Jackygor

Well, at least the new line of Acura looks good.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/20/n...r-wheel-drive/

Well that pretty much dashes my hopes....

p.diddy

iTrader: (3)

Well I officially won't be buying any newer model acuras in the foreseeable future.

Costco

our skepticism is unfounded... Acura has always been ahead of the game and the competition, they know a V8 and RWD is unnecessary, they're just doing it differently than everyone else because different is better!

Is anyone really disappointed or surprised? Seriously... like I have said and been argued against for in the past, I'll believe it when I see it.

dom

But a good point. If Honda announced an all new FI 6 cylinder engine with an all new AWD platform (not based off the Accord) with a dual clutch transmission...I don't think any of us would be upset about this news. But what's there to look forward to exactly? What's coming down the pipe and exactly how long will we have to wait?

invisiblewar

i most likely wont be buying any newer honda in the near future

davepaul033

iTrader: (1)

Another reason why the NSX is the shit!! It has RWD

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

AP1 > NSX ....though I'm admittedly biased.

majin ssj eric

"Instead, expect Honda's future premium offerings – primarily those from Acura – to adopt fuel-efficient inline-four and V6 engines, equipped with hybrid motors, and all-wheel drive."

Instead, expect me and alot of other enthusiasts - primarily those people who like to drive - to adopt V8 engines and RWD non-hybrids from other companies like Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, etc. Honda has officially lost me as a future consumer...

1StGenCL

Yea a V8 sounds great and don't get me wrong, I would love an LS with a big V8 but to me it isn't acura. I love the RL and I think it is a great deal for what you get but I would never buy one. H/A is know for fuel efficient cars and has a different consumer then say BMW. I had an 05 TL for years and a 97 CL before that but IMO acura has an older crowd (minus the TSX) and they want the fuel efficient and if they don't they are buying a big bodied car not an RL

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

yup...i probably will never buy an Acura again.
You can't have "sporting" intentions but forget the sport.
So they have no design, no motors....
They have no cohesive idea on what Acura is and it shows.

Acura will continue to be a just a stepping stone to people who want real luxury/ sport vehicles. I am curious to see the "new Hyundai" in a few years.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

with all of the above. I'm glad that I have the 3G TL, out of all the Acuras, and this will probably be my last Honda vehicle.

I VOW to get a RWD, traditional manual tranny sport sedan as my next car!

teranfon

I'm going to offer an opinion different than those who have replied to this thread.

I'm a car enthusiast. I have been most of my life. I respect any finely crafted automobile, and as someone who is an enthusiast, my tendencies drift towards powerful rear drivers. The cars I have owned over the years, and the cars that are in my possession, are all rear wheel drive. Except one. That being my Accord six-speed. And guess what? I make up a small minority of the marketplace. And so do many of you. Many of us prefer a rear drive V8, but how many of us, compared to the mainstream car buying public, actually purchase one? Very few. Certainly not enough for any manufacturer who focuses on mainstream transportation needs to pour R&D into vehicles to cater to our tastes.

The automotive landscape has changed drastically in the last two years. Many manufacturers have scaled back or dropped entirely R&D of powerful rear drive automobiles. Honda is no exception. The basic consumer is abandoning his or her tastes for huge SUVs and expensive and powerful sedans. Basic, high quality, and affordable cars are once again becoming more attractive. Honda, being Honda, is undoubtedly aware of this shift and will focus accordingly.


Terry

JD23

I agree that main problem is not that Honda canceled development of the V8 and RWD platform, the problem is that this decision is representative of the lack of commitment that Honda has demonstrated towards Acura. It appears that Honda is going to continue the low-risk, low-reward approach of more luxurious, Accord-based vehicles. If Honda does not want to truly invest in Acura, it may be best to discontinue Acura and concentrate on the successful and profitable core brand.

tsxgoogs

The direction they are going in is horrible. I first noticed this when they took away the rsx and replaced it with the rdx, I still see more rsx then rdx. The new zdx really annoyed me, what is the difference in the market between the rdx? Why do crossover enthusiast get so many options? IMO Crossovers are the most god awful things ever created, they ALL remind me of the pontiac aztec. I cannot see the logic behind a person buying one it does not make sense. They do not go off road and the dont have as much room as an suv. What is wrong with station wagons they look better, get better gass milage and have just as much space.


This no v8 or rwd may not be as bad a you all think. Most Porsche do not have v8s and some of their cars have awd. Maybe honda is looking to make something to compete with porsche and the gtr v6 awd. (In my dreams)

rondog

iTrader: (1)

Only thing I can look forward to is the TL with the 6 speed manual, and maybe the ZDX, but the manual is really a deal breaker for me, I will never buy a car for myself that doesn't have a clutch. AWD is cool, but RWD is better.

