amfjabe

I am writing from Japan.
I have just ordered Honda Saber (that is Acura TL in USA) here in Japan. It is coming in next week.

http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/saber/
http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/saber/photo_lib/

Saber is made in USA and imported to Japan with the steering wheel on the right.

Here is my question.
Unfortunately Saber here doesn't have a cruise control even for the Type-S.
I really need the equipment.
I have asked Honda if it is possible to install a cruise control to my Saber but the answer was NO.

As I know all the TL's in your country have cruise control, my question is if it is possible for me to purchase a complete cruise control kit for TL from your country.

I apperciate any of your information.

Masatoshi Abe
Yokohama, Japan

valuetl

I have a feeling why the saber/inspire have no cruise control because the U.S cruise controls will stay on past the legal speed limit. I remember trying to use my cruise on my Windom at speeds over 100KM and it didn't work. Probably some dumb law in Japan. Anyway, congrats on getting a saber. Valuetl

Crzy Acura

wow i learned somthing new... I NEVER knew the saber and inspire were made in the US!!!!

valuetl

Marysville Ohio to be exact. close to columbus!!!

amfjabe

valuetl

Thank you for the information.
Yes, it may be the reason. There are many dumb laws here.

But it is interesting because my 1993 Accord made in Japan did have a cruise control and I can drive on by 130km/h using this equipment. The speed limit in Japan is 100km/h on highway.

Teh cruise control is tricky because it is not possible to set cruise when the vehicle is going by 130km/h. But once cruise control is set by 100km/h or less it is possible to use [accel] button to 130km/h.

Masatoshi Abe
Yokohama, Japan

Crzy Acura

ok so if the inspire and saber arent imported..... how much would people from the US be able to purchase one?


Ok sorry for the questions, i wanna learn all about this.
So how many of the parts of the Saber are MADE in the US?
Also then why are the Inspire door sills and such imported if they are made here....(if they in fact are made here)

Im just blown awaay by this.... i would think making the saber would be cheaper if made in Japan..

Shyne

holy $hit...our first member from Japan!!! that is pretty cool...well welcome and I think its very possible to do this modification you are talking about...there are so many helpful people on this site, all you had to do was ask...are you a member of secret service website for inspire owners in Japan??? i think you can help on some stuff though, dont disappear on us man...Shyne

Bitium

First welcome to the board. We do not have many members from Japan if any. I'm glad you are a member, again welcome aboard.

The cruise control seems like it should work on the saver. The probelm seems if there is a kit. I will go to an acura dealer tomorrow to find out. Since it comes standard and not an option I'm pretty sure they don't have a kit. I will find out how much, what is need it, and if it is possible. I would have an anwser tomorrow.

One question. You said the saber is made in japan, what about the inspire??

valuetl

Crazy: All the nice Honda Access parts are made in Japan. But, most parts for the car are made in the US. My Toyota cruise cutout right at 110KM. No fun. But atleast it didn't have the stupid alarm that older cars had after you exceeded the speed limit. Bing,dong,bing,dong, bing,dong. I hated that thing.

samkws

hey nice to meet u...ur english is exceptionally well for a japanese too!!! where do u live in japan?

if u live around the tokyo area, u wouldn't need one...the traffic is always heavy...from sunrise to sunset...gees...

i was in japan 2 years ago and it was so crowded...better than some asia countries like Hong Kong but the traffic is quite heavy in big cities...

and i am quite surprised u purchased a car that is made in USA!!! haha...with lots of domestic cars that are reallie gd!!!

in ur class there should be sth like

Toyota Aristo, Nissan Gloria, Crown Athelete...y choose honda?

samkws

haha...are u referring to that corolla AE86?

Nate

Greetings! I wish we could get more Japanese members on this forum. Myself and I'm sure others would be glad to help you guys out by sending US parts across, though I'm not sure its as difficult for you to get US parts as it is for us to get Japanese parts. Anyway, does the Inspire have Cruise Control? If so, that may make it easier for you. If not, one of our members with an electrical helm manual for an Acura TL may be able to help you. Or you could buy a helm manual yourself and research what parts you need. If you can figure out what you need, I have friends in the Acura parts department and can get you good prices. Good luck!

