HuKaShI

So I was driving in to work and I have a nice 45 minute commute and a nice road to drive down on. For those of you who know the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut, its a nice fun twisty type road.

I saw a Lexus GS merge on behind me. I quickly glanced ahead of me and then to my right and to my surprise he was already next to me. He gave me a nod and then took off. At this point, I didn't know it was the V8 version. His car was silver and I couldn't make out the numbers on the back of his trunk. Now I was already doing 80 on this parkway. He took off from 80 and must have hit 120 in a matter of like 3-4 seconds. And so for alittle fun, I took off after him. We come up on a cluster of cars and we slowly navigate through them. As soon as we get through we take off again. MY GOD THAT THING IS FAST. Now at this point, I know its a GS430 with the V8. I'm speeding up from about 70 and just reaching 120 where he is about a good 6 car lengths ahead of me. It looked so effortless for him. He would then slow down cause we came up on another cluster of cars. And then as soon as we clear them, take off again. He did this to me 5 times.

We then came up on my exit and I slowed down to exit. He waved and gave me the blinkers and took off. He wasn't a jerk about it so it was cool. I have been humbled by that Lexus.

I'm thinking honda needs to wake up and make some V8's. They can say to themselves all they want that a V6 will do fine but I saw first hand what a Japanese V8 can do.

rets

Route 15?

New GS or old one?

You picked the wrong car to race with...

cM3go

Honda won't put a V8 in a while, there is no reason for them, they are doing great with V6s. They are focusing on efficiency and maximizing engine capability than worrying about HP wars.

HuKaShI

Yes route 15.

It was a 2005. Brand spanking new.

LOL, I know it was the wrong car to race. hahaha. I only did it because the road was clear and I wanted to see what my car could do. I got my ass beat in the process.

The guy driving the the GS was not a jerk though. He slowed down for me a couple times. lol...

Yeah I'm gonna go write my letter to honda now.

2K2SilverTL-S

You should have been able to hang with him in the 70-100 range in your an auto, and maybe possibly beat him if you were a 6-speed. The GS430 is a mid 14 sec car.

But, the GS460 that's going to be coming out in a year or so....watch out.

HuKaShI

To be honest, I don't think even a 6-speed would have been able to hang with this guy. We don't have enough torque I would say. The GS430 has 325 lb-ft torque.

He was hauling ass... Now the merritt also has uphills to contend with. I think the uphills are what really hurt me. It seemed like they were a breeze for him.

rets

Yah, I don't think that car is "fast", but with its 300 hp @ 5,600 rpm, 325 lb-ft torque @ 3,400 rpm and 3,748 lb weight. One wrong move will cost you a few car lengths on you. It says that car has 18/25 MPG... not bad.

rets

You ran with SS mode and stayed at high RPM or just WOT at Auto mode from the beginning???

HuKaShI

I kept it in 3rd as long as I could in SS. And then 4th all the way up as far as I could until we came up on some cars.

All I know is he must of burned up alot of gas because I know I sure did.

downtown

He'll out run you at the the bank $ and gas pump $ too.

HuKaShI

no doubt.

PeteTLS

HuKaShi...I'm with you on the fun factor...I would have run too, not because I thought I could win, but because it's about the fun. I don't know a lot about Lexus', but I'd expect a GS430 to be faster. As long as he was cool, you both were safe, and you had fun, which seems to be the case, then it's all good, right? I'm jealous you have a commute that allows you to have fun!! 60 is hauling on my commute!!

Cativo

I try to stick to civics, Yugo's, and Saturns. I smoke them off the line. LOL

TheTriads

meh, My modded BIG BLOCK will have that GS430 in a blur in my rearview mirror all day

HuKaShI

Yeah, It was very safe. We only went at it when the road was clear. We tried to stay as safe as possible. The good thing about this road is that the traffic on the South bound side has a lot of cars. The north bound side, which is what I take has very very few cars. All the south bound cars are headed into NYC and alot of the rich connecticut folk work in NYC. I on the other hand work for pepsi which doesn't have offices in the city but in weschester and Connecticut.

Yeah, It was all about the fun. To be honest, I thought I could win when I thought it was a GS300. But had I known right off the bat that it was a GS430, I wouldn't have even tried.

rets

It's good to have "fun" like this prior to start your daily work...

PeteTLS

There's only way I know of to get a bigger grin at the start of the day!!

Nodoze2004

Doing 'great'? The RL is not selling nearly as well as Acura predicted. My wife worked for the local Acura dealer and the word from the top is that the car is simply not moving off the lots. If they offered some options, perhaps a choice of engines (V8 anyone) maybe this would change. Honda has pretty much reached the ceiling on their current V6 engines in the TL, RL, and MDX(unless they intend to introduce turbocharged versions which I highly doubt).

