mlody

After seeing the pricing for the new TLX, I am somewhat impressed with the car. $30k can get a lot of car (careless for the real leather). the only bummer is the lack of 6MT.
I am really optimistic that down the road Acura realizes that there are still people who would like to buy 6MT in either form (i4 and v6) and by killings two different models that each had 6MT as an option and replacing it with one model that does not offer 6MT with neither engine option is not a good solution.

If anything, I would kill ILX 6MT (lack of tech on $30k car is depressing) and only focus on offering 6MT on TLX, but for each engine option and in the highest trim.
This would attract all the buyers that previously had 6MT TSX and 6MT TL.

On somewhat separate subject, what is the point of stripper ILX at $27 when TLX can be had for $30k and offer much more of everything?
I think Acura would be much better of by killing ILX all together while expending the TLX's trims and body styles (coupe/convertible perhaps) .

Thanks

Colin

There is always a chance. I have been a manual transmission driver since… Well for as long as I've been driving. I have yet to purchase an automatic and thus, the TLX was always a longshot for me. It's large-ish size, and lack of leather in the base model are probably the final nails in the coffin for me.

However, never say never and this also applies to the possibility of a manual transmission trim. However, that opens up a whole new "can of worms". For example should they make it available in four-cylinder form? It is logical but then which trim level should they do? At manual transmission sales volumes they can't do them all. Then, the same quandary applies to V6 models.

I am hopeful that they will a manual transmission at some point, perhaps they want to concentrate production into two or three years? In other words, rather than making 1000 cars a year for five years they will make 2500 cars in two model years.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Healingduck

It'd be amazing if they surprised us all by adding it as an option when they (hopefully) do a Type-s. Then again, I'm not holding my breath for a Type S...

Yumcha

When was the last manual gearbox from Acura...? It's been awhile now.

Colin

Huh? 2014 ILX 6MT, 2014 TSX Special Edition 6MT, and 2014 TL SHAWD Tech 6MT.

Yumcha

Braincramp.



<---- I think it's bed-time.

Yumcha

Yeah, wow...boy was that a full-dumb@$$ moment from moi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acura_TLX

BEAR-AvHistory

Nah, They have invested a lot of money in the new transmissions. The market pressure is also going away with the low take in 4G & a number of brands dropping MT's on specific cars. Although BMW has the most complete lineup of MT's you can't get a 435 convertible with an MT along with some 3 & 5 series cars.

jbawden

It's a shame too because Acura does a great job with the shift feel on manuals. I guess current automatics are better by just about every measure, but not as engaging. Plus you have to factor in most people don't care about driving and the idea of shifting sounds like too much work and occupies hands that could otherwise be updating instagram while driving.

Acura_Dude

IF Acura were to add a manual, it wouldn't surprise me if they added it as an option on the most expensive trim like the TL.

But then again they could go for the 4cyl as well, just like the ILX or TSX. But I doubt it'll be worth it considering the take rate of manuals nowadays.

cokorote

iTrader: (1)

I hope so, if Acura release Type S/Aspec or sport trim version with MT then I would definitely buy one.

JM2010 SH-AWD

It shouldn't be hard for them to offer the 6MT on the 4 cylinder model. The current Accord offers the 6MT with a differently-tuned version of the 2.4 four. We have this combo in our '13 Accord and it is a very sweet combination. With slightly tighter ratios (the Accord is set up for high mpg -- but still hits 60 in 6.6 seconds) it would really be nice in a car set up for sportier handling. The car is so smooth and refined I would certainly consider this combo in the new TLX. Too much to ask for an SH-AWD version too?

winstrolvtec

AWD + 6MT is a great combo IMO, especially with SH or torque vectoring in general. Rare to begin with and also a bit demographically specific but it's the enthusiast alternative and choice for many areas. Would like to see an S or sport trim with both the DCT and 7MT, if Acura has plans for other uses and it may be useful for it trickle down to Honda but that's more wishful thinking than anything, but a 6MT and the 9AT would also be fine.

