30thZ286speed

Every year its more of the same, Acuras, Hondas,& BMWs (actually only one BMW line made it this year). The Acura TSX got "Best Sports Sedan" while the Acura RL got "Best Luxury Sedan". On top of that the BMW 3-series got "Best Luxury Sports Sedan". Next, Honda Accord got "Best Family Sedan" which is basically the same car as the two Acuras Way too much overlap and bias judging.

It was nice to see some American faces in the pack, though I have one more gripe. The new Mustang got "Best Muscle Car" which is pretty cool. But where the hell did this segment come from, why are they just now making a Muscle car segment? Why didn't they have this segment when the F-Bodies were around?

Big Als Z

I cant get over how the RL won over the STS.
I think that if the CTS had a better interior, it coudl trump the 3 series, but even then, I think that the G35 sedan might edge up on the 3 series.
As for the TSX...I dont know. I think if Pontiac put a little bit more effort into it, added REAL steering and had a 6spd option, it could make it in with ease.

Meccadeth

Although the STS is an absolutely wonderful car, I personally consider the RL to be the most 'perfect' car on the road right now.

Capn Pete

I guess we'll never understand. We're all into wRong Wheel Drive, straight-line performing, cheaply built, otherwise rather impractical cars. We'll never be able to appreciate the "finer" things in life!

Acura / Honda, etc., can win all the awards they want. 'Til they build something that can compete/beat an F-body (or shall I challenge them to beat the new 'Vette?) I'll still drive a Chevy.

96_Camaro_B4C

Al, I wonder if you'll still be saying that when the magazines start drooling over the upcoming redesigned Audi A4 (or maybe it is the A3) which has electric assist.

I do not understand everyone's hangup here. It gives more freedom to tune the level of assist based on all sorts of factors, without having to vary the size of a hydraulic orifice. The freaking steering column is still connected to the road, just like with a "good old" hydraulic assist setup. I swear, if everyone had driven with electric assist FIRST, and then someone came along and decided to put a power-robbing, potentially leaky, engine-driven hydraulic assist system on a car, we'd all laugh at them like they were morons. I can understand the apprehension toward a full steering by wire system (there, any "feel" would be fully artificial, like the resistance in a throttle by wire pedal), but not electric ASSIST. I've driven the Malibu Maxx (great car) and the Equinox, and both felt fine to me. The Equinox didn't exactly feel like a Corvette, but then again it is a freaking SUV! The Malibu felt fine to me. My parents bought one a few months ago, and my dad is about the stupid magazines whining about the steering...

I really can't wait ( ) to see all the magazines praising the hell out of the Audi setup, because it's an Audi dammit!! They'll say, "Unlike the systems in other automakers' stables, such as the Chevy Malibu and Equinox or the Pontiac G6, the system in the Audi has been tuned to feel perfectly natural..."

*shrug*

Z28x

Best muscle car????? What other cars could have won? The GTO?

Mustang should have beat out the RX8 for best sports coupe

AronZ28

I can't believe they put the RX-8 in their 10 best. This car has absolutely no torque, bad gas mileage(for a 1.3L displacement) and the rotary design has been notorously unreliable. They should have put the G35 coupe in that slot, a much better car IMO.

Also the BMW 3 series is an awesome car that is way overpriced. Once again the G35 is about 98% as good for $5000-$7000 less comparbily equipped.

I also do not understand why they have both the Accord and TSX nominated. Both of these cars a priced similarly, both serving the same function, and the Accord is obviously the better value, being quicker and much more roomy and practical. If I want a sports sedan, it better be RWD or AWD.

I can't believe they didn't have the Suburu STi or Evolution on their 10 best. Those editors are always drooling and lusting over these two cars, and at 30K each, the price is great considering all the peformence and utility you get from them.

Big Als Z

Well, then Pontiac needs to retune the steering to be spot on. Even BMW got ripped for the 7 and 5 series steering. Numb and dull is all I kept reading, and thats from BMW.
When the G6 GTP arrives with hydraulic power rack, I will bet you that more people will prefer it over the G6's GT and base steering. Im glad for Audi, but Audi isnt Pontiac.
I hope to see cars like the Solstice and Cobalt enter the list next year. Id also like STS make its way onto the list. Also, the 05 GTO SHOULD have made it on the list, as its is a better performing car. I mean, if they can overlook the how the G35 is cheaper then the 3 series, yet teh 3 is still on the list, they can overlook the GTO's price to the Mustang.

Magnum Force

the 10 best has been a joke for almost 20 years (as long as i've been reading it)

redzed

Compare an Acura RL to an Accord V6 and it becomes obvious that Honda hasn't managed very much product differentiation. Nobody can confuse a Pontiac G6 with a Cadillac STS (not that I'd buy either car) but plenty of people could mistake the RL for a really nice, top-of-the-line Honda Accord.

Meccadeth

...a lot of people could mistake a STS for an CTS, does that make the STS any less of a great car?

redzed

Personally, I don't really see the point of the Acura TSX. This car looks like it should be selling at Honda dealers as an intermediate model between the current Accord and Civic. The TSX looks like a $17-18K car to me. Maybe some people see $10,000 of value in an extra 40hp, leather seats and standard stability control, but I don't. I suppose that Honda figured that rebadging the Euro Accord as an "Acura TSX" would be cheap way of replacing both the Integra sedan and a price segment replacement of the last generation, base Acura TL.

What surprises me is how easily automotive writers are taken in by Acura's line of fairly dull sedans.

redzed

The STS and CTS are far too close together in size, the pricing of V6 models overlaps to much and both are tremendously overpriced....

For this thread, my criticism was directed solely at the Acura RL. Other than Lexus-like reliability, I don't see what this car offers. The new car offers straight line acceleration that matches the Northstar equipped STS - the previous generation 1998 STS. Then there's the stupidly named SH-AWD ("Super Handling") that represents a very clever system to simulate rear wheel drive handling. Most companies have decide that rear wheel drive handling is best acheived with a rear wheel drive chassis. You have to wonder what exactly is going wrong at Honda?

As it is, the Acura RL seems like very unimpressive place to put $50K. To put it another way, it would be my very last choice in the entire Luxury segment.

muckz

I do not know enough about STS, but RL seems to be a sophisticated piece of machinery with AWD. Sophisticated does not equal better, but they have put a lot of money into that car. It does cost $70,000 CDN, way too much.

As for Pontiac topping TSX? I drove both G6 GT and TSX... and Pontiac has a long way to go. Adding a 6-speed would be most welcome, but the two cars have such different responses and feels. Not to mention that G6's interior plastics are still Honda's 90's. I am not really biased, and I am probably one of the more open-minded members here, but giving credit where it's due is still fine in my books.

Ken S

I agree... playing the Build your own MSRP game on both websites, the TSX is $1000 more expensive, but that includes $570 mp3 player, $350 metal-look trim, and a $90 truck tray in the TSX..oh and a 6 speed too. the G6 GT has onstar..

Of course you can argue that you should be able find, or eventually get incentives and rebates on the G6 to lower costs from actual MSRP..

But if I was in the market for a smaller FWD sports sedan, I'd still get the TSX.