News I Can Use
I haven’t spotted Ezra Dyer in the New York Times auto section for a while, but he’s back, in fine form, reviewing a Japanese car — his life’s true calling.
In Acura’s case, the “power plenum” design idiom works for the MDX and RDX crossovers, but its naked, futuristic aggression doesn’t sit right with the sedans. A sedan’s grille should not look like a weapon used by ninjas from the year 2350.
[…] the TL might prove to be a hit, a tech-forward performance sedan whose sales numbers eventually validate its challenging aesthetics.
Or Acura might slap a new grille on it in a year or two and lay blame for this whole “power plenum” business where it rightly belongs: with the ninjas from the future.
I recommend chronojingoism as well in our struggle to assign responsibility for the nation’s economic downturn. If it wasn’t for our children and grandchildren, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Hey now. I drive a TL (not a new model) and love its ninja-ness.
— Peter Suderman · Mar 7, 06:17 PM · #
Agreed with Peter. I bought one last year. I traded in my beloved 12-year old Honda Prelude (and: got $7500 for it. The TL was $2500 under invoice so I don’t think he handed me a sweet deal, besides I got offers from $6000 – $7500 from other dealers. Let’s see GM beat that … I’d drive into a place, salespeople would come out and stroke the hood: “A Prelude…. I used to sell these.” But wife, two kids — time got get a TL. Sigh.)
That said, the odd “folded” front of the previous gen TL was striking, but the new one does kind of say, “uh, we lifted this from an SUV, we had a few of those left over.” It’s ugly. But I’d still like the AWD, if you can get it on a stick.
— Sanjay · Mar 7, 09:55 PM · #