Agree with others, I would buy one easily, that and the competitive pricing would allow me to live with the alleged smaller interior, since it doesn't appear others offer a luxury mid sized AWD in a manual anyway, as far as I know, especially with torque vectoring.

Colin

I'm sure there is no difficulty with the actual physical mating of either six-cylinder or four-cylinder to the existing manual transmissions. Most likely it's something else such as the cost of EPA certification for the new drivetrain combo, or as I noted earlier concerns about production/distribution on such a low volume product. Let's face it, they are already late with the current product without introducing additional complexity to the lineup.

REGGIEW

Well, the ILX has a manual option - and with more horsepower to boot (imho, thee ILX should have been 201hp across the board. 150 is simply too low for the premium Acura line - manual or automatic).

I don't see any reason why they couldn't offer a manual option on the bigger more expensive TLX.

Colin

I thought I provided several possible reasons? Assuming you don't recognize them as possibilities, I would add that the larger the car gets (and more expensive it gets) the fewer buyers we see for manual transmissions. Don't get me wrong, I want a manual transmission as much as the rest of us from a personal point of view. From a business standpoint it's not very practical.

fsttyms1

At this point I'd rather a true DCT (not the current DCT with torque converter they designed) with the V6 sh-awd

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

Actually the ILX 6MT is a REALLY fun car to drive, you'd be surprised. It is under-rated, most people don't realize what it is underneath is the Civic Si. The problem is most people don't know it exists, just like a lot of people don't know the 4GTL comes 6MT. Most people that know are ones that have shopped around in the dealership. I don't know why Acura didn't drop a commercial or 2 to promote it. But as I've said many times, all signs are that manual trannys are on their way out. It's not just Acura, it's an industry-wide trend. There's going to be more and more DCTs out there.

Yes the ILX may overlap the TLX, but that's the way its planned and most car companies. It is smart to have a very slight overlap instead of a wide gap between platforms. It gives people options. Some want a loaded car but want it smaller. Some don't care if their car is stripped down but the want it larger. There's a car that fits the same budget for 2 different types of people. One company that is real funny in what they are trying to do is BMW. They keep adding new models, that lineup is SO crowded. The models overlap by a huge margin with how you play with option packages.

There is a bit of a gap between the TLX and RLX but that is for 2 reasons. One because ILX/TLX customers are more alike than RLX customers. And because they don't have a "fill in" model like Lexus does with the GS350. So they couldn't go head to head with the LS. The RLX attempts to strike between the GS and LS with one model.

Even if sales are much slower than the TLX, it is nice to have a broad offering with both the ILX and RLX. They need to compete and look like a serious car company. Even if it means that good sales on one line will have to pick up the slack for the slow line. Look how pathetic the Infiniti sedan lineup looks. No entry level and no top halo car either. They have ONE 4 door in a few flavors and last year's 2 door. Hell they still have the 2013 G35 listed just to fill up the webpage somehow. Sad!

So instead of killing anything they need to improve what they have and make them exciting. The best thing about them right now is that they have been keeping on top of tech, no one is going to say they are behind the curve on that. But my premonition is that this bland, "green", elegant luxury phase will play out for a few years. On Acura's next renaissance, they will hit a epiphany and cycle back incorporating a sporty design language once again.

kixo

Colin -- what is the rational for Acura offering the MT in the TSX and TL in completely different trim levels?

For the TSX, you can only get it in SE trim with NO navigation (Tech) option. So really a base model.

For the TL, you have to get a top-line trim with SH-AWD and Tech package. Near top-of-the-line model.

For both, customers are limited to bland, monochromatic colors and ebony interior. (Milano Red on the TSX excepted.)

It doesn't make much sense to me, and one reason I am holding onto my TSX Tech 6MT for at least another year. The last of its kind, and without the "nanny" features of the current TSX Tech.

It's sad to see Acura abandoning manual transmissions in the TLX...for the first time I am looking outside the Honda/Acura family for my next car.

Colin

I have never heard an official explanation for this. However I did hear that manual transmission TSX Technology package sold several hundred. In the year(s) it was offered we sold a grand total of one.

