PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Also because its 4-cylinder engine gets 18 mpg...

The G Man

Thats the problem with Acura, they dont listen to the public. People have been saying this new grill has got to go for years, yet Acura still go off in their direction and continues to design cars with this universally hated grill design. Acura should really do more market research, if they did, they would have a V8 engine out on the market now.

wmb0000

As an Acura fan I totally agreed with you. I really think Acura sale need to drop drastically before they realize that they going in the wrong direction. It's unfortunately, but if Acura continue to sell ok they will not change their way

The G Man

Thats the problem with a company run by engineers, they ahve too much pride in their designs and not enough marketing skills.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

but to be very honest, i don't see that much of great engineering neither. that probably makes it even worse

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

If anything, the engineers don't have enough say in their product. When we let engineers do their thing, they brought us the NSX, S2000, Integra Type R, etc. When we let management make decisions, we get the Element, Insight, Ridgeline, etc. If engineers had it their way, we wouldn't see cost cutting in materials, and Honda would certainly have been on top of their game.

Instead of introducing a new V6 or transmission, they pick out parts from their recycling bin and slap them into their cars.

The G Man

Lol, thats the sad part, the latest masterpiece from Acura is the SH-AWD. In the pass they invented the Vtec engine, buy the over design of their engine is behind in technology. Hopefully the new CEO will turn things around.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

lol you guys hit all the points so well, i don't know what else to add

they used to be very good, very solid, very promising

but in recent years, i see absolutely nothing about them that's appealing or remotely attractive. from cars to sales to dealership experience, i don't see half luxury feel (let alone performance)

Fizzboy7

The problem with vehicles like the slow-selling RDX and EX35 is they are too feminine and too small for an SUV. SUV's have to be a little more butch and robust to capture some of the male demographic.

huddleston

iTrader: (3)

i hate those grilles.

The G Man

The RX is the market leader in small luxury SUV, while the RDX. EX, Q5 and the X3 are playing catch up.

Ever notice Acura like to use light color car for advertising to blend in with the beak grill. The ugly grill in a dark color car looks twice as bad.

Iceman

I can see your point. We added Acura's "sport" front spoiler, bodyside moulding, and running boards. Maybe I'm deluding myself, but I really think this is how the vehicle should have come from the factory--the extra lines really sharpen up the look.

But when you get to driving feel and performance, the RDX and EX35 are hardly feminine. They will both spank most cars on the road today, which is always a pleasure when some punk in a coffee-can exhaust G35 or something comes racing around traffic to pull up next to me at a red light. What is the most pleasurable is that the RDX isn't just a straight-line racer, but can even outperform most cars in the curves.

So maybe, to come full-circle, I'm agreeing with your point. Looks-wise the vehicles aren't the most masculine, but driving-wise they probably offer too rough a ride for the majority of the feminine demographic. So they capture either men who are secure enough in themselves to not need to show off with an aggressive and flashy car, or women who are secure enough in themselves to handle a somewhat harsh ride in favor of performance. I daresay that's not a huge demographic for them to share shares of...

The G Man

So in short, you are saying the RDX is design for a very feminine male or a very masculine female. The RDX must be a hot seller in California then, not that there is anything wrong with that

UDel

The RDX, EX, Q5, and X3 are not in the same segment as the RX and don't really compete. The RX is not a small SUV either. The RDX and others are small sporty/lux niche SUVs that focus more on the driver and handling then the larger RX which focuses on utility, passengers, with a soft comfortable ride. People who buy or want an RX are generally not even going to consider or want a RDX or X3 and vice versa. Even though the MDX is larger, more powerful, and more expensive then the RX, the MDX is more RX competition then the RDX and the RDX and MDX compete in pretty much the same segment even though they have their differences. The RX and MDX are in a much more sought after and popular segment which is medium to medium/large sized car based SUV that offer plenty of room, utility and a softer ride which is why they sell so well. The RDX, EX, etc are in a small niche segment that does not attract many buyers which is why they don't sell in great numbers.

The G Man

Believe me, the new MDX is not a soft rider and it is a 7 seater, much bigger than the RX. The MDX is generally cross shop with the GX470.