It is fairly certain I will buy the TLX. Specifically the V6 Advance. The emotional side of me really likes that car but the practical side of me says it is at my self-imposed budget limit and the I4 Tech is all I really need. So to address my practical side I decided to see if the added features between the I4/Tech and the V6/Advance are worth it. So I listed out the differences between the two cars and I tried to assign a value to each one based on what it is worth to me. Not what it costs... what is it worth. I saw a similar comparison on another forum and I thought it was a good exercise. If you want to run your own numbers knock yourself out. Your numbers probably won't match mine which is expected, but I'll share my math with you. I expect to own this car 5-6 years minimum. So my value is based on this time frame in mind.
The I4/Tech MSRP is $35,920. The V6/Advance MSRP is $43,395. These include destination. So the V6/Advance owes me $7,475 in added value to me. That is a tall order.
Engine: $1,250. This is a hard one since I have not driven the I4 TLX. I drive an I4 TSX and while the TLX I4 power train is certainly better than my TSX, I think I can still guesstimate the worth to me. I have driven the V6/Tech and the V6 is so silky smooth and has more than adequate power for any driving I'll do. I'm not a fan of the concept that Acura does not offer the Advance trim on the I4. If they did I probably wouldn't need to consider the V6. But I do have to say that the nicer power and feel of the V6 is a more luxury feel and adds refinement to the car. The gas mileage is surprisingly not that different between the two cars and better than the car I drive today. It is a little in the minus column for the V6 but I didn't discount it that much.
Wheels: $1,000. This value comes in 2 categories.. aesthetics and performance. No I haven't seen the I4 wheels in person and apparently they are not as bad as my eyes say they are, but I really don't like them. The step up in size from 17" to 18" and the lower profile tires adds to the handling of the car. If I bought the I4 I don't think I'd spend the extra cash to change the wheels and tires (cause I'm too cheap and I don't think you get any resale value from them). So this is less than the $3 grand that Acura wants from me to upgrade since it looks like no one would buy the stock wheels from me. But the V6 wheels are nice, I like the look and the cars handles and rides very well with them. I'd not like to look at the stock I4 wheels for the next 5-6 years.
8-Way Passenger Seat: $400. My wife is ~5'2" and call me a softie, but I'd like her to be able to raise the seat if she wants to. Ditto for the occasional passenger.
CMBS: $500. This is a hard one. This is kind of like putting a value on insurance. I've been driving for 35 years and never been in an accident. I'm a pretty defensive driver but my luck will run out someday. CMBS won't actually stop you on its own from hitting a car in front of you, that would have been more valuable, but it will warn you, nudge you with the seat belts, and brake some. So if I actually rear-ended a car the cost of repairs to the TLX will be high. Just how much do you think those Jewel Eyes cost??? Sure my insurance will cover all but the deductible but still I want to avoid this. But if I never avoid an accident the CMBS was not worth a penny.
Front Seat Belt ePre-Tensioner: $900. Okay you may think that is high. This is another one like the CMBS that is like insurance, except it is protecting my face and body and my wife's too. So if this helps reduce injury in an accident it is really valuable. If we are never in an accident then it was not worth it. But I value my body more than the car, so I gave it a higher value.
Road Departure Mitigation System: $200. Can't say I've ever come close to driving off the road. But if I do I could ruin the tires and/or wheels or worse damage the car. So I gave it some value.
Remote Engine Start: $800. Combined with the interface to the climate control and ventilated seats and the long range, this is a way cool feature (no pun intended). I would probably use this a lot, especially in the long hot summers down here. It is worth more than a standard engine-only remote start and I like that I don't have to re-start the car once I'm in. I may have undervalued this.
Adaptive Cruise Control with Low Speed Follow: $250. I rarely use cruise control and I'm not sure how I'd feel about the car auto-magically following the car in front. But I do drive in stop and go a lot in Houston so if I get used to this I might use it more than my old fashioned cruise control.
Back/Front Parking Sensors: $250. The camera is probably all I need, but the parking sensors may be helpful in getting just that little closer when I'm in a tight spot. But that is not often.
Auto-Dimming Side Mirrors: $150. I'll tint the windows which cuts down on the need for this, but I do get high trucks with bright lights behind me in my side mirrors. I've never had dimming side mirrors before, dimming rear mirrors have not been that valuable in the past.
Ventilated Front Seats: $800. I've driven cars with ventilated seats and I love them. I told myself my next car will have them. It gets so hot here that they are just as valuable to me as heated seats are to those of you up in the arctic circle (ie anyone north of Texas). Combined with the remote start this is a valuable feature for me. I may be undervaluing this too.
LED Fog Lights: $100. I never use my fog lights and frankly I'm annoyed when people drive with them on all the time (sorry). They point more directly in my eyes than headlights and are an unnecessary distraction to on-coming drivers. If I bought the I4 I would not pay to have them installed. They do have a slight aesthetic value to me when they are off.
LED Puddle Lights: $200. Don't need them but they are a nice touch and late at night, in the rain, might be helpful.
Trunk: $200. There is a trunk liner that seems to come in the Advance trim and some little extra storage space. If it avoids me having to buy the trunk liner that is nice. Nice but not worth much.
Additional Resale Value: $3,000. Yes the V6/Advance costs more but it will be worth more when I sell it. How much is the question. If I keep the car 5 years and assume some standard depreciation rate (but I expect this car to have a lower rate) then the depreciation on the ~$7,500 purchase difference is ~$4,500 (my conservative guesstimate). I'm sure there are a lot of different opinions on this.
