It's the last episode of Tyson Hugie's adventures in the Acura ILX. It is awkwardly scripted and even more unflattering than the last video.
Here's what I learned:
(1) Acura places a lot of emphasis on hospitality at their press events. This is the first and most important thing that Tyson discuses with Jeff Conrad, Acura Vice President for Sales. Wait, isn't this supposed to be about a car?
(2) Much of the ILX was designed in Japan. The designers are very proud of the car. I won't be snarky here, because I truly think the designers did a great job creating a classy and timeless look for the vehicle.
(3) Acura hasn't "forgotten" the performance minded person because they included a 6MT model of the ILX. Performance minded people don't want a more powerful engine or care about losing traction during turns because there's no option for a limited-slip differential.
Here is what I observed about the ILX:
I wasn't sure I liked the 16" rims, but they look good on the gray ILX. There are a couple advantages to 16" rims: cheaper to replace the tires. They come with nice Continental ContiProContact instead of the ancient and outdated Michelin Pilot MXM4.
It's a damn nice looking automobile. Combined with the RDX, it should give Acura dealers a much needed boost.
It's the last episode of Tyson Hugie's adventures in the Acura ILX. It is awkwardly scripted and even more unflattering than the last video.
Here's what I learned:
(1) Acura places a lot of emphasis on hospitality at their press events. This is the first and most important thing that Tyson discuses with Jeff Conrad, Acura Vice President for Sales. Wait, isn't this supposed to be about a car?
(2) Much of the ILX was designed in Japan. The designers are very proud of the car. I won't be snarky here, because I truly think the designers did a great job creating a classy and timeless look for the vehicle.
(3) Acura hasn't "forgotten" the performance minded person because they included a 6MT model of the ILX. Performance minded people don't want a more powerful engine or care about losing traction during turns because there's no option for a limited-slip differential.
Here is what I observed about the ILX:
I wasn't sure I liked the 16" rims, but they look good on the gray ILX. There are a couple advantages to 16" rims: cheaper to replace the tires. They come with nice Continental ContiProContact instead of the ancient and outdated Michelin Pilot MXM4.
It's a damn nice looking automobile. Combined with the RDX, it should give Acura dealers a much needed boost.
16's aren't necessarily cheaper, especially in this day and age. There are a couple of odd sized 16's (they seem to be in lower profiles) that cost a lot more than some of the more common sizes of 17's. For instance, my sister has a set of 16" wheels that were on her 2000 Civic EX when we bought it, and it costs here a good $100 more to replace her 16's than it does me to replace my 215/45-17's and I have a lot more options and can get better overall tires for that difference in price.
Actually... forgive me for being ignorant but who is this Tyson guy ? The way he talks and dresses and carries himself, I have a feeling he personifies the kind of customer Honda and probably Acura are now targeting at. I mean I go to a Honda event and I have short hair which are whitening already and I do not look 'classy', or 'chic', or 'in style', unlike some of the other journalists who attends the local event. I can say 'looks more than substance'. Or 'empty shell'. But they DO represent the kind of look and general behaviour I see on the local TV especially the talk shows. I look at the people in some the talk show, I see a bunch of pretenders, talking with false american or british accent and desperately trying to look cool. But I talked to some young colleagues and they say they don't miss any of the episodes because the hosts all looks 'so cool'. I guess this is what it means by the time passing by us. Our time are up and there are new kids on the block !
Never mind, I answered my own question, a fake press guy. Hey Acura, if you would have hired former C&D editor Csaba Csere I would take the videos more seriously.
How about a continuation of this video series............doesn't sound scripted at all..................
You guys are nasty. Never really answered my question about who Tyson is. LOL. Nevermind, I googled his name and discovered that in essence, he is pretty much like some of us, a Honda owner who somehow made a name for himself, in his case, by driving his Legend for half a million miles. Now that's a lot of mileage.
This explains much the video. I think Tyson was specially invited by Acura to attend a press session due to his new found 'fame'. I can understand how he would be overwhelmed by his good fortune and how he will want to put in only good words for Acura because he has been treated so well.
WongKN wrote: You guys are nasty. Never really answered my question about who Tyson is. LOL. Nevermind, I googled his name and discovered that in essence, he is pretty much like some of us, a Honda owner who somehow made a name for himself, in his case, by driving his Legend for half a million miles. Now that's a lot of mileage.
This explains much the video. I think Tyson was specially invited by Acura to attend a press session due to his new found 'fame'. I can understand how he would be overwhelmed by his good fortune and how he will want to put in only good words for Acura because he has been treated so well.
If I'm not mistaken he got the ILX for free as an appreciation from Acura, like that 1 million Accord guy. I suspect since Tyson is more "presentable" than the 1 million Accord guy (still lots of respect though), he was chosen as the regular joe spokesperson to be more believable... Just look at how he speaks the lines, a bit rattled, rough and definitely scripted, but I believe him more than Seinfeld since he's from the real world.
