as Meerkat describes - seems a peculiarly ex-US form of Microsoftian BS.

No one here has any doubt that Acura IS a Honda - and no more nefarious a moniker than say, GM making all those mere skin-deep changes on a few basic platforms. Ditto "Infiniti" and "Lexus" - it's a Toyota! In a TL review at kbb, guy wrote -

This car has spirit. Perhaps it's the spirit of
Soichiro Honda in this all-new Acura 3.2 TL.
Mr. Honda died in 1992, but officials from
American Honda's Acura Division say the TL
embodies his philosophies of performance,
styling, luxury and value. He strived for
perfection in all his cars and many of them
were significant mileposts in the history of
the automobile.

I do tend to deem Soichiro as a cut above most every other Auto-mogul. He began at the bottom and built his company on at least ~principles to the idealized blurb above. Maybe he was Henry Ford 2: The Quality Guy, somehow even retained through huge quantities too, as people copped to the difference (?) But then, neither do I imagine I know very much about the man behind the er Legend (though that also speaks for itself ;-) 'Least... I heard his voice! on the phone once - and the Co. response to our query was 1st Class: take it in - we'll fix it. Period, no ifs, 'warranty' legalese yada yada. (So, I'm prejudiced by one anecdotal fact from experience)

On Vigor:
Driveshafts emerge about dead center of cyl #3 - where, is obv. visible as er C/L of the wheel. (D'ohh) Tran seems spread about the bottom somewhere + behind, though I have yet to see cutaway, get manuals etc. Recall seeing some sort of 'stepped' trans housing in a Acura blurb once, suggesting that it indeed is partly below, partly behind engine.

Size comparison: not much larger than the Saab 99GL - 'least as it fits in my garage. The leather *cough* encased manual says LWH = 190, 70, 54 inches = 4.83, 1.78, 1.37 meters. Oddly no curb weight; prolly on a body sticker - there are several. No doubt Accord base, but different suspension goodies and obv - power module; dunno about WB - relatively iggerant of Accord stuff. Didn't consider one. Vanilla and a bit too squishy, however well constructed.

Still a bit amazed at the cleanliness of everything, including underside (he only wiped down the engine compartment - once saw what some 'cleaners' do to the protective alloy coatings, so eschewed washing the guts.. - fanatic, as I said). Now if all those &^$%& transistors will keep on keeping on... {sheesh} there's damn little you can fix on these suckers or even diagnose w/o some gadgetry. It's a plot to keep the $80/hr parts replacers in speedboats and UAVs. Now as to the design of 8 yr. old airbags VS the newer kinder, gentler ones -?-

Oh well. In for a penny - I can be sure that, even a 30 mph collision will bend enough sheetmetal, pop airbags etc. as to become expen$ive, while saving little Me-Me-Me. That's a priority I can live with. [/trite pun]


Ashton