I know a lot of people are thinking that Acura is going to make our car much faster and everything for the 04 model, but i have also heard the opposite. I heard that acura will downgrade the type -s, to make it more affordable and also because a special edition is supposed to come out. I'm not tyring to cause controversy but i heard that. Also is the new w8 passat faster than our car?

 

The W-8 is faster because its typicaly German engineering - getting the most out of every cubic inch of displacement. The W-8 also costs a pretty penny too, it's not a $30K car!

 

According to the VW Web site, the 4 motion Passat W8 is $38.4k (including destination charges). That's fully loaded...the only option appears to be a trunk mounted 6disk CD changer.

 

nike, what are you talking about? Downgrading the Type S to make it more affordable? It is already the best value out there. Any comparably equipped car is already more money. There is no reason you should not get a new TL - S for around $30K.

Xorg - I would not worry about the W8 just yet. It has 275 hp in a 4.0 L engine (not that great) and can go 0 - 60 in 6.5 seconds. However, the TL-S will beat it and do you want to know why?

The 6.5 second time is using the six-speed manual, which is only available in Europe (for now). The POS automatic does 0 - 60 in a slow a$$ 7.8 seconds.

 

The downgrade version is called the regular TL or TL-P and the TL-S is the special edition.

BTW, where are you getting all this info from?

 

They already have a "downgraded" version of the TL... it's been out for years... it's call a Honda Accord.


But here's a question... (I know, it's probably a dumb question... but...) What does the "P" stand for in the "TL-P?"

 

P stands for Premium which is the basic 225HP TL.

I've also heard the rumor of downgrading the next TL-S.

The purpose is to pass on the 225HP to the new Accord to fight with Altima. Scrap the TL-P and make TL-S the only TL and move pricing between the current TL-P / TL-S.

Then a rear drive sedan will put placed in the current TL-P price range to fight with G35.

But this much has been confirmed:
The next Accord coupe will have a V6 option and 6 speed tranny like the CL-S. And seems like Accord will get all the hand me downs from the Acura lines.

Also, Nissan will fight the new Mazda 6 and Accord with an upgraded interior Altima (which gets a lot of complains from press and shoppers alike)

It will be interesting summer.

 

Don't you think some of the stuff belongs in an Accord? Cheap looking leather and faux wood trim, for instance. Wouldn't mind giving them a few of the rattles as well
I completely understand the need to transform a Honda into an Acura for the US market. But if you're gonna do that, don't cheapen it out with same ugly plastic pieces found in civics and accords, and other cheap materials. And honda isn't the only one doing it (I have to commend Lexus here on the new ES 300 - it differentiates itself nicely from the Camry). This is when you get a lot of people to buy your great value $30,000 product, and then realize that if you took the added horsepower away, you end up with a $20,000 car. This is also when statements like "You never regret when you buy the best," and "Acura is a great value, but not a great car" start coming around. If sniper's survey on this borad is any indication, a third of TL owners would sell their car, another 10% don't know if they would keep it. These nmbers aren't too good and that tranny issues isn't helping. So, I hope whatever they do for 2004 is drastic.