09 Grill...how much do you hate/like it?

[ewg751]

I think the overall car doesn't look too bad IMO...but the grill is the only thing that turns me off.

How much does the grill bug you? Personally, I like the new JDM accord grill much better...what about you guys?

[redlight_005]

Sure the JDM grill looks better, but the new '09 is not that bad at all. When the first year TSX's came out, everyone hated that grill also and said it looked like a Mazda. It will grow on you.

[gremmy]

Originally Posted by ewg751

I think the overall car doesn't look too bad IMO...but the grill is the only thing that turns me off.

How much does the grill bug you? Personally, I like the new JDM accord grill much better...what about you guys?

I own an 08 TSX -- I purchased it the week before the 09s came out because I thought the 08 was a very stylish car, while the 09 wasn't very attractive.

This last Friday, I took my TSX into the dealer for an oil change, rotation, and alignment, and I was given an 09 TSX as a loaner while they worked on my 08. I drove the 09 around for several hours -- enough to get a pretty good feel for the car.

The stereo sounds better in the 09, and the engine seems to have a bit more pep. But overall, I am SO GLAD I bought the 08 instead of the 09. I have to say, there's no way I'd spend money on the 09, and it's not just because of the ugly grill.

My wife was so annoyed by the 09's ugly interior that she said, "you've got to get me out of this car, being in here is starting to p*ss me off." LOL.

That center stack on the dash is a monstrosity. And the driving experience is flat-out terrible. I mean, unlike the 08 with its nice road-feel and handling, the 09s steering is lazy, bordering on comatose.

And then there's the grill. The whole car, in fact. I honestly believe the 08 looks better from every angle.

Believe me, this isn't a case of a guy trying to justify his purchase (I'm beyond that sort of thing anyway). I'm honestly saying that unless Honda/Acura decides to get back to focusing on the driving experience and stops making these ugly death robots from outer space, my next car won't be an Acura.

[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.

[gremmy]

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.

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.

[BLEXV6]

Originally Posted by gremmy

I own an 08 TSX -- I purchased it the week before the 09s came out because I thought the 08 was a very stylish car, while the 09 wasn't very attractive.

This last Friday, I took my TSX into the dealer for an oil change, rotation, and alignment, and I was given an 09 TSX as a loaner while they worked on my 08. I drove the 09 around for several hours -- enough to get a pretty good feel for the car.

The stereo sounds better in the 09, and the engine seems to have a bit more pep. But overall, I am SO GLAD I bought the 08 instead of the 09. I have to say, there's no way I'd spend money on the 09, and it's not just because of the ugly grill.

My wife was so annoyed by the 09's ugly interior that she said, "you've got to get me out of this car, being in here is starting to p*ss me off." LOL.

That center stack on the dash is a monstrosity. And the driving experience is flat-out terrible. I mean, unlike the 08 with its nice road-feel and handling, the 09s steering is lazy, bordering on comatose.

And then there's the grill. The whole car, in fact. I honestly believe the 08 looks better from every angle.

Believe me, this isn't a case of a guy trying to justify his purchase (I'm beyond that sort of thing anyway). I'm honestly saying that unless Honda/Acura decides to get back to focusing on the driving experience and stops making these ugly death robots from outer space, my next car won't be an Acura.

Umm, did you drive the same car I own?? While you are entitled to your opinion, and I note I have driven a pre- 09 a few times, the 09 is far superior. Regarding the centre stack, once you get use to this seemingly busy centre, the controls are extremely easy to use. I love it. IMHO, the 09 is better looking and the more I see it the more I like it. In any event, I guess these are the reasons we bought our respective cars, as although I would have bought the 08, that is until I saw the 09. Oh yah, the price went down did it not??

[jaimie08mazda3]

in the 09 tsx when my parents brought it home. thats the only thing i truely didnt care for in the car. is the front bumper grille etc. oh and the gas tank opener. thats dumb too basically you leave your car unlocked and someone could easily syphon gas out of your vehicle.

[RiceBoy]

Originally Posted by BLEXV6

Umm, did you drive the same car I own?? While you are entitled to your opinion, and I note I have driven a pre- 09 a few times, the 09 is far superior. Regarding the centre stack, once you get use to this seemingly busy centre, the controls are extremely easy to use. I love it. IMHO, the 09 is better looking and the more I see it the more I like it. In any event, I guess these are the reasons we bought our respective cars, as although I would have bought the 08, that is until I saw the 09. Oh yah, the price went down did it not??

Not really. In Canada, we just got an additional stripped down model as the base (no leather, no HID, and a few other missing things) for 09, which didn't exist for 04-08 (no stripped down model in the US). So it just STARTS at a lower price, but you also get less to start with.

[miked8887]

I don't like the '09 grill or the bee-hive like grates under it. I like the whole car except this part. Has anyone ever tried to retrofit an old one on?

I also don't like the shifter. I DO like the paddle shifters, but because of the paddles they made the gear shifter look dumb.