OT: another car thread...this seems like a bad move for Acura

[horshack.sixpack]

1) They've claimed they are heading toward an all electric future, and some of those claims they seem to indicate it will happen pretty fast. This will lose people like me who really like, and buy, Acura now.

2) They have partnered with GM for the EV tech. Let's take a luxury brand known for Honda-like reliability and pair it with GM quality...I don't understand that at all.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/0...the-zdx-starting-at-around-60k-in-early-2024/

 

[Dawgg]

Oof... I wonder if Honda and Acura will basically make the same cars and EV will be the primary delineation going forward.

You're right about the GM piece though. That seems like a bad idea.

 

[johnson86-1]

Oof... I wonder if Honda and Acura will basically make the same cars and EV will be the primary delineation going forward.

You're right about the GM piece though. That seems like a bad idea.

That's what I'm guessing. Everybody feels like they have to pretend an EV transition is eminent and that they are immediately getting ready for it, but for most car companies, ICE is going to continue to be where they make their money. Sounds like this lets them check a box and put out something electric without investing much in changing the way they operate yet. When there is a bigger market for EVs, it's not like it's going to be hard to catch up. Battery tech seems to be where the important innovation is.

 

[Coast_Dawg]

Looks similar to the Blazer EV

 

[ronpolk]

My wife drives an MDX and I really like it, except for the fact that it didn’t come with a spare tire…

Hopefully, they don’t mess that up. I could easily see myself buying another MDX

 

[horshack.sixpack]

My wife drives an MDX and I really like it, except for the fact that it didn’t come with a spare tire…

Hopefully, they don’t mess that up. I could easily see myself buying another MDX

Get the Type S next time around. My wife has an RDX. I wish they would drop the TLX/MDX Type S engine in one of those!

 

[thatsbaseball]

Bought my youngest daughter a TSX years ago. It would fly. One of the fastest cars I've ever owned and lasted a long time.

 

[Barkman Turner Overdrive]

2) They have partnered with GM for the EV tech. Let's take a luxury brand known for Honda-like reliability and pair it with GM quality...I don't understand that at all.

That is like taking a pint of vanilla ice cream and mixing in a spoonful of dog feces and expecting it to taste like it’s former self.

 

[SwampDawg]

Or like the Bud Lite people. They are forgetting their mission.

 

[rynodawg]

Looks similar to the Blazer EV

It is basically a rebadged Blazer as I understand it. Honda is not ready yet to produce their own EVs. They have partnered like this before in decades past,, when Honda wanted to break into the SUV market in the 90s they partnered with Isuzu and put a Honda badge on the Rodeos.

 

[eckie1]

1) They've claimed they are heading toward an all electric future, and some of those claims they seem to indicate it will happen pretty fast. This will lose people like me who really like, and buy, Acura now.

2) They have partnered with GM for the EV tech. Let's take a luxury brand known for Honda-like reliability and pair it with GM quality...I don't understand that at all.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/0...the-zdx-starting-at-around-60k-in-early-2024/

That’s like Gucci partnering with Old Navy.

 

[eckie1]

Bought my youngest daughter a TSX years ago. It would fly. One of the fastest cars I've ever owned and lasted a long time.

Acuras are bad ***. I had a 2005 TL for 10 years and that damn thing was as responsive as you could ever dream of. Premium non-ethanol gas and it would get over 30 MPH on the highway.

Many Acura models are about as close to owning a sports car as it gets.

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

My wife drives an MDX and I really like it, except for the fact that it didn’t come with a spare tire…

Hopefully, they don’t mess that up. I could easily see myself buying another MDX

Cars that don't have spare tires is the dumbest **** I have ever heard of. I never understood the wisdom in that decision.

 

[patdog]

Cars that don't have spare tires is the dumbest **** I have ever heard of. I never understood the wisdom in that decision.

It’s all about fuel economy. Eliminate 50 lbs of weight will give marginal fuel economy gain. But yeah, it’s horrible for the consumer.

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

German engineering and Mexican know-how

 

[eckie1]

German engineering and Mexican know-how

That was the greatest era of SNL to me…. It may as well be a boring infomercial these days.

 

[ronpolk]

It’s all about fuel economy. Eliminate 50 lbs of weight will give marginal fuel economy gain. But yeah, it’s horrible for the consumer.

That’s exactly what we were told. Not including it allowed them to advertise a better MPG.

Unfortunately, I think it’s turned into an opportunity to make service revenue for Acura. They offered to put the spare tire kit on for $700 or $800. I just bought the kit online for $300 and put it on myself.

 

[ronpolk]

Cars that don't have spare tires is the dumbest **** I have ever heard of. I never understood the wisdom in that decision.

Agreed. It’s really the only gripe I’ve had with our Acura. Great vehicle so far.

 

[Xenomorph]

a luxury brand known for Honda-like reliability and pair it with GM quality

My brother.. when comparing them to GM.. Honda sucks and Acura is worse.

https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2023-us-vehicle-dependability-studyvds

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

I work for the Ford dealer in Brookhaven. We had 4 Mach Es either on the ground or en route. Moved 3 of them for 4 bands back of invoice because they will not sell here. Hybrids would work better if they spent more on R&D and make more sense than ramming EVs down our throats without infrastructure and major improvements in battery life.

