Guys,

A fellow A-Ziner named awood made an interesting observation in another 4G post.

"But the interior still looks like an Accord to me - with just more buttons on the steering wheel. I noticed they jumbled the AC vents, radio display, and the CD slot. All of which are improvements over the Accord, but the look is pretty darn similar. The dash dials are laid out just about identically. The Accord is missing the info display of course.

The rear end still reminds me of the Accord as well - even though they are a bit different.

To be honest, I like the exterior of the new Accord much better than the new TL, but I may be getting old and conservative. The new Accord looks pretty nice side by side with my 2006 TL as well."

My question is this:
1) are the lines between Acura and Honda blurring TOO MUCH?

2) does this happen between Lexus and Toyota........or Nissan and Infinity?

If you are paying a premium for these cars, shouldn't there be???

 

IMO they still aren't doing enough to differentiate the brands. I think the 4G TL looks more like the Accord than ever. I'm hoping they up their game for the next re-dos of the RL, TL, and TSX.

 

Yes they are but they arent the only ones with the same problem. The Maxima and the G35 have the same interior. While the ES is supposed to be better its basically a nicer version of the Camry.

They are all trying to save money.

 

well, the maxima/murano have similar interiors to the infinitis. but they're not exactly the same.

and the ES has always been a plush version of the camry with a more luxurious ride. but the demographics that the ES is catering to is pretty much those that want a luxurious camry. at least lexus also offers the IS and GS if you want a sportier sedan.

but infiniti and lexus still offer more luxurious and "higher class" models and options than acura.

i think the line between honda and acura is a lot more blurry than nissan/infiniti and toyota/lexus.

 

Hell, if the Power Plenum crap is their attempt to differentiate, then I for one vote for even more convergence between Honda and Acura, at least exterior-wise. Otherwise, they might just as well change their slogan to:

Acura. It's just like a loaded Honda, but ugly as f***.

Anybody ever see that old Dudley Moore movie, Crazy People.

 

Acura's lineup still looks and is viewed as "bigger" Accords.

Although the new Acura beak could use some help from Honda.

...and I vote for less buttons on the interiors

 

Nobody believes me but the 2008 G35 and 2009 Maxima have almost the exact same interior...

 

with almost being the key word.

the layout and design is similar. but they're not identical.





similar to the new accord and tsx interiors.

 

with todays market, the fact that they share the same parts bin is a godsend. at this point in time it would be foolish, financially, if these cars did not share many characteristics. is it justified? yes. do i appreciate it? no

 

In late 2004 I had narrowed my choices down to the Acura TL, TSX, and Honda 6MT coupe. All being the 2005 MY. After test driving each variant several times I was very impressed by all three models. The Accord and the TSX were within a few hundred dollars of each other, with the TL being a few thousand dollars more than either model. I liked the TSX for it's nimble handling, but found myself wanting a little more power. The TL drove and performed similar to a 6MT Accord, and I couldn't justify the extra cost for the Acura nameplate. There just didn't seem to be enough differentiation between the two cars other than cosmetically. I eventually purchased the Accord.

Terry

 

and BTW that max looks more luxurious than the infiniti. learn from your mistakes, perhaps?? if i was a G owner, i'd be pissed...

 

It does. But the G is a far superior drive in my opinion. Handles and pulls like a mofo. Looks better as well imo.

 

Of all the luxury manufacturers, Acura and Honda are nearly identical. transmissions are the same, both are FWD mostly (Lexus/Infiniti is mainly RWD compared to Toyota/Nissan). Then you compare VW/Audi and Mini/BMW.... HUGE differences.

 

I dunno if you can compare Mini to BMW. Unlike all other auto manufacturers that have cars within similar classes, BMW and Mini do not. Mini is in a completely niche market if you ask me.

 

I don't think the two are blurring at all. In fact, diverging.

Honda - plain ugly (hello Pilot)

Acura - interesting, but ugly (new TL)

See the difference?

 

I actually have the itch to mod mine...But how

 

Toyota Harrier:


Vs Lexus RX:


Nissan Fuga:


Vs Infiniti M


Nissan Skyline 370GT:


Vs Infiniti G37 coupe:



Yes these are just rebadged models, similar to TSX vs European/Japanese Accord.

IMO I think the differences between Honda and Acura are getting more obvious. I think the "lines" were blurred from 1999-2001 when the 2nd gen TL debuted. Now that was a bit too close to the top of the line Accord V6. Eventually with the 2G Type S the gap grew bigger. Then the 3G TL appearance-wise was very different than the 7th gen Accord. However the Pilot was a bit too close to the MDX. Luckily the 2g MDX improved by quite a bit, especially in terms of power compared to the Pilot. The RDX is totally a new vehicle and I don't think it's similar to the CRV at all (may be size-wise?). The 4G TL, I guess the back looks somewhat like the 8G Accord but now it comes with SH-AWD. People mentioned about the gearboxes, well, I don't know, but I think both Camry and IS use 6AT right? I also believe not long ago G35, Altima, and Maxima were all using 5AT. They just made changes recently - Altima and Maxima go with CVT, while G35 is still using 7AT (I know it will get 7AT and 3.7L engine).

According to some article I read, the facelifted RL, the 4g TL, and the 2g TSX are not the "tier-1" cars yet. That's why you guys still see the similarities between them and Honda's. I know it's disappointing and Honda/Acura might lose valuable customers at this transition time but we can only wait.

 

i think the fuga/M, harrier/rx, skyline/g are irrelevant because the real discussion here are whether or not the brands are blurry in the states.

