I was talking to some one about my car and I told them I change my own oil and they said " an acura owner that changes his own oil" in a somewhat surprising manner. Another person commented how Honda stamped parts (glass)look funny on a "high end car".

I never thought an Acura was high end. When I think BMW, Benz, Audi sometimes Lexus and infinity I think snooty and high end. I think of Acura owners as more down to earth. Acura doesn't have a Luxo liner like the other two Japanese carmakers this could be part of the problem.

Is it just me?

 

i think acura is somewhere in the middle.. that being said, i change my TL and BMW oil myself. i don't trust shops with things that i can do myself

 

With all the available options on our cars I would easily consider it "luxury" imo. I was looking at a BMW 525/530 before I bought my TL-S and was extremely disappointed with the interior and options with the BMWs. How many cars do you know, that can tell you what time it is when you ask? Lol....I love my TL-S!!

 

im gonna go ahead and say MB's, Lexus, BMW are a touch higher on the luxury scale than Acura, but it is a luxury car nonetheless....and a damn good one

 

How do you have it tell you what time it is.

 

i would def. say acura is luxury..its the lux division of honda..like audi is the lux division of VW....

 

One of reasons I love having an Acura is that I have the same type of product as a BMW without the snooty image that comes along with that brand. While I'm sure I would love driving a BMW just as much as (probably more than) my TL, I think it would give me an image that I don't really care for.

I don't mean to put down any BMW owners. I personally think that most BMW owners are not the snooty type, but the problem is that people automatically assume you are. It's a perception issue.

 

You should've said, "No. Smart people don't let Spike at Fast Lube change their oil."

 

Not sure about the regular TLs...But the type S models have Voice activation for damn near everything in the Interior..Radio, climate control, Navigation, Blutooth. You can just hit a button and give a command.

 

I haven't seen the glass on a Lexus, but I wouldn't be surprised if it says Toyota. Just because MB and BMW don't really have non-luxury brands doesn't mean anything. One could also say that if you're not offering cars in RWD, then you're not luzury. All of the other brands listed offer RWD, Honda/Acura just doesn't.

Joe

 

I think Acura is high end. Do I compare it to MB, Audi and BMW? No.

I compare it to Infiniti more than anything, but I'd personally rather have Acura > Infiniti.

 

It's all relative.

High-end, maybe. Luxury, probably not.

Yes, I change my own oil.

 

i think most acura models are near-luxury high end.

it's not a mercedes or bmw, but i'd take my type-s over any of them. maintenance and parts prices blow on those super luxury vehicles...its just not for me.

i change my own oil too, i do anything and everything i can on my own car. why pay some jackass to do it, not knowing what kind of job they're gonna do, when you can just do it yourself and get the self satisfaction of accomplishing something. i'd much rather DIY than hand my keys to someone else. then after you figure it out, you can do it forever to your car, friends cars, etc etc. knowledge is power, use it.

 

But in Japan there is no Acura!!!!! Haha!

 

Audi? Hard to feel luxurious when your car breaks down every 2 months.

 

To add to that, I currently drive a base RSX. People see it from the outside and say things like "Oooo Acura look at you." They don't realize that on the inside it has cloth seats and zero luxury options... its basically just a nice looking civic.

But yeah, the TL-S, which Im shopping for currently, has every luxury option I could possibly want except for cooled seats.

 

My opinion- Acura is a near luxury brand.

I believe they stopped putting "Honda" on the windows in MY 07- could be 06 though.

Since this is somewhat TL related I will leave the thread here in 3G as opposed to moving to Car Talk.

 

You can ask it what time it is if you have a navigation system.

Press on the voice command button then say "What time is it?".

 

My 05's got Honda windows.

I can't remember if my Lexus said Toyota of Lexus on it.

 

you realize the rl and mdx start in the 40s...You would be an idiot to say the whole acura lineup is near luxury...Spend 50k on an mdx and rl and tell me then is it NEAR Luxury..The tl has grown into a luxury car...the only car that is NEAR luxury is the tsx

 

Actually, it is Infiniti. Next guy to spell it wrong gets introduced to my e-backhand.

 

near luxury is an inaccurate and not widely used term; entry-level luxury is the more widely agreed upon term that describes the RDX, TL, and TSX. The RL and MDX would be consider full luxury level.

