I was set up to test drove both the TL and new RL, but unfortunately all of the RL's they had were sold including the demo. I also found it wierd that there were 5 manual 6speeds on the lot with more coming in. And I thought that manuals were on the way out.

So anyway, I hop into the TL. It has a nice, well layed out interior, and it is very spacious with high quality leather. Before putting the key in, the speedo meters (just the markers)light up, and dim out when you start the engine, along with all the dome lights(Just a nice little techno feature. (Cool looking, but obviously pointless). Put the key in ,started the engine and it came to life with a nice little purr sound. I messed around with the gear shifter to get a feel of it, and it has nice short throws. I am used to driving my manual Maxima(97), so short throws were very inviting. One thing I did notice about the 6speed, is that the gear shaft has a curve in it. It bends towards the driver for easier use, and for some reason at sometimes I couldnt not find the 6th gear. I had to keep looking down to find the gear, and the gear map or whatever you want to call it on top of the gear shifter didnt help me to much. But thats just a little thing that you can get over after driving it for awhile. Another problem that I wasn't to fond about was the clutch. It was more luxury tuned than sport tuned. My 97 Maxima has a better feeling clutch that is also stiffer. The TL's grabs really high, and its really mushy or really easy. Its like a dumby clutch. Again, something that you can adjust to after awhile.

Okay so after blowing by some traffic I get to a red light. Rev it up a little bit, ease of the clutch, pedal to the metal till redline. This thing is a beast. It just keeps pulling and pulling, in just about all gears. Very fast and very impressed. But for some reason, I was just missing the torque that you are suppose to feel at take off. Its kinda not there. Most of its power and fast speed comes on really strong in the high revs. That VTEC is no joke. Once that kicks in(and you can actually feel it) game over for anyone who is trying to race. (Which a couple a**holes tried to do while I was testdriving, but thats a different story).

Torque steer, is there, you can feel it pull alittle or a lot, but in all honesty, if you are used to driving high powered FWD cars, you should not be complaining about this. Ive come accustomed to it, and didnt find a problem with it.

Suspension, better than I thought it would be. Very comfortable and stiff at the same time. Salesman who happens to be one of my best friends directed me to a street that had many S turns. I dropped it to 2nd gear and took off, this thing handles pretty damn well. It felt so balanced and rock solid. There is little body roll and you can actually feel the tires rolling under at sometimes. Maybe a better set of tires would fix that, but I think this TL goes down as one of the best handling FWD sports sedans that I have tested.

Get back to the dealership, I started to mess around with the Navi and what not, and it seems preyty easy to use. It has voice command and it calculates a route very quickly. Voice command also works for the radio and climate. So you basically never have to take your hands off of the steering wheel. But this also had its flaw. Sometimes it did not understand what I said, and does something else. For example, I said, "Turn AC off", and the lovely lady on the other end said "Finding nearest restaurant". All right. Well its not perfect but its cool to have.

The stereo was nice. It was clear, and had some nice highs and lows, but there's a lot of room for improvement. The best system I had time to spend with is the Mark Levinson in the LS430 at a car show, and my friends GX470. Just beautiful. Speakers everywhere.

I loved the ergonomics of the car, everything was in easy reach, and the thing that I loved the most was the position of the armrest. It was at the perfect hight for easy wrist shifting action. That was beautiful.

So if you are looking for a car with cutting edge technology and a little sporty character, I would recommend the TL. It has a nice balance of features and performance. Its a delight to drive. And i noticed some good deals too.

Anyone elses views are welcome as usual. Oh sorry for the long post, just wanted to be as detailed as possible.

 

This is where Acura fools many. On the test-drive. Yes the car looks great and interior is wonderful. But OWNERSHIP is another thing. The TL has been plauged with problems. Therefore it cannot be recommended. Luxury=ES 330, Sport=G35, a lil of both TL. It is selling strongly.

 

the mushy clutch should be expected out of honda...

 

But wait a minute. Thats what I ment. It is a nice balance between the 2. I honestly would recommend it despite the criticism. Dont forget that the facts you used was for the 2004 model year, which was its first year, or year with the most defects. Right now, they are selling 2005 and jsut a few 2004 remain on the lot. The TL was the top seller this month ahead of the ES330 and G35. I still believe that you would encounter fewer problems than some of its Geram rivals. Overall it was just a splendid car to drive. I had a hell of a lot of fun throwing it around.

