Honda Motors America/ Acura

No - Infiniti basically xerox'ed Audi's last gen and got the proportions slight wrong.

 

One of the Infiniti management team is from Audi, hence the nomenclature change to "Q" from "G" - another mistake IMHO, because the G35 had recognition - WTF is a Q50???

I'm with Bullfighter. I concur that Infiniti has / had some value and soul to be a viable alternative to BMW, but they are losing it fast, much like they did way back when.

In a crowded market - with designs dictated mostly by aerodynamics and efficiency - differentiation becomes increasingly difficult. Subaru is the cheap alternative to Audi (all wheel drive), Mazda is the cheap alternative to BMW (sporty / handling), and so on.

What the hell is Acura? What is Infiniti (now, not in the "G" years)? I can't tell what they are doing other than creating bland stuff that has no passion. At least Lexus launched the new GS series, which per the reviews is quite a sporty driver.

Acura is a boring brand - that's not necessarily a bad thing. It may have a play as an executive sedan manufacturer targeting a slightly older demographic. Seriously, it has to be an embarrassment that Hyundai has better product in the Equus / Genesis / Azera cars than a so-called premium brand. The Equus would slot well in the Acura lineup - it hasn't done well for Hyundai, but why not platform share with them to create a high end sedan? Have to think out of the box - unfortunately, they can't.

Honda has always been an innovator. I'm a lifelong fan and respect them, but they are going GM now. Too conservative and probably basing that on P&L rather than passionate development.

 

remember when Honda badge engineered an Isuzu Rodeo just so they could have an SUV?

why not do that again with the high(er) end Hyundais. those are more Acura-ish than the current Acuras!

 

Hondas used to be special when Soichiro was alive. Who else made fwd cars with wishbone suspension, their motors were like clocks. Then the bean counters took over, "no one will notice we wnet to strut suspension" etc. pretty soon honda became just anotehr japanese/korean brand, with no usp but the CRv sales sucess to support ever more isipid product. Before they were special like a thinking persons economical BMW.

Over at Acura their best porduct was and is the MDX. You still see the origional MDX driving around, for good reason it was a great vehicle. I pulled a 5o00lbs boat trailer combo with one, no problem. the mtor was peach, only a 3.5 but it pulled willingly and was smooth at revs. The steering and suspensuion was well judged for what it was, the design was clean and crisp. My wife had two of these.

Then the "new" mdx came out. The one designed in california trying to be a porche. It was so bad, actualy terrible that after 6 months I took a 7K hit and traded it away. The motor was rough and gravely like a pushrod buick V6 because they upped the stroke not caring about refinement. The ride was hard and lacking in compliance. On a bumpy road you pretty much felt like it woudl pogo into the woods.

Yeah the brakes were great, and it sort of handles for such a big machine. Took a ride in a friends one recently, same harsh ride, same cheapo inetrior.

Acura/Honda used to make intelligent cars with great engineering that functioned superbly. The whole sheild grill thing is indicative that the peopel at the top have no clue about cars.

Fortunatly I read the for the upcomming NSX there will be a honda version sans the awd electro crap. So maybe someone is figuring it out.

Honda has a problem, just look at their motorcycles, the vfr 1200 which was their showcase sucked in so many way, an overabundance of tech for no reason in an uninspired bike.

I guess they sell so many CRvs that it does not matter.
Remember when hondas were driven by people who placed a premium on how a car drove. Now if you see those CRV tailights in front of you, on a two lane road you know you are stuck behind a dithering slowpoke, kinda tells the tale right there.

 

yep, he was the Japanese equivalent to Enzo or Henry Ford or Ferdinand Porsche.

an innovator and a leader.

now we have "brand marketers" and bean counters.

 

Agreed!

 

I am a huge fan of Soichiro Honda. Too bad his son got into some trouble, but Mugen was quite successful.

Also agree about the bean counter comment - they (Honda) went GM - no more passion, just keep cost in check, no one will notice if we dial things back.

Cadillac did that with the Cimarron. And the Catera. And EVERYONE knew it, except for the bean counters (ok, probably not fair, but you get the idea). Why would Honda try the same thing?

I get rebadging a high end car as a high end car. I don't get rebadging a low end car as a high end car, and IMHO that's what they are doing.

 

How about the original Acura Legend, rebadged as a Sterling!

 

Wow!

Nice post.

 

I bought a new Honda Accord in 2008 largely because it was a
Honda, it had great resale value, Hondas last a long time IMO,
it was fully functional, the motor was the best 4 cyl I test drove
by far, everything just 'worked' on the car.

F/F to today, yeah, the new ones are out-dated, and most
everyone else has caught up to Honda.
Still, if I go to trade it in, I will get quite a bit more for my
2008 Accord than anyone else will for their 2008-anything,
meaning Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Chevy, Dodge
product of comparable size.

Ex-GF bought a brand new Lexus GS 350 LS, and while it's
a really nice car, I don't care to spend 56K on a car, I'd rather
find a decent 348 or 355. Maybe. And keep my Accord DD.

 

forgot about that one, but proof the English can screw up even a great car

thank you sir!

 

I loved my Acura Legend.

