insanik

EDIT: Sorry about title, i can't edit it, i realize it's misleading.



As i stated in another thread, i have a family member who's head of a very big Acura dealer here in Ontario Canada. I will be buying a tlx and wanted to inquire. I decided to make a thread to share what he has been told.

"Hey Frank all is well, hope you're doing great! The TLX will be landing at dealers sometime in May or beginning of June. The 4cyl will be launched first followed by the 6cyl a month or two later. They haven't confirmed pricing but the first shown numbers state it will start in the mid $30k's and top out around $50k depending on equipment. Touch base with me in April and I should have more info for pre-sale I can pass along to you!

Regards"


Take it with a grain of salt if you wish, but he is family and has always been true to his word as he has been with Acura many many years. Again this is an ontario GTA dealer

parasitius

I don't have any historic knowledge of how sales works at big companies, but I'd think they'd be better off holding back on selling 4cyl until 6cyl is ready. You're really starting off with a wimper instead of a bang when all the cars rolling off the lot are wussies, and the first thing people who come into test drive are going to experience is a weak engine even if they "just wanted to try" while awaiting the 6cyl stock to come in (at which point they might just forget the car entirely, unimpressed, and head over to Infiniti or BMW or Audi's lots )

VQPower37

seems to be the way acura is releasing all of their cars ... they did the same with the rlx, by releasing the paws before the shawd

docboy

I agree. I too am not sure why Acura goes this route. They did it with the RLX as well.

Tesla roll out IMHO is a good one. Started with the $100k+ Roadster. Then Model S sedan. Followed by their SUV Model X, and eventually a rumored $30k "affordable" Tesla sedan. This way customers not only experience the premium models/trims first, but it builds on the image factor.

BEAR-AvHistory

Maybe because all the other cars roughly in the price segment have various 4cyl cars as entry level to the brands. Looking at RLX sales in the bottom $50k range they might be planning on the lower priced 4cyl TLX as being their bread winner making up the bulk of the TLX sales.

weather

insanik...thanks for the post and although I know that dealers aren't always accurate, yours is pretty stating what mine told me too (Also Canadian here) so that good. I was hoping the V6 would be out sooner but if its comes out only in August, I'll just wait till next spring.

It will be interesting to see what the 4 cylinder will have as far as output and price. For me, I am more into appearance than pure power output so if the 4 is outputting 230-240hp and has decent wheels and a bodykit available, I would have no problem getting the 4 although it would be hard to let go of the SH-AWD.

ostrich

Weather!!!! You NEED SH-AWD!!!!!!! LOLOL!

I think it is pretty dumb to release the 4 cylinder model only first. Look at how that strategy has ruined the RLX.... OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

weather

^^ I agree with you....However, if they release the V6 within a month, I can partially understand it and I think the damage won't be significant but if they wait several months, that will be a disaster.

With respect to the SH-AWD vs the P-AWS, I never tried the latter so I can't comment on the driving experience but some RLX owners have said positive things about the system. I am not one that MUST have the V6 however it is nice to have the power available when necessary. I am trying to keep an open mind and base my decision once Acura release the information about the production car....After having the 1G and 2G TSX, the 4 cylinder doesn't worry me too much but as you stated, hard to go without the SH-AWD once you tasted its virtue

Rocketsfan

The IS250 has always been the bigger seller vs. the IS350 for Lexus in the past (not sure about in the latest version), and back in 2013, there was a point where the breakdown in sales for the ATS was 25% 2.5L, 50% 2.0t, and 25% 3.6L. I'm guessing if the design is right, there will be a place for the 4 cylinder. Especially if it comes with a turbo (*snicker*). Actually, I'm curious to see what kind of mileage it'll get - that could make the 4 cylinder sell like hotcakes.

MtnMan

Thanks for sharing...very disappointing news if it turns out the V6 with SH-AWD won't be available at launch. Unless the 4 banger is blown like the Civic Type R with a flat torque curve starting no later than 1500 rpm AND has AWD, I'm moving on from Acura. A performance oriented car with AWD is a must for me, and I'm not waiting past June.

