2008 NEW YORK AUTO SHOW Acura Releases First Official Photo Of The Next TSX- Enough To Stop The Slide?

Not Horrible, But Shows Far Too Many Accord Influences...

Which is horrible.

just change the grill, the rest looks promising

The grill's here to stay, at least for this Acura generation.

I agree, that in this view, it's not a complete disaster, nor is it a head turner.

The grill is the weakest link...goodbye.
T

I think Hyundai Genesis looks much better than any Acura line-ups.

Like the commercial says:
"Think about it"

Now there is a scary statement that is actually true!

001

That's because the Genesis is a carbon-copy of the Japanese Toyota Crown. But whatever, if you think it looks better.... One thing's for certain: this is a better car than the Genesis.

^The Crown Hybrid Concept^

to stay alive acura need to delevop a real head turner that looks good

Aftermarket grilles ought to be great sellers for this car. Still need more info on powertrain, transmission. Hopefully they did better than the RL.

Very sad. Seems the bean counters at Honda have taken over Acura.

If this car is another Fwd then Acura should kiss goodbye to its sales. Its like a fully loaded accord except for that grill. I am disappointed by acura and honda new design direction. They both Suck

Sadly M3owns, this what a new female masters degree grad will drive when they have no clue of what a sports sedan should be. Probably grew up with nothing but FWD vehicles in her parents' garage. We can only hope that she watches enough MTV's TRL to know that the grill won't do.

Or the fact that there are a lot more FWD cars on the road (and sold) than RWD. Yeah, I like a RWD car too, but for many (because of weather, right or wrong) a FWD car is what they are looking for/want. Is that really hard to understand? Not everyone needs a RWD, V8, 500hp, car.

and just to let you know, fwd is fuel-efficient and doesn't need as much practice as rwd.

And to let you all know TSX is almost 30k so its 3 series, G35 and IS territory and they are all rear wheel drive. if you really want a front wheel drive car, just get a v6 camry or accord which is gonna be faster and way cheaper than this car.

Being nothing more than the European spec Honda Accord just isn't going to cut it any longer -- especially with that grill.
And being FWD.
At least it didn't hit the same amount of ugly branches falling from the tree like its big bro, the RL.

I hope that SOMEBODY from Acura is a member of Autospies.com (among other sites) to see what REAL people think about their latest designs (if you can call them 'designs').

Maybe the best thing for Acura to do would be to limit production on all models and focus their resources on FINALLY creating a TRUE 7/LS/S competitor in terms of beauty/size/RWD/V8

On a final note, Honda cars can get away with demure, subtle designs since they are created for mass appeal. Acura, on the other hand, should be cross shopped with the big marques instead of what I see people cross shopping it with (the Hyundai Genesis).

All Acura needs to do is step up or let Acura fade slowly and introduce a large Honda sedan slotted above the Accord (A'la Avalon sized) and give it a V8, RWD/AWD, revolutionary - yet classically proportioned beautiful design, and at a price that undercuts the Infinity M, Mercedes E, BMW 5, and Lexus GS. While it undercuts their price... it should be the same size as the flagships of those aforementioned brands. (Sounds like the Genesis way right? LOL)

Do something Acura!!! We miss what you used to be in the early 90's - Legends in time.

That looks pretty good to me. Nice evolutinoary design.

JUGNU

Thanks Darwin

I'm still not wild about the grille, but this looks WORLDS better than the RL. Promising anyway. They should bring the wagon version over here as a TSX hatch....and put the turbo4 from the RDX in it....and SH-AWD.....and then we'll talk!

Not that bad looking.

Suppository on wheels!

Not as horrid as the RL, but those grilles are definitely gonna cut into sales, not to mention the whole FWD architecture is not whats in for luxury or entry level luxury anymore. Heck even Buick understands that now. Seems like Acura has a new competitor since it does not go against the big boys. I'd say Lincoln or Mercury.

Its better looking than the RL. But its still too little too late with no real gain over a fully loaded Accord.

No real gain over a fully loaded Accord? How can you say that already? They haven't detailed how the car is outfitted, have they? Have the released the pricing details? Has anyone done a test drive yet?

Does anyone remember "The Brady Bunch" movie. Mike Brady designed everything to look exactly like his house. Well it seems there is a Mike Brady designer inside the ranks of honda, cause everything they do seems to look almost identical to all their other designs.

Much better than the RL, but it still doesn't do much for me. Too much Honda.

this will only sell based on price point. just like the current TSX, people think they are getting luxury for under 30K

Not too bad, BUT that grill has to go. It's a lot better looking than the newly tweaked RL.

I am very disappointed in the 09TSX. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice design and I am sure a very nice car! The design is however, too conservative. The only brand that can afford to be evolutionary is BMW. In order for Acura, Infiniti, Lexus(although to a lesser degree) to be competitive, they need to be more revolutionary then evolutionary in each redo of each of their models. Case and point is the G35. Although it has received some great reviews and still a very strong contender in it's market, it has been blasted for its evolutionary design, and I agree. This market is way too competitive to be conservative. The market I refer to is the luxury brand market, and not just entry level luxury. I get the fact that it is a slippery slope. In a slide situation which Acura is in, how do you move forward. Stay conservative or hang it all out on the line. Infiniti managed to hang it all out on the line with the first gen G35, and boost the brand image. I think it's time for Acura to do the same. I believe they would be successful because people still have a very positive view of the brand in terms of performance and luxury. Now is the time for them to really stick their necks out and it seems they don't want to take that chance!