WongKN wrote: You guys are nasty. Never really answered my question about who Tyson is. LOL. Nevermind, I googled his name and discovered that in essence, he is pretty much like some of us, a Honda owner who somehow made a name for himself, in his case, by driving his Legend for half a million miles. Now that's a lot of mileage.
This explains much the video. I think Tyson was specially invited by Acura to attend a press session due to his new found 'fame'. I can understand how he would be overwhelmed by his good fortune and how he will want to put in only good words for Acura because he has been treated so well.
If I'm not mistaken he got the ILX for free as an appreciation from Acura, like that 1 million Accord guy. I suspect since Tyson is more "presentable" than the 1 million Accord guy (still lots of respect though), he was chosen as the regular joe spokesperson to be more believable... Just look at how he speaks the lines, a bit rattled, rough and definitely scripted, but I believe him more than Seinfeld since he's from the real world.
Maybe driving an Acura got him the job over the guy driving a Honda. :)
What newer Acuras, if any, do you have your sights set on for the future?
I love the 2012 Acura TSX Special Edition and would love to own one in Milano Red with the 6-speed standard transmission. My heart, though, is leaning toward a car even older than my Legend: the early 1990’s Acura NSX. I’m hoping to pull the trigger on a 1991-93 Formula Red 5-speed NSX in the coming months.
"They havent forgotten the performance minded person. If you get the 6 speed manual transmission, you're getting all that driver involvement... that someone like me loves to have... that connectivity with the road."
Followed by...
"Anyone that knows me knows I have a sense of adventure. It's all about finding a new destination... new uncharted road."
Funny . . . since the 6MT doesn't come with NAVI, he'll have to do it with his Garmin.
WongKN wrote: You guys are nasty. Never really answered my question about who Tyson is. LOL.
...
This explains much the video. I think Tyson was specially invited by Acura to attend a press session due to his new found 'fame'. I can understand how he would be overwhelmed by his good fortune and how he will want to put in only good words for Acura because he has been treated so well.
I'm not going to mock Tyson, but I spare no snark at Acura's expense.
The "marketing" here is badly staged at best, and insultingly insincere at worst.
What this nonsense about "performance" says to me is that Acura marketing either doesn't know what performance enthusiasts want, or they don't care and are content to pretend they've got competitive performance. Either they are stupid, or dishonest, and I find that despicable. See, I can respect designers like Jon Ikeda, because he is upfront about what the ILX is, and what it is not. Ikeda specifically said that the ILX was "no boy racer" and emphasized the vehicle's focus on style, value to the customer, and environment. When Acura marketing and Tyson (perhaps unwittingly) keeps talking up performance, it doesn't look good at all. All I'm asking for is no bull shit from Acura. Is that too much to ask?
atomiclightbulb wrote: All I'm asking for is no bull shit from Acura. Is that too much to ask?
But Acura itself basically said that they wanted to be marketing-driven rather than engineering driven--in other words, smoke and mirrors instead of actual value.
Nevermind boy racers, I don't see who'd be dumb enough to buy this thing. What "millennial" would drop $35k on this thing? If I were Tyson I'd much rather keep the Legend.
atomiclightbulb wrote: All I'm asking for is no bull shit from Acura. Is that too much to ask?
But Acura itself basically said that they wanted to be marketing-driven rather than engineering driven--in other words, smoke and mirrors instead of actual value.
Nevermind boy racers, I don't see who'd be dumb enough to buy this thing. What "millennial" would drop $35k on this thing? If I were Tyson I'd much rather keep the Legend.
I disagree that the ILX is driven by "smoke and mirrors". The vehicle does have pretty solid engineering behind it: It has a light but strong ACE structure unibody. Many structural components are high-strength steel and some are even aluminum. The suspension is very refined. It's a nice looking car that has a good amount of features, but is still sensible and efficient. This is not a car that has shorcuts like the Verano (torsion beam rear suspension, very heavy, engine with DI and 6AT that still returns mediocre fuel economy). While I would have preferred Earth Dreams engines, they just weren't ready for this launch.
Also, very few people are going to be paying "35k" for the ILX. 35k is the price of an ILX Hybrid with the top trim Technology Package. Looking at my local Acura dealer's inventory, most of the ILX on the lot are 2.0L Premium Package, and a couple are 2.0L Technology Package. That's 30k to 32k which includes MSRP+Destination charge. Nobody pays MSRP anyways.
I think the ILX is a solid product. If I weren't so insistent on a manual transmission, I'd be very interested in a 2.0L Technology Package (The 2.4L is too thirsty and it needs Premium fuel, while the R20 will take Regular even though Acura officially states otherwise). The style and features make it a good commuter car, and that's what Acura should have focused on. Again, I don't have a problem with the ILX, but I do have a problem with Acura trying to define the vehicle as something that it is clearly not -- performance oriented.
atomiclightbulb wrote: All I'm asking for is no bull shit from Acura. Is that too much to ask?
