Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkSunrise
Agree, Honda seems lost these days. I'm sure they're doing fine financially (the Accord and Civic will always be high volume cash-cows), but Honda used to be synonymous with motorsport and affordable, yet lightweight/sporty cars. Now they've killed off nearly all of their affordable, sporty cars (s2k, integra/rsx, nsx, prelude). And the Accord and Civic are no longer the lightest/sportiest offerings in their respective classes. Both cars have gotten bigger and heavier over the years, and have lost distinctive features like double-wishbone front suspension. These used to be the unique features that set Honda apart and reflected their passion for motorsport.
Honda even recently admitted that the last generation Civic was not a competitive product, and had been designed with the global recession in mind for a certain price-point. I can't imagine the passionate Honda of the 1990's making that mistake. Seems the bean-counters have taken over. That's probably good for short-term profitability, but I can't help but think this philosophical shift will come back to bite Honda in the long-run. People used to be passionate about owning Hondas, now there's nothing really to set them apart from other bland car manufacturers. I honestly can't even tell what direction Honda is heading now. Perhaps some sort of environmentally-friendly, pretend-sporty direction?
Honda needs to get their collective heads out of their rears and go back to their roots.
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over-dramatic much?!
The Prelude was 3000lbs and cost $23,500 14 years ago. An SH model would've set you back $26,000. That's $35,109 in today's dollars according to the BLS CPI Inflation Calculator. Give or take an 8% "adjustment" you're still looking at a 200 hp, 3000lb FWD coupe 5 speed for $35,000 OTD if it were released today.
The S2000, that was a $32,000 car. Given that same 8% "adjustment" it's a $43,000 OTD price for a 240 hp 2800lb (HEAVIER THAN THE FRS!) convertible, if it were released today.
People keep bringing up the K20 engine.. it was a cool, I love it, but it fails emissions standards dramatically. End of story.
And let's not even get started on the sales numbers of the NSX. Or price!
They are definitely not 'affordable' cars. Maybe you are pining for the modified used market days.. and we never got the good stuff, anyways (Type R with exception of a few hundred for.. one year?).
On the other hand..
Someone mentioned, the Accord Sport comes in a manual. I could be wrong but I don't see the Camry offered in a 'sport' version with a manual. To my knowledge it's just the Accord and the Mazda6 in that category [JDM 4 door sedans with 4 bangers]. What car hasn't gotten bigger and heavier in that respective class?
Let alone the V6 Accord Coupe you can spec in a manual as well, which I'd argue this is the successor to the Prelude. And of course, you've
HAD the Civic SI/Acura ILX (RSX) this whole time. I can't think of any other coupe with a V6 and manual that comes out of a Japanese car maker that isn't a luxury brand. I wouldn't say they've lost their way at all, the products
given the market are there, and hell, they are now back in F1 with McLaren. It isn't like Toyota has been making fun,
affordable cars for the past 14 years that didn't have a direct Honda competitor. No, in fact, Honda kept ON offering after Toyota threw in the towel. It took sleeping in bed with another manufacture [risk reduction] to bring out something cool, and that's the only cool thing they have (and it isn't even fully their own!!!).
Now.. just because you don't
like the products, doesn't mean they have or haven't been making them.