Very well put, Montyz81.

Not bad some good, but is it going to get the buyers blood boiling ( which Acura needs) don't think so?

I don't get why ppl are bashing acura so much. I think the grille looks fine, like the one in the TL. And where are ppl getting a link in the design to the Accord, the Accord is much bigger in size (NA market) and the design of the headlamps and body are completely different, the only similarity is probably the angular design, which is an Acura/Honda design trademark and has been for all it's life, even the TL is full of angular and linear design elements. For me the TSX looks great, although i don't think it has enough to compete with the leaders of the pack: the CTS, G35, 3 series, and to some degree the IS. But anyway looks like a decent car and should fulfill the needs of Acura buyers.

Not just the Accord, but it looks like a HONDA in general. Compare this to the Civic.

Not bad, but could have been much better.

When the first TSX came out it was a winner, had all the offerings you get with a luxo car but at a very fair price.

What will boggle me is if they do not offer AWD in the TSX and TL. The TSX uses the same 2.4L from the Honda Element so it would not be hard to drop in the system.

My other gripe is the fact that the Type S has become nothing more than a suspension and badging upgrade. They give it wheels, side skirts, badging and exhaust and think it is some souped up performance car. We all know Honda can do better than this. So why not make a screamer and drop in a turbo or high output engine to go with it. Instead of 268hp in a Type S TL, why not bring it to the 300hp mark of the RL. And for the TSX, heck, why not cram the S2000 motor in there and give it a bump to 260hp. Although cars it competes against will have more HP #'s its a step in the right direction.

They also shot themselves in the foot when they stopped offering the RSX. I know the new Civic Si is now what the RSX used to be, but who cares. They sell glorified Accords, why not glorified Civics. They call them CSX's in Canada. I see no issue in having updated the RSX, it was a HUGE seller, when I worked for Acura in 06, we still were taking orders on RSX's and could not keep them on the lot, even when they were pre-owned, sold before we got em.

A few things Acura needs to do if they are looking to get in the ring.

-RWD (being the biggest)
-AWD or SH-AWD on sedans
-Type S versions with bigger power boosts
-Less look alikes to their Honda breatheren.

Cause let's face it, their cars look very very similar to Honda's. At least Lexus has some facial appearances that set them apart, as does Infiniti. But Honda is very much like Lincoln and Mercury right now where there upper echelon cars look way to similar to their bread mobiles. The TSX is literally the European Accord with a few extra trimmings. The TL is based off the Accord sold here in the US, as is the RL. The new RL looks a lot like the new Accord, and the TL used to definitely be a great car, but their updates seem to leave out things people are looking for in this type of car.

Is it me or does new TSX look somewhat like a Toyota Camry?

Not as aggressive as the sport4...dissapointing

I think version #1 had a crisper look to it.This version 2 is looking too generic and bland. This is what happened to Nissan. They started to get too conservative with their mainstream cars and nearly went bankrupt.Acura needs-More dynamic styling,a luxury coupe,a Z4 Boxster fighter,RWD or stictly AWD on all models,V6 engines with V8;s for the RL and TL.If they do not start doing this Honda will simply have to shut it down.There is too much competition from Lexus,Infinity and soon to be Hyundai.

Looks like a face-lifted Honda Civic with some Mazda thrown in.

:-(

And the line on the side looks like it was lifted off of a Mercedes.

:-(

TSX looks similar to the Chevy Malibu

Out of curiosity, what do you guys drive? Have any of you actually driven a TSX, TL, or any Acura? Judging by the posts here most of you haven’t a clue about Acura. Acura may be dead in the eyes of some “enthusiasts”, but not the consumer. This TSX and the next TL will sell like hotcakes.

TL dude, I have to ask you the same question about the TL's competitors, have you ever driven your Tl or it's compertition on a track? I can tell you from personal experience that the Tl is a nice car but fails horribly at aggressive driving. If you take the car into a hard corner it feels like the car wants to roll over end to end, and it has lots of body roll!! The front end dives hard and the rear end really lifts up in a hard corner, not a great car to drive hard. If you were to drive a three series at the same time going through the same corners you would feel a huge difference. I am in no way bashing you for likeing Acura, like I said they are a nice car, but I just had to ask if you have driven your car and then others in some aggressive corners. It may change your likes in a car. I hope everyone has a great day.

TL dude said: Acura may be dead in the eyes of some “enthusiasts”, but not the consumer.

I think you kind of made his point, huntr. It's not really about "the track" for the majority of consumers. Or even to drive aggressively enough to make some of these differences a consideration. Just sayin'.

I agree somewhat huntr and have driven many of the cars in this category, but 99.9% of buyers could give 2 sh$ts about how their TL, 3, G, etc. drive on a track, as the majority are driving on streets.