 

I couldn't figure out who spelled it wrong...then I noticed the OP...

 

I have seen many lexus cars with toyota stamping on the windows. I have seen Nissan stamping on infiniti windows as well. IMO Acura, Lexus and Infiniti are all in the same class as they are higher end brands of their counterparts.

 

that depends on how you define luxury. If it is image, then no it doesnt have the image that bmw, etc has. If you define luxury as features and comfort (as I do) then yes it is a vehicle that has all the luxury I need.

 

Well, it's no Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, or Bentley...

But, I suppose it is somewhat luxury. Entry-level though.





This topic has been covered before...but, a true luxury car is something you get in the flagship cars of Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lexus, and BMW. So, I'm talking about the CL-Class, S-Class, A8, LS, and 7-Series...At least, that's my take.

Everything else...it's more offered for general consumption and peeps with a bit more to spend. Is the C-Class anymore luxurious than the TL...? I don't think so. Even the E-Class, as nice as it is, it can't hold what the S-Class offers. I'm using Mercedes-Benz as an example. It's all relative.

 

Some point soon the TL will be the "flagship" sedan of the Acura lineup... with sales just over 1000 units for the calender year the RL is finished.

 

It does say Lexus on it. But as a former IS300 owner, id easily put the TL up there with the IS's from Lexus. I like my TL-S way more than the IS300 i had.

 

 

my TL-S says acura on the glass. i guess its a high end car?

 

I've always felt like Acura is high end-they were the first of the three (Honda, Toyota, Nisan) to come out with a "high end" automobile. If they're not high end, I think of them that way.

 

Acura stopped with the honda logos in 2007 model year!

Acura is considered a entry level luury brand when looking from an automotive perspective, however this looks like it'll be changing within the next decade as acura is slowly getting amenities that BMW, Benz and Lexus use. Luxury is BMW, Benz, Lexus and Audi. Then Supreme luxury would be manufacturers such as RR and Bentley.

 

Acura is definitely high end in terms of quality. They haven't caught on like the German brands because they don't spend the amount of money trying to brainwash the public. I honestly believe that the build quality of Acura is better than ANY German car under $60k. I have driven the C300's and the 325's and honestly wasn't too impressed. Once you pull out some real money that's where the Germans tend to shine. I think of Acura on the same level as Lexus without the "old man" stigma. The brand is gaining popularity with their recent campaign so the future is bright!

 

IMO Acura is a full-featured daily driver. You get all the bells & whistles with comfort and styling. I love how the TL really had one option, Nav. Everything else was included. With BMWs and MBs you need to add heated seats, HIDs, CD changers, etc... It really drives the price up...

BMWs and MBs are nice but I think if you get one of those, you need to go all out. The M series and AMGs are the ones you should eye. It defeats the purpose if you get a base model 3 series... or 1 series...

I really like the E46 M3... you can find a good condition one in the $30k range...

 

Upside down there. Audi was around and racing cars before VW came into existance.

Therefore, VW is the intro level Audi

I've owned both.

 

Couple of things:

1. Most people that buy a $35,000 car throw money at someone else to do their maintenance. I personally consider it a point of pride that I'm the one that works on the car and changes the fluids (basically anything that's not warranty or super-expensive engine work). It has definitely helped when I go into the store and know what I need instead of giving the impression that I'm some rich kid that just had the car given to him (which isn't the case either, since I've paid for my own TL).

2. The person who made the Honda-stamp comment doesn't seem to know much about car brands. Explained in #3.

3. Acura is the luxury division of Honda, I'm not sure why people don't understand that. Lexus is the luxury division of Toyota, and Infinity is the lux division of Nissan. People think that just because it's not a European car that it can't be high-end.

I'll tell you right now, I've gotten countless compliments on my car because of how durable and slick it looks. I'd take Japanese efficiency and attention to detail over unnecessary European complexity and engine issues (aka Audi) any day.

Honda is already a fantastic brand that is legendary for quality and durability. Them making a near/luxury car is a recipe for success, which is why we all own TLs to begin with.

 

INFINITI...!


Not, Infinity...!

 

x2

 

well in 3rd world country, owning an Acura would be like owning a Bentley. So i guess you can say it's luxury. Doesnt the L is TL stand for luxury?

 

I'm gonna go around and spell Lexus as Lecksus.




And Audi as Oddi.