I read so many posts about everyone complaining about grille design, front and rear design, overall design.
Except for S2000, I think 2008 Accord Coupe is the best looking Honda/Acura out now. Remember I am only talking about 08 and 09 model years. I will post a couple pics of my 08 Accord Coupe.
dutchboy wrote: I read so many posts about everyone complaining about grille design, front and rear design, overall design.
Except for S2000, I think 2008 Accord Coupe is the best looking Honda/Acura out now. Remember I am only talking about 08 and 09 model years. I will post a couple pics of my 08 Accord Coupe.
for me i will pick the new TL as the real one.
that coupe look cool :)
The best current Honda design is the 06-08 Civic Si Coupe. If by best design you mean pleasing to the eye, you'd be hardpressed to find a single flaw with this design. It is beautiful, and aging exceptionally well.
I love the Accord Coupe, but that somewhat blunted nose really bugs the heck out of me.
So you dig the 3 mile long windshield? What about the 2 level dash?
The Civic is a fine design, but it is purely a functional design. The only way they could improve interior room was to put a larger roofline on the car. This means that they increased the length of the windshield and moved the A and B/C pillars out on the car. It doesn't flow correctly.
I bought an Accord coupe and I think it is the best design (inside and out) of any current Honda/Acura model.
I like the MDX as second. The S2000 is nice, but very dated. The outside has been able to stand the test of time, but the interior with the funky radio controls on the left side of the dash are tacky and the knight rider speedo and tach are definately dated. (Although cool).
I agree about the MDX, I actually think that is Acura/Honda's best current design. I do like the Honda Accord coupe too, but the car overall is just too long, especially the nose.
I'd say it's a tie between the Accord Coupe and Acura MDX. I only have two gripes about both. For the Accord, I hate the line between the grille and the hood. They should've moved it a few inches lower so that they could cover that line with where the chrome grille and body panel meet. For the MDX, I dislike the plasticky bumpers. They should've made them painted. It cheapens the overall look of the SUV. But other than that, both are pretty hot.
aznstuart wrote: I'd say it's a tie between the Accord Coupe and Acura MDX. I only have two gripes about both. For the Accord, I hate the line between the grille and the hood. They should've moved it a few inches lower so that they could cover that line with where the chrome grille and body panel meet. For the MDX, I dislike the plasticky bumpers. They should've made them painted. It cheapens the overall look of the SUV. But other than that, both are pretty hot.
Ive always liked the MDXs design but Ive always thought it was unfinished. By that I mean it needs a few touches of brightwork here and there. Maybe a few bits satin/matte chrome touches to give it some detail. Not along the lines of an Escalade but maybe something similar to the Audi Q7.
aznstuart wrote: I'd say it's a tie between the Accord Coupe and Acura MDX. I only have two gripes about both. For the Accord, I hate the line between the grille and the hood. They should've moved it a few inches lower so that they could cover that line with where the chrome grille and body panel meet. For the MDX, I dislike the plasticky bumpers. They should've made them painted. It cheapens the overall look of the SUV. But other than that, both are pretty hot.
Ive always liked the MDXs design but Ive always thought it was unfinished. By that I mean it needs a few touches of brightwork here and there. Maybe a few bits satin/matte chrome touches to give it some detail. Not along the lines of an Escalade but maybe something similar to the Audi Q7.
Audi can finish a car well.
-Patrick
I agree that the Q7 is executed beautifully, but the MDX is probably the best current Acura design, front to back and top to bottom. Next would be the TSX.
On the Honda side, excluding the S2000 I would probably lean towards the CR-V as pulling it all together the best, and then it's a bit of a toss-up. I would say it's probably the Civic coupe? But to my eyes the Odyssey does about everything you can do to make a minivan look good. Then there's the Accord. Oddly, I sort of put the Accord sedan ahead of the Accord Coupe. The Coupe has far better details, but fundamentally, I think the sedan has a slightly better overall design.
I meant to mention this in my last post. I think one of the most important design elements Honda and Acura designers always seem to miss is visual proportion, especially regarding front overhangs. The Germans are very good at designing visually proportioned vehicles. Of course being RWD changes a vehicles proportions for the better although Audis are FWD based.
To make it fair Ill use Audi as an example. Audi uses design elements that disguise the front overhang or keep it from being the first thing you notice when looking at an Audi vehicle. Sure, you know its there but for some reason Audi designs still come accross as proportioned.
Audi S8:
Audi Q7 4.2:
Audi RS4:
Audi RS6 Avant:
Audi S5:
I like the way Audi can mask the front end overhang.
Honda really needs to study Audi closely. There is no reason why the new TL can have so many lights in the front and yet none of them are LEDs. Meanwhile Audi is coming out with some of the coolest looking headlight designs.
Honda really needs to study Audi closely. There is no reason why the new TL can have so many lights in the front and yet none of them are LEDs. Meanwhile Audi is coming out with some of the coolest looking headlight designs.
