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BelizeSixMT
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Thanks Jeff, for the comprehensive review.
I'm one of those who is a little disappointed with the new styling. The original had that Euro, quasi Opel sharp and clean look to it, and this new one seems to have lost most of this scheme. Too bad.
I noticed from other photos circulating that the "VTEC" mark is missing from the engine cover. Did Acura forget to put it on? (rhetorical)
On a positive note, I applaud Acura for maintaining the Panasonic and Elliot Shiener team for their radios (instead of Bose), and I can't wait to hear the TSX's.
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pezones
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lol and this being the euro accord...
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danielgr
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BelizeSixMT wrote:
Thanks Jeff, for the comprehensive review.
I'm one of those who is a little disappointed with the new styling. The original had that Euro, quasi Opel sharp and clean look to it, and this new one seems to have lost most of this scheme. Too bad.
I noticed from other photos circulating that the "VTEC" mark is missing from the engine cover. Did Acura forget to put it on? (rhetorical)
On a positive note, I applaud Acura for maintaining the Panasonic and Elliot Shiener team for their radios (instead of Bose), and I can't wait to hear the TSX's.
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It's funny, I'm still having a hard time to find real differences in the design of this car vs. the current one (I'm not talking about the Acura bits, but the European version). If anything, the only design problem I have with this car is that to me it looks almost identical to the current one.
Of course, I haven't seen one in person yet, so my thought may change.
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NSS
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danielgr wrote:
It's funny, I'm still having a hard time to find real differences in the design of this car vs. the current one (I'm not talking about the Acura bits, but the European version). If anything, the only design problem I have with this car is that to me it looks almost identical to the current one.
Of course, I haven't seen one in person yet, so my thought may change.
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Serious? You really have difficulty pointing out the differences? The differences aren't even all that subtle. Just about everything has changed notably, save the still-sexy C-pillar, rear lower-bumper reflectors and the still-sexy dual exhausts and maybe a couple of other doodads. And that's just looking at photos.
Overall shape, of course it's going to stick to the blueprint DNA and evolve. If you were to discern the new and old from a quarter mile away in modest fog, then yeah, sure, I'd agree that you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.
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NSS
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BelizeSixMT wrote:
Thanks Jeff, for the comprehensive review.
I'm one of those who is a little disappointed with the new styling. The original had that Euro, quasi Opel sharp and clean look to it, and this new one seems to have lost most of this scheme. Too bad.
...
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And to you, kind sir, wrong Euro brand. Think Alfa Romeo, specifically the 159. It's been known that Acura has had a quasi-Italian design language in there blood for a while, not teutonic. This new TSX, however, seems to have shed much of AR influence in favor of a more pan-european cum neo-nippon theme, with decidedly mixed results.
Cheers.
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JeffX
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NSS wrote:
danielgr wrote:
It's funny, I'm still having a hard time to find real differences in the design of this car vs. the current one (I'm not talking about the Acura bits, but the European version). If anything, the only design problem I have with this car is that to me it looks almost identical to the current one.
Of course, I haven't seen one in person yet, so my thought may change.
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Serious? You really have difficulty pointing out the differences? The differences aren't even all that subtle. Just about everything has changed notably, save the still-sexy C-pillar, rear lower-bumper reflectors and the still-sexy dual exhausts and maybe a couple of other doodads. And that's just looking at photos.
Overall shape, of course it's going to stick to the blueprint DNA and evolve. If you were to discern the new and old from a quarter mile away in modest fog, then yeah, sure, I'd agree that you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.
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for one thing, the daytime running lights trigger a camry/es350 reflex in your brain when the car is coming towards you on the road. This may be why a dozen TSX's glided through rush hour weekday San Diego traffic as if they were invisible. I was riding in the passenger seat on that leg and I didn't see a single person that we passed give the TSX a second glance.
here's two shots showing the '08s parked next to the '09. The '09 is still a decent looking car, but I was hoping they could have taken the direction of the original car and run with it a little further, instead of padding it up like they did. The key detail that I don't like is the bubbled out fenders. And the taller hoodline makes it look too blocky. On a perhaps more positive note, it has a more substantial look now.
