siegen

The cut-lines tend to stand out though, and it's one of the first things I noticed when seeing the Malibu interior pictures prior to release. It may not have more cut-lines, but it does a bad job hiding them. For example, see this picture (base model Accord); there are plenty of cut lines, but they tend to flow with the design of the interior, and many are curved or angled. Now a studio Malibu shot for comparison. I see 4 straight horizontal cut-lines around the center stack that instantly draw my attention. The radio itself is too square and doesn't flow with the rest of the interior. The whole center stack is really a mess of lines.

The engineer did say he was the only one who was experiencing these problems. But you can't just say he experienced these problems because it was a pre-production car, since these were likely the same cars many other positive reviewers have been driving. Either this guy is searching for problems or everyone else was glazing over them.

It looks tired.

They have been. I know I saw one on TV where they quoted some magazine comments. Didn't pay too much attention though :AH-HA_wink:

Reports by the guys at TOV (who have driven every Accord trim/model and done performance testing as well as manual/automatic dynographs) say that the VCM-equipped 3.5L lacks midrange power compared to the one available in the coupe. It's been a while since I viewed the dyno's but I am pretty sure they coincide with that judgment. That has been the report of many owners as well. The 6MT not being available in the Sedan is also a boon. But it wasn't available in the sedan last gen the first year either.

The variable cylinder management in the Accord really hurts it performance wise. The Coupe doesn't have VCM, and is rated to the same horsepower, but all indications show that it is completely underrated (dyno plots show it getting 268hp at the hub). If they were to put the non-VCM engine into the Accord sedan, a 6-sp automatic and get rid of the Michelin stock tires, it would be the racehorse of this pack by far. Of course for a family sedan having VCM is more important than a bit more acceleration. But to win mag comparo's..... well that's a different story. The Accord coupe beat the Altima coupe in a recent comparo, and would likely slaughter the Solara as well. Now if only there was a Malibu coupe. :AH-HA_wink:

I'm surprised they can get away with this, it's about as bad as those Chinese clones that were popping up for a while followed by the string of lawsuits. Derivative is an understatement.

I hate cliches.

Was this a sports car comparison or a family sedan comparison?

Audi chose an interesting approach to the nav/radio controls, putting them on the center console aft of the shifter. Certainly comfortable to use after you learn the controls, but having to look down at which buttons to push seems dangerous while driving. I think the A6 interior looks too cluttered; probably due to the way the center stack angles inward and seems to cut the passenger's side of the dash off. The A6 interior doesn't flow well to me.

I don't have a problem with the STS interior, it is simple and functional. But the nav, radio, and hvac controls simply don't belong in a car this expensive. Yes, they're functional. However they are downright ugly, unstyled, and stand out horrendously in an otherwise pleasing interior. You are right that the BMW interiors aren't that wow either; and while the controls may also be black plastic, they at least fit with the design. For example this 528i interior: The controls fit with the overall design (a lot due to the colors), which is sporty and luxurious. The controls in the STS, which should portray an image of complete luxury and style (I'm thinking wood panel with well styled [chrome accent or something] and positioned buttons and good use of white/empty space), instead portray an image of a Chevrolet Aveo.

Where do you get all of your assumptions from anyway? I can pretty much guarantee you that despite Acura being down, they're still making profit. Well, you're actually right. Acura needs cars that are more differentiated from Honda. If Honda's plans come to pass, a halo V10 GT car, new TSX and TL, and revised RL (bigger with V8, probably still AWD though), will all be in the lineup within the next couple years.

Instead you get a hideous radio/nav control. Why you got to be throwing names around like that? To set the record straight, I said "Reminds me of something you'd find in a luxury car" in regards to the Accord interior as a whole, because it is very nice. Then somebody decided to comment on the black plastic in the center console and say what luxury car has that? The STS happened to be the first I looked to. No it doesn't have black plastic center console, but rather black plastic surrounded radio/nav controls which is far worse as you are interacting with that area far more often and it is in view more often. I didn't even look at any other lux cars yet to see what kind of plastic they use. Frankly, I don't think it's a big deal that the Accord uses black plastic in the center console area, as long as it is done well enough.

It makes the negatives seem less.... negative. "We were thrown a left-hook with our tail gates falling apart, but we're not down for the count!"

