Tony Pac

Acura's SH-AWD is one of the best in the market. I am not going to argue that but Acura isn't using that in their advantage. For example Audi always promotes their Quattro.

I have never seen an Acura add promoting the SH-AWD. "A world's first, the SH-AWD system combines front-rear torque distribution control with independently regulated torque distribution to the left and right rear wheels to freely distribute the optimum amount of torque to all four wheels in accordance with driving conditions." (Wikipedia) and their many more advantages that reviewers always mention.

I love Honda/Acura brand but sometimes I have no clue what's wrong with the company? Just like keeping the exhaust tips on Accord and removing them from Acura's lineup to be "GREEN".

mapleloaf

COmpletely agree that they don't market the SH_AWD as it is superior to most systems out there, certainly compared to those anywhere near their price point. Hell, even Nissan and Mazda talk about intelligent, adaptable AWD systems. Perhaps because the RDX has a cheaper simpler AWD system (although still competitive with most others)?

As for tips, you don't think this was more of a style decision?

Tony Pac

That's what exactly I mean. Mazda and Nissan talk about minor technologies that every other car company has and Acura with one of the most intelligent and superior AWD is not promoting it. Really sad! Especially, the SH-AWD of Acura is gold in most of the Canadian market. I hear more about Acura Watch then Acura SH-AWD

Exhaust tips could be a styling decision but Acura never clarified it. At least for ILX and TLX, they should have kept the exhaust tips (Sport Luxury sedans). It's that kind of thrill.

DevilDog142

Let me ask some of you old school Honda/Acura lovers a quick question. Do you remember the honda wago-van. It was a civic style car with 'real-time' 4 wheel drive. Now the question…was that the start of SH-AWD? for honda or did they have something before that car? Just wondering.

BEAR-AvHistory

Think that boat has sailed. Too many AWD system out now with too many claims & Quattro has the name cache. To be fair there was a time Acura did push it with adds showing a 4G SHAWD equipped vehicle beating all comers up a steep iced hill.

They might have diluted the message by otherwise mostly promoting it as a performance enhancement not a 4X4 replacement.

For people in weather its still hard to beat a true 4X4 High/Low range transfer case system with locking differentials.

RedRyder

iTrader: (1)

I remember ads for the TL and maybe RL advertising SH-AWD. They might be on YouTube or something.


Agree

Tony Pac

[QUOTE=RedRyder;15642495]I remember ads for the TL and maybe RL advertising SH-AWD. They might be on YouTube or something.




I will check it out. Recently I didn't hear a single mention of SH-AWD

But how come all reviewers mention that Acura got one of the best AWDs in the market?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

that's more of the PAWS and not the SHAWD

weather

I agree, Acura's SH-AWD is simply amazing! I will never forget the wonderful and planted feeling of taking ramps or curves with my 2012 TL!

Looking back, that was THE BEST car I have ever driven....Sure, the exterior design was polarizing (I never liked its rear) but I adored the interior. Those buttons gave it the most amazing cockpit at night and the ELS was so solid.

I was debating on the merit of keeping my TL but I just needed to get something different, I just have the itch and 3 years is the most I can go.

BEAR did make a good comment.....Acura missed its opportunity to really promote its SH-AWD and maybe, they should have called it something else earlier on, but no one who know anything about the automotive industry will ever question the merit of Acura's AWD.

They just need to make Acura the brand where all its vehicles are equipped with SH-AWD, and the fact that Acura Canada discontinued the FWD TLX is a sign that they are going that way.

Tony Pac

I agree with everything you mentioned here. I love the interior. I have the 2010 and still feels great. It looks very luxurious and still solid

neil0311

Just out of curiosity, what is technically different/superior about the Acura SH-AWS compared to other AWD systems?

I had an AWD Lexus IS250 that I bought in Boston 9 years ago before the Acura TLX AWD I just bought. It handled very well in snow and around curves. My Acura isn't quite as planted as the IS was, but I think that's more about the difference between the TLX and IS generally.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^watch and learn!

youngTL

I've only had my SH-AWD TLX for less than a week, but already it's amazing. With winter tires the thing is a BEAST on the slippery roads of Alberta in the dead of winter.

