things that are wrong with the Honda luxury brand, Acura, and should be a warning that more troubles are ahead because an issue like pleather or plood should have been settled internally years ago...

TampaRLX-SH

I would agree that Acura should not be a bargaining brand. Although I bought my RL because it was too good an offer to pass on, I remember not too long ago my perception of Acura was you were lucky to get $500 off sticker unless it was end of year, leftover or end of a model run. Big discounts on new models not even 6 months after launch turns consumers into predators.

That said, this survey does not indicate where Acura is looking to cut prices as perhaps prioritize the value of what owners value in content. With all the technology being slatered into cockpits, it is no longer a model of leather and wood = luxury. Perhaps a USB port, syncronizing phone books, an SD media card reader, etc would be a wiser place to channel the resources in todays world.

Luxury / premium vehicles are being redefined. Where I fear it may go astray is that engineering will take a back seat to a cabin full of Best Buy bobbles.

SpicyMikey

maybe they are not considering lowering the price. Maybe they are just considering adding more options. Isn't that part of Acura's problem?

dwboston

That's how I read it. Maybe more "option packages" like BMW where everything is extra.

CL6

This could be correct, however, I base my opinion on the fact that a de-contented RL was delivered to lots in the hopes of moving more units.

Your point is a good one, however.

VOdoc

Oh, my...

Memo to Acura: If you want to play into the ignorant beliefs of folks like Consumer Reports who cannot distinguish any significant difference between the hot little TL and the lovely grown-up RL, by all means go with BMW-quality pleather and finest plood. That should subtract another increment from your already-anemic sales.

dwboston

The de-contented RL that was demanded by the dealers.

parlownr

I didn't get a survey yet, but the thing that bothers me is that the RL is supposed to be the flagship of Acura. They shouldn't be removing items that people are expecting when they shell out $50k + for a car. What they need to do is increase the HP to 400 or 450 with a turbo, or supercharger. Less people will worry about leather and wood then!

TampaRLX-SH

I recieved an invitation in the mail today from Morpace Marketing Inc. It had a link to an extensive survey on configuration and pricing of a luxury / premium automobile. They pay $20 for a completed survey and a $250 prize drawing.

They knew I owned an Acura RL and the feature content was nearly cherry picked form discussions on this board. Some of the photo references were of the new premium Lincoln (MKZ?).

Some of the interesting features was to measure my interest in a Direct Injection twin turbo V6 over a V8. Fuel choice (premium or regular but not diesel), AWD options and typical content stuff.

Any one else get this survey?