Lex2InfiN

And yet the TLX will come with a 9-Speed transmission. Go figure. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Acura doesn't need the RLX in its lineup. I say they should axe it completely and put all that hybrid SH-AWD technology into a loaded TLX. Have a base 4 cylinder TLX, mid grade V6 TLX, and a top of the line SH-AWD hybrid TLX. For those that want the best, they'll have to pay for it, but at 60k+ they are dreaming. A loaded TLX at 50k makes much more sense. They cannot play in the over 50k ballpark with a "premium" sedan based off a Honda Accord. It will never happen.

mmarshall

Nope....that alone is not the reason. Buick markets a V6 6-speed flagship LaCrosse that sells like hotcakes.

It's not just an Acura thing. More and more vehicles and companies in the future, because of CAFE laws, are going to have V6s instead of V8s, and fours instead of V6s. Like you, I'm not necessarily a fan of that, but that's just the world we're going to believing in.

Those who brag often set themselves up for a fall.


They may not soon with most other companies, either. It's going to be welcome to a new world.....though, because of far better technology today, not as pronounced as the drop was the 1970s.

Sulu

If any luxury brand is going to put better, leading-edge technology in a lower model (not the flagship), then yes, the flagship becomes redundant; the flagship is supposed to show off the brand, to display what the brand is capable of in terms of luxury and technology, and to draw in the shoppers with all this leading-edge capability. If Acura insists on putting a leading-edge 9-speed transmission in the TLX but leave the flagship RLX with a now merely mediocre 6-speed FWD transmission, then, I agree, the RLX has become redundant.

Mike, you like to compare everything to Buick, even when it is not appropriate to do so. Buick can get away with a V6 6-speed "flagship" LaCrosse. But the LaCrosse is not a "flagship" because it is NOT a real flagship, and Buick neither markets it as such nor needs a true flagship vehicle. Buick is not the flagship brand for GM; Cadillac is the luxury, flagship brand for GM so Cadillac needs the flagship, not Buick.

Similarly, Acura is meant as the flagship, luxury brand for Honda, the first of the Japanese brands to produce a luxury brand. The RLX flagship does not have to sell well, but Acura needs that true flagship to show off to shoppers what it is capable of, and if it really wants to elevate its brand to be perceived as a true luxury brand and not merely another entry-level premium brand like Buick.

Acura was never meant to be compared with entry-level Buick; it has only ended up that way due to the product and marketing shortcomings of Honda and Acura. If Acura wants to compete with Buick, that is fine, but then it has to stop comparing itself with Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.

hlee12

not a bad car. i'll pay 27k for it and let my wifey drive it. 50% off or bust.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

And this kids is why Acura's brand image has been a joke for years now

mmarshall

I didn't mention Buick or the Lacrosse just for the sake of doing so. Many negative comments in this forum (and thread) center around Acura's use of V6/FWD/AWD platforms inhibiting their sales...as if simply waving a magic wand and doing V8s/RWD would automatically solve the problem. I don't agree with that view. Although some V8s will probably remain, the upcoming CAFE laws are going to force at least some of them off the market...and then the Acura V6s won't look quite so underpowered.

BTW, when I referred to the LaCrosse as the "flagship" what I meant was Buick's top-line sedan. I agree that it is not what I would currently call a true flagship (neither is Cadillac's XTS or Lincoln's MKS, which IMO are both jokes). But, I'm afraid that cars like this are going to be the "flagships" of the future. Chevy's new V6 Impala was probably the best example of a well-done V6 FWD sedan serving as an excellent flagship, but, in size and power, it has been eclipsed by the limited-production, rougher-riding V8 RWD SS.

Acura's problems don't stem from who they do or don't compare themselves to, but to awkward body styling (including parrot-beaks), a limited product-line, and the fact that their sister-division Honda often produces better-designed vehicles at a lower cost.

Toys4RJill

I am going to have agree with you. Acura as a brand does not compete with Buick. Acura is a tier II luxury brand. Buick is not a luxury brand in any way shape or form. Buick is simply a "premium" experience, kind of like how the Maxima, Avalon, and 300 and give a near luxury experience.

It is possible to compare some Buicks and Acuras. The Verano compares well with the ILX, both are upmarket semi rebadged Civic/Cruse models. You might also compare the Buick SUV (forget the name) with an RX, the truth be told, the Buick really compares more with a Highlander limited model.

mmarshall

All of this is objective, at least to an extent, on how one interprets the term "upmarket", "premium", "Luxury" and other similar terms....including what is Tier I and II. I would consider the Acura RLX and Infiniti Q70 a Tier II close to the borderline of Tier I, the LS460, Mercedes S550, BMW 7-series, and Audi's A8 solidly in Tier I, and Bentley/Rolls/Maybach in the Ultra-luxury class.


The Verano is selling, though, and the ILX isn't. That's because Acura made the ILX too much of a redone Civic, and didn't put in enough sound insulation. GM made the Verano more of a premium/upmarket compact, with a smoother and much quieter ride.



You mean the Enclave. The Enclave is larger than the RX, though, and has a large 3rd-row seat by SUV standards. It is more or less an upmarket version of both the Chevy Traverse and GMC Acadia.

The Buick Encore CUV is MUCH smaller, and done on a Chevy Sonic subcompact platform.


Not in size. The Enclave is significantly larger than the Highlander. In physical size, it compares more of less with Audi's big Q7, but is significantly less expensive....it's not in the same price class as the Q7.

1JZsoarer

I never implied the RLX needed a V8 or RWD or AWD in order to perform. It simply needs updates. If their V6 was a newly engineered one with 350-375HP (unlike 300 something), getting more HP than Hyundai in their V6 offerings in the Genesis, then that would a step in the right direction. Again, the RLX gets an old unrefined (compared to new transmission standards) 6 speed automatic transmission when all the competition have 7-8-9 speeds that are much smoother and that return higher economy. Acura's RLX also doesn't have much of the technology that their competition have and even lower end model. So when, as a customer, you shell out 60+K, you expect to get something for your money, weither it be performance, technology, fuel economy,etc. In this case, the RLX, other than the name Acura (and that's a big if), has nothing to show it truely deserves to be even considered.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

since new tlx gets the 8 and 9 speeds, i'm sure the rlx will get it soon too. not that anyone will care.

mmarshall

Respectfully, I wasn't replying to (or referring to) one of your posts.

mmarshall

I've got two or three review-requests from CL members who apparently DO care at least something about the new RLX, so an MM review of it will be coming up soon.

Perhaps. The conventional gas RLX, right now, has a 6-speed sport-shift automatic, and the Hybrid, with its gas engine and 3 electric motors, has a 7-speed dual-clutch.

http://www.acura.com/ModelLanding.aspx?model=RLX