August 09, 2008
What the hell is Acura thinking?
Acura has unveiled the new version of their bestselling car, the TL sedan, set to debut for the 2009 model year.
The Japanese automaker had long been derided by automotive enthusiasts for its extremely boring exteriors -- the exotic NSX mid-engined affordable supercar aside -- and nothing-to-write-home-about interiors.
Oh, sure, the engineering under the skin was good (after all, the company is an outlet for Honda's upscale ambitions), but the company just couldn't lure buyers away from BMW and Audi, in large measure because Acuras were so boring to look at.
All that changed when the last iteration of the TL hit the streets in 2004. For the first time, Honda's engineers and stylists got together and decided to produce an entry-level luxury sports sedan that actually looked like something that market segment might want to be seen in.
The TL featured a much more aggressive shape, with laid-back A-pillars, short front and rear overhangs, and a sharp crease that began as a side-light marker on the front quarter panels, rising as it made its way along the doors, extending onto the rear quarter panels, passing through the fuel filler door and ending with another side-marker light near the back end.
The 2008 Acura TL has been the automaker's bestselling car since it's introduction in 2004.
That crease gave the illusion of a hunkered down front end with a muscular rear; the car looked ready to pounce. From some angles -- mainly the view from the rear-quarter looking forward -- if you tilted your head just-so and squinted a little bit, the TL looked vaguely like a BMW, before Chris Bangle bollixed up the Beemers' looks.
So, when word came that Acura was going to give the TL an update, I expected many things: hi-tech, good performance-to-value ratio, and even better luxury on the cheap.
What I didn't expect was the automaker to take its bestselling model and beat it bumper to bumper with a bushel of ugly sticks.
Behold, the 2009 Acura TL in all its glory. What a mess.
Are they kidding?
I haven't seen a nose like that since Karl Malden stopped doing commercials for AmEx. Good gravy! It's like The Joker modeled for the grill. And what's with the mish-mash of extra creases? It's as if the Japanese company is trying to emulate Bangle's "flame" design work, notwithstanding the fact that the BMWs that were subjected to Banglization aren't half as attractive as their predecessors.
Notice the soft, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man lines of the car's C-pillar, where it sort of slumps from the roof into the trunk. And those swollen, Rosie O'Donnell-esque flanks, from front to bloated rear, with the exaggerated fender flares.
The horror.
We like our TL so much that I'd been looking forward to the day when we might get a new and improved version -- if such a thing was possible. That won't be happening.
Because Acura has managed to produce a car that looks like a bag of monkey ass.
Posted by Mike Lief at August 9, 2008 10:28 PM
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Comments
Cadillac has done this to me repeatedly. Just when I get accustomed to the latest styling abomination, they make it worse. And more expensive. Soon they won't even MAKE the traditional big Cadillac. Good gravy, I have stayed too long at the party.
Posted by: The Little Coach at August 10, 2008 07:22 AM
Go electric--they're gettin' very cool: http://www.aptera.com/details.php
Posted by: Schmedly at August 10, 2008 08:42 AM