Jalopnik Rips Acura VTEC Commercial
 

So Jalopnik looked at the latest Acura commercial with the white TLX carving a canyon road while the salesman tells the guy he can feel the VTEC kick in. Now while I agree that this is horse crap, I disagree with the author when he says taking a test drive on canyon roads is bull. Living in So Cal, the 2 Acura dealers near me are with 5 minutes of Malibu Canyon and Muhlholland Drive. I've taken numerous test drives through there.

This Acura Ad Is So Crammed Full Of Horseshit I Can't Even

Wow... I just read through his rant, and I think he has too much time on his hands. How do you, in a visual commercial, indicate how the drive feels? They need to do something to explain what's happening. The alternative would be "feel how fast it is"? I mean come on... it's a commercial.

And... I think he's overthinking what they are saying. You can definitely feel the VTEC kick in at 4500 RPM. I think that's what they are trying to convey... not that you can detect a minute change in valve timing.

Okay.. C'mon guys.. Please tell me you don't see something wrong here:


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...7beab7e9ce.gif


Can people can have differing opinions about the car you bought?



Also i think the commercial was tongue in cheek regarding the long-standing 'v-tec just kicked in yo' meme..

Admittedly I hadn't been keeping up with the TLX, but didn't they have a bunch of transmission problems?

I think the upshift surge might just be one of those faulty units?

VTech, yo!

Lol...I blame the marketing department.

Exactly what one of the comments on the Jalop article was....slipping transmission

"Its that kind of 'oh crap I need a new transmission' thrill"

That is a funny rant, but he is correct about the paddle shifter.

Funny rant but Jalopnik is a German fanboy hangout. They basically trash any car that's not BMW, Mercedes or Audi.

Should have shown the up shift closer to the redline. That's more of a thrill.

^agree, they have some bs and good stuff. Acura commericals are way better than they used to be.

Yahoo Front Page!

Or is it because BMW, Audi and Mercedes make ultra fun, hoonable cars that companies like Acura could never dream of. It's a website for car guys who like to drive- are you expecting a stellar review on the TLX? You can barely even find that here on AZ :tomato:

I shook my head the first time I see that ad with the "feel that vtec yo" comment. It is complete crap, especially since every make out there uses the same tech.

Lol on the revs climbing on the upshift. Noticed the revs, but never noticed which paddle he hit.
Marketers 1 : engineers : 0.

Honestly though, it's all much ado about nothing. It's a commercial designed to sell a product. If they showed the typical salesman accompanied test drive regardless of the make, it would be a total snooze fest.

Watch it again more closely - he's not hitting the upshift paddle - he's hitting the VTEC paddle.

It's also a website for guys who think they are hip, performance drivers, and badge oriented, IMHO. I have driven all of these cars, and I'm sorry, there just isn't a big difference in fun. And hoonable is not a real #@$% word….but it is hip. My TLX 3.5 SH-AWD is fast, agile, and has the best AWD on the market for cars less than 100K. An Audi 4 equivalent is not more fun to drive, nor is a Mercedes 250-300 equivalent. A BMW 335 is faster (and considerably more expensive) and may be more fun to drive at the track….but guess what, 99.99 percent of us don't drive track or twisty canyon roads. They are all somewhat more likely to break down on the side of the road, a fact that I observe frequently in daily commutes.

All excellent cars, but let's not deify them and demonize the TLX, an excellent car in it's own right. BTW, the majority of negative comments are from folks like you who don't own the car.

Acura's own TLX commercial says otherwise

:)

You mean to say guys like us aren't trying to impress the Jones's with a higher number series (A5, 550, ES350) car than theirs? :thumbsup:

You are correct, most the "haters" of the TLX are non TLX owners.

Jalopnik was way cooler when it wasn't popular. I used to be on it all the time in 09-10 after that it got bad. Most people on Jalopnik just go with the popular ideas and dont really understand cars

Why is there a bias toward German cars?

I find them to be unattractive and hear they are not reliable

Not only are they not as reliable, but if you do your own basic repairs like Brake jobs, O2 sensors, etc., parts are double what a Japanese car's parts cost.

No need to bash German cars just to defend Acura...lol

Germans do make great cars but yes they're "less" reliable and is more expensive to maintain.

If someone was going to give me a TLX or a 335i for free? I'd pick a 335i everytime.

Is it just me, or is pretty much every commercial out there like this? When was the last time you took your Nissan out to the middle of the desert and whipped the back end around? When was the last time you ordered a burger from McDonalds and had it look anything like the one on TV.

Bottom line, there's deception in advertising. Acura isn't the only one doing it. I could look at any commercial and point out similar issues.

No fan boi of either for various reasons. But the theoretical free question really would be a TLX with $25,000 or a 335i.

Have to agree with the criticism, it could have easily been harsher.

Not all of their cars are "Ultra fun" FYI I don't have a TLX I have a TL but I test drove a TLX before I decided to get a Q50. If you've been on there they will take an equally equip German car and trash a car with the same performance because it doesn't have A BMW etc badge.

I'd take the TLX and buy an S2000:thumbsup:

Haha!

Have a look at this commercial for the Dodge Friggin Dart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gogQLQNrDds

"Take it to the track" "Never too much power" "a ground breaking car" etc etc.

My question is this: Why does "truth in advertising" really matter so much more for the TLX that any other product or car? Is there some kind of magical standard that Acura is held to versus any other product? *shrug*

Agreed. I also think it plays on "inside" knowledge. One generation of TLs had vtec only on intakes (to the disappointment of fans), and another generation had it on both intakes and exhaust (to the delight of fans). I just don't remember what generations had what.

Anyway, the ad mentioned that vtec on the TLX is on both input and output regulating performance across a broad rpm range. For people who know, this is good news. For those who don't, you get the (over) reaction from the writer at Jalopnik.

Yeah, some wag might have said a TLX or an Accord Touring & $10,000.

Expect it was an inside joke line. Nothing unique in the technology anymore just like "Its a Hemi". Things that just about all cars have now.

Good point: Accord and TLX or 335i or $35,000 and Accord.

Or take a bus and save $50,000.

<p></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Ride a bicycle even better....</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

Walking is better. You have to buy the bicycle.

You can just stay home and don't do anything and hide the money behind the fridge.

<p> </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>True (2 chainz voice)</p>