Once again, I believe the entire difficulty stems from the reality that Acura does not custom-build cars. Committing to a new trim level must make some production sense since they cannot make 10 cars.

Wasn't somebody saying a few years ago that the smallest production lot (one trim, one color combo is a production lot) they can make is 16 cars? If they offered a manual transmission in two trim levels with more than three or four colors they would need to make thousands of them. Customers only by hundreds.

vbx

Depends, they keep this layout. Not sure how it's possible?

Colin

That's certainly something they would need to change but probably not impossible. I wonder if a handbrake is a more difficult engineering challenge?

BEAR-AvHistory

I believe this board & pretty much most fan/performance/sport boards for mainstream cars are totally divorced from the reality of the overall marketplace.

Very few makes build performance versions across their product lines where a truly large enough pool of buyers exists & wants the things we typically take for granted as being important in the buying decision.

Colin

LOL, it's like 10 people here or the rest of the buying public. Acura can choose who to market to...

vbx

Why cant they do special orders for the 6mt. Honda does it with the accord coupe. This way it hurts no one.

Besides the 3 months wait...........

vbx

Lol, like the tlx has a market besides the 10 people here

CheeseyPoofs McNut

Colin - when does your dealership expect to take ownership of a demo? I'm interested in real world driving impressions!

fsttyms1

It couldnt or wouldnt keep the exact same layout, BUT, Relocate the cupholder, and it wouldnt need the buttons for selecting park,drive etc, once removed it would be very easy to have room for a manual shifter

Colin

No this is not correct. They establish a trim, and dealers can order from the selected choices. Thus, it is a 'regular' order, just done infrequently.

I hope I'm adequately explaining the difference. The appropriate question (and what you might have been asking) is why doesn't Acura make the trim available? And this has been discussed in previous posts for possible reasons.

nttstt444

iTrader: (1)

Good explination, makes sense.

vbx

Well, we know the answer. Most Americans don't know how to drive manuals. This is fact. Most people cover it up by saying it sucks in traffic.

Rollen

Am I missing something or did everyone forget they said at the conference that the there will be a 9MT performance version of the car which was suppose to be the 3rd option. I believe it was 8AT and 9MT that the Acura CEO or what ever the guy was at the car convention say it was. If they aren't marketing the 9MT heavy its because majority of people are switching to AT with sport shift which is surprisingly doing well with the technology. Still has a slight lag but I haven't seen how it performs in the TLX.

docboy

9 MT???

Where did you hear that? I must have missed something.

Porsche's new 7MT gearbox in their 991 is abit much and will take time to get used to it IMHO. 9MT would be crazy, too much shifting and mishifts, like driving a truck. 6MT is perfect IMHO.

Acura_Dude

Maybe Rollen meant 9AT?

BEAR-AvHistory

What's the reason to cover it up? Its a dirt simple thing to do. My granddaughter could drive one very well when she was just 15.

Way to many "enthusiasts" are quite full of themselves because they can drive a manual transmission. A few generations back that's all there was to drive unless you were very well off.

Colin

Peer pressure? Wife/GF says, "NO!" and you don't want to admit she's the boss? Just lazy? Just a few reasons to cover it up. To be fair, with so few manuals in circulation, I (occasionally) see someone who have nobody to turn to for lessons.

vbx

Well, it's all about personal preference. And I'm just pissed a lot of company are leaving out the 'option' that's all.

The Lexus RC coupe for example. Something I would get in a heartbeat if it was available with the 6mt option.

-------

My cousin for example, said to me he would rather get an automatic cause he drives in traffic everyday. He was in the market for a car and was deciding between a used G coupe or a brand new FRS.

After 2 weeks of him practicing with my G coupe. Guess what he got? I can tell you it wasn't an automatic.

Colin

It's a tough one, I too prefer a manual but understand the business case for not making it. I am somewhat resigned to the fact we may be getting into the twilight of this technology.

KeithL

I look at it this way as many have said. It is a business decision, the R&D and testing for a low take trim is not worth it. Also as also mentioned technology moves on making the MT really obsolete, many photographers prefer film, but.....