DreamGS4

So i just want to hear what other people are thinking about Honda's company direction over the past decade.

In my opinion, Honda used to be a respected race oriented performance company, that was back in the 90s what's happened over the past 15 years? I really think theyve come to rest on the sales of the civic, accord, and odyssey.. pretty boring if you ask me. When gas prices started to rise and the economy took a dive back in 07/08 i can understand that auto makers focused on fuel efficiency and the affordable multipurpose vehicle (SUV or Minivan). And with the Civic currently being the most versatile platforms they have right now, as far as economy cars go, i suppose it was a smart move by Honda. But heres the thing, over the past 5 years, the economy has been on the rise and I think a new age of automobiles has arrived. The lust for power, performance, and aggressive styling is back! I cant even remember which cars forged the trend which seems like everyone is now is a hurry to compete in.. Cars these days, no matter the performance, are looking more aggressive and have just a little more power with every year. Performance is back in the sights of many companies now, Toyota for one has brought us the FR-S and the emergence of the Lexus F division with the release of the ISF and RCF mighty fine vehicles if you ask me. Nissan/infiniti is also gearing up to release the IDX and Q50 Eau Rouge, both performance oriented vehicles; will be watching closely for news updates . Hyundai is also on the move to make a place for themselves in the performance market, the 5.0 Gensis, and the 3.8 Track coupe are very bold first attempts. But anyway back to Honda...Honda... where are you at in the game? The NSX is waaaay behind schedule and i think its waay overpriced at 150+k. For that price, why not buy a GTR? or the BMW i8? (interested to see where the infiniti Q80 with compare in this market). Kind of a let down on this one Honda. The legendary NSX will always be remembered, but i think the new release is still riding the coat tails of the past generations.. And talk of the new S2K is supposedly mid engine?! Thats not an S car anymore, the S series roadsters by Honda have ALWAYS been FR sports cars, in my opinion another let down.. And now theyre planning to release the Civic Type R? after almost 10years the Type R is back, but on an accord chasis? interested to see where it will par, against the STI and Evo at the projected cost..

Acura is another story.. no where to be found and being left in the dust by Infiniti and Lexus, even Hyundai is up and coming fast, REAL fast. The Gensis and Equus are bound to overtake Acura on some of their models eventually if they dont change something within the next few years... i mean the RLX for one is Acura's flagship car and i think is only in competition with the Lexus GS and infiniti Q50.. they dont have anything to compete in the upper markets and being left in the dust in the race for performance..

mmarshall

I think Honda'a biggest current problem seems to be in its styling. They have always built some of the most well-made and carefuly-screwed-together vehicles in the industry (at one time, I could easily tell Honda-designed controls and a switchgear, which, like older BMW hydraulic steering units, had a unique precision-feel that was virtually unequalled). They still do relatively well-screwed-together products, but seem to have gone off the deep end with some of their body-lines, two-tier panels like in the Civic, jumbled-mish-mash all over the interior like on the CR-Z, and, of course, the silly exterior staying of the former Acura TL, ZDX, and parrot-beak grilles in general. Some have called this "Progress" in styling. I disagree. I think they did many of their best vehicles, inside and out, in the 1990s.....vehicles that some, today, would call " Dated". The 2Gen RL, however, was an exception.....though its sales were very low, that car was built like a tank, with superb quality and fit-finish inside and out, nice (IMO) styling (though some called it too Accord-like), and, with the SH-AWD, excellent road manners.

doge

Honda is on the up again as is Acura, they really lost me in the late 2000's but they have managed to get my attention again with cars such as the tlx, and nsx.

joshthorsc

I miss the days of the the high revving NA motors of Honda. I had an S2000 and absolutely loved that car. The Civic Si looks nice but not something I'd consider buying. I sure hope that someday they bring back the S2000 and hope it maintains that rawness!

Jason2801

Bringing the NSX back to life is a + for Honda/Acura. Yeah it's expensive but if it delivers it can put them back on the map especially with them now bringing the Civic Type R to the US sometime in the near future.The civic is being redesigned and the concept does look a lot better than the previous generations from 2001-current. With time I can see them reviving an S2000 successor.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

I don't think Honda has done anything wrong for themselves. For the vast majority of customers, it's been about the Accord and the Civic not necessarily a performance oriented alternative to Toyota or Chevy or Ford. In that sense, their core business is largely intact. The CRX and Si were small halo cars for their Civic lineup and is well remembered by enthusiasts as much as the AE86 was for the Corolla. But the vast majority don't know/recall this. The Accord is still a great seller as is the Civic and now they're probably even better known for the CR-V. The Prelude and S2000, again while fondly remembered by people like us, don't catch the attention of the general public (same with the Supra and MR2 for Toyota fans).

