What would Acura be like without the RLX?
#121
AcurAdmirer
Thread Starter
So I just spent the last 20 mins or so reading and analyzing every reply in this thread. I really agree with several of the post made by holografique. Yes, how a car is engineered is important, but the average consumer (outside of car enthusiasts) places less emphasis on things like four cylinder vs. 6 or 8 cylinders, rwd vs fwd vs awd, adjustable suspensions, horsepower, 9 speed transmission, etc. But what they do pay attention too is exterior styling, quality of materials, and interior presentation. Just my
What I'm saying is that there are several kinds of buyers out there. Indeed there are the "engineering/technology" buyers who admire the sheer engineering aspects of a design or process. I know a guy who has bought two Priuses because he thinks the whole engineering integration of gasoline and electric power is cool. He doesn't need to save the money on gas - he could buy a gas station tomorrow if he wanted to. But I think these kinds of buyers are the minority.
But I also think Holographic is correct in that the majority of people like a car because it "looks good", or "drives well", or "gets good gas mileage", or "is a good buy", etc., and they couldn't really care less about how it got to be that way (i. e., the underlying technology and engineering).
I'm completely convinced that the Average Joe (as opposed to car nuts, aficionados, and enthusiasts) buys a car because he can get good financing on it, it looks good, it drives okay, his buddy/uncle/dad always bought that same brand, he likes the color, his wife likes the shape of the tail lights, and all the family including the dog fits in it.
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MisterZDX (02-16-2015)
#122
Pro
I want to add a slightly different perspective. First I want to bring up the Apple reference from a different angle. More than the look and feel of Apple products, for me it is the way they just work. Yes they have a great look but it is the way they make the technology just work.
While I agree that some people are swayed to purchase on the aesthetics, there are many people to whom the way the car drives is more important. I'm one of those people and I don't think I am alone. While I also want to know about the technology that produces the "feel" of the drive, that is not everyone. However, even if someone doesn't know or care why the car drives like it does, they decide which car to buy from how it drives. It doesn't have to drive like a sports car, some people like a cushy drive but they know what they like to drive and that is one of the biggest movitating factors for a purchase.
Just an ancodotel example was what happened today when I took my wife car shopping today. We tests drove the Lexus CT and an Audi A-3. While she thought the Lexus was cute and has wanted to drive it for some time, she thought the ride was "OK". When she drove the Audi she had the opposite opinion-- she thought the appearance was plain but really loved the way the car drove. She has no interest in what produces the ride but had a smile on her face the whole test ride. We are still looking but I'll be surprised if she give the Lexus another thought, even though she really likes the idea of the saving the environment by having a hybrid. When the local dealer gets their ILXs in she will drive it but I doubt she will enjoy it as much as the Audi.
While I agree that some people are swayed to purchase on the aesthetics, there are many people to whom the way the car drives is more important. I'm one of those people and I don't think I am alone. While I also want to know about the technology that produces the "feel" of the drive, that is not everyone. However, even if someone doesn't know or care why the car drives like it does, they decide which car to buy from how it drives. It doesn't have to drive like a sports car, some people like a cushy drive but they know what they like to drive and that is one of the biggest movitating factors for a purchase.
Just an ancodotel example was what happened today when I took my wife car shopping today. We tests drove the Lexus CT and an Audi A-3. While she thought the Lexus was cute and has wanted to drive it for some time, she thought the ride was "OK". When she drove the Audi she had the opposite opinion-- she thought the appearance was plain but really loved the way the car drove. She has no interest in what produces the ride but had a smile on her face the whole test ride. We are still looking but I'll be surprised if she give the Lexus another thought, even though she really likes the idea of the saving the environment by having a hybrid. When the local dealer gets their ILXs in she will drive it but I doubt she will enjoy it as much as the Audi.
#123
Suzuka Master
Apart from the advantage SHAWD has during "spirited" driving, I've driven both the Audi system and SHAWD in the snow and I give a very significant advantage to torque vectoring in the snow. Again, this is my comparison of a 2013 Audi and a 2005 SHAWD RL. I assume that Acura's latest Sport Hybrid system would be MUCH better because of the off-throttle torque vectoring etc.
Audi makes a good car and I like their interiors, all I'm saying is that torque vectoring AWD is superior to standard AWD.
Audi makes a good car and I like their interiors, all I'm saying is that torque vectoring AWD is superior to standard AWD.
#124
Suzuka Master
Take for a example, Apple. If you look at every Apple product, it's not really the underlying technology that makes them engineering giants (most of their tech is usually first achieved by their competitors). Where Apple's real success comes through is in how they execute their products through meticulously crafted product design through the "look-n-feel" of the product that allows the underlying technology to be executed in a way that makes you feel the technology, and makes you feel like you are getting a high-end product. Without that "high-end" quality design behind the look-n-feel of their products, their products would be no better than any average competing product. All you have to do is touch an Apple product and you know it's top notch quality without even having to use the product.
#125
Have to agree. I have a love hate relationship with Apple. Their focus is on the user experience not the tech. That is what hurt Android for long time, their focus was on the tech not the user experience. The average person does not care about the nuts and bolts, bits and bytes, they care about does the device (car) do what they want it to do and do it easily with a good user experience. It is use technophiles and auto enthusiasts that have most of the complaints because we are more deeply involved.
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neuronbob (02-17-2015)
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