I've already tried it around a few offramps and onramps, and it does some amazing things there too - I can take them at speeds I never thought possible as long as I brake prior to the corner and stay on the gas through the whole thing. The biggest surprise for me was giving the car gas around a normal 90 degree corner. After turning the wheel I gave it some gas and the car just rotated around the corner in a tiny little radius. It was ridiculous and awesome at the same time. The little SH-AWD meter showed lots of bars on the outside back wheel and none for the inside rear wheel when I did that, and a little bit on both fronts.

Plus the thing just hooks up immediately on straight line acceleration. No drama, no wheelspin.

kevTL888

well, first of all, Acura should do a better job to distinguish the SH-AWD and non AWD models. currently, only a small badge on the lower trunk ID the sh-awd models. secondly, if Acura wants to push for upmarket, they should make all their vehicles sh-awd equipped. the mpg penalty on the sh-awd isn't that noticeable compare to the fwd variants, so it's not like people in warm weather area would be scare away by this tactic.

neil0311

Thanks for the videos Justnspace. Helped clarify. I'm going to have to try adding more power around curves to see the impact.

Tony Pac

Great videos. The best one is Alex on.

Thanks for sharing.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

well, the great thing about youtube is that there are endless amount of videos about Honda/Acura's SHAWD system, keep watching to learn more!

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

"Buy SH-AWD. It will cost more, make car heavier, get worse mpg, lose more power through drivetrain, etc. Your SH-AWD car will also be slower at autocross and track versus the fwd cars."

I already know you all will disagree with me, even though you have no autocross or track experience with SH-AWD car to back up your claims. Ppl will just say but awd is always best.

Is that the type of marketing you want?

BTW how does hiding tailpipes make a car green? Does that mean if I fart silently that the fart does not exist because no one heard it?

neil0311

Do you need to drive in snow? I've always had AWD because of that primary reason. The improved handling on dry roads is just icing on the cake.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^dont worry about Brian, He's special.

youngTL

WTF who is autocrossing a TLX? It's a premium, sporty daily driver, not a race car.

In everyday driving situations (6 months of Alberta winter), onramps, offramps, and around corners SH-AWD is better to have. I just went from a FWD 2007 TL-S 6MT to the TLX SH-AWD, and the TLX is superior around corners during my day-to-day drive despite being heavier.

Tony Pac

Seems like you have never experienced 40-50 cm of snow...lol!

I don't need a TL to race. If I ever want one, I will buy a real sport car. Acura TL -SH-AWD is a daily premium car with decent driving.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^guise, he's special

dont engage him. he's very special.

Saintor

Well I actually agree with you. I owned a 5000CD Quattro with an antique AWD system for 3 years, one of which as a front-driver (driveshaft removed). I was flabbergasted that I appreciated my Audi more in FWD.... better steering feel, just felt more tossable and predictable.

I find that AWD is certainly over-hyped and overall, more of a marketing gimmick than anything for non-rally applications or with no mountains.

20 years later here am I with with a modern AWD, just because I had to get it in order to buy a V6 (SH-AWD is standard on Canadian 2016 TLX V6). Despite Acura's claim that they share the same combined EPA, I am sure that it consumes 1-2mpg more overall. At least this time, with the miracle of electronics, it is transparent and I even like its RWD bias.... I fully tested it today on snow.

I wonder if a FWD TLX V6 would have done this....

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

dammmnit, now this thread is full of special people....^^

Tony Pac

lol ^^

mapleloaf

We are all special in our own way I would conclude from all of this information that SH_AWD is:

1. Fabulous in the snow and ice;
2. Good for handling on twisty dry roads;
3. Less useful for everyday driving conditions where #1 and #2 generally don't exist…e.g. much of Nebraska

neuronbob

I've been complaining about Acura's lack of marketing of SH-AWD since I owned my 2GRL almost ten years ago. That early SH-AWD was simply awesome. The eSH-AWD in the RLX Sport Hybrid is even more so.

I don't think it's too late to market it. All they have to do is to show those videos in the post above, which were done as part of cold-weather testing, then add a segment on dry weather handling, and there you have it.

