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I've been reading auto reviews by David Undercoffler in the LA Times for many years and his reviews are usually right on the mark. He's an enthusiast and actually researches and tests the cars.
While I've been skeptical about some of the newspaper TLX reviews, IMO this is one you can trust.
^^ He must have had a few coffees prior to doing this video....boy he was speaking fast and seemed jittery *lol* Good review though and I loved how he acknowledged that he can't knock the voice recognition because he hasn't spent enough time learning the system...
RUMBLE SEAT
Acura’s 2015 TLX Makes a Quiet Statement
Maybe, for whatever reason, you don’t want a high-tone European sedan. With that in mind, writes Dan Neil, the Acura 2015 TLX might just hit your sweet spot
RUMBLE SEAT
Acura’s 2015 TLX Makes a Quiet Statement
Maybe, for whatever reason, you don’t want a high-tone European sedan. With that in mind, writes Dan Neil, the Acura 2015 TLX might just hit your sweet spot
Is Nathan just being provoking or is he simple minded? His comments about the transmission selector make no sense. You want to put in Park and you press P. How is that more complex than any other system? Same for the other selections.
I understand that some drivers like to hold or rest their hands on a lever, but state that as the complaint.
Is Nathan just being provoking or is he simple minded? His comments about the transmission selector make no sense. You want to put in Park and you press P. How is that more complex than any other system? Same for the other selections.
I understand that some drivers like to hold or rest their hands on a lever, but state that as the complaint.
These reviewers always find something. Show me one review that they say "This is a flawless car" lol
Is Nathan just being provoking or is he simple minded? His comments about the transmission selector make no sense. You want to put in Park and you press P. How is that more complex than any other system? Same for the other selections.
I understand that some drivers like to hold or rest their hands on a lever, but state that as the complaint.
Before I got my TLX, I read so many complaints about this, about that.... and they bothered me. However, after I got the car, I quickly realized that most of them were NON-ISSUES. It's funny how some people would make a bit deal out of nothing really....
^^ It is unbelievable isn't!?! We should start calling out these yahoo's on their level of incompetency. I mean you have an V6 model and you can't even get it right?!
It makes me think that everything I see on the internet is not real anymore...What next, someone will tell me that all these sites I watch when I am not on Acurazine also not representative of the real life?! *LMAO*
In September we asked if the TLX could restore Acura’s car business. In October, we realized that by Acura standards, the TLX could quickly end up as a hit. And now in November, with October 2014 U.S. sales results in hand, the Acura TLX is a hit.
We could apply all manner of qualifying statements: it’s early; other cars are transitioning to a new model year as Acura ramps up the TLX; year-over-year comparisons only highlight the dire straits which were afflicting the TLX’s predecessors; the TLX is relatively inexpensive and thus obviously a more justifiable proposition for buyers moving up to “luxury” cars.
Or, the TLX is exactly what potential Acura customers had been desirous of for years. Not too big, not too small. A choice between an efficient four-cylinder or a similarly efficient but far more powerful V6. Front or all-wheel-drive. Transmissions which, at least in terms of ratios, leapfrog the competition. Somewhat subdued but not unattractive styling. And an advertised base price below $31,000.
The result? Only four premium brand cars – 3-Series/4-Series, C-Class, ES, 5-Series – and only six premium brand vehicles – RX and MDX included – outsold the TLX in October 2014.
4890 TLXs were sold in October, a 95% year-over-year increase compared with the combined total of the TL and TSX in October 2013, a 26% increase compared with the TLX’s own total from September of this year. During a month in which brand-wide Acura sales rose 8%, the TLX accounted for 31.7% of all Acura sales. These were tremendously useful figures for Acura last month, as the ILX, RLX, TL, TSX, MDX, RDX, and ZDX all posted year-over-year decreases.
Non-TLX sales were down 26%.
What of the TLX’s competitors? The vast 3-Series/4-Series range is virtually a brand unto itself, with more permutations than Law & Order, CSI, and NCIS put together. As a result, the 3-Series/4-Series lineup (up 16% to 13,621) sells in brand-like numbers, with more October sales than Cadillac, Infiniti, or Lincoln; more than Volvo, Posche, Land Rover, and Jaguar combined. Mercedes-Benz sold 7412 copies of its new C-Class in October – no one would deny the C-Class is a long-time success.
Lexus’s ES, meanwhile, was down 1% to 5932 units. (The IS was up 6% to 3771 October sales.) Nissan sold 4188 Maximas; Buick sold 4071 LaCrosses; Infiniti reported 2964 Q50 sales. Audi and Cadillac both reported fewer than 2700 total A4 and ATS sales, respectively. Mercedes-Benz CLA sales were down to 2596, a 47% drop compared with its peak month of October 2013.
It will take more than a year, at least, to see if the TLX has the long-lasting appeal of venerable German nameplates or even Lexus’s more comfort-oriented ES. If we can judge cars based on three months of results – admittedly, it’s early – the TLX is an undeniably potent force for American Honda. Moreover, on the subject of premature heralding, any suggestion that these strong results are symptomatic of pent-up demand for a long-awaited car only serves to point out that Acura may possess a larger, more fervent fan base than we would have believed; that the TLX has been deemed by many to be a car worth waiting for.
Before I got my TLX, I read so many complaints about this, about that.... and they bothered me. However, after I got the car, I quickly realized that most of them were NON-ISSUES. It's funny how some people would make a bit deal out of nothing really....
