GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Their objective is to be different than all other brands. Since every other company has a direction, it's only right that Acura be different and have no direction.

doge

Good luck Acura. The problem with Acura is they're a "value" luxury brand, meaning they took the more economical route by sharing engines, platforms, etc. Luxury and value don't go together, so it really should be no surprise that they are doing poorly.

Acura needs bespoke engines and platforms if it wants to compete and succeed.

mmarshall

I have to disagree. Acura is not the only upmarket brand that shares engines, drivetrains, and platforms. Lexus and Infiniti do the same thing. The Lexus ES, Toyota Camry, Toyota Avalon, and FWD versions of the Lexus RX and Toyota Highlander all derive from the same drivetrains and the same (or sightly stretched version of) the same platform....in some cases, do do the hybrids.

jwong77

You make it sound like they're about to go out of business. The MDX is the best selling premium SUV not named the RX. Like I said, they're an SUV brand now, this sounds like a natural progression for them. Btw, you do know that SUV's now officially outsell sedans now, don't you? Whether by luck or planning, they're doing well in an area of growth, good for them.

doge

Its okay to platform share if you have solid platforms. Honda uses the same 2-3 engines in everything. Lexus and Nissan can get away with it because they also use engines and chassis that are only privy to the luxury brand.

Honda on the other hand is one sausage different lengths. Give me a rwd platform and a engine that inspires some excitement. Not the same recycled, reworked stuff we've had over the past decade.

doge

Its best selling model still playes second fiddle.

In 2005 Acura sold 78k tl's in 2013 they sold 24k. Are you seriously convinced they are doing nothing wrong?

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I like this post

oldcajun

Rather than the Subaru model, I think Acura should follow the Audi example. Keep FWD for the lower powered models and price leaders, but focus on SH-AWD for their performance cars. Both the RDX and MDX should be AWD as well as all V-6 TLX's. The 4 cylinder TLX is fine as-is as an economy and price leader. Provide an optional AWD for it for winter weather states.

As for engines, both engines in the TLX are fine. The 4 is relativel quick and gets good mileage, the V6 is much faster than it's horsepower would indicate and still gets good mileage. Certainly a Type S with SH-AWD and more power should be an easy step up to compete with Audi A4.

Steve

cino

iTrader: (1)

Did you know the MDX chassis shares nothing with anything in Honda lineup? And it's their best seller. Unlike RX and ES that share plateform with Camry and Avalon, respectively. Heck Q70 is a Mitsubishi in Japan.

doge

It shares its engine, trans and chassis with the Pilot.

And thats perfectly fine with me, lots of cuv's are platform sharers.

The problem lies with their sedan's. The TLX is a great a3, cla, ct competitor which are value oriented cars (don't let the badge fool you). In order for them to compete with c/3/a4/is a6/5/e/gs they need a rwd chassis, an exciting power train.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Same engine platform perhaps, but the transmission is not the same. 5spd vs 6spd. 2014 MDX gets an all-new chassis and does not share with the Pilot. The MDX is lighter than the Pilot across the board, even with all the luxury gadgets and heavier SH-AWD. The next generation Pilot, however; may end up using the MDX's chassis.

cino

iTrader: (1)

A4 is FWD biased, VW plateform is shared with Passat. Don't let the badge fool you. TLX plateform is shared with Accord, which is a better car than Passat. SH-AWD is also better than the one in A4. I don't think anyone would compare TLX to A3. A3 is a really compact car, it should be compare with a soaped up Civic, ILX.

Maybe you're talking about MDX from 10 years ago? This is the new Acura that will have a supercar with 3 electric motors (BMW i8 runs a small cylinder while NSX is on the V6) next year that will rival Ferrari in performance and R8 in price. What do the competing brands have to offer?

Edit: A4 stopped sharing platform with Passat since 2008. Now it shares platform with SUVs.

Toyota Mark X share platform and engine with IS/GS/RC. I know there are more, but what's the point, we all know sharing platform doesn't make a car suck.

pbm317

Pilot (generation behind still), MDX and Odyssey all share a platform. MDX and Odyssey are on the new one, Pilot is moving over soon.

JDR76

Platform sharing, when done properly, is a genius design practice. Without that sharing, those cars would each come with a much higher cost to consumers. You just have to have good platforms to work with.

I'm an engineer, and we are doing more and more sharing among our products, as it's a great way to drive down part and development costs. The term "platform" doesn't apply to my products in the way it does to cars, but we share massive, multimillion dollar systems among programs/products, whenever and wherever we can. If it works well on one product, we try to incorporate it on others. Our customers love the cost savings, as it gets passed on to them, first in initial acquisition costs, then in recurring maintenance costs.

cino

iTrader: (1)

Acura engineer said MDX uses exclusive platform. Do you have any source saying it shares with the new Odyssey?