 

 

The biggest differentiator between say the TL and other brands like BMW and Mercedes is that the Germans have unique platforms that their cars are built on. If I'm not mistaken, the basic TL, Accord and ... I think the TSX are on the same platform (basic frame) but widths and lenghts are adjustable. This may be the same for Lexus and Infiniti and Toyota and Nissan. This is very much like the practice of the American OEMs in the 80s. Pontiac, Chevy, Oldsmobile and Buick often shared platforms. They changed, the badge, the instrument cluster and the seats and presto, you had a new brand. Unfortantely that didn't last.

 

the tsx and accord are more similar then ever......now using the same exact engine except the tsx has a slight higher compression giving it 11hp more. and their interior looks pretty much identical too......

 

OK, every single car has: a center console, a steering wheel, A/C vents, a dashboard, etc.

By that very virtue, they're all similar. But that does not make them identical to each other. IMO the Accord and the TSX do not have identical interiors.

 

Guys...everyone has excellent points. I've had 2 Honda 4-door Accords-but it's been quite a long time ago, so I haven't seen one recently. I've always thought the TSX was a miniature TL. If this is true though, what are we paying the extra money for when we buy the Acura line then?

 

everyone's gonna have their own reasons. heck, to some, paying the extra $ for the brand name and image is reason enough.

in '05, when i bought my TSX, i also considered the accord coupe. but i was partial to a sedan, and didn't like the accord sedan's butt at the time. (that was before the refresh)

if i was to choose between the '09 TSX vs. the '08 accord coupe, i would easily pick the accord...but that's also due to the fact that teh accord coupe's styling has me very impressed.

 

Tighter suspension tuning, more power on the Acura, transmission choices (no 6M V6 in the 4-door Accord for a long time), and arguably a nicer interior design and exterior differences as far as the TL was concerned. This holds true for each contemporary generation of Accord v. TL.

The '04-'08 TSX was the Euro-market Accord, but it had a firmer suspension than either the stock USDM 4 cyl. Accord or Civic, more HP and a nicer interior.

The RSX and Integras were on a Civic chassis with upgraded, more powerful engines and nicer interiors.

 

their center console is very similar in button layout, lcd screen for the music, the navi controls, 1 big knob, 1 little knob, the cd loader in the bottom bay. the cigarette pocket and power outlet boxes are switched. the only really different things are the vents and minor changes like the emergency lights and the gauges are slightly different.

 

^and lots of buttons.

 

Again, there's a difference between similar and identical.

There is no doubt the two cars share components, obviously to keep costs down. But you can name more differences than similarities. You can start with the TSX's floating needles. 3 spoked steering wheel on one, 4-spoked on the other. Silver trim flowing down the center console on the TSX, not the same on the Accord. Accord's center console is flat, TSX's has gradual slope upward when reaching the center stack.

There are many more differences than just the minor changes you list. Further, you concentrate on the center stack where the radio and buttons are. yes, in that particular area, the two cars are very similar indeed. But that doesn't make the rest of the cabin very similar, and they're far from identical.

 

i think it looks almost identical, i have the coupe which has the 3 spoke steering wheel but its not quite like the tsx, but more like the civic si's. but when i looked at the tsx, i cant help but to notice how very similar the cabin is. although the accord doesnt have the middle silver trim it has it going from door to door.
but anyways, answering the op's question. they arent really difinite lines from the tsx to the accord really. nothing that will stick out to someone and say thats a tsx no doubt to someone that doesnt know every little detail about it from the accord.

 

In that regard, I think many cars have the same interior.

335i


530i


X6:


X5:


IMO these all look very similar to me, much more so than Honda/Acura.

 

 

Interesting point, you could argue that Mini and BMW are dissimilar, which they are.... however I kinda consider Minis as a replacement to the old BMW 318ti's. They're hardly niche though, plenty of small 3-door hatches out there in different flavors.

 

Yes, but they are all BMW badged cars. I think the issue is that Acura, like Lexus and the others want to convey to purchasers that their "up-market" cars are different from their lesser priced cousins. But when you look at it, many components are the same/similar.

 

comparing manufacturers nomenclature across the global market is irrelevant. hell, the cars are in foreign lands that dont even use the same language.

the reasoning behind refitting a car to say the Asian market is a completely different beast. you are marketing the car to a completely different culture. Different cultures have different needs. Not to mention different emissions and regulations.

topic at hand: how manufacturers vary their affiliated brands in an attempt to market it to a wider range of demographics.

 

those are all BMWs...that's their design language.

You're really not grasping the topic, are you?

 

Same thing was being said......5 years ago.

 

How many luxury small 3 door hatches are on the market? Would you compare a VW GTI 3 door to a mini, I wouldn't. I personally can't think of any other luxury 3-door hatch on the market it directly competes with.

Also, I don't see the mini as a replacement to the 3.18ti. The mini was born long before that car was even made. BMW didn't buy MINI in 1994 to replace the 3.18ti.

 

Ok, I did a little further research...

I didn't realize that a base mini cooper ran approx $19K. An "S" model runs just $22K approx. http://www.edmunds.com/mini/cooper/2009/index.html

I always thought they were started at the $28K price range. NO wonder why there are so many of these things on the road and why so many people stopped buying that damn beetle. Thank god. lol

Back to the topic though. at these prices I can see the base model being compared to a 3-door gti, but that's about it. there aren't many 3-door hatches on the market that warrant the comparison against a mini. there's no way i'm comparing a yaris hatch to a mini and all the other cars are 5 door hatches.

 

I just made an observation, a guess, didn't say they bought Mini specifically replace the 318ti, which itself was a joke. They bought Mini, and the 318ti just happened to disappear. In any case, Minis are a huge success, and they are not niche.... the Smart fortwo is niche, so is the Prius, etc. and yes, I would compare a GTI 3-door to a Mini. I don't see why not. There's also the Volvo C30....