Acura planning new CL Coupe, RWD V8 and V10 supercar

It never occurred to me until now that the (now dead) Acura CL shared the same name with the MB CL - I guess no one ever cared because there is no way it was in the same class as the MB CL.

LMAO!!!

the CL from Acura was a pretty nice car. even though it was dressed up accord coupe, it was very sleek and comfy. onyl thing that trul plagued the whole Honda/Acura v6 line-up is the transmission issue. if it wasnt for that critical set-back. the CL (and others) are very dependable vehicles.

It is about time, the 3.5 RL I was driving yesterday highlights the fact that Acura's best car is one of the worst sports/luxury sedans. I am so upset that we did not get the 4.0 RL we were supposed to get.

I concur with that. This car is a disappointment, worst riding and handling in its category.

And worst looks. Even the comatose Jaguar S-Type looks better, let alone Lexus GS, Audi A6, BMW 5er, etc.

Though the RL highlights the best technology Honda has, it had not generated a solid luxury perception. It was rather small and not "stately" enough for the pricetag.

I just don't see why Honda/Acura need anything more than a 6 cylinders. Just because people wanted V8s V10s and even V12s doesn't mean Honda/Acura has to listen. They have engineers that knows how to tune a fast car. They did it with the NSX. The only thing they should have done is add more power to their V6s.

And I am not just talking nonsense here too. If Porsche could do it with a 6 cylinder engine, then Honda/Acura could do they same. Hell, Honda/Acura could be the Porsche of Japan. They just need to fine tune their V6s to get power like the 997 GT3 and 997 Turbo/GT2. I don't see people complaining that Porsche needs a V8,V10, or V12 to compete with Ferraris and Lamborghinis. And people are willing to pay $200K for a 997 GT2 with a 6 cylinder engine, so in theroy Honda/Acura could do the same right? If they could make the 3.5RL put out 400bhp like the 997 GT3, then I bet people will stop bitching and will pay $70K for it and take it over a LS460 and E-Class and 5-Series. Or put the turbo charger from the RDX in the 3.5 V6 and make about 520bhp like the 997 GT2, and that could be the new NSX.

Agree?

lenkun:
Does Porsche has V6/I6 luxury sedans? NOOOOOO
Yes, you can turbo/superchange a V6 for a sports car. No question. In fact, a Computec superchanged NSX can produce 400hp . For a 2900lb car, that is way sufficient. However, when people buy luxury sedans, they must be RWD. Even though V8 engines compose 15% of the sales in 5-series or E-class, the halo effect is always there. Very important marketing-wise.

Otherwise, please explain to me why the Acura sales is dropping at such rate. I testdrove RL when it came out (#1 on waiting list). I was thoroughly disappointed. The car was sluggish off the line (too heavy and low low-end torque and heavry SH-AWD tranny), not to mention it was too small in size. In my mind, it was a $40K car and they were asking $49K. I said, "good luck selling it" to the salesman...

Yes sir. You stated it clearly. Honda has always been known to wring the most out of their engines. They have built racing cars out of their meager engines. Look what they did with the S2000. I don't know that it is a good idea to build anything bigger than a six-cylinder. Who knows where gas prices are headed?

"it's nice that the other makes offer a v8, but is not the foundation of their sales success."

Although I agree with Honda's minimalist philosophy and your comment, I must make something clear: it is the V8 (a.k.a. high-end) vehicles that generate publicity for any brand, anywere. If they made a hi-po, better-looking, better-handling V8-powered RL, then people who couldn't afford it would flock to the V6 model. See my reasoning?

400hp in a FWD car, no thanks. acura needs to follow the competition and get some RWD cars out there.