But Acura itself basically said that they wanted to be marketing-driven rather than engineering driven--in other words, smoke and mirrors instead of actual value.
Nevermind boy racers, I don't see who'd be dumb enough to buy this thing. What "millennial" would drop $35k on this thing? If I were Tyson I'd much rather keep the Legend.
I disagree that the ILX is driven by "smoke and mirrors". The vehicle does have pretty solid engineering behind it: It has a light but strong ACE structure unibody. Many structural components are high-strength steel and some are even aluminum. The suspension is very refined. It's a nice looking car that has a good amount of features, but is still sensible and efficient. This is not a car that has shorcuts like the Verano (torsion beam rear suspension, very heavy, engine with DI and 6AT that still returns mediocre fuel economy). While I would have preferred Earth Dreams engines, they just weren't ready for this launch.
Also, very few people are going to be paying "35k" for the ILX. 35k is the price of an ILX Hybrid with the top trim Technology Package. Looking at my local Acura dealer's inventory, most of the ILX on the lot are 2.0L Premium Package, and a couple are 2.0L Technology Package. That's 30k to 32k which includes MSRP+Destination charge. Nobody pays MSRP anyways.
I think the ILX is a solid product. If I weren't so insistent on a manual transmission, I'd be very interested in a 2.0L Technology Package (The 2.4L is too thirsty and it needs Premium fuel, while the R20 will take Regular even though Acura officially states otherwise). The style and features make it a good commuter car, and that's what Acura should have focused on. Again, I don't have a problem with the ILX, but I do have a problem with Acura trying to define the vehicle as something that it is clearly not -- performance oriented.
I fully agree that the ILX is a well-engineered car, but I think it is overpriced by several thousand dollars. As far as I know, lots of folks are happily shelling out MSRP for the 2013 RDX right now. I don't think that's going to be the case for the ILX. If the MSRP doesn't scare off the early interest, I think dealers are going to have to discount these to move them.
Jeff wrote: I fully agree that the ILX is a well-engineered car, but I think it is overpriced by several thousand dollars. As far as I know, lots of folks are happily shelling out MSRP for the 2013 RDX right now. I don't think that's going to be the case for the ILX. If the MSRP doesn't scare off the early interest, I think dealers are going to have to discount these to move them.
I was thinking that the ILX Premium should MSRP for around 27k, which would slot just about in the middle between the Civic EX-L and the TSX.
Using Acura's comparison tool for ILX Premium versus TSX:
TSX wins in: extra power socket, front lumbar adjustment, mirror turn signals, double-wishbone front suspension, interior space
It does seem to be a bit of a wash, with each vehicle offering something that the other doesn't.
I haven't sat in the ILX yet, so I can't comment on how the materials quality and spaciousness compares to the TSX.
My question therefore is: does the ILX have enough similarity in features, quality, and driving experience to the TSX to justify the very close price? So far the consensus seems to be no. However, I wonder if this is because the ILX is smaller and Acura touted it as the inexpensive luxury gateway car. If Acura had flat out said that the ILX was replacing the TSX, would the reaction have been the same?
I note that my dealers aren't stocking the base ILX... the cheapest ones on the lot are the Premium pkg models, which are not that much cheaper than TSX.
I fully agree that the ILX is a well-engineered car, but I think it is overpriced by several thousand dollars. As far as I know, lots of folks are happily shelling out MSRP for the 2013 RDX right now. I don't think that's going to be the case for the ILX. If the MSRP doesn't scare off the early interest, I think dealers are going to have to discount these to move them.
For $35K I'd expect to see a K24/AT6/NAVI/Tech
or K22/MT6/LSD/NAVI/Tech
or IMA2/CVT6/NAVI/Tech
I agree with you that the MSRP on the ILX is an illusion...
Those videos are soooooo horrible. The insulation talk was such a load of crap. When Tyson asked about suspension improvements, my question was, improvements over what? This is the first generation of the ILX.
Who approves these videos? After this thread, I'm sure Tyson will not receive more calls from Acura, and a guy or two got fired.
The video is not -that- bad right ? I think if any one of us here is to be in Tyson's place, we would probably would not be able to do that much better. I mean the 'base material' has to be good enough in the first place. So don't shoot the messenger. I am sure Tyson is a nice guy and he is an Acura fan so he's 'one of us'.
![[home]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/home.gif){kind=small}
![[rumors and news]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/rumors.gif){kind=small}
![[model release matrix]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/newmodelreleasematrix.gif){kind=small}
![[dealer network]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/dealernet.gif){kind=small}
![[desktop calendar]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/calendar.gif){kind=small}
![[exhaust notes]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/exhaust.gif){kind=small}
![[tov forums]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/forums.gif){kind=small}
![[links]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/links.gif){kind=small}
![[search]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/search.gif){kind=small}
![[sponsors]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/sponsors.gif){kind=small}
![[garage]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/garage.gif){kind=small}
![[login]](http://sohc.vtec.net/elem04/login.gif){kind=small}
