dwest1023

I can deal with it as long as there are TWO of them. Looks like we lost the fog light too. -

weather

^^ At the rate we are losing these "sporty features", we may end up with what will be the next "Pope Mobile" *lol*

mugen_kid

I'm just praying Acura doesn't F this one up! We need something sexy from them!

TheAspec

I really hope Acura is not following everyone else with making all the options "add-on" parts. Such as fog lights...

Acura really had it simplified... you either got the base model of the tech model. Then came along the advanced and now SH-AWD and FWD options. No issues with this approach but the line up is growing with more variants every year.

If the TLX follows the MDX you're going to pay extra for fog's. And if it follows the RLX you're going to pay extra for "Premium Sound/Krell". If this is the case Acura is following everyone and no longer innovating in my opinion.

BEAR-AvHistory

^^^^^^^^

Nothing is free so on a one price car you are still paying for all the stuff between the base & the top of the line. I like ala-carte because you are not forced to buy something you don’t want which in some cases will put the nicer car out of reach for some buyers

weather

^^^ I agree with you on giving the buyers the options to get what they want as long as they don't make the base price the same with a lot less options than what was orginally included in the base price.

I hate going to grocery store and seeing that they have kept the price the same on the box of cereal but instead of being 500g, its now 375g. Its as if they are trying to take us for suckers....we'll just charge the same just give less to them!

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

You've just described Porsche.

JT4

LOL so true..

$500 for a leather covered steering column, $700 for a leather rear view mirror or $1,600 for the air vents to be covered in leather or painted the ext color.. There are so many other choices your head would spin.

And let's not forget $300 to have the key fob painted to match the car.

Stew4HD

That is why I prefer trim levels/packages. I can start with a bare bones car and go from there. I do wish we could order color combos that we want, not what they think we want.

TheAspec

Correct, however, I prefer the trim level model Acura is/was using. I don't want to custom build the car or ensure I am comparing apples to apples when negotiating price. I prefer straight up pricing based on the trim level.

I've never cared for the a-la-carte options that many manufactures offer, however, that's just my opinion. I purchased a 2007 MINI Cooper S which I had custom ordered... I took me almost a 1/2 day just to sort though all the options and then after I submitted the order I found another couple of options I wanted and missed during the initial build/order so I had to re-order the car again. For a enthusiast car it's a great model.

For your typical daily driver, which is what Acura is at the end of the day, make it easy for the buyer to compare price and competitor vehicles. Show me the fully loaded Acura Advance at price point X is better than the semi-loaded brand Z and once your add options to semi-loaded brand Z the Acura becomes a better choice dollar for dollar.

weather

I think Acura Canada seems better at this....The RLX for example comes in only 3 trims!

BEAR-AvHistory

Thing is most offer trim levels & ala carte mixes. Example you can get a mid-level trim package & just add X option from the top trim without having to step up a whole trim level in cost.

Brining Porsche's pricing in does not have a lot of meaning. Their options are all big bucks but so are the packages & complete cars. Whether they list the items separately or bake them in you still have to pay the fright, although you can fine specific packages that are a better deal than ala cart. They are in a different place as far as marketing strategy & are not looking to be the best bang for the buck car in performance land. They leave that market to Corvette

Overall trim level packages only work if the package is what you would have bought anyway. Both my IS models are less than ala-cart but I would have bought the items anyway so it was good for me. As it worked out I was able to leave some pricy stuff on the table that I would not have wanted if forced into them by a package like $1550 for active steering.

For other guys its better to both package & option or just option the 335i & 135i. As for custom building if you are spending $50k Up for a car I would want it the way I want it & spending an hour or so on the autos "build it yourself" sites is time well spent.

Edward'TLS

Not only that, Acura Canada even cuts out the FWD trim from the 2014 MDX lineup.

So all 2014 Canadian MDX's are AWD. Doesn't this make it even simpler.

KeithL

TL sales from June down to 2100 cars. Damn Acura, get that TLX announced, waiting until next spring is not good. The only encouraging sign is the spy shots. Back in 2008 the 4G started showing up in camo around this time and was out in the fall, so maybe we'll see it out in fall as a 14. If they were going to do a short run of 2014 TL I would think they would start building them soon, yet no dealer has been able to tell me when the 2014 TLs will be available.

BEAR-AvHistory

The TL's going away & I think most potential buyers know it so you can expect the numbers to go down. If I was in Acuras marketing department I would be real worried about the 499 combined RL & RLX sales for June.

boe_d

If I worked for Acura, I'd do something so crazy that no one would see it coming. I'd do a few surveys and find out what people would change about the current models to find out why they weren't selling. I'd ask people who purchased them what they liked as well as disliked and people who bought the 2G and 3G models what discouraged them from getting a 4G. Then I'd fire the people who designed the 4G and the people who hired the people that designed it. Lastly I'd leave a bag of flaming poop on the front doorstep of the people who didn't reengineer it immediately after the first year flop and then fire them the next day.

TheAspec

I almost crapped myself when I read this line... LOL!!!