Acura's biggest issue is that as a whole they offer VERY few options. So even if said 'value shopper' likes the vehicle, there is very little that can be added to the options wise (aside from A-Spec which on the RL will NOT sell). A V8 is a status engine, and since the RL is selling for 50k it falls into the status category. The problem is that Lexus, AND Infiniti offer their customers a choice, Acura does not.

Nissan has figured this out, Toyota has figured this out....Honda..hmm well they just don't get it! As a company they equip there lower line cars with features that are not available in the Luxury brand vehicles (completely assanine), they offer very few options for the high end customers, there is no product consistency etc etc I could go on and on (and I am an owner). Nissan and Toyota have really made exemplary efforts to seperate and distinguish Infiniti and Lexus as new and better brands than the base, Honda has not. Acura dealerships are nothing more than Honda dealerships with different badges on the front of the building.

Honda needs to take it's head out of the collective sand and wake up.

Intox1221

New GS is good stuff.. i was very impressed with the test drive... ...

HuKaShI

Now that you mention the RL and how it is just a V6, honda really does need to come out with V8's. The GS430 that raped me has a V8 and is priced similarly to the RL.

Shouldn't the RL be competing with the GS430?

Acura needs another model above the RL then. With a V8.

Seriously though, if Honda can work wonders with the current V6's what's stopping them from making exemplary V8's?

JackSprat01

Geez, that's a helluva breakin regimen he's got going there! LOL

JackSprat01

I drove the V6 version and I thought it sucked. Numb feeling handling and not enough snot. I haven't driven the V8 but it sounds like that V8 might make me forgive the handling/steering. Too bad I can't forgive the 60k entrance fee. Plus I was very happy to get back in my TL, reach down and rip through 6 gears.

JackSprat01

Dude, I'm not hatin' but anyone driving a GS430 would hope you made them a blur so they don't have to look at that thing. I'm sure it's fast as hell which I respect, but Lexus guys would look at that old stang like a lawn tractor.

Sclass88

chill_dog

Sorry, but I couldn't help but be reminded of this...

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mo...pisode_04.html

rets

GS430 $58kGS300AWD $51kRL $49kM35AWD $50kM45 $54k
Edit:
TL $32~35k

TLOBLLC

Has anyone here ever had service at a high end dealer? MB, BMW, Lexus? It is completely different from every Acura dealer I've met.

First, the inside of the dealership has been treated by an interior decorator. There are none of the partitioned cubicles or glass door offices for sales people. The sales people themselves behave as if they were given some guidance in etiquette and speak in complete sentences.

When you drop off your 50k Acura for service oftentimes you have to wait behind some kid in an RSX. People who buy premium cars do not want to wait behind some kid who spent 20k on a hatch. Drop the RSX from the Acura lineup and sell it as a Honda Prelude.

When the NSX first came out in the 20th century, it was a halo car representing the capability of Honda engineering then. Now its an embarassingly overpriced at 90k for an outdated design. Fix it and get it up to date or drop it.

At close to 50k, the RL is overpriced for a V6. The price needs to be lower to about 40-42k - around base price of an Audi A6. Don't change the car. V6, AWD, the specs even sound like the A6.

Intox1221

Did u drive the AWD or RWD version of the GS300 ?? The drive and accelerartion of AWD is sluggish i agree... i test drove both the 300 and 430 and that baby (430) is fast i tell ya !!!

chill_dog

Is this a joke? I test drove an IS300 in my car search last year. The sales person used the worst high-pressure sales tactics I've ever seen; they were worse than I ever experienced at a Ford or Chevy dealer in my teens looking for cars! If somewhere in the future I want a Lexus, I will drive to another city to buy it, no question...those @$$holes will never get a dime of my money.

On the other hand, the Acura dealer was quite impressive. I first drove the car in February. I told them then that I wasn't going to buy it until June. The sales guy took me out, answered my questions, gave me a brochure and a card, and said "Come see my when you're ready." That's it, no "What can we do to get you in it today?" crap, no BS, nothing. I also felt I was treated with respect by the sales person as opposed to the Lexus sales person. And the decor was the same as the Lexus dealer; no cubes or glass door offices.

cM3go

I didn't say the car was doing well, I said the engine was doing well. Not everyone how power on the mind. And why can't you add options on an Acura? Because they are all standard! MBs, BMWs, Infinitis etc etc rise greatly in price because of added options. Acura is targeting the buyers that dont necessarily have power as their #1 priority. It is true Acura could offer a higher power output engine, but its not in their business plan. In any case, Honda/Acura is concerned about maximizing performance out of the smallest engine possible. Esp with gas prices on the rise, fuel efficient motors look far more appealing than high HP.

rets

In "my" experiences,

• Sales Dept.: Acura > Infiniti > Lexus > BMW > MB
  
  
• Services Dept.: MB > Lexus > BMW > Infiniti > Acura

My father "thought" it differently (in Sales Dept.), BMW > MB > Acura > Lexus > Infiniti

Gadgets

People who buy $50K+ MB probably say the same thing about those C230 buyers...

