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Dying brand? Anything but. Honda quality in a luxury vehicle is a dream come true.
Yes, the Acura RL is outdated. In 2005 it was a great vehicle. But the RLX coming next year promises to fix that. And you're going to be eating your words when the NSX comes out.
I rode in a 2012 Acura TL on Saturday, June 23, 2012. Really, really amazing vehicle.
Acuras are more reliable than their competitors. They depreciate slower than any other luxury vehicle brand.
Technology? Please. Acuras are loaded with technology. SH-AWD, Bluetooth enabled smartphone technology, concert quality sound... you name it.
True, the Acura lineup overlaps with Honda - some current Acuras are not as luxurious as my 2008 Honda Accord. But my Accord is loaded and is Honda's nicest Honda brand vehicle.
Honda quality? Honda has had their share of problems as of late, domestic automakers are starting to eclipse Japanese competition in terms of quality and reliability. And Acura is NOT a "true" luxury automaker; nobody places Acura is line with other full luxury makes. Basically Acura is on par with Buick, Infiniti, and Lincoln when it comes to the type of automobiles they produce.
And Acura's have a higher depreciation rate than many other makes. The slowest depreciating luxury brands (if you still believe Acura produces a luxury automobile) are Lexus and Audi with Cadillac nipping at their heels. Acura isn't even in the top five.
AWD? Not even a luxury feature anymore. Bluetooth technology? My F-150 has that. Concert quality sound? Please, stop reading from the brochure.
If you truly want tech features, look at some of the items in the newer Mercedes, Cadillac, and Audi models; Acura is WAY behind in tech features for the price.
You're either a fan boy or just ignorant of the current market status of Acura. It's not a true luxury brand, doesn't have true luxury features, and competes with the likes of Buick, Lincoln, and Infiniti as a near-luxury brand name.
Acura is more reliable and more luxurious than a BMW. Sit inside a bmw and acura before you talk, then let me know what you think. All BMW's over 100k miles ive driven run like crap.
Honda quality? Honda has had their share of problems as of late, domestic automakers are starting to eclipse Japanese competition in terms of quality and reliability. And Acura is NOT a "true" luxury automaker; nobody places Acura is line with other full luxury makes. Basically Acura is on par with Buick, Infiniti, and Lincoln when it comes to the type of automobiles they produce.
And Acura's have a higher depreciation rate than many other makes. The slowest depreciating luxury brands (if you still believe Acura produces a luxury automobile) are Lexus and Audi with Cadillac nipping at their heels. Acura isn't even in the top five.
AWD? Not even a luxury feature anymore. Bluetooth technology? My F-150 has that. Concert quality sound? Please, stop reading from the brochure.
If you truly want tech features, look at some of the items in the newer Mercedes, Cadillac, and Audi models; Acura is WAY behind in tech features for the price.
You're either a fan boy or just ignorant of the current market status of Acura. It's not a true luxury brand, doesn't have true luxury features, and competes with the likes of Buick, Lincoln, and Infiniti as a near-luxury brand name.
Honda quality? Honda has had their share of problems as of late, domestic automakers are starting to eclipse Japanese competition in terms of quality and reliability. And Acura is NOT a "true" luxury automaker; nobody places Acura is line with other full luxury makes. Basically Acura is on par with Buick, Infiniti, and Lincoln when it comes to the type of automobiles they produce.
And Acura's have a higher depreciation rate than many other makes. The slowest depreciating luxury brands (if you still believe Acura produces a luxury automobile) are Lexus and Audi with Cadillac nipping at their heels. Acura isn't even in the top five.
AWD? Not even a luxury feature anymore. Bluetooth technology? My F-150 has that. Concert quality sound? Please, stop reading from the brochure.
If you truly want tech features, look at some of the items in the newer Mercedes, Cadillac, and Audi models; Acura is WAY behind in tech features for the price.
You're either a fan boy or just ignorant of the current market status of Acura. It's not a true luxury brand, doesn't have true luxury features, and competes with the likes of Buick, Lincoln, and Infiniti as a near-luxury brand name.
How do you base your statement about higher depreciation for Acura? I don't think that is remotely close to true. Edmunds ranked Acura #1 for retained value for a luxury brand, ahead of Lexus and Cadillac.
I agree Acura isn't in the same luxury class as Mercedes or Lexus or in the same sporting class as BMW. But it also sells for a lower price that those brands. I think Acura has some work to do, particularly in styling. And they have some odd vehicles like the ZDX. But the quality and reliability remain very high. Way behind in tech? Please give me an example because I think you are wrong. What does Cadillac have in tech? What does a CTS have that a TL doesn't? AWD isn't available on any CTS.
How do you base your statement about higher depreciation for Acura? I don't think that is remotely close to true. Edmunds ranked Acura #1 for retained value for a luxury brand, ahead of Lexus and Cadillac.
