Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I really hate exhausts that look like an afterthought. Old Devilles are my favorite, the mufflers look like they came off a truck and were just painted and welded on like "whoops we forgot exhaust pipes"!
I had a '97 Seville that looked to have HUGE mufflers stuffed up under the rear, with the quad trumpets sticking out the back. I didn't care for the quad trumpets myself, but I did like the look of those massive mufflers under there. Perfectly symmetrical.
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
The Ram I am driving has beautiful pipes frenched right into the bumper just like we used to do when I was young. My car also features a decent through the valance panel design that has good looking tips on it.
I think that's what the Accord owner wants with the OEM dual tip setup. You could say that they're frenched into the rear valence.
Frankly, I think they look pretty ace myself. They don't use the fake chrome tip that a lot of manufactures have gone to now...where the chrome exhaust tip is molded into the valence and the unfinished exhaust pipe just kind of "points through it". Honda used real stainless tips and the dual outlet design is perfectly symmetrical. The Y-pipe is hid well and doesn't look like the system was cobbled together at the last minute. I think it looks pretty classy.
You mentioned about the 540 having invisible exhaust. Some are going back to this. My parents' 2014 MDX has no visible exhaust in the back. The new RDX is the same way. The previous versions of both vehicles had rather noticeable bright exhaust tips at the rear, much like the Accord in the picture above. The current generations of both the MDX and RDX use a single outlet exhaust that's mostly hidden from view. I told my dad that it seems that Acura's sort of changing its image from one of "performance" and "speed" to one of understatement and efficiency. And he said that the dealer said the exact same thing: they're emphasizing the performance
look less (even though the cars continue to outperform their ancestors), and going for more of a "quiet" look, to try to speak to the vehicles' efficiency and luxury aspect.
I dunno. I guess there are seasons for everything. Dual exhaust outlets are pretty fashionable now. Dodge did a great job with the Ram, doing what most people in the south have already done with their trucks: put dual trumpets out the back. I think Honda's done a similarly tasteful job with the Accord.
I sympathize with the new Accord owner. I, too, would probably choose the EX-L model, but I'd like to have the Sport's exhaust layout.