In this case it isnt even about LED lighting but overall desgin execution. If you compare the 2 brands, Audi lines seem to have a purpose and near perfect integration. Acuras lines are all over the place and dont flow well at all. Its as if the design elements are forcing themselves to work together while the Audi design elements work together naturally.
In this case it isnt even about LED lighting but overall desgin execution. If you compare the 2 brands, Audi lines seem to have a purpose and near perfect integration. Acuras lines are all over the place and dont flow well at all. Its as if the design elements are forcing themselves to work together while the Audi design elements work together naturally.
-Patrick
I agree with you there. If there is one thing Audi is good at, it is creating a coherent design theme. IMO a lot of this has to do with the apparent simplicity of the overall design -- keep it simple stupid. Ironically, it's that styling restraint gives the cars the upscale look. Take a look at a mid-90s A4 -- the design still looks contemporary and timeless to this day. Lesson of the day? Focus on the overall stance and shape and ditch the add-ons and clutter.
You can see where I'm heading to. I'm not certain that we fully seen Acura's design language yet. The TSX is the best integrated of the current crop, but then again it wasn't a clean sheet design (other than the power plenum, the design was done by Honda).
The TL is obviously a clean sheet design, and it's unfortunate. I concede that I have yet to see it in person, but the photos and reviews don't bode well. Just from a purely cerebral level though, I can pick out some things about it that are just wrong. For instance, the vertical crease that runs up from the middle of the front to the rear bumper is a styling mistake. Part of what makes a car look good is a wide stance -- splitting the car in half visually destroys that horizontal stance and makes it look narrower (and less sporty). The vertical crease on the rear trunk just emphasizes the tallness of the car, again taking away from the visual width of the car.
I do agree with the consensus that the Accord is a great design. The sedan, especially.
nicely said...never quite understood why i thought the back end look too narrow.
I would also add, that the rear bumper is travels too much vertically, and the tail-lights placed way up high on the back end. There's so much empty space between the tail-lights and the bottom section of the bumper; it looks awkwardly unbalanced. Lower the tail-lights, let the trunk run down further, and remove that middle line.
otherwise the car looks great in and out (as long as the front grille is over-looked)
Btw, can anybody photo-CHOP that middle line crease in the rear. just wondering how it would look without it.
IMHO wrote: nicely said...never quite understood why i thought the back end look too narrow.
I would also add, that the rear bumper is travels too much vertically, and the tail-lights placed way up high on the back end. There's so much empty space between the tail-lights and the bottom section of the bumper; it looks awkwardly unbalanced. Lower the tail-lights, let the trunk run down further, and remove that middle line.
otherwise the car looks great in and out (as long as the front grille is over-looked)
Btw, can anybody photo-CHOP that middle line crease in the rear. just wondering how it would look without it.
Anyway my favorite Acura designs would be the TSX, MDX, and new TL. My favorite Honda designs are the Accord, CR-V, and Civic.
The only Honda/Acura vehicles that come close to being deemed ugly IMO are the Pilot, Element, and pre-MMC Ridgeline. I've seen the Pilot in person and it looks much better than it does in pics, but it still isn't attractive. The Element looks better than the Pilot but those headlights are very odd. The MMC has improved the Ridgeline's overall look greatly and I actually like it.
When the plenum came out, it was shocking, but all the "plenum-ized" vehicles have grown on me. When the TSX debuted, I thought it's entire front end looked like a Civic, but over time, seeing more pics, and seeing it on the road has changed my perception and I actually like it now.
Same with the RL. It looked like an angry parrot at the Chicago auto show, but now after seeing it on the web for months and then actually seeing it drive past me on the highway I'm highly impressed by what a nice sedan it is.
I think it will be the same with the TL. I actually think I'm going to end up liking the TL even more, because when it was first unveiled, I actually liked the front end (maybe I'm already "used" to the plenum lol) and I had very few major gripes about it.
So I'm excited about what's to come from Acura, and I'm confident that the NSX's successor will be beautiful.
To answer the OP, I agree that the Accord Coupe is the best design in the line-up. The use of glossy flat surfaces in the back does wonders with reflecting light. The gaps between panels are some of the tightest I've seen. The nose doesn't have the same appeal, but it doesn't take anything away from it.
Runner-up would be the MDX.
dofe wrote: For instance, the vertical crease that runs up from the middle of the front to the rear bumper is a styling mistake. Part of what makes a car look good is a wide stance -- splitting the car in half visually destroys that horizontal stance and makes it look narrower (and less sporty). The vertical crease on the rear trunk just emphasizes the tallness of the car, again taking away from the visual width of the car.
Amen. Acura has been chasing that stoopit CL-X concept design for a decade and still hasn't figured out that a center line like that only looks good on concept cars. Once you create bumpers and hoods that meet safety regs, any potential that line had is lost.
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