BEAR-AvHistory

That was then. Now torque vectoring is quite common. People might debate whos is best but Honda/Acura no longer stands alone with the technology.

Acura's SH-AWD TL, TLX, MDX, RL
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
Audi's quattro with Sport Differential
BMW's Active M Differential
BMW's xDrive with Dynamic Performance Control
Honda's SH-AWD
Kia's Dynamax™ AWD
Land Rover's All New Range Rover Sport HSE and Autobiography Dynamics models [13]
Mercedes-Benz's SLS AMG Electric Drive combined with active front-back torque vectoring
Mitsubishi's Active Yaw Control
Nissan GT-R's ATTESA E-TS Pro (rear wheels only)
Nissan Juke
Saab's XWD
Ford on several models
Porsche on several models, when torque vectoring added as an option
Holden Special Vehicles Gen-F GTS[14]
Volvo's drive e (front wheel drive systems)
Hyundai Veloster
Subaru's Active Torque Vectoring, ATV - 2015 and later Outback, Legacy, WRX, and STi. Recently included in the 2016 facelift Forester XT. Applies braking in inner front wheel in a turn in addition to front-rear transfer.[15]
Lexus RC F
Rimac's Concept One - All Wheel Torque Vectoring (AWTV) All Wheel/Four Wheel drive electric system.

SHAWD has become a lot like V-TEC & HEMI. Slick copywritten name, but almost everybody has an actual version of the technology.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Exactly. Based on the list above by BEAR-AvHistory, you will need to pay some serious money to get real torque vectoring (i.e. not braking the inside wheel) in other brands. Otherwise, a lot of the other so called torque vectoring systems are just brake-based systems like the Nissan Juke, Kia's Dynamax, or Subaru's torque vectoring.

Honda/Acura really needs to market SH-Awd properly...."a real, active, non brake-bias torque vectoring AWD system that is only found on expensive European cars" or something like that.

youngTL

I think they missed the boat on that though. What they really need to do is take some money away from the marketing department and put it into product development for Acura. They don't even have a sporty trim of any of their models, so the money would best be spent there. And on developing the 8DCT to handle more torque.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

yeah.....it's that kind of thrill.

fsttyms1

If i owned one i would. Ive been track daying my TL since the day i bought it.

youngTL

I think that takes the cake for the worst automotive marketing campaign ever. I absolutely LOVE my TLX and that's why I bought it, but it certainly had nothing to do with 'that kind of thrill'. LOL. It's because it's the most well-rounded sedan in that price range, I would say. But most enthusiasts don't want that, they want something with some more edge to it. If Acura made a turbo SH-AWD Type-S with a DCT (turbo 5 or 6, not an I4), then I think that would remove a lot of the criticism.

Their problem is that they are too conservative most of the time, but then when they try something wild, it's too wild (ie: the ZDX, the 4G beak design, the ZF 9 speed without more than 6 months of testing - good thing the 2016+ are fine).

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

That's been Honda's MO since Day 1.
be the value manufacture on the block.

they make money by making vanilla cars that appeal to a large audience.

BEAR-AvHistory

Which make the shareholders & a great majority of the buyers very happy. Issues are in our small world (performance car buyer) selling sizzle with zero steak to go with it.

Marketing tag line should be. "A great car that's there for you when you need it" With a nice visual of a SHAWD plowing though the snow with a young guy ferrying is pregnant wife to the maternity hospital.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

right, its okay to alienate the performance buyer because its such a small percentage of performance buyers.


agreed with you bear, they need to show how much value the car has, instead of chasing after "ze Germans" a la, it's that kind of thrill.

CheeseyPoofs McNut

james21_h

Acura's marketing sucks big time in general. In Asia, very few people heard of the brand... Even if a person heard of it, they only know it is the luxury version of Honda. Lexus and Infiniti have established their images quite well in Asian countries. I guess Acura only wants to sell their cars in North America....

Tony Pac

Agreed!

Even in people don't know Acura.

Acura has big plans

We have to be patient, with NSX and new style....I would say 2017 looks promising.