Why doesn't Acura offer any convertibles (and coupes)?

[Gofishus]

Acura is a little different than other luxury brands. None of its cars have V8 engines or RWD. What bothers me the most is that Acura doesn't have any 'sporty' offerings for a brand that used to be quite sporty. Where's the coupes and convertibles? What happened to the RSX and NSX? Those would have made good convertibles. Even the parent company Honda only offers one convertible, the S2000. Is Honda against lowered tops or something?

[scratchieepants]

The S2000 is discontinued as well!

[UrbanPoet]

I think they rather keep it profitable.
Its all about the cross overs and SUV's now...

[VorteC]

Honda/Acura make cars for a secton of the market they can profit in. The coupe/convertible category is dominated by so many other manufacturers. When they are ready to dip their toe into the water, they need something completely unique that sets its self apart from all the existing coupes/convertibles out there, when they are ready to do so, they will. They originally made the TSX as a 3-series competitor, but in the end it fell short of its target. However, it ended up appealing to another section of the market and ended up selling very well (not as well as the 3-series but that's a tall order).

[MP3_SKY]

Not only Acura...but a lot Japanese car makers aren't selling 2 doors anymore

For example, Toyota Celica, Nissan 240SX, Mazda MX6 and even Subaru Impreza doesn't comes with 2 doors anymore like they hv the 2.5RS at 98-01

[ssainani]

if people wanted them ... they would sell them

sadly no one wanted the rsx, nsx and every other japanese coupe

(apart from the nissans)

[dablackgoku1234]

I just saw an IS250 convertible...thing was fugly :cry:

[alex_d10]

Honda/Acura make cars for a secton of the market they can profit in. The coupe/convertible category is dominated by so many other manufacturers. When they are ready to dip their toe into the water, they need something completely unique that sets its self apart from all the existing coupes/convertibles out there, when they are ready to do so, they will. They originally made the TSX as a 3-series competitor, but in the end it fell short of its target. However, it ended up appealing to another section of the market and ended up selling very well (not as well as the 3-series but that's a tall order).
Who are you kidding? TSX has a ways to go before it can reach a 3-series - engine size, powertrain, lack of AWD, lack of any sort of power/torque, etc.

I agree with others that said that Acura's best sellers have been the SUV's (MDX/RDX) as well as their full size sedan (TL), so in times of weak sales, I guess they stayed with what was working. But I hope they do come out with a replacement for the RSX sometime soon.

[Engi-Nir]

Acura is a dying brand, and they will not waste money on coupes/convertibles at this point. Until Acura starts picking up as a luxury brand, which is pretty tough, as market just thinks it is a Honda with better leather.
Btw, Acura could win first place for the coupe or convertible for being uglya$$, if their latest designs are any indication

[Seveneighty]

as market just thinks it is a Honda with better leather.Sounds good to me!

[VorteC]

Who are you kidding? TSX has a ways to go before it can reach a 3-series - engine size, powertrain, lack of AWD, lack of any sort of power/torque, etc.

I agree with others that said that Acura's best sellers have been the SUV's (MDX/RDX) as well as their full size sedan (TL), so in times of weak sales, I guess they stayed with what was working. But I hope they do come out with a replacement for the RSX sometime soon.

read my post. i said the tsx fell short of the 3series. learn to read kiddo.

[win-star]

Acura should bring back the Acura Legend Coupe or Sedan.... the best car ever made

[mr_raider]

Not only Acura...but a lot Japanese car makers aren't selling 2 doors anymore

For example, Toyota Celica, Nissan 240SX, Mazda MX6 and even Subaru Impreza doesn't comes with 2 doors anymore like they hv the 2.5RS at 98-01

Yet Infiniti and Lexus just introduced coupes and convertibles. They obviously see a market.

But if you must have a an Acura, get an Accord coupe, rip the C off a civic and the L of a TL and stick them on.

[Gofishus]

Infniti has the G37 coupe/convertible and Lexus has the IS convertible and SC roadster. What's Acura doing these days? have they been paying attention to their competitors? Anyways, I think SUV's are fat and ugly and it's a shame they don't bring back the sleek sexy convertibles/coupe just because Americans (them and their cars) are both getting more obese.

[CdTriX]

well, the G35/G37 coupes are based on the 350/370Z so they have a base for those as well as the cabrios for those coupes because the platform comes with that as well.

Being in Canada, i have not seen any g37C or IS350C or any of the aformentioned convertibles on the road.