Nate

Haha, whats your excuse!?

amfjabe

Wow, very happy to have plenty of replies within an hour!
Thank you everyone who has posted.
Let me describe a story about my Saber.

Last month, my 1993 Accord had some problems on its radiator and transmission. The mileage was 135,000km (approx. 85,000miles), and I have decided to buy a new car instead of repair it.

I liked Accord again. In Japan HONDA sells Accord Euro-R model that has 2.2L/220PS VTEC engine and 5-speed manual transmission that should be exciting.
However I wanted to buy something from USA.
Because September 11 disaster made me so sad as USA is my second favorite country next to my home country, Japan.
I have never lived in USA but I have ever worked for American company.

As I have known that Saber/Inspire is imported from USA with HAM badge on it, I have visited HONDA dealer on Jan. 4 and signed the order sheet on Jan. 10.
Saber has three models as follows.
2.5L w/o Navigation (JPY2,720,000/US$20,500)
2.5L with DVD Navigation (JPY2,980,000/US$22,600)
3.2L Type-S (JPY3,480,000/US$26,400)
In this country, 2.5L is enough and I have purchased 2.5L with DVD Navigation.
I could get 12% discount from the dealer.

Well, anyway thank you for all of the information provided to this thread.
I am excited because I may be the first person who can have a Saber with cruise control in this country.

Masatoshi Abe
Yokohama, Japan

Shyne

make sure you post pictures of your new saber when you purchase it...i would love to see it in semi-reality...do more people drive sabers or inspires in Japan??? and for the record, who is the dominating car company in Japan...Ive heard its nissan, but where does toyota and honda stand as far as quality??? make sure you check out our picture gallery on the left hand side of your screen if you havent done so already...Shyne

samkws

what are u talking about??? TOYOTA is the largest in Japan for so many years...Honda surpassed Nissan for the second place a couple years ago...Nissan now is just standing at 3rd...

for japanese cars, Toyota and Honda has the best building quality...interior materials...nicely done...

samkws

i have visited japan a couple of years ago and i got soooooo frustrated that they don't know any english!!! gees...they only know those very basic....the numbers and stuff...we had a hard time to communicate with them even buying food at mc donalds!!! not to mention dining in a restaurant...

they rely on japanese very much and not intend to learn other languages than japnaese...even they speak a bit english, they have different pronounciation that we don't understand what they are talking...such as they would pronounce MEGA WORLD as MAGA WAB....the movie entrapment as "on-traap-mont"

i have a japanese friend here and she was the english teacher in japan...and her english is quite horrible in american standard

Mr. Masatoshi, wouldn't you mind to share where did u learn ur english?? ur english is pretty gd

Nate

Sheesh, 3.2 Type S Saber - 12% discount = $23,232 USD Thats less than a 3.0L Honda Accord V6 with leather in the US! I know it isn't an Inspire but I don't think there are too many missnig features (maybe heated seats... what else?)... an Acura 3.2TL Type S will cost you over $33,000 USD! How much is a 3.2L Inspire Type S? Hell, I paid $34,000 USD after taxes for my 2001 Acura TL... maybe we're getting ripped off over here hehe...

edgalang

Uh, I know this may be a dumb question...but I keep hearing Sabers and Inspires left and right...but still dont know the difference between the two. Why have more than 1 name for the same car since apperantly these two are our equivalent of the TL?

P.S. Dont tell me to look it up!

BarryH

If you go to Europe, they say they exact same thing about Americans. Many Europeans, speak more than three languages. I've been to Japan many times and have been frustrated too. The difference is I blame myself for not speaking their language not becoming frustrated with them for not speaking mine. If you travel internationally, you quickly learn it's a big world out there and the U.S. is not always the center of it. Attitudes like yours are how the phrase “ugly Americans” got coined.