I agree Acura isn't in the same luxury class as Mercedes or Lexus or in the same sporting class as BMW. But it also sells for a lower price that those brands. I think Acura has some work to do, particularly in styling. And they have some odd vehicles like the ZDX. But the quality and reliability remain very high. Way behind in tech? Please give me an example because I think you are wrong. What does Cadillac have in tech? What does a CTS have that a TL doesn't? AWD isn't available on any CTS.
At the brand level, Audi and Lexus currently have the lowest depreciation and best fuel economy among luxury brands, giving them an advantage in low cost of ownership at the luxury level. In addition, Audi, Lexus and Cadillac all offer models that carry a lower MSRP compared to other luxury brands.
I wasn't necessarily saying Cadillac is ahead in tech offerings but rather that most other luxury brands as a whole are ahead of Acura in technology. Look at some of the features of the Mercedes E-Class or Audi A6 and compared those to what's offered in the flagship Acura RL. Cadillac has introduced CUE which is much more advanced that the nav/infotainment systems offered in any Acura model.
And AWD can be found on any CTS model so I don't know where you're getting your information.
I wasn't necessarily saying Cadillac is ahead in tech offerings but rather that most other luxury brands as a whole are ahead of Acura in technology. Look at some of the features of the Mercedes E-Class or Audi A6 and compared those to what's offered in the flagship Acura RL. Cadillac has introduced CUE which is much more advanced that the nav/infotainment systems offered in any Acura model.
And AWD can be found on any CTS model so I don't know where you're getting your information.
You're right about AWD on the CTS. I was mistaken.
It is interesting to pick a specific vehicle, like the TL, and compare it to the CTS. Using KBB, picking the TL-AWD and the CTS-AWD (with a premium package), KBB says the TL has average cost of ownership ($51,733) vs. "higher cost than most" ($63,123) for the CTS. First year depreciation on the CTS is a gigantic $18,064 compared to $8,296 for the TL.
You're right about AWD on the CTS. I was mistaken.
It is interesting to pick a specific vehicle, like the TL, and compare it to the CTS. Using KBB, picking the TL-AWD and the CTS-AWD (with a premium package), KBB says the TL has average cost of ownership ($51,733) vs. "higher cost than most" ($63,123) for the CTS. First year depreciation on the CTS is a gigantic $18,064 compared to $8,296 for the TL.
You're not comparing apples to apples though- the CTS and TL are NOT in the same class. First, the platform architecture is different (TL being FWD, CTS being RWD), the TL is also a smaller vehicle than the CTS, and the CTS is a luxury vehicle from a luxury automaker while the TL is a near-luxury vehicle from a near-luxury automaker. Of course a top-of-the-line CTS is going to be more expensive to own as any luxury vehicle would be.
The Acura TL is more comparable to something like a Buick Lacrosse or a Lincoln MKZ.
Acura TL SH-AWD with the tech package Depreciation is $21,599 over 5 years.
Total Cash Price $42,178
True Cost To Own* $58,200
Buick Lacrosse Touring Sedan Depreciation is $23,544 over 5 years
Total Cash Price $41,921
True Cost To Own* $56,526
Lincoln MKZ Sedan AWD Depreciation is $23,075 over 5 years
Total Cash Price $41,595
True Cost To Own* $57,296
Each of these three vehicles has roughly the same cash price and roughly same depreciation. The Acura may have a slight advantage in depreciation but the true cost to own of the TL is higher than both the Buick and the Lincoln.
If you were even going to compare the CTS and an Acura (even though they aren't comparable), you'd have to pick the flagship RL to go against the CTS.
Acura RL with tech package Depreciation is $32,585 over 5 years
Total Cash Price $54,080
True Cost To Own* $71,441
Cadillac CTS with premium package Depreciation is $29,944 over 5 years.
Total Cash Price $54,970
True Cost To Own* $67,165
So not only does the CTS have a lower depreciation rate than the flagship RL but also has a much lower cost to own even having a price tag almost $1000 higher than the RL.
Sorry but you're argument for Acura just doesn't pass muster.
I don't care if you like Acura for whatever reason, that's completely fine we all have our preferences. I'm just trying to point out the flaws in your theory about the type of vehicles Acura produces and their competitors.
Sorry but I disagree. I think many buyers with $40-50K to spend will shop cars like the TL against the CTS. Platform doesn't matter as much as you think. Enthusiasts care much more about which wheels are driven - and many buyers of these cars are not enthusiasts. Some are - like a CTS-V buyer.
And some Cadillacs are not remotely luxury quality. They are repurposed GM vehicles with more bling. The lettering still fades away on the radio buttons after three years. The DTS is still a grandpa car. The Escalade is hideous.
I think Acura buyers are first and foremost import buyers. And getting them to shop Buick is a stretch. Buick is doing much better, but I think the person who shows up in a Buick dealer currently drives an American car.
Picking the RL is rather silly since everyone knows it is a tired car. It is clearly out of favor. It is a good car to buy used because of that.
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