I think i've seen more gallardos then i have these so called convertible coupes on the road from lexas/infinity.

the SC is just too expensive and is a chick car. starting at 82k. that's more expensive then the 335i Cabrio

[maniacshopper]

Acura is a little different than other luxury brands. None of its cars have V8 engines or RWD. What bothers me the most is that Acura doesn't have any 'sporty' offerings for a brand that used to be quite sporty. Where's the coupes and convertibles? What happened to the RSX and NSX? Those would have made good convertibles. Even the parent company Honda only offers one convertible, the S2000. Is Honda against lowered tops or something?

reminds me of a company called Saab :lol:
saab designs are really quarky.
acura prefers to stick with FF.
When acura/honda does conform to MR, as in the NSX, they make amazing cars.

The S2k should be gone soon, Honda's pushing the green image, completely shedding the ricer's reputation. Sad really. It's what the average bloke can afford. Now unaffordable, we have to look at audis/bmws/mb/lexus.

[zzz3]

Acura is a dying brand, and they will not waste money on coupes/convertibles at this point. Until Acura starts picking up as a luxury brand, which is pretty tough, as market just thinks it is a Honda with better leather.
Btw, Acura could win first place for the coupe or convertible for being uglya$$, if their latest designs are any indication

People are beginning to see acura for what it really has become today, akward looking hondas with leather. This is in part also a reflection of hondas strange direction of recent, killing nsx, s2000 and introducing things like the crosstour...if they werent so busy with coming up with ugly designs like the shield and products like the zdx maybe they wouldnt be taking such big losses. Anyways OP dont get your hopes up for acura anytime soon since the new design studio in torrance, california will be responsible for all the new models i think >:(.

[VorteC]

Acura, guaranteed, will come out with a coupe sometime within the next 5 years. They are pushing the tier-1 luxury image more and more, they're not quite there yet, but they are pushing. They dropped the RSX, and jampacked their cars with a huge offering of *standard* interior/electronic goodies. I think Acura has one of the best interiors in the business. In Acura's ambitions to become Tier-1, they will need a coupe. Maybe reintroduce the CL. A RSX revive won't help the image so not sure they will go through with that.

[Jon Lai]

Acura is a dying brand, and they will not waste money on coupes/convertibles at this point. Until Acura starts picking up as a luxury brand, which is pretty tough, as market just thinks it is a Honda with better leather.
Btw, Acura could win first place for the coupe or convertible for being uglya$$, if their latest designs are any indication

Agreed. In terms of price range there's too big of an overlap between Honda and Acura. Heck, why was S2000 a Honda car to begin with when it was more expensive than the majority of Acuras? <<- Fail.

Look at Toyota and Lexus. The overlap there is minimal and IMO, done right.

[ES_Revenge]

Acura is a little different than other luxury brands. None of its cars have V8 engines or RWD. What bothers me the most is that Acura doesn't have any 'sporty' offerings for a brand that used to be quite sporty. Where's the coupes and convertibles? What happened to the RSX and NSX? Those would have made good convertibles. Even the parent company Honda only offers one convertible, the S2000. Is Honda against lowered tops or something?
LOL Acura used to be "quite sporty"? When? The Integra/RSX? Not sure how "sporty" those really were. Sporty compared to a Civic, sure, but what else? The NSX? You mean the laughing stock of the sports car world with its insane price and pure-jokes performance?

Your only hope is the TL and the TL is now ugly as hell so forget that.

Acura should bring back the Acura Legend Coupe or Sedan.... the best car ever made
:confused: WTF? The Legend never went anywhere, it's called the RL now (since 1996). The same car is still called the Legend in Japan and other parts of the world.

Anyway here's an idea for you for Acura. Take the TSX and instead of putting in a V6 like you're going to do for MY10 :rolleyes: do this instead...

TSX, remove engine, remove ugliness of front grille. Add turbo powerplant from RDX, make better looking, add SH-AWD; sell for a similar price as it is now.

Is the above a winning formula? Sounds like it to me! :D

[scratchieepants]

Anyway here's an idea for you for Acura. Take the TSX and instead of putting in a V6 like you're going to do for MY10 :rolleyes: do this instead...

TSX, remove engine, remove ugliness of front grille. Add turbo powerplant from RDX, make better looking, add SH-AWD; sell for a similar price as it is now.