NighthawkBlack

I will look at the wiring schematics for your Saber and my TL some time next week. I will see how many components there are and if it is possible. If the circuit is independent of most other systems, I would say yes but if it is not I would think it is too hard. Anyway I will do my best to compare the two and get back to you next week.

mawaru

That's pretty ignorant!!! I'm wondering how good your japanese is? Or I wonder how much Japanese the average American speaks. If you are a guest in another country, you should not be demanding the people there to speak your language. You should feel lucky enough that the people in that country are actually trying to accomodate you, a foreign person.

850EX

Ouck!! Guess the AMericans should come to Canada. Its would be like 30% off!

BLEXV6

Now, I am not sure how your Accords compare to ours, but my 1992 Accord EXR was just traded in on my TL and it had 325,000 kilometers on the odometer, and never gave me a problem. That was probably the best Honda, reliability, wise I have owned. That car was manufactured in Japan. If I was living where you do, I would buy mine in Japan. The quality difference is night and day.

amfjabe

Hi, Thank you for all of the information provided by TL fans of US!
I will try to answer some questions posted to this thread.

[Crzy Acura]
Q: So how many of the parts of the Saber are MADE in the US?

A: I believe that most of the parts including engine itself are made in the US. I guess the

rate of the parts locally made will be more than 50% may be 70%. HONDA has started to manufacture their cars in the US pretty long years ago. Therefore I think that they have already found many good part vendors for their cars.

[Bitium]
Q: The cruise control seems like it should work on the saver. The problem seems if there is a kit.

A: I agree with you that there will not be a kit as it is a standard equipment for TL.
Thank you for your information.

[samkws]
Q: where do u live in japan?
if u live around the tokyo area, u wouldn't need one...the traffic is always heavy...from sunrise to sunset...gees...

A: I live in Yokohama that is 12 miles west of Tokyo. But I usually drive down to Osaka area at night. It is a 350miles drive and I use cruise control most of the way.

Q: and i am quite surprised u purchased a car that is made in USA!!! haha...with lots of domestic cars that are reallie gd!!!
in ur class there should be sth like Toyota Aristo, Nissan Gloria, Crown Athelete...y choose honda?

A: That is a very good question. I don't like the design of current Aristo (Lexus GS) so Nissan Gloria. Crown Athlete may be a good choice. Athlete with 2.5 VVT Turbo is very fast and very smooth. But driving Athlete is not as exciting as Saber. Too silent and too smooth for me.

[Nate]
Q: Anyway, does the Inspire have Cruise Control? If so, that may make it easier for you.

A: Saber and Inspire are same. The difference are front grill and design of alloy wheel.

[Shyne]
Q: make sure you post pictures of your new saber when you purchase it...i would love to see it in semi-reality

A: Yes, I am sure I will!!

Q: do more people drive sabers or inspires in Japan???

A: No. The domestic sales of Saber/Inspire are approx. 400 - 500 per month even Toyota Celsior (LS400) sells 1,500 per month. The best seller in these months is HONDA Fit with 19,000 per month (If I order a Fit now, I will get it in this June!). Toyota Corolla is also 19,000 per month.

Q: who is the dominating car company in Japan...Ive heard its nissan, but where does toyota and honda stand as far as quality???

A: Still Toyota is No.1 here and HONDA is doing great with their new Fit (19,000/month, 1.3L mini-van http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/fit/), Stream (7,000/month, 1.7L-2.0L mini-van http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/stream/), StepWagon (7,000/month, 2.0L mini-van http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/stepwgn/) and Odyssey (4,000/month).
Nissan is recovering but they don't have a big hit.

[samkws]
Q: they rely on japanese very much and not intend to learn other languages than japnaese...even they speak a bit english,

A: Many of Japanese people really want learn English. You may find plenty of English language school in Japan. However it is quite difficult for Japanese people to learn English. Maybe one reason is that the structure of the two languages are totally different.

Q: wouldn't you mind to share where did u learn ur english?? ur english is pretty gd

A. Thank you very much. Well I have started to study English seriously 15 years ago at the age of 30. We learn English 6 years in Junior high and high school but it doesn't help us much.
I have studied English through listening to lesson CD at least three hours a day (I spend 3 hours per day for going to and back from my office by train). I have continued the lesson for two years, because I didn't have time to go to language school. This 2,000 hours of lesson made me familiar with English.

