OK, if I *had* to replace my 4G 6MT, why on earth would/should I be willing to pay $45K plus for a 290hp 9AT TLX SH-AWD Advance?
I still believe Honda/Acura has very reliable, well-engineered cars that will continue to hold their resale value; BUT, they can only sustain their business on reliability and resale for so long, especially when I can walk down to FCA (still known in most parts as Dodge/Chrysler), and buy a 2015 AWD Chrysler 200C with the same licensed ZF 9AT, 5 more hp (5 less peak torque, though), *real* wood trim, more interior and trunk space, and weighs 100 lbs less; and offers all the same tech goodies (maybe more - heated steering wheel - albeit with a less sophisticated AWD system) plus a panoramic sunroof and 19 inch wheels for $10K less, I'd have to at least test drive it before I compromised my MT for an AT equipped Honda/Acura. Even if there might be less refinement in quality of leather, and/or the Pentastar V6 is less silky than a Honda mill, it would be very difficult to decide where to draw the perfect line between value and luxury.
Yeah, I know the reviewers tend to imply the 200 is relatively boring (and I may agree if they are looking at the low rent 4-banger model); but in 23 years of car buying/owing, I've learned the elite automotive journalists' opinions are only opinions that I find I do not share much of the time. They have biases and are influenced by marketing, group think, and peer pressure as much as anyone.
No, I'm not a Chrysler troll fan boy - I've purchased 4 new Honda/Acuras, and am more and more disappointed in their direction. It's time to either kill Acura, and bring the Acura tech into Honda rather than suboptimize Honda products to achieve differentiation from Acura, or merge with another car company (Mazda, perhaps?) to pool resources so they can develop a truly differentiated luxury division with its own architectures. I love my 4G TL SH-AWD 6MT; and I would have still bought it for the same price if it had an H on the grill and trunk lid (and it might have had a better looking grill).
I still believe Honda/Acura has very reliable, well-engineered cars that will continue to hold their resale value; BUT, they can only sustain their business on reliability and resale for so long, especially when I can walk down to FCA (still known in most parts as Dodge/Chrysler), and buy a 2015 AWD Chrysler 200C with the same licensed ZF 9AT, 5 more hp (5 less peak torque, though), *real* wood trim, more interior and trunk space, and weighs 100 lbs less; and offers all the same tech goodies (maybe more - heated steering wheel - albeit with a less sophisticated AWD system) plus a panoramic sunroof and 19 inch wheels for $10K less, I'd have to at least test drive it before I compromised my MT for an AT equipped Honda/Acura. Even if there might be less refinement in quality of leather, and/or the Pentastar V6 is less silky than a Honda mill, it would be very difficult to decide where to draw the perfect line between value and luxury.
Yeah, I know the reviewers tend to imply the 200 is relatively boring (and I may agree if they are looking at the low rent 4-banger model); but in 23 years of car buying/owing, I've learned the elite automotive journalists' opinions are only opinions that I find I do not share much of the time. They have biases and are influenced by marketing, group think, and peer pressure as much as anyone.
No, I'm not a Chrysler troll fan boy - I've purchased 4 new Honda/Acuras, and am more and more disappointed in their direction. It's time to either kill Acura, and bring the Acura tech into Honda rather than suboptimize Honda products to achieve differentiation from Acura, or merge with another car company (Mazda, perhaps?) to pool resources so they can develop a truly differentiated luxury division with its own architectures. I love my 4G TL SH-AWD 6MT; and I would have still bought it for the same price if it had an H on the grill and trunk lid (and it might have had a better looking grill).