Following the drift of the Acura boat

Something is wrong with Acura, and brand loyalists want it fixed. Since its earliest days, Acura has always stood for luxury AND value, combining refinement and price to beat their competitors. The first generation Legend and Integra stunned the establishment that way. Those cars offered superb build quality and lively engines at highly competitive prices.

As the years went by the Legend got bigger and bolder, adding features, horsepower and size. The Integra did the same, really setting the world on fire in 1994 with the magnificent B18C1 VTEC engine offered in the equally superb DC2 chassis. An 8,000 rpm redline in a budget priced coupe was definitely getting your money's worth back then. Acura's third model line arrived in 1992, christened as the Vigor upon release, then re-named the TL a few years later.

If the early days weren't excellent enough, Acura completely knocked the ball out of the park with the NSX in 1991. This mid-engined supercar was so far out there for a Japanese manufacturer that people still considered it a pipe-dream until the cars were dealership-bound on trucks. Only Ferrari and a boutique Lamborghini effort had a mid-engine supercar on their books then, much less one with regular dealership serviceability. Acura's reputation was perhaps never better, and its sporting credentials were clearly established.

Unfortunately, cracks in the Acura foundation appeared in 1996 with the Legend's full-size replacement, the Acura RL. The resulting thud was heard around the globe. Instead of a rear-drive V-8 competitor for Lexus and Infiniti, the RL turned out to be an increasingly stretched out Accord platform carrying a marginally bigger 3.5L V-6.  The explanation was the 300cc increase in engine size from the Legend made greater low-end torque available. That advertising tactic came across as remarkably similar to what we heard in the 70's, when American manufacturers clamored on about torque despite their V-8's wheezing out 140 bhp. Furthermore, this new RL offered no transmission, suspension, or sporting upgrades of any kind. It was reasonably equipped as a luxury sedan, but totally outclassed by its market rivals.

Acura executives thus handed the V-8 RWD sedan market on a platter to rivals Lexus and Infiniti with that move. Although Infiniti would falter somewhat with its V-8 cars before correcting itself later on, Lexus ran with the ball and continued to develop its LS series into the technological battleship it is today.

Despite the massive strikeout with the 1st generation RL, Acura rolled on and by 2005 seemed to be in fine shape. The Integra was replaced by the equally excellent RSX. Acura had done some great R&D on the TL model line, providing edgy but handsome styling and ever increasing performance from its J-series V-6 engines. The TL also continued the value-luxury theme championed by the brand. The Type-S variant added some seriously sporting overtones. Aside from the embarrassing automatic transmission troubles of the UA5 chassis TL (1999-2003), that model has been a great success.

Acura added the TSX in 2004, which was of course a fancied-up European Accord but well received nevertheless. The RL thankfully received a complete redesign in 2005, finally dumping the dowdy FWD KA9 chassis for a superbly appointed new AWD vehicle. Featuring gobs of technological goo in its SH-AWD drivetrain and creature comforts, the 2005 RL was a superb sedan hampered only by incredibly anonymous styling. For all its capability under the skin, the styling of this second generation RL was only able to murmur "large Japanese sedan" instead of shouting "UNMISTAKABLE ACURA PRODUCT!". They have sold decently well though, aside from the lack....yet again....of a V-8 powerplant.

Yet now it's all somehow gone strange with Acura in the last couple of years. They are a brand clearly facing an identity crisis. The NSX quietly slipped away after a 16 year production run. The RSX also went out of production yet oddly was not replaced with a new model. This ended 20 years of Acura excellence in the small coupe market. By  the start of the 2008 model year, Acura's car lineup had narrowed to 3 sedans; the entry level TSX, the mid-range TL, and the flagship RL. Add to that the MDX and RDX SUVs  and you have a decent selection of models albeit with measurable market overlap.

2008 brought the most controversial development in Acura's history. The TSX was refreshed and featured what is now known as 'The Grille'. Alternately dubbed ‘The Beak' and other uncomplimentary terms, it was a new grille design intended to put a common corporate "face" on future Acura products. While badly received when first seen on the TSX, criticism has softened over time. The new corporate grille then appeared on the updated 2009 RL, evoking a similarly unhappy customer reaction. In short, it's a big swath of silvery boldness on what are otherwise moderate vehicle designs....making it look tacked-on and out of place.

The biggest donnybrook was yet to come in 2010 when the grille appeared on the newly designed TL. This new TL also comes with eye watering rear-end styling which produces an intellectually intriguing, yet emotionally confusing look that polarizes just about everyone who sees it. Personally, I haven't seen this much controversy since the initial "Bangle-Butt" 7-series. While the 2010 TL debuted to more gasps of horror than moans of delight, a few enterprising dealers like Niello Acura in Sacramento realized that refinishing the grille in body-color paint successfully integrates it into the vehicle's design. A quick fix maybe, but better than nothing.

Don't relax, we're not done. Acura has just released its new ZDX crossover SUV. I'ts sort of a swoopy-coupe version of Acura's small RDX SUV....which itself is a Honda CR-V on Creatine. Yes, the ZDX has The Grille, plus more controversial rear-end styling.

The common theme here is that Acura's current lineup seems to have been styled by a formula. The Grille must be used no matter what the model, and the rest of the vehicle's styling must somehow follow suit. I can't really figure out that end game, as there's no real reason to demand such uniformity across a manufacturer's model range.  Japanese manufacturers have had grille identity crisises before, what with Subaru changing its designs every couple of years and Mazda's bizarre new "smiley face" on its newer models. Contrast that to BMW, which has used variations of the kidney design since the 1930's....simply changing its shape and form to integrate into new models. Mercedes-Benz as well uses several different grille designs for its current (and past) models, but they all still look like Mercedes.

Styling issues aside, what else does Acura have now? The entry level TSX has grown to nearly the same pricing and equipment levels as the outgoing TL, and the styling of the new TL has alienated a large part of its customer base. The flagship RL is still somewhere in no-man's land, despite carrying UFO levels of technology it only offers a capable (if aging) V-6 as its sole powerplant.  There is no budget coupe anymore, a segment Acura dominated for 2 decades with the Integra and RSX. The sedan lineup is starting to look feature bloated, damaging the value-luxury theme that made this brand a success. Engine choices are also limited, with derivatives of either the K-series 4-cylinder or J-series V-6 as the only engines on offer used.

At the end of the day, the brand seems adrift. They've moved away from their core values but haven't replaced them with a sound new direction. The styling decisions are highly questionable. The continued integration of SH-AWD into their models is a definite plus, but the aging engine development issues must be addressed. Acura used to stand for value-luxury with a sporting flair, but now it doesn't seem to stand for either. Even the much anticipated NSX replacement, complete with howling V10 engine, was killed off by Honda management as an unnecessary extravagance. Bad timing there, what with the new Lexus LF-A set to remind everyone just how far that brand has propelled itself.

Time for some strong coffee at Acura, there's a good bit of work to be done to get this ship back on course. As a multiple Acura owner since 1988, I hope they succeed.

Comments

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