Quote:
Originally Posted by RiceBoy
Ugly grille aside, I don't know if I could live with that center stack. There are way too many buttons, and I don't think using the big knob to access the navi would be as easy as using the touch screen in my 06 TSX. I'm very disappointed that all the above mentioned items are making their way into every Acura. The grille at least you don't see when you are inside the car, until you are behind a minivan or SUV and see the reflection of it blinding you. But Honda used to be known for their ultra friendly interiors, and the 30-40 button center stacks that have shown up on the Accord and now TSX, and soon to be in all Honda's, would have to get me to learn all of the voice commands before I try to find the corresponding function on the dash.
I always owned Hondas/Acuras, and would say I am an extremely loyal customer. However, if anything, God forbid, happened to my TSX and I had to replace it with something next week, I would seriously be looking at a Lexus IS instead of anything from Acura. The only thing that would possibly get me looking at a new TSX is when the diesel version becomes available here.
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Thankfully I picked up the 08, and given the fact that it's one of Honda's most reliable cars, I'm hoping to get a good 10 years out of it. By then, maybe all this strange Acura/Honda styling will be a thing of the past. I feel fortunate to have gotten in just before what will likely prove to be a very strange style period for Hondas in general.
It seems to me that the design of these new cars has been taken away from the "car people" and turned over to the "gadget and marketing people." But they forget that it's a car first and foremost.
This reminds me of a time when a young relative of mine was trying to pick out a cell phone, and he was reading me all these different "features" (blue tooth, touch screen, etc. etc.) with a confused look on his face. So I asked him, "Well, which one of those cell phones is better as an actual phone?"
He seemed puzzled for a second, and then he said, "Oh yeah. I guess that's something I should figure out before I buy."
It's a car. Meaning the driving experience is a chief consideration. And when it comes to styling, it all starts with the shape, the basic contours. A lot of these car companies (Acura now chief among them) are taking relatively simple designs and tacking crazy looking lines and ornaments on them to make them stick out, but it only makes the cars look tacky to me.
The new Infinities are nice from an exterior design standpoint -- simple and sexy with nice curves and not a lot of gimmickry. I don't know much else about them though because I've never driven one.
I'm not saying Acura should try to be like Infiniti, but maybe this is one styling lesson they could take from them.