 

[Dawgbite]

My niece just unloaded an Acura SUV. She bought a certified low mileage from the dealer in Jackson. Come to find out it had been wrecked and it stayed in the shop for something all the time that they couldn't get parts for. I expected more from Honda.

 

[HumpDawgy]

This really sucks. Honda has already stopped producing gas engines for lawnmowers, now this news. Honda has produced arguably the best (or at least most dependable) gas engines for years and now they are stopping. The world is definitely coming to an end.

 

[jxndawg]

1) They've claimed they are heading toward an all electric future, and some of those claims they seem to indicate it will happen pretty fast. This will lose people like me who really like, and buy, Acura now.

2) They have partnered with GM for the EV tech. Let's take a luxury brand known for Honda-like reliability and pair it with GM quality...I don't understand that at all.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/0...the-zdx-starting-at-around-60k-in-early-2024/

Two things - when I was a young buck I bought an Acura TSX. That car lasted for 10 years and 234,000 miles. Took me from being a young single guy to married with my first kid. Only got rid of it b/c the back seat was too small for a car seat.

Second, I agree that the industry and government are wildly overestimating how quickly we can get to an all-EV future. My commute for work is just over 100 miles, and I have to make day trips often that add another 100-150 miles to it. And I’m in a rural area where chargers are almost non-existent. I think we’ll get there, but I also think we’re a generation away from battery technology and charger network buildout to make it feasible.

 

[Dawg1976]

Hybrids would work better if they spent more on R&D and make more sense than ramming EVs down our throats without infrastructure and major improvements in battery life.

I wish they would have moved more in the direction of plug-in hybrids. For many they would be great for in town use(electric) but you have gas if you need it. Seems like that would have been better but no turning back now I guess. Not sure what I will buy next. If I was ready to drive primarily in town I might go EV. But I'm not quite to that age yet so will probably go with a hybrid of some kind.

 

[Will Rogers.sixpack]

They’re definitely going to need more slaves in Congo to mine for all this extra cobalt for all these batteries.

 

[STATEBALLIN]

What is the GM EV tech? I know what it is. Curious if those complaining about it understand it.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

My brother.. when comparing them to GM.. Honda sucks and Acura is worse.

https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2023-us-vehicle-dependability-studyvds

That's an interesting chart. I wish I had the underlying data on problems reported. I'm old so I think more about engines and transmissions and interior quality than infotainment, etc. I've had issues with all of the following on GM, never on Honda. I do have family members that owned a problematic V6 in an older Pilot. Apparently it was widespread.

Because that chart represents a point in time, it would also be interesting to see the JD Power car rankings trend over a about the last 30-40 years. My statement was based on experience as my Hondas (most recently 2019s) and Acuras(most recently 2022) have been bulletproof. Perhaps my perception is stuck in the past. Funny how that works...

 

[Perd Hapley]

This really sucks. Honda has already stopped producing gas engines for lawnmowers, now this news. Honda has produced arguably the best (or at least most dependable) gas engines for years and now they are stopping. The world is definitely coming to an end.

They make a good engine. But its comical that, in 2023, are still making that J-Series V6 with a mother17ing timing belt that you have to drop $1000-$1200 every 100k miles to change out. Timing belts largely went the way of the dinosaurs nearly 20 years ago for just about all other automakers, and for good reasons. But Honda is steady hanging on to them.

 

[johnson86-1]

Two things - when I was a young buck I bought an Acura TSX. That car lasted for 10 years and 234,000 miles. Took me from being a young single guy to married with my first kid. Only got rid of it b/c the back seat was too small for a car seat.

Second, I agree that the industry and government are wildly overestimating how quickly we can get to an all-EV future. My commute for work is just over 100 miles, and I have to make day trips often that add another 100-150 miles to it. And I’m in a rural area where chargers are almost non-existent. I think we’ll get there, but I also think we’re a generation away from battery technology and charger network buildout to make it feasible.

I don't know that we'll get there. Gasoline is pretty energy dense. We certainly could have a battery breakthrough that makes EVs good enough to dominate if not completely eliminate ICEs, but I haven't seen anything that makes it obvious we will get there. If I had to bet, I would bet that we do get those breakthroughs, but it could be twenty years or 50.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

That’s exactly what we were told. Not including it allowed them to advertise a better MPG.

Unfortunately, I think it’s turned into an opportunity to make service revenue for Acura. They offered to put the spare tire kit on for $700 or $800. I just bought the kit online for $300 and put it on myself.

Level of difficulty? I may be up for that. Also, where online did you get it?

With no spare, it has never been an issue, however, I've instructed my wife to just drive slowly to a safe place or tire shop if she ever gets a flat. Worst case, i buy a new wheel. If she is alone, that would likely be my advice regardless of whether we have a spare or not, so it would be useful only in cases where I was driving, or if she had a flat at work, or some other safe location.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

It’s all about fuel economy. Eliminate 50 lbs of weight will give marginal fuel economy gain. But yeah, it’s horrible for the consumer.

it is 100% an EPA mileage thing. I'm not sure of the details of what is required but I do know that even without the spare, you won't get "normal" small SUV mileage out of an RDX. So I'm sure they were struggling to meet the standard. You don't buy them for the mileage.