I think the design of the hand-stitched leather seats is top-notch. I suppose if you're someone who's used to cloth, it might look a bit odd. It's ok, they looked odd to me too at first, but they grew on me. The birchwood trim is a nice alternative to the normal wood texture, and lightens up the interior. It appears to be a carbon fiber insert. The only black plastic being in a few strips around the buttons. But you're right, Acura should have made the whole thing carbon fiber and the buttons themselves out of marble. This is cost-cutting at its worst!

American Honda November Sales Up 4.7 Percent to New Record All-new Accord up 25.2 percent, Honda Division up 10.4 percent 12/03/2007 - TORRANCE, Calif. - American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted record November sales of 111,431 Honda and Acura vehicles, up 4.7 percent*, surpassing the previous November 2006 record of 106,446, the company announced today. American Honda year-to-date sales increased 2.7 percent* to 1,419,750. Honda Division year-to-date sales increased 4.8 percent to 1,257,228. Honda Division posted record November sales of 98,521, up 10.4 percent compared to last year. November records for individual models included the CR-V with sales of 16,498, up 1.6 percent, and the Fit, with sales of 5,361, up 106.0 percent for the month. Sales of the all-new Accord increased 25.2 percent to 28,161. Sales of the Civic increased 24.8 percent to 25,141; the Civic Hybrid increased 46.6 percent to 3,238. "Even In these uncertain times, our bread-and-butter products are showing real growth," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "The all-new Accord continues to set a blistering pace with sales up by more than 25 percent." Acura Division posted sales of 12,910 for November. The MDX sport utility vehicle led the division with sales of 4,891. November sales of the TL performance luxury sedan totaled 4,064; the TSX sports sedan totaled 1,884. Sales of the RDX sport utility vehicle totaled 1,679. *The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 25 days for November 2007 and 25 days for November 2006. Year to date, the DSR is calculated with 281 days for 2007, versus 280 days for 2006. All percentages reflect DSR. For more information about Honda vehicles, please visit www.honda.com. For media inquiries, please go to www.hondanews.com. For more information about Acura vehicles, please visit www.acura.com. For media inquiries, please go to www.acuranews.com.

7 best-ever's Toyota's slacking

Speaking of interiors. I think this wins hands down. :AH-HA_wink:

Ahh my eyes. Those radio/nav controls are hideous. The Accord uses black plastic for the lower area of the center stack and the center console. The STS uses black plastic for the nav/radio controls. The black plastic in the Accord doesn't stand out like a sore-thumb as it does in the STS. The wood trim in the Accord is an option on all trim levels. Not quite sure what level the tan interior becomes available, because it isn't shown on the website.

The STS for one.

The Civic Si Coupe and Sedan have the same 3-spoke steering wheel, which is the same as the base Civic coupe. The base Civic sedan is the one with the 2-spoke monstrosity. :AH-HA_wink: Not sure why we're talking about the Civic though.

I can't stand the Civic sedan steering wheel. At least they put the 3-spoke on the Sedan Si. The new Accord fairs favorably to the new Malibu, IMO. Exactly what part wants to jump out and hurt you? I went and sat in the new Accord and the interior is very nice. Reminds me of something you'd find in a luxury car.

The only way this would work: if you wanted to fly your car you would have to drive to an airport, get clearance, give them your intended route/etc, and then fly to another airport, land and drive to your destination. You would never be able to take off from the road or your house. Regular airliners and rental cars would likely remain more efficient.

Cruise in my car works like this. Cruise button on dash turns cruise indicator light on. Set accl on wheel to actually engage cruise (accl/dccl buttons on wheel). To turn it off press button on dash again. Is this how the Malibu works?

That's the same impression I got when I sat in an xB a couple months back. The seats were awfully uncomfortable and awkward, and adjusting didn't help. I can only imagine the xD being worse. And why did they change the name of the xA to the xD, when it is still the cheapest in the lineup? Exterior dimensions aside, the xB and xD now look the same to me, and I had to go to the Scion website and compare them side by side to really see the difference. Scion annoys me. Their website annoys me. Click "Engine, Drivetrain, and Chassis" to see the engine specs of the xB, but you click "Mechanical/Performance" to see the engine specs of the xD. And the other menu options are equally different from each other. Let me guess, they did this to be hip? Alignment is off on a few things too.