[Nate]
Q: How much is a 3.2L Inspire Type S?

A: Again, Inspire Type-S and Saber Type-S are same here except front grill and design of alloy wheel. But compared to TL Type-S, Japanese ones don't have a heated seat, heated door mirrors, theft deterrent System, power-operated moonroof with tilt feature and sliding shade, cruise control and front passenger's 4-way power seat.

[edgalang]
Q: but still dont know the difference between the two. Why have more than 1 name for the same car since apperantly these two are our equivalent of the TL?

A: Inspire and Saber are same.
http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/inspire/
http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/saber/

The reason why HONDA has provided two names to TL here is that HONDA has three selling channels as follows.
- HONDA Clio dealers
- HONDA Primo Dealers
- HONDA Verno Dealers

Saber is for Primo and Verno Dealer and Inspire is for Clio Dealer.

[NighthawkBlack]
Q: I will look at the wiring schematics for your Saber and my TL some time next week.

A: Thank you for the help. I really appreciate it...

[BLEXV6]
Q: my 1992 Accord EXR was just traded in on my TL and it had 325,000 kilometers on the odometer, and never gave me a problem. That was probably the best Honda, reliability, wise I have owned. That car was manufactured in Japan. If I was living where you do, I would buy mine in Japan. The quality differnce is night and day.

A: In Japan, people change their cars with 50,000km (30,000miles) on the odometer or less in average. My case is said very seldom. Therefore Japanese made cars FOR JAPANESE MARKET may not be manufactured to survive more than 300,000 km (19,000 miles).
I will drive my Saber again for more than 100,000km (60,000 miles).
I hope that the durability of my Saber is US standard.

samkws

um..u have ur point...ppl in France don't give a damn to Canadian French...haha...
but this doesn't apply in Hong Kong and some asian other countries...they are not just having first language, but also second or even third...

i have nothing against japanese...i like japan...
but i think they did wrong for learning very limited english as their second language at school...while most asian countries does...this would be a big disadvantage for them since english is the most important language in the world...

globalization is impt for any countries...especially japan...
i glad myself have a chance to learn english when i was young and now i wouldn't be isolated from the others because of language problem

samkws

quoted from amfjabe
Thank you very much. Well I have started to study English seriously 15 years ago at the age of 30. We learn English 6 years in Junior high and high school but it doesn't help us much.
I have studied English through listening to lesson CD at least three hours a day (I spend 3 hours per day for going to and back from my office by train). I have continued the lesson for two years, because I didn't have time to go to language school. This 2,000 hours of lesson made me familiar with English.


wow!!! i understand lots of ppl don't have much chance to learn english...so did my dad in his young age until he got a chance to get over to work at New York...by that time he was like 26 or 27...

not too many ppl would have such motivation to learn a new language at age of 30...it's pretty hard to get started as u r getting older...now u know how helpful it is?? hope to see more japanese ppl speaks/write english as gd as u man!!

850EX

I have always wondered why Honda in Japan has 3 types of dealers?
Are they all owned independently?

gohawks63

First of all WELCOME!!! Very cool to have a member from Japan.

While I'm not an engineer, my guess it will not be that easy to add the cruise control. As somone mentionedl, it's not an add on kit. In addition, all these systems are so integrated, I'm not sure it would be as easy as "plug and play".

Case in point, as someone has pointed out on another post, even the wipers are integrated with the brakes (If you have the wiper's set to intermittant and you are stopped, as soon as you're foot comes off the brake, the wipers will swipe, regardless of how long ago the last one occurred).

I could be wrong, for your sake I hope I am.

