Road & Track Top 20 - No Acura Included

[nsxt2000]

The feature article in the October issue of Road & Track is about the "Top 20 New Cars For 2008". This is touted as a self proclaimed hot list of enthusiast cars. Well, some are...and some you really have to question. I can see the likes of - Maserati GranTurismo, Porsche 911 GT2, Viper SRT10, Audi R8 and even the Nissan GT-R included on the list. However, when you offer in the same company the Pontiac G8, Saturn Astra, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Dodge Caliber SRT4 and Subaru Impreza WRX STI, it sort of makes you wonder just who is making this list and what are they smoking. To round out the 20 they throw in a couple of BMW's, the M-B C63 AMG, the Lexus IS-F, Jaguar XF, Cadillac CTS, Infinity G37, Volvo C30 and even the Honda Accord. Not one real Acura among them. Since apparently the "Top 20" list over flowed, R&T went on to the "Top 20 Plus" group. Again, no Acura qualified.

However, I can say that we were not entirely left in the cold...in the write up for the Audi R8, it charized it as a German Acura NSX. It brings usability, refinement and comfort, "just as the NSX proved possible 18 years ago".

I guess I can not be too upset with R&T - with the NSX debut they called it the best exotic daily driver - EVER! Hard to fault a magazine after such a statement. Of course that was 18 years ago and the position must be - what have you done lately. Acura really does need to introduce the next generation NSX. Word in the trade keeps saying next year, next year, next year, but it does not happen. I am afraid we are losing much of our following as they drift in other directions. Hopefully next year...
Mike S.

[4re308]

Wow that is not exactly a well rounded top 20 by any means. A Pontiac G6 over an Acura? I wil never understand that one.

[Jack FFR1846]

Wow that is not exactly a well rounded top 20 by any means. A Pontiac G6 over an Acura? I wil never understand that one.

Not a G6, a G8. Holden Commador rebadged and with the steering wheel pushed to the left for US consumption. I was looking at it (website pix) yesterday and checking out the specs. Like the Shelby GT500, it has gobs of power from a very nice, big V8 feeding the rear wheels. It also weighs as much as an SUV so needs that power to move.

I think that the top 20 (they used to have enough gonads to make it top 10) are really a lot of opinion. Stuff like the Accord makes it because it's a new model of the best of the mid sized crowd. The exotics are all based on somebody's emotion. New cars seem to get the first shot here over carryover models. You can also note that they could care less about reliability. I'm in the market for a car right now and paying close attention to that. Cars dropped from my list because of reliability issues include Mercedes C class, Saab 9-3, BMW 3 series, Audi A4, Dodge Charger, Pontiac G8 (I had it on my list and had to go by Pontiac line reliability).

jack