012TL-GLM

Try to make this short and to the point - I won't disclose all the numbers but when I negotiated this lease I got a great residual on it and its worth a lot more than what my buyout is

2016 RDX AWD Advance - I only have 14,000 miles on it (lease was for 36K) - lease is officially up at the end of May

Acura sends me a letter that they'll forgive the remaining lease payments, waive any return fees, extend the wear and tear from the original $750 to $1500 on anything they find during the inspection, and add all remaining miles to a new Acura lease of my choosing

I'm not interested in anything Acura has right now and I'm assuming they give just about everyone the same deal, nothing special here - we're planning to downsize to the new Accord.

I'm wondering if Honda would match the offer? Anyone been in this situation?

AZuser

See how much CarMax will give you for it and compare #s to what Acura is offering and what you might get from Honda.

CarMax usually pays a pretty penny for new and low mileage vehicles.

Sarlacc

If the street value of the car really is worth more than the buyout, which is rare, then sell it.

012TL-GLM

Thanks - I have an appt with the local Honda dealer this afternoon to check out the Accord 2.0 Touring - the car looks great and the reviews are solid, so I'll see what I think. Sarlacc I agree, and this is one of those rare times I'm way ahead on the lease game, I'm sure the low mileage is a factor - the dealers in my area use edmunds for car value - they've got my RDX at almost $7K more than my residual. I hope I like the Accord - I'm not very interested in anything else at the moment. If it doesn't satisfy I honestly don't know what direction to go. I'm blessed with a great wife, paid off house, and 2 other vehicles to play with. As my co-workers say, picking out the next car is white people problems

mrmako

At 39 you are doing very well my friend. Keep up the good work, and sell if the value is higher.

012TL-GLM

Thanks Mako - 1 part hard work, 1 part luck, 2 parts God

So, a quick review here - I had my drive with the Accord 2.0 - in a word - disappointing.

We've all said it 100x before - the reviewers get paid to make things sound better than they are - I honestly don't know how they're getting away with all the positive press on the new accord. It was an enormous let down, especially considering the price tag is approaching $40K!!!!

The Good:
Great style - the aesthetics are the best I've seen from Honda
Infotainment system was a good size and responsive
Lots of room in the back seat - I'm 6'1" and with the driver seat set to my settings I got behind it and had at least 4" between my knees and the seat
Quick...but....(more in the bad section)

The Bad:
Seat comfort - I spent 15 minutes adjusting the seat and could not find a comfy medium - I don't think anything past an hour in this thing would be good for my back
Interior material quality - at a glance, everything looks good, but after you spend time playing with everything and feeling it, its very cheap
Stereo is weak - too much treble and center is overpowering even after adjustments
Exhaust note - horrible - I knew going in a 4 banger doesn't compare, but this exhaust sounds awful - hollow and high pitched.
Torque steer - I couldn't believe how bad the car wanted to steal the wheel from me in all forms of acceleration - it didn't have to be pinned to the floor, just a light goose on the pedal would turn the wheel heavily to the right. My daughter (21) immediately noticed and I made a comment to the salesman, he said that's how they've all been.
Handling - I went around a bend rated for 45mph - this thing could barely hold it at that speed - I took my foot off the gas - I didn't feel safe at all
NVH - the cabin is crazy noisy - the tire noise, wind, exhaust, you name it, you hear it. At 70mph we were raising our voices to hear each other with the radio off
Ride quality - AWFUL! This thing bounces and jitters on a good road! I'm in Northern IL - it was 44 degrees and sunny yesterday - this Accord rides rougher than my Silverado!!
Acceleration - Once I was already at speed and goosed it the turbos kicked in fairly quick, but from a dead stop this thing takes a while to figure out what it wants to do. I think there's a lot of room for improvement with the transmission response
Hood flutter - I'd read some comments about this but honestly it was the worst I've ever seen - the hood was vibrating and moving at speeds as low as 40mph! Very creepy to see that thing shaking around

So, I came away very dis-heartened. I'm a car guy, been very lucky to have driven and owned several makes/models since I was 16 and this experience should be proof to all the haters that there is a HUGE difference in build quality between Honda and Acura. My current RDX is my 4th Acura - its been a wonderful daily companion, built solid and a great performer. It cost about $6K more than the Accord I drove. The quality difference is almost immeasurable. As soon as we drove away from the dealer my daughter immediately commented on how much better the drive and quality of our Acuras have been compared to that Accord. She currently drives a 2013 civic, and that car feels more solid than this new Accord. For the money they're asking, Honda has failed. If the price tag had been, oh, $30K tops lets say, I wouldn't be so harsh, but this thing is encroaching on Acura pricing, not to mention low end German.

So, I'm going to spend a day next week at Acura and give the TLX a try - I haven't driven one since they first released, and I've heard they've improved. The A-spec at least looks better.

mrmako

If you do get a TLX, just don't slap a Type S badge on it.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

Sounds like you have some racist co-workers #FirstWorldProblems

Seriously though, if it were me and I was that much on the positive side I'd buy it at the end of the lease, then flip it for a profit. If that's not an option or you don't feel like it's worth the hassle, then I'd just turn it in and move onto the next car...

012TL-GLM

LOL the co-worker who said it is black I'm headed to Acura later this week or next depending what time permits. My wife loves the RDX, if nothing speaks to me we may just end up buying and keeping it

012TL-GLM

I ended up leasing a black on black TLX A-SPEC SH-AWD - haven't had a chance to really wring her out yet but its a nice, solid car. The transmission is still holding this thing back, I know everyone says its greatly improved from the original TLX, but this thing has a lot of whoopie under the hood but the logic is too geared toward mpg, even in the sport dynamic modes. It does look great though, Acura finally got that right.

neuronbob

012TL-GLM

I agree bob - I wish I could take the transmission from my charger and pair it with the Acura motor - so much untapped potential

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Even more untapped potential would be realized if the TLX could be had with a 6MT.

JT4

Congrats on the TLX A-Spec, nice looking car... I will say the A-Spec has caused me to look twice when I see it on the road, something the regular TLX never caused me to do.... Who knows maybe another Acura will be in my future..

SamDoe1

It'll never happen. The ZF8 is a longitudinal transmission, the ZF9 is transverse. Best case, Honda drops the 10spd from everything else they're making into the next revision of the TLX.

ZF9 is fine in things that don't need rapid shifts like the Land Rovers and Jeeps but in a sport sedan, it's unacceptable.

neuronbob

^^^^
I agree that the tranny could be better. Thankfully, we have IDS in the TLX and, failing that, the paddles. I just drive it in Sport or Sport + mode, and voila--it's tolerable for my daily commute. When I need a bit more acceleration in either of those modes, I use the paddle shifters, which work reasonably well when the engine's at full boil. Just three quick taps and I'm in third gear...and as long as I remember to upshift 500 rpm ahead of when I want to shift.

012TL-GLM