Terragotti

Looks like the 4G will be the last of Sexiness for the TL, Those spy shots dont look encouraging, love the Jewel eyes but if it looks anything close to the RLX with the roundness. Y dont they hire the cousin of the dude who made the current GTR, you figure his cousin could do better at Acura than whoever they have designing their cars.lol

weather

^^ We can hope that they will provide us with some sort of decent body kit to enhance the look of the standard vehicle....I know its a poor excuse but its all I got

Colin

You do realize that with every new release, people say the same thing.

deepen03

Possible TLX Teaser shot? Doubt it but one can dream lol (Prob just the RLX, but the grill is grayish, not sure)


Credit: Acura (Facebook Page)
Caption: "Grace is measured in goose bumps."

mondster

Either the tlx or the new mdx. Rlx has 2 layers of jewel eye lights. Pic only has one layer

Rocketsfan

^^^ looks like a 2014 MDX grille to me

Rocket_man

Probably due to the fact that all of Canada is in the snow belt rather than trying to keep the options simple.

Combined TL/TSX sales are down 2,115 from a year ago. I can only hope they get the TLX out sooner than later, and that it fills my squares, otherwise I have all but settled on the new IS as my next car. But I'm still waiting.

Rocket_man

It looks that way to me too. There is almost an identical shot here.

http://www.acura.com/MDX/2014/Photos...ack-headlights

I think Honda/Acura should really abandon their ultra-secrecy policy when it comes to new models. Other car companies are marketing new products many months before they show up on dealer lots. Some even have their own websites. I bet they get a lot of consumer feedback this way. Acura almost seems to market in a vacuum. If they were more proactive in getting consumer feedback they may do better at meeting their needs.

JT4

Good point.

TheAspec

+1. Looks like the MDX to me as well in Graphite Luster Metallic.

SeismicGuy

I wouldn't use the GTR as an example of design perfection. It looks like something designed by a committee with a bunch of styling cues stolen from other manufacturers. Tail lights look like old Corvette, front somehow looks like recent Mitsubishi's, side view has a tacky look to it, etc. I have seen a number of these around (naturally being in southern California) and from any distance I never immediately recognize it as a GTR. It is not until getting closer that I figure out what it is and I always end up shaking my head over the amateurish design job.

g37guy01

gTR is a bad example, because Nissan cant produce enough of them. Whatever they produce is sold out.

SeismicGuy

That's because it is great engineering and amazingly fast (especially compared with exotic much more expensive sports cars) which makes it every boy rice-racer's dream. That does not make the design any better though.

TeamAcura

I agree completely about this tight-lipped policy they have in place. It brings no hype and anticipation at all. And that in turn loses the interest of car enthusiasts. Granted the majority of buyers are not like the people on the this forum. But they are losing loyal customers. Acura should redo their whole marketing and design strategy because the numbers are lackluster to put it gently. I'm a Honda\Acura guy thru and thru but this is just embarassing. Also in reference to the GTR design, the 4/quad circle tail lights have been around for a very long time. Just look at the R30 to R34 Skylines; even before that. When I first saw the R35, I thought the grille resembled that of the the Audi grille. The shilhouette in particular. Nowadays, you will see a lot of models with the grille extending all the way down to the bottom of the front bumper cover. A la the Lexus spindle grille. There is no mistaking though when you see Godzilla on the road. You will know lol.

JAB00

The TLX will be a bland at best. If they pull a stunt like the RLX offering it initially only as a FWD then it will be dead in the water. More so, with what they put out with the ILX and RLX I don't have much hope for the TLX. Acura sedans have just gone down the tubes. I sill love my 2005 3G TL since I bought it brand new but it will be my last Acura sedan.

I will have to move to the Germans unfortunately (reliability) because all of the Japanese luxury makers (Lexus, Infiniti) have taken on a bizarre or down right ugly design philosophy for their newest crop of models.

beach109

What makes you think this hasn't already happened? Just because you haven't been asked doesn't mean it didn't happen. This was done with the new MDX, as an example, real world users and drivers.

Don't fret. Just be patient.

Edward'TLS

No, not buying this excuse.

The FWD ILX, the FWD TSX, the FWD TL, and even the flagship FWD RLX, all share the same snow belt in Canada as the MDX.

So why can't the Canadian MDX be FWD too ?

It really should the RLX, as the Acura flagship, that has to lose the FWD trim, more than any other vehicle models in the Acura lineup.

TeamAcura

He just described a focus group. Just about every big company does it.

Rocket_man

A Focus Group gave us the 'beak' and the consumer said nope. Focus groups are a very small population. Normally brought into a small room, maybe fed some food, they feel beholden to the people that brought them there and are more likely to want to please them by agreeing.

The consumer in the market place by contrast is brutally honest and could care less about hurting anyone's feelings.

Of the two groups it is only the consumers opinion that counts in the end. That is the one Acura doesn't ask for until they have built the car. By then it is too late.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

First time I have seen this thread. I just looked at the spy shots and man I just dont know. I swear it looks like it has the same shape as the 4G which IMO is not good. I know the test vehicles arent always fully loaded models, but once again I see nothing special done with the sunroof. How is it most cars have all sorts of fancy pano roofs and stuff available now, but yet Acura has the same old tiny sunroof that cars have had for decades now? So the overall body profile isnt looking great to me so far, and I see nothing unique or special going on with the sunroof. Well the first spy shots arent doin it for me yet ;-)

KeithL

I actually like the shape of the 4G, I prefer the original front, but just not all that chrome beak, but I liked the pointed front and MMC back.

BEAR-AvHistory

Agree its pretty common from people who have the out going generation. Generally it does not amount to anything & the new cars sell equal to or better than the last generation.

The problem is in Acura's case the normal sour grapes grumbling was followed up by a 50% loss of their customer base.

Edward'TLS

Agree.

When verbal displeasure is followed by real action. This means the buyers are dead serious this time around.

Loss of sales is the only way to force Honda/Acura to bow down to what customers really want.