My wife's MDX is a great car. I just drove a new 2015 and was a little underwhelmed though, seems like they want it to be a tall car instead of a SUV.

The new TLX looks great, but can you really build a brand on just one car? Also there is too much else to compete with these days like 3 series, A4, and IS.

The Acura dealer experience is really sub-par. There was a great dealer in the town I used to work, but the local dealer is pretty iffy at best.

I gave up on being excited about the NSX about six years ago.

 

Honda and Acura make absolutely nothing interesting.

That puts them both in rank with Buick, Lincoln, Mitsubishi, and Chrysler.

Embarrassing company to be a part.

As for Infinti's new nomenclature? Yeah it is confusing, but I would guess than even a year from now it won't be. Q50 is midsize, anything larger is higher and anything smaller will be lower. QX for the SUVs which are all exceptionally good inside. The only car that comes worth more cutting edge tech is a Merc S-Class. Dad has a new Q50 and it took the salesmen more time to go over the tech features on delivery than it did to test drive and buy the car.

The Q is a throw back to their original flagship the Q45.

 

Loved my Q45. Great leather seats. Quality motor. Drove coast to coast in my Q45. Loaned it to my wife. Drifted my Q45. Towed a 2 ton water trailer with my Q45 sedan. Pushed drift cars up into trailers with it. Pushed broken drift cars off of the track with it.

My Q45 was shot up in Vegas (engine compartment and windshield/windows) and it still drove back to Alabama with full A/C and a working sunroof.

 

Yeah I put over 100k miles on a used 94 Q45t and only ever had to replace the alternator.

Guys in high school thought their z38 and foxbody stangs were fast and would get smoked by my sedan...

 

the first gen Q45 was the best car Infiniti ever made. kinda sucks hitting a grand slam at your first at bat, then trying to follow it up...

I put about 1k miles on a (then new) G37 sedan two years ago and was really impressed. kinda boring to look at but fun to drive and well made, nicely laid out interior.

 

My wife is now on her second G37, which drives and drifts remarkably similar to the 370Z...as did the G35 and 350Z.

It's a polite weekend track car plus daily driver. Outstanding brakes. Absurd hp for such a small (and cheap) sedan.




If I had found a transmission that would have easily mated to it, I was going to transplant that Q45 V8 into a 240sx drift car. That motor had some sweet rev points and held up well to track abuse.

 

The 300zx 5 speed mates with an adapter plate. A few different people on the NICO boards will sell you as many as you like. Just have to bang out some of the firewall and trans tunnel.

VH45s have been dropped into s13, s14, 240z, z32s.

Also with a OBD1 reflash the motor will push the redline to 8000 rpm 300hp and 330ft lb.
Plenty to drift with especially because 90% of that torque comes at less than 3000 rpm.

 

isn't it the same platform as the Z, just stretched? IIRC the Z, G35 (coupe and sedan), and the small SUV (QX35/45) are a shared platform.

yes, G37 was a surprise. 3-series rival IMO. small, powerful, RWD.

 

Same platform.

The original G35 was the real surprise. 4 door sedan with 300HP and a 6-speed transmission, with outstanding handling. They need another one like that - the Q50 is a little softer IMHO.

 

My sister had a Legend back in 92, what an awesome car that was. Even the little windows in the back rolled down. My brother had an 01 CL type S and i got an 03 CL Type S with the 6 speed. Probably one of my favorite cars i've ever owned. I got it down into the 13.90's at 101+MPH back in the early 2000's. That used to be fast.
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Honda's SUV really just fwd, not awd?!
Update: Attention All Honda Owners: Your 4x4 CR-V Might Not Be A 4x4 After All

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkiv-bWbLIo]Honda CR-V 2014 4WD failure - YouTube[/ame]

 

Honda's bad news is racking up!

Honda executives to take pay cut after fifth Fit hybrid recall | Reuters

 

I love my Acura, but using Sid Vicious as your theme song is probably not a great decision. I like the bands and the music he made, but a drug addict, possible murderer, who ODed when released from rehab from drugs his mother bought him to sell Acura? Does anyone at Acura know who he was at all? That is the #1 choice for the commercial?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM7PcYMH67c]Acura ? 2015 TLX ? My Way Commercial - YouTube[/ame]

 

Acura 3.2 CL was an awesome car!

My entire family are Toyota people. My sister got a Sienna about 10 years ago. My parents were having constant trouble with their cars - so first, my mom bought a Seqouia. Has had it since 2005 - zero issues. Next was my dad, then my wife, then myself. Extended family is starting to buy them now too.

Toyota is doing things right. They aren't going to win any beauty pageants, but their cars don't look bad. In fact, the last two generation of Camry have been what I consider quite attractive in a pedestrian sort of way. Same could be said with their entire lineup - I see small improvements with each generation (exception being the late model 4Runner).

Quality is high inside and out, the only thing you ever take then into the shop for is routine maintanence, customer service is outstanding (loaner cars whenever you request). Even on two hour maintanence for my out of warranty 2005 4Runner, they still give me a loaner if I want it. Basically, just get in the car and drive without a worry. Great piece of mind when my wife is driving around while I'm at work.