Originally Posted by MrFatbooty

Given the rash of theorizing in the 2006 Civic Si thread about what may become of the RSX now that the Si is around, I have created this thread for discussing what you think Acura should do in the coupe segment.

I think the RSX is a pretty nice car, especially in Type-S form. I also think it's somewhat lacking in what may be referred to as mechanical soul, and I think the current Civic Si hatch has that mechanical soul but is lacking the performance bits of the RSX Type-S. My ideal car out of all of these options would be the Civic Type-R which combines the soul of the current Si hatch body style with the performance bits of the RSX-S. The new Si covers the performance bases just as well as the RSX-S does, and it has a bit more sort of youthful flair to it (although not as much as I think the CTR does). Regardless, I think it makes the RSX lineup a bit redundant.

Acura has for years played second fiddle to Lexus and to a lesser extent Infiniti (if not in sales numbers then in prestige) for a number of reasons. One of the biggest reasons in my mind is the Integra/RSX. Whereas the other Japanese luxury marques all have their entry level car as a sedan with plenty of luxury appointments and an at least quasi-premium price, the Acura brand has been accessible to all but the lowest rungs of the automotive price spectrum. With the TSX selling really well, I think it's time for Acura to shed its lowest priced model.

In its place, I think Acura should sell a 2-door coupe with either the the TL's 3.2 liter V6 or the RL's 3.5 liter, and most importantly, rear wheel drive. Not freaking all wheel drive. No understeer here, thankyouverymuch. We're not talking a huge slice of the market here, mainly just something to compete with the likes of the BMW 330Ci and Infiniti G35 Coupe. Besides, the car show crowd has shown it is perfectly willing to embrace more expensive cars like the Nissan 350Z and Infiniti G35, so a car in that segment would do much to enhance Acura's street cred in the higher price brackets as something more than just a sensible choice for the up-and-coming yuppie or the middle-aged former yuppie that no longer feels inclined to deal with the problems associated with owning a premium European marque.

Now here's the wrinkle to give it a business case. The car could be sold in world markets as the Legend Coupe. Give it RL/Legend headlights and unique bodywork everywhere else, and sell it everywhere to recoup some of the development costs. Even in countries where Acura is not a brand, a Legend Coupe would help give more class to the Honda brand. This would be especially helpful in Europe where by and large Japanese brands don't have too much success.

So...feel free to discuss whatever it is you have to discuss about the RSX's fate and what if anything you think Acura should do with a coupe in the future.