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jgalvan1
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Jeff,
It is like they don't let the people who design the front and back of the cars talk to each other. I think the rear looks great, and the front like it was an afterthought
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revvin
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looking at them side by side its apparent which model will age better.
And it's not the gimmicky '09.
jeff is right, there's a lot better lines on the original that could've been brought out, instead of bloating it and looking to other car makers for inspiration. Tentative on seeing it in person, it reminds me a bit of the es350, that's no good.
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jgalvan1
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Well if that is what they are aiming for, then that would be good.
Maybe Acura should pubicly say who they are targeting now that they are 'advancing' upmarket. If it is Lexus they are targeting, why by an Acura because the service level and buying experience is nothing near Lexus-like and at least with a lexus you get a decent V-6.
If it is BMW then you have to have at least two engines so you can appeal to the women (4 cyl) and men (6 cyl).
If it is not either one of them then who??
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cobalt
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| Jeff wrote:here's two shots showing the '08s parked next to the '09. The '09 is still a decent looking car, but I was hoping they could have taken the direction of the original car and run with it a little further, instead of padding it up like they did. |
Wonderful -- thanks so much for posting these! It makes it really easy to see the differences.
I think the thinness of the old one was a minor downfall. Unfortunately, the added width winds up making the whole thing look slightly more, um.... pedestrian, I guess. I actually don't mind the fenders -- I think you're right about the "more substantial" look, and part of that I think was necessary. It's just that the old one looked really sharp (despite being narrow) -- I think that's the same thing you're describing.
Maybe this just means I'm a fan of more conservative styling.... I guess I'll just be looking forward to the TL updates, then!
(On a slightly related note, I'm getting lost as to what's happening when this year. If it's easy, I'd love a refresher article on what's happening in what month of this year, including on-sale dates for the TSX and public intro of the TL, for example. I know you've already repeated this a number of times, but it's hard to keep track of.)
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JeffX
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cobalt wrote:
| Jeff wrote:here's two shots showing the '08s parked next to the '09. The '09 is still a decent looking car, but I was hoping they could have taken the direction of the original car and run with it a little further, instead of padding it up like they did. |
Wonderful -- thanks so much for posting these! It makes it really easy to see the differences.
I think the thinness of the old one was a minor downfall. Unfortunately, the added width winds up making the whole thing look slightly more, um.... pedestrian, I guess. I actually don't mind the fenders -- I think you're right about the "more substantial" look, and part of that I think was necessary. It's just that the old one looked really sharp (despite being narrow) -- I think that's the same thing you're describing.
Maybe this just means I'm a fan of more conservative styling.... I guess I'll just be looking forward to the TL updates, then!
(On a slightly related note, I'm getting lost as to what's happening when this year. If it's easy, I'd love a refresher article on what's happening in what month of this year, including on-sale dates for the TSX and public intro of the TL, for example. I know you've already repeated this a number of times, but it's hard to keep track of.)
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we normally do a "spring cleaning" news item around this time of year. I'll try to get something together soon.
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danielgr
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cobalt wrote:
| Jeff wrote:here's two shots showing the '08s parked next to the '09. The '09 is still a decent looking car, but I was hoping they could have taken the direction of the original car and run with it a little further, instead of padding it up like they did. |
Wonderful -- thanks so much for posting these! It makes it really easy to see the differences.
I think the thinness of the old one was a minor downfall. Unfortunately, the added width winds up making the whole thing look slightly more, um.... pedestrian, I guess. I actually don't mind the fenders -- I think you're right about the "more substantial" look, and part of that I think was necessary. It's just that the old one looked really sharp (despite being narrow) -- I think that's the same thing you're describing.
Maybe this just means I'm a fan of more conservative styling.... I guess I'll just be looking forward to the TL updates, then!
[...]