So what's the total? Is the V6 Advance worth it to me??? $10,000 in added value to me. What?!?!?! I went back and adjusted just about every one of these lower... twice... over my original numbers and it still came out that the V6/Advance was way worth it over the I4/tech. I was surprised. If you don't like my numbers that is fine, do your own math and see for yourself.
The I4/Tech MSRP is $35,920. The V6/Advance MSRP is $43,395. These include destination. So the V6/Advance owes me $7,475 in added value to me. That is a tall order.
Engine: $1,250. This is a hard one since I have not driven the I4 TLX. I drive an I4 TSX and while the TLX I4 power train is certainly better than my TSX, I think I can still guesstimate the worth to me. I have driven the V6/Tech and the V6 is so silky smooth and has more than adequate power for any driving I'll do. I'm not a fan of the concept that Acura does not offer the Advance trim on the I4. If they did I probably wouldn't need to consider the V6. But I do have to say that the nicer power and feel of the V6 is a more luxury feel and adds refinement to the car. The gas mileage is surprisingly not that different between the two cars and better than the car I drive today. It is a little in the minus column for the V6 but I didn't discount it that much.
Wheels: $1,000. This value comes in 2 categories.. aesthetics and performance. No I haven't seen the I4 wheels in person and apparently they are not as bad as my eyes say they are, but I really don't like them. The step up in size from 17" to 18" and the lower profile tires adds to the handling of the car. If I bought the I4 I don't think I'd spend the extra cash to change the wheels and tires (cause I'm too cheap and I don't think you get any resale value from them). So this is less than the $3 grand that Acura wants from me to upgrade since it looks like no one would buy the stock wheels from me. But the V6 wheels are nice, I like the look and the cars handles and rides very well with them. I'd not like to look at the stock I4 wheels for the next 5-6 years.
8-Way Passenger Seat: $400. My wife is ~5'2" and call me a softie, but I'd like her to be able to raise the seat if she wants to. Ditto for the occasional passenger.
CMBS: $500. This is a hard one. This is kind of like putting a value on insurance. I've been driving for 35 years and never been in an accident. I'm a pretty defensive driver but my luck will run out someday. CMBS won't actually stop you on its own from hitting a car in front of you, that would have been more valuable, but it will warn you, nudge you with the seat belts, and brake some. So if I actually rear-ended a car the cost of repairs to the TLX will be high. Just how much do you think those Jewel Eyes cost??? Sure my insurance will cover all but the deductible but still I want to avoid this. But if I never avoid an accident the CMBS was not worth a penny.
Front Seat Belt ePre-Tensioner: $900. Okay you may think that is high. This is another one like the CMBS that is like insurance, except it is protecting my face and body and my wife's too. So if this helps reduce injury in an accident it is really valuable. If we are never in an accident then it was not worth it. But I value my body more than the car, so I gave it a higher value.
Road Departure Mitigation System: $200. Can't say I've ever come close to driving off the road. But if I do I could ruin the tires and/or wheels or worse damage the car. So I gave it some value.
Remote Engine Start: $800. Combined with the interface to the climate control and ventilated seats and the long range, this is a way cool feature (no pun intended). I would probably use this a lot, especially in the long hot summers down here. It is worth more than a standard engine-only remote start and I like that I don't have to re-start the car once I'm in. I may have undervalued this.
Adaptive Cruise Control with Low Speed Follow: $250. I rarely use cruise control and I'm not sure how I'd feel about the car auto-magically following the car in front. But I do drive in stop and go a lot in Houston so if I get used to this I might use it more than my old fashioned cruise control.
Back/Front Parking Sensors: $250. The camera is probably all I need, but the parking sensors may be helpful in getting just that little closer when I'm in a tight spot. But that is not often.
Auto-Dimming Side Mirrors: $150. I'll tint the windows which cuts down on the need for this, but I do get high trucks with bright lights behind me in my side mirrors. I've never had dimming side mirrors before, dimming rear mirrors have not been that valuable in the past.
Ventilated Front Seats: $800. I've driven cars with ventilated seats and I love them. I told myself my next car will have them. It gets so hot here that they are just as valuable to me as heated seats are to those of you up in the arctic circle (ie anyone north of Texas). Combined with the remote start this is a valuable feature for me. I may be undervaluing this too.
LED Fog Lights: $100. I never use my fog lights and frankly I'm annoyed when people drive with them on all the time (sorry). They point more directly in my eyes than headlights and are an unnecessary distraction to on-coming drivers. If I bought the I4 I would not pay to have them installed. They do have a slight aesthetic value to me when they are off.
LED Puddle Lights: $200. Don't need them but they are a nice touch and late at night, in the rain, might be helpful.
Trunk: $200. There is a trunk liner that seems to come in the Advance trim and some little extra storage space. If it avoids me having to buy the trunk liner that is nice. Nice but not worth much.
Additional Resale Value: $3,000. Yes the V6/Advance costs more but it will be worth more when I sell it. How much is the question. If I keep the car 5 years and assume some standard depreciation rate (but I expect this car to have a lower rate) then the depreciation on the ~$7,500 purchase difference is ~$4,500 (my conservative guesstimate). I'm sure there are a lot of different opinions on this.
So what's the total? Is the V6 Advance worth it to me??? $10,000 in added value to me. What?!?!?! I went back and adjusted just about every one of these lower... twice... over my original numbers and it still came out that the V6/Advance was way worth it over the I4/tech. I was surprised. If you don't like my numbers that is fine, do your own math and see for yourself.