Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General What do you think of the X-type?

Quality control on this car is as bad as a Ford. Read the horror storys on the CL boards.. My buddy has a 2001 CL-S, and it seems to jive with what I've heard. TL-S isn't offered in a manual either. It definitely is a bargain at the price, but it's still FWD

But the TL is too big to be a serious sports sedan. Call me a name badge snobs but i just don't think "Acura" says premium sports sedan to me... I equate Acura as a mid level comfort car. The TL, CL and RL are all oversized beast. To me, Acura is the new Oldsmobile or Buick... Cars made for my parents but not me. Cars that I would expect my doctor or insurance broker to drive. I would buy a Honda Accord first before I get stuck with an Acura. In another word, the TL is not a real sports sedan in my book.

I have been shopping for a new car lately as well and have test drove the X Type, IS 300 and A4 3.0. BMW 330 is nice but when equiped the way I want (sports package, sunroof, xeon, leather) the cost is over $40k. Jaguar drove really nice and handles very good. It's definately competitive but I'm not too happy with the option packages. You can't pick and choose what you want (like Audi or BMW). In order to get one package, you have to get another... and the options I want are never in the same package... so effectively, Ford priced themselves out of my price range with this kind of tactic.

So I pretty much have narrowed it down to IS 300 and A4. Although I can't get over how unattractive IS 300 is. Looks too much like a Corrola and has ugly clear tail light lense. A4 is my curret favorite but I'm waiting to test drive the G35. There is no MTX yet and I can't get warmed up to the LED tail lights (over styled). But I'll reserve my judgement until I drive it. I might like it. If price is not factor, BMW 330 is a no-brainer choice.

good call cartman, looks like some guys are having a helluva time with transmission & service problems at acura-cl.com. I always thought that car was air tight too.

bzkat, i disagree with just about everything you said in your post but good luck with your new car hunt.

I can't believe that the Acura CL-S or TL-S would have any problems. My father has owned two Legends, a RL, my sister an Integra, and I had an 88 Legend that I bought with 124,000 miles. None of them ever had a single problem outside of replacing brakes and something with my sisters CD player. Currently, my friends brother owns a TL Type S and it handles extremely well. I don't consider Acura's over-sized beasts, heck my Contour is almost as long as the TL. If I were looking for a new car I'd look into the new Maxima 6-speed or wait until the TL-S gets a 6-speed late next year.

Wait for the 2004 Pontiac GTO. Already exists in Australia as the Monaro. 2 door coupe, 400hp V8, 6-speed manual, rear wheel drive. Should come in somewhere around $35,000. web page web page

The GTO is not a sports sedan.. And it's ugly.. (What is wrong with auto designers today?!)

Acura has gone downhill.. The Legends and Integras were rock solid, but the CL/TL's have had all kinds of problems (So were initial RSX's, dunno if that's still the case), the most serious being the transmission issue. Some are hoping that the 6-speed in the CL-S won't have the tranny problems. I haven't seen pricing for the MTX/LSD model, but I'm guessing that it adds a few bucks to the price, bringing it into IS territory.

I'm willing to pay a few bucks more for the quality and performance that a BMW will deliver. I was tempted to get a 2002 IS300 L-Tuned Stage 2, but at $42K (MSRP, can be had for $36K with some work), it just didn't add up. Maybe if the 2003s get more power, I'd reconsider it. The A4 3.0 is real tempting, I like the way it looks and all, just haven't had a chance to drive one yet.

$31,050 MSRP w/o NAV

It isn't. Either get some mods on one or pay for the BMW. IS takes well to mods, BMW does not.

That GTS holden coupe is far from ugly imho. I love it's styling and would drive one in a heartbeat. everything you could want in a sports coupe if you ask me except the right side drivers seat . I just hope pontiac doesn't kill the design when it comes over as the GTO.

I used to love the Acura legends though, especially the coupes and I was disturbed to see them discontinue it. I like the new A4 but I haven't driven one yet to guage it's performance and value. However I have seen some body kits for it that would make people's jaws drop.

Tell that to Dinan.. I've been trolling around is300.net for months now, haven't seen any decent power mods except for the various turbo kits. What would you recommend?

I mean less serious modifications. I/H/E & AFC tuning gets about 25-30rwhp on the IS. I bet you get about 5-8 hp on a BMW, which just means that BMW designs/tunes their engines very well. If you want any kind of forced induction, I don't know as much, although Dinan charges a permium for their work/products.