Is the above a winning formula? Sounds like it to me! :D

Lots of CL9 TSX owners wanted precisely that. It didn't happen though, we're getting the less ugly TL instead.

People have paint matched the 2G TSX grille, and the car looks very nice after that.

And another thing, Honda Canada should stop selling the ******** cloth + halogen base model that costs more than the USA premium model. It's bad enough that they have to make a ghetto Canada only version, it shouldn't also cost more than the better version that the Americans get.

So just dump it please!

[CaptSmethwick]

Acura had a decent thing going in the very early days but they've had their share of questionable products that, in my mind, has muddied the philosophy behind their product line - making it difficult to differentiate them from the upper level Hondas. Are the two marques' customer bases really that much different that they need separate brands and dealerships? I mean, how many RLs do they really sell?

As for the current line-up, I am really confused as to what fuglifying the TL was designed to do. The MDX is alright but has (too large for me) minivan proportions, the CSX is a tepid badge engineering job. Interestingly, the RDX and the TSX appeal to me but they have not been big sellers.*

* it goes without saying that any Acura appeal is notwitstanding the fugly grille. YMMV

[VorteC]

LOL Acura used to be "quite sporty"? When? The Integra/RSX? Not sure how "sporty" those really were. Sporty compared to a Civic, sure, but what else? The NSX? You mean the laughing stock of the sports car world with its insane price and pure-jokes performance?

Your only hope is the TL and the TL is now ugly as hell so forget that.


:confused: WTF? The Legend never went anywhere, it's called the RL now (since 1996). The same car is still called the Legend in Japan and other parts of the world.

Anyway here's an idea for you for Acura. Take the TSX and instead of putting in a V6 like you're going to do for MY10 :rolleyes: do this instead...

TSX, remove engine, remove ugliness of front grille. Add turbo powerplant from RDX, make better looking, add SH-AWD; sell for a similar price as it is now.

Is the above a winning formula? Sounds like it to me! :D

If Acura could take the turbo K23 from the RDX and jam it into the TSX, they would've. They stated it was too tall for the engine bay in the TSX. The K23 would've been the much better engine choice compared to the V6 but I'm sure if Acura could've done it, they would've. Looks are subjective, the new TSX has grown on me, and without the grill.. it's actually alright (much prefer 1st gen though). Adding SH-AWD would jack up the price waay too much. You don't just change engines, looks, and drivetrains just because some people want you to. The TSX is directed to a different market than all the other 6-cylinder/turbo, AWD cars. If it had those features, it would cost as much as a TL.. and that's gonan cause a major problem.

The NSX was a pretty impressive achievement. It only had a 3.2 V6, so of course it's not going to have the top speed and acceleration of a Ferrari, but it never tried to be one. It showed the world the Japanese approach of a sportscar and proved that a high-performance sports car doesn't have to be high power, high price, and italian.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't get a NSX, but I understand it's appeal.

[Gofishus]

LOL Acura used to be "quite sporty"? When? The Integra/RSX? Not sure how "sporty" those really were. Sporty compared to a Civic, sure, but what else? The NSX? You mean the laughing stock of the sports car world with its insane price and pure-jokes performance?

Your only hope is the TL and the TL is now ugly as hell so forget that.


:confused: WTF? The Legend never went anywhere, it's called the RL now (since 1996). The same car is still called the Legend in Japan and other parts of the world.

Anyway here's an idea for you for Acura. Take the TSX and instead of putting in a V6 like you're going to do for MY10 :rolleyes: do this instead...

TSX, remove engine, remove ugliness of front grille. Add turbo powerplant from RDX, make better looking, add SH-AWD; sell for a similar price as it is now.

Is the above a winning formula? Sounds like it to me! :D

Well, compare Acura's offerings in the early 90s compared to Lexus and Infiniti's and tell me which one you think are sportier.

[ES_Revenge]

If Acura could take the turbo K23 from the RDX and jam it into the TSX, they would've. They stated it was too tall for the engine bay in the TSX. The K23 would've been the much better engine choice compared to the V6 but I'm sure if Acura could've done it, they would've.
Ah well that sucks. They should have maybe thought of this when they were designing the new TSX...

Looks are subjective, the new TSX has grown on me, and without the grill.. it's actually alright (much prefer 1st gen though). Adding SH-AWD would jack up the price waay too much.
Just like the TL they needn't make SH-AWD mandatory, just optional. The people that want to pay extra for it will. The builder is messed up on their site right now so I don't know how much extra it adds to the price of the TL but the RDX looks like it ranges from $43-46k, the TSX as it is now is from $35-40k. Adding a few thousand for SH-AWD would certainly be desired by some people.