This was the first time that I experienced driving a stick Honda/Acura, so I actually never knew that there clutches were prone to mushiness.

Every car has its flaws, but in all honesty, I think that the TL is the best in its class. It just has a remarkable balance between comfort/luxury and sportiness that I loved. And all for a price that is a few grand less than the competition.

 

Keep in mind that the transmission problems in the TLs last from 1999 to 2003. I think they fixed it with an oil return kit of some sort for 2004, but they didn't do anything about it until 6 years later.

Same idealoogy that people use when they buy BMWs. Great comfort, luxurious, and performs like nothing else. Then you start including dealer trips on your weekly agenda and everything changes.

My GF's 01 TL doesn't even play burned CDs.

 

Should we accept flaws? Maybe when I spend under 20k for a car and nowadays, most of those are reliable. We are talking about a car selling for 35k.
The Tl reminds me of all these new houses popping up in Atlanta and all over the nation. They look so nice, the same 2 story foyer, brick front, tile sides, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths. 5 years later, the tile in the bathroom is coming up, the roof leaks, the sodding in the yard looks like utter crap, the house is sinking and all sorts of problems...

Yeah, they both look good and are new on the outside but under that facade lies issues galore.

 

Oh, okay fine. Just take all of my pride away. I was happy about throwing the TL around all damn day, buring the crap out of it. But now its just a regular a** car after talkin to yall. LOL. Its all good. (Dont take that offensively.) I still had my fun. I was just stating how I really liked this car over the previous models and why I would choose it over a ES330 or G35 despite its defects and FWD, and to give ppl another point of view if they were thinkin about making a purchase. I was just testing it just for s**ts and giggles. Hey my boys a salesman so its not like I'm in the market for a new car. I love my Maxima to much to give it up just yet.(Probably never)

But now that you brought up that defect sheet, I do remember seeing a lot of 2004 TL's in the lot. A real big abundance, so it obviously has some truth to it. But do you think that would just contribute to it being a first model year car? I havent heard of major porblems with the new TL like I have with the 2nd gen TL (99-03).


1SICKLEX,
The Tl reminds me of all these new houses popping up in Atlanta and all over the nation. They look so nice, the same 2 story foyer, brick front, tile sides, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths. 5 years later, the tile in the bathroom is coming up, the roof leaks, the sodding in the yard looks like utter crap, the house is sinking and all sorts of problems...


LOL, yeah I'm an architecture major and we are starting to learn about all these damn defects and shortcuts that many architects and contractors are taking when building new houses.(Its all for the green my friend) And this a phenonmenon not only found in Atlanta. Its a damn shame, cause if something serious happens the architect or contractor can be sued easily. Which is only one of the reasons why its such a hard field to get into.


GlobeCLK,
Keep in mind that the transmission problems in the TLs last from 1999 to 2003. I think they fixed it with an oil return kit of some sort for 2004, but they didn't do anything about it until 6 years later.

Yeah one of my friends has a 2000 TL in white, and he had to get a new tranny because it started to make wierd noises and the car wouldnt accelerate like it should have. I think this can coinside with what Dynasty SC had to say about the mushy feel in the Honda. Maybe Honda is just not known for making good manuals.


Oh, by the way I still loved the TL.

 

The TL transmission problems are only for the automatics. The 6MT TL's should be fine if you don't mind the torque steer. I also agree it's a wonderful car for it's price & I'd have no problem recommending the 6MT version.

 

Junk. There is absolutely no reason to take a TL 6MT over a G35 6MT.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but more to keep you honest...

My BMWs required FAR fewer trips to the shop that either of my two Lexus' - and neither of my BMWs ever left me stranded as my wife's RX did.

They (BMWs) are actually one of the more reliable cars out there - not the most, but more reliable than average.

PS - My GF 03 GS430 has the most annoying thumping sound from the right front tire that the dealer can not get rid of - but hey, it plays my burned CDs and that's all that counts - right?

 

Your still having that prob huh Doug. That sucks. Sounds like you have isolated the noise a little more.

 

exception

n 1: a deliberate act of omission; "with the exception of the children, everyone was told the news" [syn: exclusion, elision] 2: an instance that does not conform to a rule or generalization; "all her children were brilliant; the only exception was her last child"; "an exception tests the rule" 3: grounds for adverse criticism; "his authority is beyond exception"

 

Besides all the ones the thread starter mentioned, right?

 

Right.

 

Time to get the Subie's exhaust checked.....