(Redirected, finally. :-) Maybe we need an "Motive" forum (for Cars, Motorcycles, etc.) to go with a "Homeology" forum (Home repairs, etc.)?

Tony writes:

I'm not an Acura fan or Honda fan, although the RSX is very nice looking - and going out of production. Acura is trying to move upscale, which I think is a mistake, especially because they do not have any V-8s. The S2000 is OK, most Hondas are boring, and the Element and Ridgeline are very ugly.

Personally, I think that Honda and Acura has a much better handle on the drivers of America than Toyota and Lexus. Their engines and suspensions are generally more interesting, and AFAIK, Honda and Acura have won more awards from C/D (to pick an example) than Toyota and Lexus. Toyota's a much more conservative company in many respects, and Honda's strong presence in motorcycles helps them keep an eye on performance from small packages.

Honda is more than capable of making a good V-8 (they had one for their race cars in the 1960s). They don't see the need for them, and I generally agree. In a land where speed limits are 75 mph or less, there really isn't a need for 400+ HP that is difficult to get from 6-cylinders (but can be done with enough turbos - see the 911 Turbo).

The RL is a very nice car with a 3.5 L 290 HP V-6. 4WD is a nice differentiator from most of its market (the Audi A8L is $72-88k). It's probably a little too peaky for a boulevard cruiser like that (the torque peak is a 5000 rpm!), but it's priced to compete with American cars at $45-53k rather than with German cars as Lexus does (the LS is $56-71k Base price). The January 2007 issue of C/D has a Comparison Test of the A8L, 750Li, Jaguar Super V-8, LS460L and a M-B S550. The Acura RL wasn't expensive enough to be included - the full-boat LS was $94k list. ;-)

So I think Acura understands its market pretty well. It'll be interesting to see whether they bring back something like the NSX. That was a neat car and it was amazing how long it looked fresh considering how little they did to it over time (it was in production for 15 years). There are rumors of an upcoming V-10 sports car from Honda (according to [link|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_NSX|Wikipedia]), but there's little telling how solid they are.

I would expect Honda/Acura to push for more efficiency in most of their cars, meaning more hybrids and more research on alternative fuel vehicles. And to compete with Toyota (who seems to be pushing it more for performance in most of its models). There's always the [link|http://hondajet.honda.com/|HondaJet] too, for those who need more speed. :-)

I agree with you about the Element and the Ridgeline. But ugly seems to be a necessary feature in those markets.

It's going to be very interesting in the next 20 years or so, as more Far East auto production comes on line. There's already vast over-capacity that's going to get worse, but competition should make for more interesting cars (for those who can afford them).

Cheers,
Scott.

[image|http://db.theautochannel.com//db/images/2001431301.jpg|0|Uglymobile|200|400]

Cheers,
Scott.