Volvo S40, Audi A3 and A4 (though different AWD systems), BMW 3-series, MB C-class, Lexus IS, Caddy CTS, Saab 9-3... All of these cars have AWD available. Some are a little more expensive but it is sort of the same size lux class we're talking about here. If other companies have AWD options on similar class cars, why can't Acura? I mean who the hell wants that monstrosity the TL, just to get AWD? First off it's huge, secondly it's ugly as hell, lol.

You don't just change engines, looks, and drivetrains just because some people want you to.
Right instead you follow the advice of the worst design team of the 00s, and make stupid marketing decisions to boot, while you continue to spiral down in sales. That's what makes a good/successful car company. LOL

The TSX is directed to a different market than all the other 6-cylinder/turbo, AWD cars.
What market is that, the market that nobody is in? :lol:

If it had those features, it would cost as much as a TL.. and that's gonan cause a major problem.
No if it had those features it would actually be able to compete with the competition.

The NSX was a pretty impressive achievement. It only had a 3.2 V6, so of course it's not going to have the top speed and acceleration of a Ferrari, but it never tried to be one.
LOL what? The NSX exterior is definitely Ferrari inspired if you ask me. Secondly the price was insane. It was a car that the C5 Vette could outhandle, outbrake, out accelerate and just plain outclass it in every single aspect of what a sports car is, and it did so for what like $30k+, less? At the time when the NSX was new/in it's prime, you could buy a C5 Vette and a GP GTP for the same price as the NSX. So now you have your weekend sports car and your quick family sedan to put the groceries in and drive the kids around during the week. The NSX wasn't impressive at anything but being a loser of a sports car.

It showed the world the Japanese approach of a sportscar and proved that a high-performance sports car doesn't have to be high power, high price, and italian.
No that didn't show the world the Japanese approach at anything but how Honda could make a failboat. How did it prove it didn't have to be high priced? The NSX was probably the least performance per dollar of any of it's competitors--it was indeed highly priced. Cars like the 300ZX TT, Supra Turbo? Now those cars showed the world a thing or two about Japanese sports cars. Even the 3000GT VR4 was more impressive for a Japanese sports car. It "showed the world" a sports car that could take on any kind of weather.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't get a NSX, but I understand it's appeal.
I never did. While I know they had some faster variants in Japan, I failed to see any of the appeal of the NSX other than being perhaps some Honda fanboy's wet dream. Yeah the midship design and chassis had a lot going for it but Honda still mucked it up overall.

Though Senna liked the car, what can you really say about that? Honda probably gave him tens of them while he was driving for them, perhaps even more afterwards because they loved him so much. Senna also liked to win at any cost, and if he had to have been in a race with common sports cars in stock form? Well I seriously doubt he'd have taken to the track in an NSX.

I always have and always will maintain the NSX was the laughing stock of the sports car world.

[actng]

Acura is a little different than other luxury brands.

I don't consider Acura as a luxury brand. It's more marketing to offer the illusion of luxury. By no means am I dissing Acura, I'm just being factual.

It's like when McDonald's came out with McCafe... by no means does that make McCafe a premium coffee shop (a la yorkville).

All Acura offerings are just Hondas in nicer packaging.

Thus to answer your question... Hondas don't have convertibles so neither would Acura.

[akravator]

Given the current dearth of attractive looking automobiles in the acura line-up I'm kind of glad their designers aren't making any 'sporty-looking' vehicles.

I realllllllly am unimpressed with the styling of recent Acuras. Their current styling scheme and brand image don't seem like they would accommodate coupes/convertibles too well.

[bembol]

The NSX, IMO is what made Acura a joke.

I don't know why with Convertibles but I think Acura wants the Family Friendly image.

The new TL shows that they trying to hard to be known for Luxury or that someone in the Design Department to the "Advance" seriously. :lol: The design is 5+ years ahead of time.

[CdTriX]

everyone complained when BMW went from the E46 to the E90. it grew on people 3 years later, and there's soo many 3series out there.

people complained when the E39 to the E60 and said BMW f'd up the 5 series, but people have accepted it.

i remember the EM1 when it came out had mixed reviews, but people grew to love it.

we'll have to wait 5 years to appreciate acura's current offering.