Colin

Not counting the styling (which is subjective), Acura gave people what they were asking for. Maybe they were asking the wrong people but...

People asked for; more power, something other than FWD, better quality in the Navi system, more trim options, a 6-speed manual, more 'emotion" and they delivered on all of this with the 4G.

KeithL

Yeah I really enjoyed the 4G cockpit and wish they could have maintained alot of that in the TLX figuring out how to incorporate the second screen or go the Audi route and make the gauge cluster dead space the second screen.

draph

The 4g is a statement in human and market psychology. Acura would not have proceeded with the 4g if it hadn't scored well in consumer clinics. They were obviously flawed. Today's engines don't need a huge front opening, but the front ends of cars are getting taller thanks to pedestrian safety standards. So, Acura chooses to fill the space with the "power plenum", while Audi slaps on a large, mostly fake black grill - Big Bird vs. Captain Kangaroo Dancing Bear (Google it if you don't know what I mean). From an objective point of view, the two approaches to filling front end space seem like they should score about equally.

Audi grills and Bangle era BMW designs did not hurt their brands because mainstream consumers and media recognize those brands as top tier luxury benchmarks - the Germans can do no wrong. When your brand is the leader, it is much easier to influence design trends. 30 years from now, society may look at all of today's LED DRL variations from the trend Audi started and laugh at them like the tail fin fad of the 1950's started by Cadillac when they were recognized as a luxury benchmark. Acura would have been successful with its grill had it been recognized by the press and general population as the "benchmark" of performance sedans when it came out with its new design language. Audi had that "street cred" when they came out with its bold black nose; and now its grills are part of the overall status symbol of "Audi Tier 1 luxury".

The market expectation for Acura in its design language as a Tier 2 luxury supplier is that it follow the leaders. Until Acura is recognized as Tier 1 with their products, bold new design statements will be rejected. Acura may have realized that if it had held its consumer clinics with current Audi and BMW owners AND made sure they knew the unbadged pre-production TL mock-up was going to be an Acura and NOT an Audi or BMW. Instead, the lemming status conscious owners they brought in probably assumed it was "their" brand that called them in to evaluate a new design; and, of course, that bold statement scored high marks, because their brand can do no wrong.

As far as the TLX goes, it appears to me Acura has given up trying to be the leader - they've learned their lesson, indeed: "Jewel eye" to follow market trends in DRL and LED lighting, check. No tail pipes to downplay it emits those nasty greenhouse gases the general public now fears, check. Only ATs and dual clutch transmissions, given the majority of the market has no clue what to do with a third pedal, check. All that lane keeping, cross path detection, blah blah safety gear everyone thinks they now need, check. Wine and dine the media at some exotic location to do their first drives and impressions, results TBD and critical. If Honda doesn't delude themselves into thinking they can charge Tier 1 pricing, this car will probably be a hit, vestigial power plenum that is a shadow of its former self notwithstanding.

So, I don't disagree with the quoted statements. Selling to people who like uniqueness doesn't make money - it's selling into or creating the mold defined by the societal lemmings. Starting a design trend to create that new desired mold can make a lot of money, but it requires taking a huge risk when your brand is not already recognized as the one everyone else follows. Acura took that risk, and lost. They are now a case study for Marketing 101....

weather

^^ Interesting read and well stated.

YeuEmMaiMai

ILX has crappy fuel economy? I managed over 30 mixed when I had one as a loaner... my CL-S gives me 25 in comparison when driving the same route. A RDX gives me 23-24, a TSX gives me 29... a MDX gave me 21

Over the 8+ years that I have driven my CL-S, I have had plenty of loaners from Acura so I got a good idea of what is up... people do not buy an ILX or a TSX I4 for performance. They buy a TSX-V6, TL (dare I say RDX) or RL with much stronger V6's... IMHO putting an I4 in the TLX is a bad move considering the car's legacy

EMAN2012

Personally, I love my 4G. I really think the car is a great value! Dollear for dollar, there is nothing out there that rivals it. I was intrigued by the TLX and contenplating getting one, but like I said earlier, I can't get my mind past the no-show exhaust. I know it may seem trivial in the overall design of the car. I'm also sure the car will perform well, etc. etc. It just looks so darn vanilla!! By the way, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", I think the 2012-2014 TL is a very attractive car, especially in black...