 

[DerHntr]

America has too many rural areas to be 100% EV. I’m in my 40s and don’t expect to see gas vehicle sales go away in my lifetime and probably not in my kids’ lifetimes. The idea that someone living in western North Dakota will have an EV in the middle of winter is not only ignorant, it’s deadly.

I will start thinking the government is actually serious about getting the necessary power infrastructure in place when they start allowing more nuclear power plants to be built. Even in that scenario, the battery technology is going to have to have major break throughs.

 

[ronpolk]

Level of difficulty? I may be up for that. Also, where online did you get it?

With no spare, it has never been an issue, however, I've instructed my wife to just drive slowly to a safe place or tire shop if she ever gets a flat. Worst case, i buy a new wheel. If she is alone, that would likely be my advice regardless of whether we have a spare or not, so it would be useful only in cases where I was driving, or if she had a flat at work, or some other safe location.

It’s very easy. If you’ve ever taken a spare tire off a car, you can do this. Basically just the reverse of that. Your car is already set up for the tire, with holes drilled where they need to be. You’ll need a torque wrench so you don’t over tighten. I forget exactly how tight but I’m pretty sure I just googled it.

ETA: I ordered it off Amazon. There was a dealership in California I think that would ship it but it was a pretty outrageous costs for that. Seems like I remember someone I work with buying the kit from the acura dealership in Ridgeland. I’d definitely call and see if they will just sell you the kit. I don’t know why I didn’t think to do that before I bought it off Amazon.

 

[jxndawg]

I don't know that we'll get there. Gasoline is pretty energy dense. We certainly could have a battery breakthrough that makes EVs good enough to dominate if not completely eliminate ICEs, but I haven't seen anything that makes it obvious we will get there. If I had to bet, I would bet that we do get those breakthroughs, but it could be twenty years or 50.

Agree - as obvious as this sounds, until they make cars that can go 350-500 miles on a single charge, that can be recharged in 10 minutes or less, at charging stations that are roughly as available as gas stations are now, then 100% (or even widespread) EV adoption is a fantasy. I don't have a science background, but I'd say we're at least 25-50 years away from that. Toyota's solid state batteries sound like they might be a decent step forward, but even if the battery issue were completely solved today I can't imagine how long it would take to roll out the infrastructure needed to support it. Because I'm assuming it won't be as simple as replacing every gas pump with a charger - you've got to feed enough electricity to them, etc.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Agree - as obvious as this sounds, until they make cars that can go 350-500 miles on a single charge, that can be recharged in 10 minutes or less, at charging stations that are roughly as available as gas stations are now, then 100% (or even widespread) EV adoption is a fantasy. I don't have a science background, but I'd say we're at least 25-50 years away from that. Toyota's solid state batteries sound like they might be a decent step forward, but even if the battery issue were completely solved today I can't imagine how long it would take to roll out the infrastructure needed to support it. Because I'm assuming it won't be as simple as replacing every gas pump with a charger - you've got to feed enough electricity to them, etc.

Imagine the national security implications of all of our transportation being totally dependent upon a functioning power grid. At present, with the distributed nature of how gas is made, delivered and stored, it seems that it is more resilient to nation state threats. I can keep cans of gas full at my house and they retain all of their potential energy. Even if I had space to keep enough batteries to deliver the equivalent, they have to stay charged, with decent battery life to deliver the same energy. EV will have its place, but the way that we go about it will have major unintended consequences that by definition, are likely unknown at the moment. It certainly seems that a measured approach is appropriate.

 

[johnson86-1]

Semi-OT. I was not too worried about EV fires, but seeing this and thinking about where our stairs are in relation to the garage, I'd have second thoughts about it.

Mercedes EQE Loaner Car Burns Down Inside Florida Homeowner's Garage

The Florida homeowner said the EV had been parked in the garage for about 22 hours when it caught fire, and it wasn't even charging when it burst into flames.

insideevs.com

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Semi-OT. I was not too worried about EV fires, but seeing this and thinking about where our stairs are in relation to the garage, I'd have second thoughts about it.

Mercedes EQE Loaner Car Burns Down Inside Florida Homeowner's Garage

The Florida homeowner said the EV had been parked in the garage for about 22 hours when it caught fire, and it wasn't even charging when it burst into flames.

insideevs.com

Sounds like these EVs don't even like themselves!

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I work for the Ford dealer in Brookhaven. We had 4 Mach Es either on the ground or en route. Moved 3 of them for 4 bands back of invoice because they will not sell here. Hybrids would work better if they spent more on R&D and make more sense than ramming EVs down our throats without infrastructure and major improvements in battery life.

Ford expects to bleed $4.5 billion on electric cars this year

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

Ford expects to bleed $4.5 billion on electric cars this year

More like gush uncontrolled. They are shooting themselves in the head.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

More like gush uncontrolled. They are shooting themselves in the head.

Didn't we bail out the Car Industry before? What's a few more trillion?