That's because these people get paid to make big deals out of nothing, lol. I too, wish, that an auto reviewer would for once say "I like this car. It is pretty awesome all around", regardless of what that vehicle may be. That way it's like an attainable goal for automakers to shoot for. In all reality, it doesn't matter what's produced, they will ALWAYS gripe about the dumbest thing and make it sound catastrophic.
I try to not pay attention to auto reviewers. How the hell do they know what is good or bad for me? It's their preferences they're talking about, not mine. A test drive quickly quashes all that they say
With 2 full months of sales data behind it, Acura says the new TLX midsize sedan is beginning to fulfill its promise of reviving the luxury brand, whose U.S. sales and image have sagged in recent years.
Acura sold 4,890 units of the TLX in October, making it No. 2 in Acura's lineup, not far behind the MDX 7-seat crossover. October's sales were up 26% from September, the 1st full month of sales for the TLX, which reached showrooms in late August. Dealers say the car's driving characteristics are helping to lure shoppers from brands such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
"The TLX is going to be a core product for us,"Mike Accavitti, Acura general manager, told Automotive News. "Whether it's 1 or 2 [in the lineup] remains to be seen."
The TLX replaced 2 models -- the TL, which midsize sedan customers deemed too large, and the TSX, a car that Acura says didn't deliver enough performance. The TLX is crucial to changing Acura's image from an afterthought to a fun-to-drive luxury brand, according to Accavitti and analysts.
The TLX "lands in the sweet spot" for size, interior space, performance, price and styling, said Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book.
For many years, Acura has had trouble getting that formula right with its sedans. Its crossovers, the MDX and the smaller RDX, have sold well, but its cars have been losing ground to luxury competitors that are moving faster and more boldly with their design, technology and performance characteristics. Mercedes-Benz and BMW lead the segment, but Lexus, Audi and Cadillac are expanding their lineups as well to include more rear-wheel-drive vehicles and high-performance variants.
The TL, once a strong competitor in the midsize category, began to lose ground after a 2009 redesign that Acura admits was a turnoff.
"Acura hasn't had a compelling sedan for a decade," said Brauer. "The TL that debuted in 2004 was great, but every sedan from Acura since then failed to resonate with luxury sedan buyers, until now."
Regaining leadership in the midsize sedan segment in particular is critical for improving Acura's image, Accavitti said. "To really drive prestige for a luxury brand, you do it through the midsize market," he said.
For that reason, Acura said, it has spent more money promoting the TLX -- allocating nearly a 3rd of the TLX's marketing budget to digital advertising -- than any other vehicle in its history.
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2 months after its launch, the TLX is on pace to do what Acura hoped: boost the profile of its sedans and add incremental growth over the models it replaced, the TSX and TL. Here are Acura's top sellers.
October 2014 October 2013
U.S. sales U.S. sales
1. MDX 5,324 1. MDX 5,608
2. TLX 4,890 2. RDX 3,333
3. RDX 3,178 3. ILX 2,005
4. ILX 1,618 4. TL 1,295
5. RL/RLX 260 5. TSX 1,211
Source: Automotive News Data Center
The advertising messaging, with the tag line, "It's that kind of thrill," is intended to signal to potential customers that the TLX is a legitimate performance car, but not an impractical one, according to Accavitti.
"It's not the fastest car you ever drove in your life, but it's not supposed to be," he said. "It's enough performance for consumers to suit the type of driving that they do."
The investment appears to be paying off, according to dealers, who say the TLX has helped attract new customers to the showroom. John Eagle Acura in Houston has seen customers come from BMW, Audi and Mercedes, as well as Lexus and Infiniti, said managing partner Valerian Kuznetsov. "This TLX is more competitive than any other sport sedan we have ever offered," Kuznetsov said.
The dealership's TLX sales in October 2014 exceeded the combined sales for the TL and TSX in October 2013 by about 25 percent, Kuznetsov said.
Acura ended production of the TSX and TL in the 1st quarter, with both cars in short supply by the summer. Acura wouldn't disclose sales targets but said at launch time that it expected the TLX to easily outpace sales of the TL and TSX, while challenging the MDX as the brand's top seller.
Now positioned between the entry-level ILX and the larger RLX, the TLX has already boosted Acura's sales significantly.
Deliveries for the brand rose 8% in October, with the TLX accounting for nearly 1/3 of sales volume overall. Prices start at $31,915, including shipping.
In October, the most frequently cross-shopped cars were the Honda Accord, Acura ILX, Mercedes-Benz C class and BMW 3 series, according to Edmunds.com.
1 big draw is the TLX's selection of engines -- a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder in front-wheel drive and a 3.5-liter V-6 in either fwd or all-wheel drive -- said Lee Hubbard, managing partner at Jay Wolfe Acura in Kansas City, Mo. The dealership has sold 77 TLX units through October, with sales up 45% over the TL and TSX in the same period last year.
"We always had kickback from customers trying to sell a 4-cylinder like the TSX offered because it didn't offer enough performance," he said. "But now we have as many asking for the 4-cylinder that's mated to the all-new 8-speed transmission and optional drive modes."
A full revival of Acura is still a work in progress, though. "Acura still has an uphill battle to climb to fully compete with the top luxury players," said Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at Edmunds. "Compared to the German luxury brands, Acura's model lineup is very small, so it's crucial to do well in the segments they sell in."
10-25-2014, 08:27 PM
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