So for whatever reason, I woke up at like 6 this morning thinking about the Honda/Acura brand. Nerdy? yes Important? Yes.

Frankly I hate where Honda and Acura are headed. The list of "desirable" cars being put out by the two is dropping.

1. The Insight
Complete half-ass attempt in my book. I understand their goal was to produce the cheapest hybrid, but frankly it just falls short on the quality. With an EPA estimate of around 43 mpg, a careful Fit driver could do just as well, for thousands less. Now, I would never consider buying an Insight no matter how good, but that leads us to the next point.

2. The CR-Z
Honda's new sport oriented hybrid scares me. While I understand the point, the idea of a barely sub-10 second 2-seater hardly stirs the pot, especially for what will probably amount to $25k.

3. The Civic Si
The next gen Civic worries me as well. With all the talk about hybrid this, and green that, I'm worried where the Si will end up. And even now, the car is long overdue for an overhaul. I mean, we've been able to buy a 200-hp K20 with a six-speed for around $20k since 2002.

4. The Newly Announced Sub-TSX Acura
I have no idea where this will fit, but I'm assuming it will be something akin to a CSX. I seriously doubt we need this, just put leather in the Si.

5. The TL
Performance is there, but Acura took its best design of the decade and turned it into a horrible, gaudy mess.

6. The RL
Certainly a cool, underappreciated car, but it doesn't look or perform like a flagship.

7. The Next NSX
was canceled. Along with its glorious V10. It will, however, it will be running in the Japanese Super GT next year.

What I would suggest:

Fix the Insight, however it needs to happen, make it feel like its worth $20k.

Release the Hybrid CR-Z, but also release a regular ICE model. I would think something like a K18 (or maybe the R18 with performance VTEC) with 185hp would be sufficient. It doesn't need to be fast, just quick. Try to keep this model under $20k to compete with the Toyabaru project.

Get the Civic Si out with 225 hp. Have a coupe, a sedan, and wagon.

Sell the hell out of the TSX wagon.

Bring the V10 to life. Perfect SH-AWD.

The TL would do fine how it sits, just prettied up a bit. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Acura does not put the V10 in the TL. Ever. Leave this to an "in-house" tuner, like Mugen. Sell 500 450hp AWD Mugen TL's (similar to the Mugen Si project) and call it a day.

Put the V10 in the NSX, the RL, and the MDX, all with SH-AWD.

Make the RL a true flagship, aiming for the A8. Techno-wizardry about, V6 or V10 power, rear-biased SH-AWD.

What do you think?