Weather - what if the fold down rear seats only are available on the V6? ;-)

LaCostaRacer

Didn't the 2004 TSX come out in April 2003 while the 2004 came out later? Seems like the 4cyl appeals to the TSX market while the 6cyl will appeal to the TL market. A couple months is really not that bad to wait.

LaCostaRacer

oops meant to say the TSX came out in April 2003 while the TL came out in October 2003.

insanik

I just got another emailing stating tomorrow he is off to a sales rally and the TLX is part of it and will get back to me later in the evening with much more details.

ostrich

Hey, it's not what one NEEDS, it's what one WANTS.... LOL! So, it's V6 + SH-AWD all the way for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Treblig

My guess is that part of the reason for the bigger sales numbers of the ATS 2.0 and the IS250 is that both models also offered AWD like their bigger engined counterparts. That is not the case with the 4 cyl TLX. I would further guess the if the TLX 4 cyl did offer SH-AWD, you might see the same tilt in sales numbers.

KeithL

I don;t see the V6 being behind the I4, makes no sense, both power trains are already being built for the Accord. I can understand the SH-AWD being a few months behind like when the 4G came out.

fsttyms1

I couldnt agree more!

Treblig

Here's the thing though, sometimes logic has no place......

a35tl

Personally, I don't have an issue with the six being delayed a month or two. If it were a year like the RLX Hybrid, that would be different but we're talking about 8 weeks or less. Not that big of an issue to me.

yooin14

Yes, there is no issue v6 is being delayed 1 ~ 2 months. Actually this is good strategy since Acura can make enough numbers of both version at same time and release them in May.

BEAR-AvHistory

Marketing data most likely suggests they will sell a lot more 4cyl than 6cyl. Remember the luxury - economy thing the suits at Acura were talking about last summer?

geekybiker

If an I4 stripper is really mid 30's to start it is a huge fail. No way I'm paying that much for such a weak car.

docboy

The Audi A4 is a turbo 4 cylinder engine and it starts in the mid 30ks.

I cross shopped the A4 back a few years ago, and I didn't much of it because of its 4 cylinder engine, and found it lackluster compared to the TL's 305 hp V6.

But I would wait and see what engine Acura decides to offer before deciding. Hopefully it will be that the rumored new DI 280hp turbo 4 cylinder

jbawden

What a couple hundred TLX enthusiasts on a message board think is right and what Acura knows will work couldn't be further apart. We all want to pay $40k for at least 350hp DCT/AWD probably in a wagon layout with 22's and Brembo's and the all important start/stop button, but that isn't the model that sells to the "A to B as long is it's reliable crowd" that is most shoppers.

KarKraze

I was at the Toronto Auto Show today and saw the TLX prototype (that red is awesome).See some pics in the Photograph Gallery.

I also spoke to the Acura rep. and he also mentioned a price range between $30 k to $50 k,with sales starting in the summer.He also mentioned that the production variant is not far off from the prototype.

Rocketsfan

In the case of the ATS, apparently, the 2.5L isn't offered in AWD and it's the weakest engine in the ATS lineup. It also compares more favorably with the IS250 in terms of performance.


The ATS 2.0 and IS350 and ATS 3.6 probably compare favorably among one another.


Here's another stat (assuming what I've read is accurate) : in the case of the 2013 ATS, at least at one point, 60% of all 2.0's and 3.6's sold were AWD. So I'm guessing around 45% of all ATS' sold around then were AWD. Again, just rough estimates.


One of the things I've seen from reading Lexus forums is that hardly anyone was buying the manual trans version of the IS in the past generation - apparently less than 1% of the buyers opted for it. I don't know the history behind it or if there's some obvious reason for that, but I'm guessing it had something to do with why no manual gearbox is offered with the IS in its newest incarnation.