Now if the new TSX V6 had a manual and AWD, I would be all over that.

My belief is that in the state the industry is in right now, they want to financially do the best they can so when (if) things start to level out, they will be in a position to take advantage and make the rwd v8 coupe. But right now, they want to survive to make it to that point. It is beyond me how Hyundai and Nissan are doing it now and Honda / Acura aren't.

TheMirror

I don't really see the problem here. Honda has done just fine until now without V-8s, save for having a big huge luxo-sedan-missle to compete with the big Mercs BMWs and Lexuseseses.

Acura's losses in the marketplace have a lot more to do with their product positioning as a whole than the lack of an 8-pot.

The key phrase in that article is "all wheel drive".

V6 + 100hp hybrid motor + AWD = Fine by me.

Just my

v6cord2k5

iTrader: (1)

I always wondered what Honda could do with a V8...

Will Y.

Let's get real here-- who the hell is looking to buy a V8 RWD Accord, when the "little" V6 does 0-60 in 6 seconds?

Notice how well the GTO and G8 GT sold? Yeah, powerful rear drivers with V8s that in a year didn't approach the sales of a week's worth of Accords.
What engines do the base BMW 5-series and MB E-class have? V6s...

It'd be nice to have successors to the NSX and S2000, but Honda did fine with the Prelude before them.

MarbleGT

Someone add a poll and then let me email this link to Acura.

Acura/Honda DOES NOT listen AT ALL to the people who are passionate about thier cars.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

x 1,000,000

blackasscls

Redesigned CL with, 305hp V6, AWD, and 100 hp hybrid engine? Hell yes I would be down for that, As long as it weighs the same or less than the past one.

Costco

Normally I whole-heartedly agree with Terry's posts, and I don't necessarily disagree with the way he put it.... AND call me selfish, but I don't give a rat's wet, smelly ass if a manufacturer can only sell 100 x models a month. If I think its a good value, its in my price range, its reliable and it caters to my desires in a car, I will buy it. I know how many cars of a particular model are sold matters to the manufacturer, in terms of product viability and how much further R&D will be put into sustaining that model and its future changes, but to me it doesn't make a difference AT ALL whether a manufacturer moves 10,000 cars in a month or 100,000. If anything, I prefer my car to be a less common breed, that way my car is a bit more rare.... but even then, I don't really care

I am an enthusiast, not a Honda/Acura stockholder. I know its nice to play devil's advocate and all, and I do it all the time. But if the manufacturers TRULY catered to the "general population" in order to offer fuel efficient, appropriately-priced cars and tried to maximize profitability, then Ferraris and Lamborghinis in the traditional sense wouldn't even exist. Most cars would drive like a Camry or similar and manual-transmissions probably wouldn't even be offered on anything but the lowest-priced models in order to lower cost.

I wish the best of luck to Honda, since I do enjoy their cars and philosophy.... but if they don't offer a car I'm interested in, then I will not buy it. It's a shame the way the trend is going, because I have yet to get my fill of RWD V8 cars. My dream stable contains mostly RWD and V8 cars (or V10/V12) and a combination of both. What about you guys?

I'm tired of making excuses for Acura and crossing my fingers waiting for miracles to happen, and it pains me to see people on this forum doing so.

mrmako

I have to agree with Terry on this as well. honda, last time I checked, was a privately run company whose purpose is to build a myriad of vehicles fro it's domestic and import market. This include freight trucks, motorcycles, boats, ATV's, an airplane, and automobiles.

They are also out to make a profit. So, if their research implies that they would lose money going with a V8 and RWD, then why do it? It may seem like the enthusiasts among us want that, but take a look at what was said. I4 and I6 engines and AWD. I know a lot of I6 engines that can produce massive amounts of power (1JZ anyone?), so that really is not an issue. I think they can go a sporty route by having a powerful V or I 6, and AWD.

As Costco says above, " if they don't offer a car I'm interested in, then I will not buy it."

