My Audi A6 was a ZF 8 speed auto, and it worked flawlessly, probably one of the best trannies in any car I have owned.

 

Yes, but ZFs 9-speed is a whole different story.

 

We have jumped on TLX v6-awd from TSX 4 cyl (for my wife) and regret the purchase since day one. The car vibrates like crazy (on highway) and transmition is far from being smooth and responsive (unless you drive in Sport+). We have had reported the issues to our dealer 4 times so far, and yet there isn't any resolution. If we are unlucky to resolve this in any way, she is ready to jump on the 2016 civic touring and we will never again look at Acura. This is shame as we were looking to replace my aging TL with a new Acura too, but at the rate, I might as well get a new accord or even switch the brands.

 

I just don't think that Honda/Acura with the TLX/Accord and Nissan with Maxima/Altima get it....They just can't seem to differentiate the more 'upscale' offerings (Max/TLX) from the mid to high level Accords and Altimas enough for most people besides us in here to matter. With these mid cycle upgrades to both the Accord and Altima many are like why should I spend the extra for this when I can get that for this with the same stuff and more pretty much for much less, some people don't care as much for the name 'cache' as some!

 

I would have happily bought a Honda Accord if it fulfilled my needs and drove better than the TLX. I could not care less about brand name. But the TLX is the objectively better car from the criteria I used to judge it on (ie: the things that are important to me). In fact I did own an Accord about 5 years ago and loved it, but priorities have changed.

 

I think being listed as one of the 20 least reliable cars by Consumer Reports has hurt sales. I and many other people buy Hondas in large part due to their reliability. The higher prices due to lower incentives also hurt sales.

 

That's my point....you are in the minority as I was saying.. Many of us here can see the minor differences, but the majority of the buying public can't and could care less, they just care about the extra money in the account...

 

The correct word is "subjectively" since the TLX won based on criteria that was important to you and you were the sole judge.

 

But his "subjective" choices might have been made on "objectively" valid facts i.e.more horsepower.

 

Correct.

Some of the factors were subjective and some were objective, but the decision was made objectively.

For example, horsepower is an objective factor.
Driving feel is a subjective factor.
Price is an objective factor.
NVH is a pseudo-objective factor (it can be measured but some people don't notice).
Fuel economy is objective.
Interior feel is pseudo-subjective (materials differences are measurable and objective, but whether someone notices are not is a subjective thing).
Exterior looks are subjective.
SH-AWD (whether it exists) is objective.


I take all of those items (and more), and then put them through my OBJECTIVE test of "Which car wins this category, A or B?". Then I tally them up (some are worth more than others though, ie: SH-AWD is a big one), and if one comes out far ahead, that's the car for me. That is an objective reasoning process.

I think we're derailing the thread though.

 

Probably because it got a little too complicated.

 

True. And while I have not had the issues others have had I will say this tranny leaves much to be desired. By far the worst tranny in any car I have owned. I find a few issues, on occasion there is a lag when accelerating for it to lock up the torque converter causing a hesitation. Also the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts they clearly over compensated for all the complaints of hard shifts, I find them also occasionally to be too soft like what rev-matching they are doing is taking too long and the shift takes forever.

 

I agree. While I like the MPG, I wouldn't mind sacrificing some of it for a more "thrilling" transmission. Aside from the problems some owners are having with it, I've quickly realized the 9 speed really limits this car.

 

Yeah, but when your TV ad touts that VTEC is working at any RPM, and that when you upshift with the paddle shifters, the revs increase, you have a bit of a credibility problem with Acura brand loyalists...

2015 Acura TLX TV Spot, 'It's That Kind of Summer: Thrills Come Standard' - iSpot.tv

 

Do you think the average buyer, Acura's target, notices such things? Only people on these sites really seem to care

 

I've never gauged a brand's credibility by their TV spots. I suspect very few, beyond a dozen dudes on Jalopnik, seriously care.

Beer commercials show regular guys playing beach volleyball with half naked super models - I don't know about you but that's never been my experience when I drink beer...

 

Well said. I never knew that drinking Corona would make me super fit and have a hot beach babe be at my side.

 

yeah its more sublimial messaging and nudging the feelings. Budweiser and Honda know no one will really make logical decisions purely based on commercials....I think its more like you are now aware (or reminded of) hey theres a new Acura and theres BUdweiser.....and it may trigger a slight unconscious feeling towards that brand/drink whether you like it or not.....corporations have market psychologists on staff so I'm sure they have interesting research to back up things like which would be very interesting to see....