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I may be wrong, but I think the TL will have far more dramatic/agressive curves, and the pics/info's we've seen tend to support that idea...
If you find this car is already not "conservative" / "thin" enough, you may be disappointed by the new TL.
In Europe Honda doesn't market the new TSX (Accord) as "aggresive", nor as "high-performance", but as "sportier styling, greater refinement". In the end, this car's primary market remains the EU; the TL will be the first "Acura" to be born under the new brand's direction.
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Powered by Honda
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I like the 09 more when I see it beside the 1st gen...
What do you guys think about keeping the rear fender and taking away the front flare?
I like the rear flare but the front looks to big.
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owequitit
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jgalvan1 wrote:
Well if that is what they are aiming for, then that would be good.
Maybe Acura should pubicly say who they are targeting now that they are 'advancing' upmarket. If it is Lexus they are targeting, why by an Acura because the service level and buying experience is nothing near Lexus-like and at least with a lexus you get a decent V-6.
If it is BMW then you have to have at least two engines so you can appeal to the women (4 cyl) and men (6 cyl).
If it is not either one of them then who??
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Are you referring to BMW in Europe? They don't offer 4 cylinders here in the States where the TSX will be sold.
As far as dealer service etc, that I guess is subjective. I have seen Acura win AT LEAST one award ahead of Lexus for dealer experience, so I don't really put a lot of blind faith in "Lexus has better dealer experience."
As for the decent V6, IMO the V6 in the IS250 isn't offering anything to get worked up about, and the IS350 occurs in a much higher price bracket, especially when optioned similarly, so the only option is the IS250, which offers neither appreciably more HP or torque, in what I believe is a heavier car (changes the power to weight ratio). I would also be willing to bet that real world, the Acura will return better MPG for similar performance, similar smoothness, more space, and more features at the price point. Considering the chassis tuning of the IS250, it may even return similar handling "feel," but that is speculation on my part.
I do fully agree that it would be nice to have an upmarket engine option, and I think we will see one in the near future, which would provide something in addition to the diesel. I have a suspicion that it will be a J35. The engine can easily be tuned to whatever power level they want to offer, it would simplify production, as it would be the only J series in production, and it would "compete" on the spec sheet. Let's be honest. That is what internet forums really want anyway.
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owequitit
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Jeff wrote:
NSS wrote:
danielgr wrote:
It's funny, I'm still having a hard time to find real differences in the design of this car vs. the current one (I'm not talking about the Acura bits, but the European version). If anything, the only design problem I have with this car is that to me it looks almost identical to the current one.
Of course, I haven't seen one in person yet, so my thought may change.
|
Serious? You really have difficulty pointing out the differences? The differences aren't even all that subtle. Just about everything has changed notably, save the still-sexy C-pillar, rear lower-bumper reflectors and the still-sexy dual exhausts and maybe a couple of other doodads. And that's just looking at photos.
Overall shape, of course it's going to stick to the blueprint DNA and evolve. If you were to discern the new and old from a quarter mile away in modest fog, then yeah, sure, I'd agree that you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.
|
for one thing, the daytime running lights trigger a camry/es350 reflex in your brain when the car is coming towards you on the road. This may be why a dozen TSX's glided through rush hour weekday San Diego traffic as if they were invisible. I was riding in the passenger seat on that leg and I didn't see a single person that we passed give the TSX a second glance.
here's two shots showing the '08s parked next to the '09. The '09 is still a decent looking car, but I was hoping they could have taken the direction of the original car and run with it a little further, instead of padding it up like they did. The key detail that I don't like is the bubbled out fenders. And the taller hoodline makes it look too blocky. On a perhaps more positive note, it has a more substantial look now.
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I tend to agree. I still see 1st gen TSXs and really LOVE how they look. I don't typically lean toward busier styling, and that is partly case here. I think mainly, I am having a hard time adjusting to the "pedestrian friendly" front end dimensions.
The only thing I though needed to be improved with the 1st gen is that it WAS a little on the narrow side.
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