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

Terry, I here what you are saying. But first i would like to point out that you are comparing your Honda Accord. That is problem number one. Acura is supposed to be luxury..a seperate division. But Honda's and Acura's are always mentioned in the same breath.
Second, BMW sells waaaay more cars then Acura. There are cars all rear wheel drive (i know there is AWD as well but the numbers sold are much smaller i am sure). There vehicles are for the most part fuel efficient. 335's, 328's etc get excellent fuel economy while being RWD. The majority of vehicles they sell are not v8's. But they are available. Luxury cars are not about practicality etc., people buy them for more then just utility. Otherwise, everyone would drive a Honda Accord....because reliability, fxn wise it is probably the best.

bigman

i agree with you on everything except for them waiting to make moves because of the state of the industry. Hyundai took a chance and made a RWD v6/8 sedan and a RWD coupe. They are both selling extremely well and Hyundai has jumped up a few notches in the publics eyes. Infiniti, who should be Acura's competitor is doing great with an all RWD/AWD v-6/8 lineup. And though Chrysler isnt doing great, their 300/chargers are a dime a dozen on the road. Acura had the right thing going on until Nissan stepped Infiniti's game up. Honda never responded properly and that left people comparing TL's to Maximas, which is sad. Maybe with AWD, Honda will not be afraid of laying some VQ style torque down with next gen J series motors.

JD23

I'm a big fan of the G37, but I don't think its accurate to say that Infiniti is "doing great." In fact, Infiniti is doing worse than Acura, except in the eyes of enthusiasts. Nissan is in a far worse financial position than Honda and Infiniti still sells significantly less than Acura. The success of Infiniti is completely dependent on the sales of the G37, as no other model sells in significant volume.

Like others, I was hoping that Acura would produce more exciting vehicles in the next few years, but it is a bit simplistic to argue that RWD and V8s guarantee success.

JediMindTricks

doesn't surprise me. nor does it affect me at the moment or anytime soon.

however, i sure would like the option of RWD and/or V8 if i was looking and had the money to buy such a car.

Brittonj85

I plan to purchase a NSX a couple of years after I graduated in 2011. I love that car! I seen some videos on youtube of a turbo NSX. They are bad ass!

SpicyMikey

Agree on all points

mrdeeno

When trying to be a tier-1 brand, RWD and V8 doesn't guarantee success, but lack of RWD or V8 guarantees failure.

biker

Audi is doing fine the last time I checked (and lets dispense with the argument that their V8 RS models are the cause of their success).

dom

While I don't really agree that a lack of a V8 and RWD guarantees failure either, The flagship A8 has always had a V8 (non RS).

Looks like we're headed down the same old thread path of V8/RWD and Acura all over again. Fun stuff.

I'd just like to see something, anything from Acura that doesn't involve the J,Accord and dated transmission's.

Yumcha

@ no-V8.

SpicyMikey

Acura has a great AWD system and I really don't think the vast majority of drivers need RWD to be happy. The FR issue doesn't seem to be a road block to success to me. But, I can't see them developing a full size (200+ in) Tier 1 AWD sedan based on the J37. It would need more power and torque to compete in that arena. If they were to stop flapping their gums and actually build a sophisticated hybrid system (competitively priced to a V8 power train) then all would be fine. There's something to be said about Ito's view of V8 being yesterday's solution (to paraphrase). But if you have no alternative then you're probably just doing more gum flapping.

It's the lack of execution and continued rethinking of their direction that makes me scratch my head. You have a great AWD system. Audi is building a respected brand with that type of platform. Just do something innovative about the power train or shut up already and build a 4L+ V8 like everyone else.

mrdeeno

What you just said makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE. How does bringing up a tier-1 brand with V8 engines (available in middle-entry offerings, non-RS/S models such as the A5/6, A8, Q7, etc.) disprove my statement that not having a V8 or RWD is a guarantee for failure? You might as well have just responded with "BMW is doing fine the last time I checked" because it has about as much to do in response to my statement as your audi statement does.

You want to prove my statement wrong, then name me a tier-1 brand without a V8 or RWD.

biker

My point was that Audi has no RWD mainline platforms and the few V8 models do very little for their overall sales. And the trend is AWAY from V8s. This has been beaten to death - neither a V8 nor a RWD platform will do magic on Acura's sales numbers. It's just this automotive downturn and the new Honda head that are making it more obvious.

Just as RWD and V8 do nothing for Infiniti.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Not sure the V8 thing will hurt much. They've been fine this long without them.

The lack of RWD though... may put off a lot of buyers. I know that there hasn't been an Acura on my radar since I bought my 2002 TL-S in July 2001. The only shot I have of ever owning another Acura is a pre-owned NSX.

MeehowsBRZ

At least they look hot.

JD23

Although Acura has SH-AWD as a substitute for RWD, it seems that the J-series has been just about maxed out, so Acura needs a new powerplant quickly. The main issue is not that Acura needs a V8 and RWD, it is that Acura drivetrains have stagnated over the past few years with little sign of immediate improvement.