cars.com: Acura TLX

Acura has announced that it will unveil a refreshed 2018 version of its TLX mid-size sedan at the 2017 New York International Auto Show on April 11...

Motor1.com
Earlier spy shots show as many as three variants being tested...

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The greatest struggle of any troubled luxury automaker today is finding some form of iconic grille design that evokes their brand on any car it's slapped on. It's really funny to watch this unfold. Lincoln has struggled more than anybody besides Acura and ultimately settled on something far more traditional than the avant-garde bold shapes most try to make work. Acura's new grille looks a bit better each time they tweak it but they are trying really hard and they are sticking with aggressive sporting lines. Lincoln found a design that works perfectly for their traditional customers, it's more friendly, less aggressive, and essentially evokes the luxury design nomenclature of British design with a less progressive edge of modern European or Japanese designs.

I finally started to like the toned down beak that the TLX had, but now they're plastering this ugly pentagon thing on everything.

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For what it's worth, I liked the split wing, and they were finally getting it right with the MKX. Obviously the new grille has broader appeal, though.

Jeep Teases Moab Easter Jeep Safari Vehicles
FCAuthority
by Sam McEachern — Mar 28, 2017


PRNewswire/ -- The Jeep® and Mopar brands have once again joined forces to create a selection of concept Jeep vehicles for the upcoming 51st annual Easter Jeep Safari, taking place in Moab, Utah, April 8-16. The Jeep Quicksand concept and the Jeep Switchback concept are two of the new vehicles that will head to Moab. Look for more information and images on these vehicles later this week.

Don't know if Wrangler is debuting there, but here's the new Wrangler:

I was just thinking about this I wonder when it will debut, that will be a big one.

I kind of feel bad for Acura as they have been struggling trying to find a look for quite a while. This new thing isnt it though. The current TLX actually look decent, but they've ruined it.

Acura's problem is that they really were everything that Lincoln has been (somewhat legitimately) accused of being: a rebadge/trim level rather than a true brand. ****, I've called them the "overpriced Accord store" for years, now.

The biggest issue is that Acura cracked open the door for the other Japanese luxury marques, but completely failed at defining the brand in the process. They really did seem to want to stay at a "Mercury" level, one step up from typical Honda stuff...while Lexus and Infiniti were going all-in with the LS and Q models. Even the NSX, as great as the original was, was too niche to really have a big impact with typical luxury brand customers. Their most endearing model, the Integra, was shelved as they tried to be more "mature" without really offering anything distinct from the other sedans and CUVs out there.

It's only gotten worse as Honda has become a pale shadow of its former self. The new NSX is a tech tour-de-force that isn't terribly interesting or engaging among supercars. The Accord is still arguably best in class (which hurts to admit, as always), but it's taken 3 generations for the Civic to generate much attention and the various CUVs are very nearly identical to everyone else's.

This kinda makes me sad. I had enormous respect for Honda for years, even as I saw them to be a truly terrifying rival. They were killing everyone in Formula 1 for years (first with Williams, then with McLaren), their Civics were impossibly better than most of the compacts in the market, the Accord was the only real driver's car in the midsize sedan market (excepting the SHO), and so on. The original Integra and Legend were very good, but...Infiniti and particularly Lexus took bigger steps and bigger risks, gaining headlines Acura still has never approached.

To be honest, the last Honda I thought had a glimmer of personality was the Element...and this is from a guy that's trying to climb out from under a ton of medical bills to get an Ecoboost Flex before they kill it. As a guy that lugs guitar gear around regularly, wagons and other cars with actual utility are dear to me.

Anyway, Acura is bolting a new shnoz onto their collection of fwd/awd sedans and CUVs, yet still won't step up to the plate with a real competitor for true luxury offerings. More news that ain't news.

Ok, so what did they change from the 2012 model?

Despite it looking about the same, everything.

The grille has a bend in it, foglights repositioned, turn signals on the fenders/wheel wells, fender vent behind the front wheel, a large crease down the beltline, different taillights and tailgate.....so like I said, everything.