HuKaShI

Funny that you mention that. When I went to the NYC Auto show this year, I asked why the new Civic SI looks so much like an RSX and the guy told me that Acura would be dropping the RSX and only having the TSX as the entry level car. He said that the Civic SI is the RSX in disguise.

I agree with Honda's decision on that. The Civic SI will definately help Honda sales and the RSX will no longer hinder Acura's image.

Flippie

JackSprat01

Busted...I drove the AWD version but I can't imagine the RWD one isn't in the same ballpark. Now, the 430, I bet you're right. The dealership didn't have one at the time, I'll go back at some point.

ChuckDu

So what are the annual RL sales expectations "from the top"?

As of the end of March, Acura RL sales have totaled 9377 in 5 1/2 months according to this web page.

A quick goggle search yielded this quote from the 2004 NY Auto Show, "This is a different market than the existing RL," said Mike Spencer, executive vice president of sales for Acura. "We expect to sell around 12,000 new RLs in the first year."

I'm wondering if it is Acura management that is disappointed or maybe it's just the individual dealers with unrealistic expectations for a $50K car.

Can anyone point to a different annual sales prediction from Acura for the new RL?

Nodoze2004

I was not trying to offend, in fact my only intention was to point out that the RL was not doing well by using your wording. I am also not debating the fact that honda can build a hell of V6. My point is that while Acura may well be a 'value' brand, why not offer additional options to sweeten the deals a bit more. While I do not agree with the steep pricing on the options available for MB and BMW cars, at least they have choices. Comparitively Acura's 'everything you could possibly want is already included in the base price, so don't bother looking for any options' mentality seems a bit limiting. I for one am really enjoying the MP3 player in the TL.....oh wait they don't have one (nor do they offer one as an option).

They have built there reputation on value, which is good, but how many opportunities are they letting slip because of the lack of choice? I would say a large number. If you have a customer that has mentally committed himself/herself to spending 45k on that shiny new BMW, and then that customer sees and falls in love with the Acura they CANT spend that extra money (well aside from the trunk tray etc). Choice is a good thing, the more choice the better. It empowers customers to personalize purchases. I think this is the key area where Honda is truly missing the boat. Almost ALL competitors offer options galore, Engine, Drivetrain layout, etc etc.

Traditionally, value and luxury are not synonymous terms. In fact the term value is offensive to some luxury car buyers (they want that status, that is what they are paying the premium for). Lexus understands this, Infiniti is coming around, but Acura...well lets just say they don't know how to deliniate very well. To the company an Acura is a Honda, and vice versa.

As a parting thought, my TL is anything but fuel efficient!! I have averaged 16mpg since I have received the car (this includes the break in period during which the car was babied). To be honest I have encountered V8's that are more efficient! Your mileage may vary, but mine is consistently poor (but alas I wanted the extra muscle a V6 provides).

avs007

I have to agree. I went to test-drive a Lexus GS300 a long time ago. They actually told me, "We are not in the business of letting high schoolers come in here and joyride in our vehicles. If you want to drive our vehicles, please come back with your parents" :angryfire

I was 24 or 25 at the time, was with my wife, and IIRC, I was wearing kackis and a button up shirt, as I met my wife there from work. When he said this I felt like driving my car through their front window. Ron Tonkin Acura, across the street was no better actually. The saleslady actually closed the hood while I still had my head in the engine compartment. She said that she had serious customers that wanted to look at the car. In Acura's defense, the acura dealer across town (Acura of Portland), was a billion times nicer than either of these other dealers.

I went to test drive a BMW, and they didn't hesitate. I was even wearing jeans and a T-shirt. They didn't even bother to take any of my information down. Just told me to be back in 20 minutes or so.

TheTriads

No offense taken , that is why I have 3 cars CLICK EHRE 1 FOR long distance chilling, 1 for weekend roar and one from and to work as a beater

But yes, the GS430 is a very nice car. But to me, that's too family like. I need something that won't make me feel like I'm driving a BOAT.

TLyoung'un

I love the new gs430. Sleek, luxurious, and v8 power Rrawr
I also think Honda needs to step it up and go v8.
sounds like a lot of fun, I would've done the same