Lastly, one of the things Lexus apparently mis-judged was the popularity of the F-Sport package. I think something like 45% of the cars being bought had the F-Sport package included and dealers had issues keeping them stocked. I mention this because the F-Sport package allows you to get the LCD gauges. I wonder how much these gauges influenced people into getting the package? Maybe Acura should throw some similar fireworks into their packages.

holografique

finally someone with some actual business sense around here...

weather

^^ While I agree with both of you that enthusiasts are not what keeps selling cars for Acura however, judging by the sales performance of the Acura sedan lineup, Acura is not really striking a chord with non enthusiasts either.

I know that many may have expectations that aren't realistic, like a V8 or a RWD plateform, however, many of the suggestions we bring aren't that too much to ask....I think anyway

Rocket_man

They have already announced the engine selection and unfortunately it is not a turbo. They just haven't announced performance number for the I4 or V6.

weather

^^ I think that the turbo engine might be the Type-S that will come up by MMC....

4thaccord

The majority of Accords are sold with 4 cylinders. The majority of TSXs were sold with 4 cylinders. The TLX may be positioned in between what the TSX and TL was, therefore perhaps explaining the rationale behind starting with the 4 cylinder. The majority of people may not need a V6 in a TLX over a "wussie" 4 cylinder engine that may be way more than adequate, yet of course has been given that designation before actually being driven.

There is always the F150 and Dodge Charger for those with "performance" issues and concerns about what others think.

Edward'TLS

Turbo-I4 or Twin-Turbo-V6 ?

weather

^^ (lol) I agree but lets be realistic here....Its Acura we are talking about, not Audi!! Lets just consider ourselves lucky we are not getting a 3 cylinder turbo with two sewing machine engines .

Nedmundo

I've heard about that too, and I suspect the enthusiasts who wanted the manual were probably also more interested in the IS350 than the weak IS250. I'm sure that's one reason no manual is offered in the new IS, but as we've all seen, they're in decline across the board. Also, Lexus has virtually no history with manuals, and thus less "built in" demand, like BMW has. BMW simply couldn't get away with omitting a stick from the 3 Series, but who are the "die hard Lexus performance enthusiasts" who demand the same from Lexus? Cadillac is more like Lexus, and thus major kudos to them for putting the stick in the ATS, even if it's only with the turbo four.

I, however, would love to see a turbo four/6MT variant of the Lexus IS.

docboy

I had a IS250AWD briefly...

I recall the only to get a IS manual in its last generation (the gen prior to the redesigned IS with its predator grill) was to get it in the base IS250 form, and that the MT was came off of a Tacoma

MT and Lexus do not mix.

Nedmundo

That's my recollection too. I asked a Lexus dealer about it, and was told very few were being imported, so they were extremely difficult to get.

The supply/demand situation with MT is weird. We know they're low volume relative to AT cars, and yet with Acuras, it seems at least some dealers sell them relatively quickly when they arrive. I don't know whether there's more demand than supply, or whether the supply is appropriate, and is simply spread thinly throughout the dealership network, making MT somewhat difficult to get off the lot.

My dealer is MT friendly, and my salesman said he sells them to people from hundreds of miles away because so few dealers keep them in stock.

insanik

This is straight from Acura as of Thursday and forwarded to me today. As you can see, this is for the GMs and SMs for some training. I apologize if its new to anyone, but it's a newer updated doc


Here is the PDF file pictures (didn't know how to upload a PDF file here)






My connection also did confirm side mirrors will be different on production as well as the front bumper skirts. PAWS is standard on ALL packages and engine sizes. SH-AWD is exclusive to the v6 9 speed. (im sad about the mirrors).

Tonyware

Well, after seeing it at the Toronto car show, up close, it doesn't come across as a "red carpet athlete". But it comes across as a "reliable worker" that you get what you pay for without cutting corners on quality to keep accountants happy (maybe except the mirrors )

The biggest mistake at the Toronto car show was to have Chrysler next door to them. Not for Acura but for Chrysler. I mean it was like ok, I saw the Acuras now why would I want to go to the right and see the Chryslers, I might as well head downstairs to see the Mclarens next

PS. The lady who did the introduction of the TLX and said a few words about the rest of the line up was very good. Actually she pretty much quoted the above article, not word for word but pretty close.

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

Still no adjustable damping suspension.

VQPower37

^ maybe at mmc time?