 

All of my co-workers have newer vehicles with paddle shifters, no one uses them

The 9 spd in the TLX is perhaps getting better, but its still not even close to the refinement of other offerings. You can get smoother shifting in a 20K civic than the TLX. The 8 spd in my charger is easily one of the smoothest, quickest responding auto's I've ever owned

Acura is losing sales to Honda, plain and simple. I think we've determined on this forum time and again that most Acura buyers aren't that interested in the premium price of the badge, and the tech gap between honda and acura begs any consumer to question what they're paying for with the Acura.

SH-AWD is just about the only differentiating technology between the brands and if you aren't a sporty driver why get it. The only vehicle Acura got right is the new RDX - comparable to the CR-V, but wins out easily on options, build quality and refinement. The other Honda/Acura vehicles are much too close in offerings and the average consumer is looking at the bottom dollar.

 

Exactly. Ads are meant to get you in the showroom - not give you a detailed feature/benefit list of the car.

Google the 80's movie "Crazy People" for some advertising fun - this one is my favourite: "Jaguar — For men who'd like hand-jobs from beautiful women they hardly know."

 

That's too bad. Pretty bad decline. October was awesome.

I hope December is better

 

I believe the GS got an F-Sport trim added recently, but I'm not sure how recently.

 

It doesn't do that for you?!?! I must be the lucky one

 

I make sexy beach babes bring me my corona beer. Lol

 

lol! sounds good to me!

 

Ya might want to test drive the new Civic before trading the TLX. Nice car for the class but not even close to the TLX in any category.

 

Yes, but as it's been discussed a hundred times here, people don't seem to give a shit about some of the benefits the TLX has.

I certainly don't give a shit that it's super quiet. It's not like previous Acuras were deafening loud.

The interior dash/door materials don't vary much.

The civic is smaller, but it seems mlody doesn't care about that. The civic is now bigger and slightly lighter than the previous gen, so that helps.

Leather might not feel as nice, but it'll last just as long.

The civic is loaded to the tits with LED headlights, and a lot (not all) of the tech the TLX has, if not more in some cases (I'm thinking car play, etc).

He loses the transmission he hates. He loses the unexplainable vibrations. It's cheaper, it's more fuel efficient.

 

It's funny how TLX owners comment on how quiet the TLX is, yet Acura markets the car as being a thrilling sports sedan. Since when does silence equate to sporty? Anther marketing fail employed to lie to people. Acura might as well start saying everyone of their cars has a V8 under the hood. It's about as factual as anything else in their commercials.

 

You're right he should just sell the TLX and purchase a new Civic.

 

I think you missed the point that what is important to you, may not be important to someone else. I can totally understand why he's considering trading up.

 

Clearly you are not drinking enough beer.

Boy this thread has gone off topic.

 

It seems to me this is a perfect opportunity to get a better price on a TLX but that's just me. I'm just too turned off by the new Accord's wheels...

 

Just a momentary dip. Acura now has seasonal lease deals so sales will pick up. It's not all gloom and doom.

 

Really, I think the Accord wheels are much better looking than the standard TLX wheels.

 

A car's wheels will stop you from buying it? Couldn't you just buy some aftermarket wheels? If not, is it just because you don't want to spend more on a new car to replace stuff that comes on it right after buying it?

 

I only think that about the Accord Sport wheels. The rest are just as meh as the Acura ones.

I'll probably get new rims for the summer tires and use the stock Acura ones as winters.

 

I spoke a little prematurely. The sport wheels do look good
but the Accord wheels (LX and EX) seem just too tacky for me. Can you get better wheels? Sure, but I really wasn't going for the customization angle here. I was just commenting on the design choice of Honda and how it seems to fall away from my personal tastes. I really liked the previous gen Accord because it was restrained and followed a very encompassing clientele. The new Accord (and the Civic) seems to have taken a step towards a more futuristic look and I'm not quite buying it...

 

[QUOTE=TacoBello;15628255]I think you missed the point that what is important to you, may not be important to someone else. I can totally understand why he's considering trading up.[/QUOTE

i get that people have their personal reasons for purchasing one vehicle over another. I deal with that everyday on the sales floor. My point is before buying any vehicle new or used take the time to go for a good test drive. I commented on the 9 spd tranny issues on Temple of Vtec when it first came out after taking it on my first test drive. The positives out weighed the negatives as a result I still bought the TLX. I've also recently drove a 2016 Civic Touring and can honestly say I would never buy this car with the current engine and tranny configuration. It's noisy and unrefined engine and the CVT does not meet my expectations. The lack of any engine braking effect is totally unacceptable to me. As a matter of fact the 2016 ILX is a far superior vehicle in many ways to the new Civic. Now if i just read on line reviews and forum comments I would be rushing out to buy a super fast Civic (Not)and would never even put a foot into an Acura Dealer.

 

That said a couple of magazines chose the Civic Si over the ILX in a one on one test.