Good Luck, congratulations on your new purchase, and welcome again.

pianoman41

This sounds very similar to Chrysler's Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth marketing method up until the Mercedes/Chrysler merger. Like having a Dodge Neon/Plymouth Breeze or a Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Cirrus. Same car, just different trim pieces. Some people just develop a brand loyalty and so the manufactures keep the lines going. Daimler-Chrysler realized the expense of marketing and advertising (and manufacturing) three lines that have similar makes, hence the demise of Plymouth. GM did the same with Oldsmobile (and should condense further still).

bioyuki

Remember, in Japan taxes on a car are a *****. The MSRP might be low but after taxes I'm sure the price is probably similar to what we get in the US. Oh yeah, gas is pretty ****ing expensive there too. Then again its expensive everywhere but the US.

bioyuki

Oh yeah, welcome to the boards amfjabe.

If you wanted something fun to drive you should have gotten an Evo VII

amfjabe

Yes, they are all owned independently.
As far as I know, HONDA originally indented to have three channels with three different characters.
However since HONDA now has many models, the difference of the characters cannot be recognized clearly.

Clio for luxury cars.
Verno for sporty cars
Primo for small cars

At present HONDA sells their cars as follows.

[Only for Clio]
Legend (RL) http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/legend/
Accord http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/accordeuro_r/
Inspire (TL) http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/inspire/
Lagreat http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/lagreat/
Avancier http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/avancier/
Accord Wagon http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/accord_wagon/
S-MX http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/s_mx/

[Only for Verno]
NSX http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/nsx/
S-2000 http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/s2000/
Integra http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/integra_r/
Insite http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/insight
CR-V http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/cr-v/
HR-V http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/hr-v/

[Only for Primo]
Civic http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/civic/
Orthia http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/orthia_v/

[Only for Primo and Verno]
Saber http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/saber/
Torneo http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/torneoeuro_r/
Capa http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/capa/

[For all three]
Odyssey http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/odyssey/
Stepwagon http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/stepwgn/
Stream http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/stream/
Fit http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/fit/
Mibilo http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/mobilio/

bioyuki

amfjabe--Do you know the engine code for the 2.5L V6 found in the Saber/Inspire? Also, do you know some of the characteristics of it?

amfjabe

The code is J25A.
Please find the characteristics of the engine at the URL follows.
It is written in Japanese but I hope you can get some information.
If you cannot read it. please feel free to let me know.
I will be happy to translate it for you.

amfjabe

Sorry, the URL is http://www.honda.co.jp/auto-lineup/saber/grade_data/

hooked2TL

Amfjabe,

First of all, welcome to the TL board! You are a wealth of knowledge for us across the ocean as we often wonder about the Japanese versions of the TL. We sometimes feel like we're not getting all the best stuff for the car as it seems the nice stuff is only for Japanese market (rear view camera, door sills, folding mirrors, etc).

I hope you visit us here often to lend your valuable input from the home of Honda. BTW, why not send us a bunch of door sills for some $$$???

amfjabe

Thank you for the welcome message.
I will be more than happy if the information I have can be shared by you people in the US!

HONDA offers several equipments as option that can be installed at local dealer.
Please visit the URL introducing options for Saber.
http://www.honda.co.jp/ACCESS/automo...ber/index.html

By the way, what kind of door sills do you want??

For your information, I am going to install "Answer back system" to my Saber. This is an aftermarket equipment and this enables the flushers blink when I lock the door or unlock the door using keyless entry system. By this, I can confirm that the door is locked or unlocked though watching the flusher lights.
Does TL have this ?

hooked2TL

Amfjabe wrote:

"By the way, what kind of door sills do you want?? "

Ok, bros! Our friend from Japan is taking requests! What do we want, folks? Sills, blaze grill, rear cam??


About the answer back, our TL comes with a factory alarm that will flash the flashers when you lock the car with the remote. I think it also does this when you unlock with remote. Is this what you mean?

city001

Hajime Ma****e, Amfjabe,

watashiwa city001 desu,

Dozo yoroshiku



Amfjabe welcome...
Can u get us some images of japanese saber/inspire owners if possible and also info and more images..like magazines?

Can u tell us what's the aftermarket like in Japan for inspire/saber if u know or have access to info like that.

Thanks a bunch

city