siegen

This is how I feel about chocolate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VGJm2nofgA

RWD-only, muscle-car styling, and a V8. If those are your 3 primary concerns when purchasing a car, then the G8 is certainly a better purchase for you, and chances are the Acura or other luxury cars won't be cross-shopped. People don't buy a TL for any of those reasons.

People's experiences will vary. The Ridgeline is a good vehicle for those that need it. It is not a stinking pile of $h! any more than the Corvette is.

Sounds to me like Mr. Healey was having a bad day when he test drove the vehicle, and decided to take out his aggressive on it. I'm gonna have to call BS on this review. His complaints, while the steering not being completely unwarranted, are way out there. He complained about how far the trunk opens when auto-popped. He complained about setting up the door lock timing saying it was too complicated. He complained about the voice system notifications and didn't even bother to try and figure out how to turn it off, instead saying "better to just put a bullet into it". He complained that the nav system is easy to use but "overkill" because it has features he thinks are useless. He tries to make himself sound intelligent by saying things like "incongruously imprecise steering".

Hmmmm, more G8 comparisons. The G8 has a V8, therefore it is better in every conceivable way. Yes I understand this. But somehow all the people still buying vehicles other than the G8 don't. Strange.

I'm pretty sure that isn't a coincidence, as I read about it in at least one of the articles.

When the MDX first came out it met with equal negative opinions. The Civic also met with very negative opinions, the sedan especially. Even the old RSX was blasted at first because it wasn't as sleek or athletic looking as the old Integra. Honda designs, just about all of them save for the S2000, have a love to hate effect on everyone that sees them. The new TL is a very fine looking car, more substantial than the old, more focused on luxury, and is a big improvement on the old one IMHO. A picture can either make or break a vehicle. Take a look at the PR shots for the new TSX (click). Notice how horrible they are. The angles are bad, they chose a bad color. Now look at this new owner's pictures of the same "boring" gray color (click). Night and day difference, for the exact same car. This is the best one IMHO; I don't see how people could have hated that car so much. When you first commented I thought you were talking about the vehicle overall, not just the grille. Which Mazda 6? The ugly old one or the ugly new one? Trick question!

Thanks for posting the PR image again. It shows that the fish-eye effect on the lens in those spyshots really does over exaggerate the grille. I can honestly say I do like the new TL from what I've seen. And if past models are any indication, I will like it more in person. It's funny how predicable most internet posters. Almost the same reaction can be seen at vtec.net. I'm not sure where the strong prejudice comes from, but it seems like every new model that comes out is instantly ugly. I am not innocent as I have made similar comments about the Mazda 6, among others.

I like the idea, a lot. Almost every day I hit at least one light that I only miss by a second or two. If I knew ahead of time I could start slowing down (engine braking) sooner, and time my braking so I don't have to come to a complete stop. Or I would know to accelerate a little more from the previous light to make the next. If it could somehow be implemented in all stop-lights that would be incredible, but I feel it would be a difficult task.

You are correct.

The only problem I have with the styling of the Ridgeline is the area where the bed meets the cab. Otherwise the styling is pretty solid.

It might show the design language that will be used in the next S2000. It is a design study, not destined for production, but there's really no saying what they are going to do with the next S2000 and rumored sub-S2000 model. This vehicle employs IMA (charge/assist meters seen in dash area). This may be the sporty drop-top counterpart to the CR-Z (which is confirmed for production). I am extremely excited for both of the vehicles. A sporty, RWD, lightweight, 50-60+MPG vehicle would be awesome; as long as it comes with a 6-speed manual transmission. From rumors I have heard recently, Acura may get a $40-60k convertible roadster to go against the Z4/SC/etc, while Honda will have a lower priced roadster to compete better in the mainstream with the Miata/Solstice/Etc. No more $35-40k Honda roadster, as the market for it is simply too small. It sounds like a smart move from a business standpoint, I hope there is more to it than just rumors. V-tech is a phone company :AH-HA_wink: The TOV has been around since '96. Unlike other Honda/Acura sites, the owners maintain a very unbiased and professional atmosphere. It is the most respected Honda site, and the owners have full press privileges along with other perks, such as the Civic Si that Honda provided them to tweak and modify for the SEMA show following the 8th gen Civic's introduction. They obtain loaner cars (just like the magazines) prior to a vehicles intro and provide their own reviews. One of the site owners also owns a performance shop with a Dynapack (hub dyno), and often posts dyno charts of the latest vehicles before anyone else.

LOW EMISSION HONDA ROADSTER BREAKS COVER Two-seat design study unveiled at British International Motor Show Full Article & Photos @ TOV Additional Hi-Res Photo Gallery @ Autoblog

I don't know how you can pass such firm judgment without seeing it in person or driving it.

The front shots look pretty crazy, it actually stunned me for a brief moment when I first saw it. However, the angle of the shot (and given how close it is) is making the grill look much larger than it is. Even the person who took those photos said it doesn't look so crazy in person. It'll probably look really good in person. The rear is what I was most interested in, and this is the first mostly uncovered shots of it. It elicits far less reaction than the front does. I don't think it's bad, throw some tall tail lights on it and you would think it was a Cadillac.

Ahhh Neon interior!

Same story with the other vehicles, especially the Civic. The author did no feature comparisons at all, just took the base model in each circumstance and compared it right over. Very poor information. By comparing the Prius to the Accord in particular, the author managed to make the Prius look really good with a one year payback period.

If Al Gore had ever become president we could have looked forward to this:

What an incredibly worthless article. The author doesn't know what "features" are, and just compares base models for everything. They're comparing the Civic hybrid to the Civic DX. They should be comparing it to the Civic EX, which is equipped similarly. The correct price different is $3,900, not $7,600. I love it when unintelligent people write articles. The Accord is much larger and better equipped than the Prius, with around 10 more cubic feet of passenger volume to boot. The base Prius doesn't even have cruise control standard. Where are these comparisons coming from? The Prius should take about one year to pay for itself? What a load of manure.

GM did a much better job on the retro conversion than Ford or Chrysler did. The Camaro is just about perfect to symbolize the modern muscle car. The interior looks high quality and well done, but the design is pretty ugly; the center stack and dash in particular. I suppose it is supposed to look dated though.

This car resembles the Prius due to the profile and that's about it. Otherwise, it bares resemblance to the Insight, Clarity, and to some extent the CRX. It was stated from the beginning that it would take styling cues from the Clarity. I think once the camo comes off it's going to resemble the Prius a lot less.

I'm not certain, but I believe the list may have been compiled by monkeys. Not the space monkeys either, regular monkeys.

Is it just me, or does the line that runs down the side of the car absolutely scream Hyundai? If you want to compare this to something, compare it to the Sports 4 concept:

Last two tanks have both been 29.x mpg. One of the tanks includes 60 miles of highway. Figure about 80% city / 20% hwy for that tank. Otherwise most driving is 95-100% city, and my 3 year average is 25mpg. I have only recently (last 2 months) started driving without a lead foot, and I still have to catch myself often. I know this car can do 30+mpg in the city easily, I just have to be less aggressive. It's hard to do though, because everytime I flog it I get this giant grin on my face. '99 Acura Integra coupe 5MT

Indeed. I know Honda does not use the sand method, however I do not know what method they use or too much about it. Can't seem to find information on it.