Now where they really have dropped the ball is in Acura over the years. They've had absolutely no direction for their near-luxury division. As the first upscale Japanese brand, it's a pity what their lineup has. The Integra and Legend set early benchmarks that Acura failed to improve upon. The new RLX is a great car but still fails to compete with other cars in the class (GS, E, 5). Their most popular model is the MDX, again a great vehicle but hardly anything to get excited over. They killed the TL. Hopefully with the introduction of the new NSX, it's a sign of good things to come and renewed interest in Acura by the Honda powers that be.

pbm317

While they lost their way for a bit, I think they're getting some of their swagger back. New Accord is quite nice, and the refreshes made to the ILX, at least in terms of powertrain, really bring it back into the fold. The upcoming Civic, especially with a Type R for the U.S. could really do wonders in restoring the image of the brand for enthusiasts.

DreamGS4

You have some really good points there, i dont remember what it was like to be a non enthusiast like the general public, i dont understand how they think and i think that may be where i fall short in a company's bigger picture view. Honda i suppose caters to a vast majority of the market with the civic, accord, and CR-V (although i have noticed that these compact SUVs are now becoming quite large..)

Acura has really been the biggest let down for me. My first car was a 2000 intregra GS-R, quick and fun little car, truly amazing what Honda was capable of squeezing out of that little 1.8L. But youre right, they have failed to improve upon the innovative thinking behind the Integra and Legend; (I believe that is still the only longitudinally mounted V6 front wheel drive car that i know of). Theyre styling in my opinion has definitely gone off the deep end and has veered away from what seems like eveyrone else is styling around, theyre kind of in their own little world. Although the Jewel Eye headlights are a pretty neat design that i must give proper acknowledgment to.

I really hope they get it right with the NSX and hope that its enough to bring them back on the map, otherwise i think Acura is headed for trouble in the next 10 years

DreamGS4

While I truly hope youre right on this one, I am unsure of the CTR's appearance here in the US market. like T0ked said, only the enthusiasts remember the performance of the 90s, sales of the integra type R were quite slim IIRC compared to the lower models; with only slight styling differences and 20hp over the GS-R for the price i could see why many were discouraged. Its not until you actually drive the car do you realize that it may look alike, but is a COMPLETELY different car all together. I feel the same issue may carry over to the civic. The newer 2014-2015 styling is a great improvement over the past few generations but still nothing i would consider buying. Not when options like the FR-S/BRZ, TC, Ford Focus? and now even the Fiat Abarth are on the market (gotta hand it to them, at first i laughed at that little car, but once i drove one; realized it was actually quite exhilarating).

I think what Honda could use is a whole new car, something new to freshen up their line up; i mean the CR-Z was a nice idea but did terrible in sales. We'll see what Honda has in store for us in the next few years

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Agreed. Odyssey and Accord have a strong suit, new Pilot, '16 Civic conceived here, dominating CR-V, HR-V grabbing a slice of the CUV pie, Acura MDX, RDX, ILX and TLX greatly improved. Host of new powertrains. Things are looking up

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

+1

and they're getting rid of duds like crosstour.

and they have the nsx and s660 coming.

mmarshall

Depends on how you look at it. The Crosstour's one main fault is the droop-rear roofline, which cuts into cargo space and screws up rear visibility (fortunately, the Crosstour doesn't suffer from the Venza's too-large wheels and stiff ride). My point is, though, that the Crosstour, IMO, doesn't HAVE to be axed. Its roofline problems can be cured with some body and glass re-tooling....which would make it a good Outback competitor. Subaru needs some good competition for the Outback (and I say that as an Outback fan myself)....for too long, the Outback has dominated the American market for raised-suspension AWD wagons. The Crosstour, with just some rear-end retooling, could be in a position to give it to them......as would a Venza with more civilized wheels and tires. Toyota and Honda both made mistakes in the design of these vehicles, and simply refuse to address the errors, opting (foolishly, IMO) to simply ax them instead.

CSTU93

Great read. It seems Honda is coming back.. finally! I actually just added a thread on a new Honda concept.

Although I own a Crosstour, I will admit, some days I walk out and think WTF?! Those days don't happen too often but when they do she somehow manages to stay. Being 22, 90% of my friends constantly hate on this car. I have noticed it grows on them the more they are around it. I don't expect everyone to like the CT, it simply doesn't appeal to some and thats fine by me! Who wants to go with the norm anyways?