Goosew

iTrader: (1)

Is this really a surprising statement from someone who owns one?
This is an inherent bias

I think my 06 is miles ahead of your '12 in the aesthetics category, but only because I own ome

fsttyms1

And yet took it away with the 5g

fsttyms1

1 The 4G was a great car except for the exterior design. Exterior design seems to be something Acura doesnt know how to do. There is NO reason they couldnt have pulled off the 4G (and other models) design better and made it attractive. Other manufacturers have pulled off edgy, but all it takes is a small detail here and there to ruin the design IE the Beak. Audi to me made better use of the large grille. So no i dont think they scored equally as one got the small detail right, the other didnt. If you were to replace the 4 rings and slap them on the beak and put it on the Audi we would be bashing Audi for making something hideous as well. (im one of the larger critics of the beak, i even brought it up to the designers/jeff conrad and others in person at an event i was able to attend a few years back. I love the car (4g, especially the mmc and what it offers, i loath the front grille, I shouldnt have to mod it to make it not stand out)


2 The fronts didnt hurt them as they looked better, and you are right, they have a better brand recognition. But dont say they could do no wrong. The Bangled design took A LOT of criticism.


3 Acura doesnt need to be Tier 1 to for their design statements to be accepted. Thinking so is like the Flawed logic Acura is using. They need the car to be accepted, they arent going to get the acceptance with cars that dont appeal. Period. Sales numbers show that. If people cant get past the polarizing look of something they arent going to buy it.

4 I dont buy that they have given up, To me it still shows they are still lost on which way to go design wise. They interviews, crowd reaction at unveiling, reaction on the internet all seem to say the same thing. People arent overly impressed with the car. Im sure its a great car but if Acura wants to play in this crowd they need to make something that is better than Just OK. Everyone else trying to compete in this segment has figured it out, Caddy, Hyundai, Kia (of all cars) Infiniti is trying, Lexus (has abandoned its Bland designs that they got ragged on about for so long) Wining and dining the media isnt going to help. Making something that is better than just OK WILL.


5 Sure it does if its done right. They have yet to do it right. They need to find the common ground between being too unique and bland. They didnt quite figure it out with past designs, and they still havent figured it out with current.

EMAN2012

Hey, I said that beauty is in eye of the beholder. Yes the G3 is a better looking car, but that doesn't mean the 2012-2014s are ugly. I happen to like it. Hey, you may think your wife/girlfriend is attractive, I may not. Nothing wrong with that. The point is, it's a great car. Good acceleration, excellent handling, great open road cruiser. All around nice car. I had a 335I coupe prior. The car didn't come with a limited slip (not even aan option) twin turbo delivering the power to one wheel, what a joke!! Woudn't even consider driving the car in snow! Also sucked in the rain. The sound system wasn't in the same ball park as the TL, on and on. Not to mention the car is $ 10k + more expensive. Again, the 4G TL SH AWD is a great value...

George Knighton

My answer would be maybe.

internalaudit

Maybe to the third option George? Just pulling your leg. Top of the morning to you.

reddogTL

Yes. The i4 2.0L engine in non-turbo form has no business being in an ILX. It's 0-60 times is close to a Prius(around 9 seconds) and is rated for 24/35mpg. My 2008 TL with newer LRR tires gets 28mpg combined with 85% highway driving.

I dont see a problem with the 2.4L and 8DCT setup for the base model TLX assuming the numbers they announced 206hp with 1.5 seconds faster 0-60 over outgoing i4 TSX with 35mpg. Those are respectable figures and is faster than a BMW 320i or Lexus IS 250. Only the 320i is similar in fuel economy however since the powertrain in the Lexus IS is over half a decade old already its long overdue for an overhaul.

I feel that is the one thing that is holding back the ILX. If they dropped the 2.4L with 8DCT into the ILX it would be a rocket weighing under 3000lbs. It would sell like hotcakes.

smaragh72

Yes, I'm interested the SH-AWD model if the price is right. The Lane Keeping Assist System and Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow might be useful when traffic is slow.

internalaudit

You will be getting a lot of beeps on that Lane Keeping Assist System if you keep moving from one lane to another.

smaragh72

I was thinking of setting the "low-speed follow" to follow the car in front of me when traffic is slow on the highway and when traffic returns to normal speed, I would take control. This video of how it works in the RLX was pretty interesting.

KeithL

I have adaptive cruise in my A6 and I occasionally use it in traffic. I set the cruise to 55 MPH and engage it and as the traffic comes to a crawl so does my car, if they stop I stop. On my Audi once the car stops it will not move again until you tap the gas or pull on the cruise control stalk. I love the feature.

disco35

After three Acuras in a row, I wanted something dramatic, sexy, and powerful. While some of the design cues from the prototype hit on some of my wants, the rest of the car did not. Also, I suspected that the parts that did make it look interesting were going to be toned down (side mirrors, lower front bumper area to name a couple). I've traded my car for a 2014 Q50S Hybrid AWD w/delux. tech. pkg., navigation pkg, illuminated kick plates, interior ambient lighting, exterior welcome lighting, etc., etc. You know what? I love this car, the looks, the drive, the features. The last three Acura models, I liked, a lot. This time around I wanted to be in love with my ride and the TLX looked like it was going to disappoint. Maybe next time around, I'll be back, but they have to give me a reason.