So today I took my car to the dealership for some service.

I know some of the service advisor's pretty well and usually talk about a lotta things relating to Acura.

One of the adivsor's supposely said that Acura is working on a coupe based on the TSX and will be powered by a K series motor to replace the discontinued RSX. And it will possibly be coming out in 2008 (for 2009?)

If this was mentioned last year, I don't know if I'd belive it.

But with the new Turbo motor on the RDX, this actually sounds possible.

If anything, the RDX motor could be a detuned version of a motor that they could expand and add into a coupe.

I dunno, guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

Yeah, the rumor has been going around for a while. Its been on Temple of VTEC and some car magazines.

My hope: RDX 2.3 turbo motor with SH-AWD for $30,000

 

Supposedly they are currently designing the 2nd gen TSX, with that they are designing a TSX coupe and a TSX convertiable (hopefully a hard top, soft tops are doing nothing these days). It would be a very safe assumption the new TSX will see the 2.3L turbo engine with SH-AWD with altered HP and Torque numbers to suit a car rather then the current numbers that are better for a SUV respectively.

Hopefully Acura will be able to get this engine up to 300hp, thus competing with the Evo and WRX market. Aditionally finally having a stock turbo in our acura line up will give the aftermarket a beautiful starting point for the typical Turbo ECU mod.. increasing boost pressure!!! This is what gives those damn SRT-4's and 1.8T's so much power in the aftermarket market. Change the boost pressure, add an intake and your car f*ckin' soars..

I could reasonably see myself trading in my TL-S for a Coupe TSX-Turbo/SH-AWD 6mt/7mt 300hp / 270 ftlb (stock) with a aftermarket reflash or a Stage 2 set-up pushing the numbers close to 400hp / 350ftlb. This would be the perfect little sports car in my opinion.. and now that I'm thinkin about it, I'd even take the extra weight of the convertiable motor if I had that engine...depending if the convertiable looked girly or not..ovbiously.

 

As long as its still available with a 6 speed or a real clutchless manual I would be all over that when it came out.

 

I would rather Acura build a coupe based off the TL to compete more with the G35, 3-series, and upcoming IS coupe. In order for it to be successful, Acura/Honda has to stop being so damn stubborn and realize that the consumer does not want a FWD, mid-200's hp car.

1) Offer SH-AWD AND a RWD model......not everyone wants AWD ($1 to BMW and Infiniti)
2) The turbo 4 from the RDX would be fine for the entry level model tuned to around 260hp. The upper level model could use the RL's 3.5 tuned to 300-315hp.
3) Start offering an actual SPORT PACKAGE. Audi, Infiniti, BMW, and Lexus have all figured out that this works and it is time for Acura/Honda to pull their heads out of each others asses and offer this option.
4) Offer more interior and exterior options and combinations. This is something that the Germans are so good at it while the Japanese can't seem to grasp that people want options. With Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus, the moment you select your exterior color it limits what interior colors you can get. Acura: please take a look at BMW's color strategy and copy it.

 

I agree with 3. This "ASPEC" thing is bullshit. Not the package itself, but the fact that its a "dealer installed accessory". People who find the TL sedate and who would more than likely love one with an ASPEC package don't get a chance to test drive one becaise more often that not, dealers don't have any cars with the package installed. Acura needs to start offering a proper sport package, or maybe even thing of goin with a tuning arm ala "///M", AMG, and what have you.

Regarding 1. SH-AWD was the "ace up Acura's sleeve" - at least I think that's how they saw it. They didn't have to come up with an all-new RWD platform but they could compete with RWD performance because of the "super handling". I'll reserve my judgment for whether this system can work well in a performance application when I see a sports car from Acura equipped with it, and see how it fares against its competitors. One of the good things about the system is that it's reportedly not AS heavy as some AWD systems.

Agree with 4. More color combos is great. But what I don't want Acura to get rid of is it's all-in-one package for one price. I like that all the features in these vehicles come standard, and that's one of the things that sets Acura apart from the rest. You could possibly by a BMW 325i for less than a TL, but with the TL you get everything (features wise).

Not sure about 2. If the turbo is significantly lighter and smaller than a V6, then it may be better to put a better tuned (or slightly bored out version) of this engine in a sports car.