That being said, Acura has certainly been a disappointment to its fans. The TL is a very nice car, even for its age, but the new RL is hideous and the TSX is just ok. Looks like a 7th gen Accord and the grill should be mesh, not friggin brick patterned. I'm fearful of what they will do to the TL later this year.

I owned a '92 Vigor and a '96 TL. I have driven a 2004 TL quite a few times (my friend's). They're nice, but there's no charisma in their product line. For instance, when I saw the Jaguar XF in person for the first time at the car show yesterday, I couldn't walk away from it. I just couldn't take my eyes off the thing. On the other hand, I could've gone right past the Acura stand without thinking twice.

I didn't do that, though. I wanted to see how ugly the new RL was. What a shame.

"TL dude, I have to ask you the same question about the TL's competitors, have you ever driven your Tl or it's compertition on a track? I can tell you from personal experience that the Tl is a nice car but fails horribly at aggressive driving."

I'm smelling either driver error, or utter BS, since the TL, especially the TL-S, has practically rewritten the FWD rule book. If it's so horrible, how it did it have the best handling numbers (beating out the 3, the g, the is, et al) in C&D's sport sedan comparison test? And when R&T compared them, how did the TLS outslalom the g35, and corner harder than it and the is3, AND get around WS faster than them both, if it's so horrible?

The TL isn't an all out sports sedan, but dont write it off as incapable just because it's FWD.

I have 05 Tsx, bought it brand new, no problems to speak of, great car and looks amazing. This new tsx looks like a honda, just looks boring imo.
My sisters bf has the 06 TL, great car drove it numerious times, looks amazing and sporty, im sure they ae going to f* up with the tl as well making it look like accord on steriods and exhaust tips.

They should of stayed with the current models, changed thei looks just a bit, makign them look more agressive and they would of dominated the market if the prices lowered or at least stayed the same.

Is it just me or does the older TSX look better? I think it looked more aggressive(and while not a head-turner, it was quite elegant and had rave reviews). Have to see more to comment but one thing is for sure. The grill HAS TO GO!

grill looks like a saturn aura...

Personally, I've driven all the models. The TSX is nice but seems it could benefit from some oomph.

As for offerings, a S2000 variant for Acura would be nice. Don't stop making the car, just give it some crisper lines, a mouth like an Acura and some edges tails and headlamps. Then you will have a nice Z4 fighter.

Offer a convertible coupe. Take the TSX, make it two doors and chop the top.

i think it looks fine
just change the wheel and tire package

I don't know what it is about the car, but its just not right...

Honda's designers seem like they are just dropping the ball on the whole acura line up...

This really isn't bad looking. The only concern is that solid chrome bar across the grille. I'm thinking this might look better in person.

Acura, stop making such ugly cars.

This is not an exact copy of the Euro Acccord like the haters have stated the front is pointier and overall the side profile is more aggressive. Definetly looks as good if not better than the IS, G and 3.

"I owned a '92 Vigor and a '96 TL. I have driven a 2004 TL quite a few times" Who cares this is 2008 and last I checked in the 90's Audi wasn't nothing great to look at either with their ugly boxy design theme and the gas peddles that stuck. Better to lead than follow huh!

"Who cares this is 2008 and last I checked in the 90's Audi wasn't nothing great to look at either"

No need to hate.

Anyway, Audi has improved to a point of no return. Acura's high time was in the early '90s, and they've been shaky at best since then. I want to see them succeed--I'd like even more options in the luxury market. But I just don't see Acura giving that to me in the near future.

Im looking foward to the diesel option though.

I agree with many on here regarding Acura's "almost there but not quite" consensus. If Acura is to survive it has to break away from its Honda counterpart and have its own LOOK. Funny thing is, the last generation Acuras influenced current Honda designs. Now current Honda designs are influencing Acura...hmmmm?

If Acura does not break away then most consumers will think, "Why am I going to pay more for an Acura, when I can get a Honda?".

Anyone else miss the Acura Legend? =)

Yes, the 2nd gen Legend cpe was sexy....

Nothing. They are doing nothing. The TSX gets bigger in every dimension(READ: heavier) - and retains basically the same engine! The difference being that it loses a few HP and gains 8LB-FT of torque.
What happened to the promise of a turbo 4, or SH-AWD, or the diesel for that matter?
What you end up with is a $30k FWD car w/a 4-cyl engine and is marked with the descriptor of "sporty".

The Acura grills are getting out of hand as well. 1st on the MDX, then on the '09 RL, and now on this. The called the grill on the new RL a "Double Plenum Power Grill"...seriously.

I've driven an Aussie Accord - basically a TSX, and it wasn't too bad especially for a FWD.

The RL('05-'08), however, is a huge disappointment. After having to sit through a presentation describing the car's sporty nature and superior AWD system, I finally got the keys to a new RL and took it out for a spin. Sure the AWD system (grip) was OK, but it couldn't make up for the massive body roll. No low end oomph from the 290 horses - typical Honda. It felt geriatric and I couldn't wait to get out.