Are they kidding?.....42-46K (base) for the 2012 Acura TL.
05-11-11, 01:54 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Are they kidding?.....42-46K (base) for the 2012 Acura TL.
Here's an interesting write-up from R&T.
I almost spit out my coffee when I saw that Acura managed to sell 30,000 TLs last year, even with the awkward styling. R&T's Sam Mitani claims the new 2012 looks better.....I don't see much difference. But is this car, even with the superb Honda/Acura reliablity and the new 6-speed automatic, actually worth 42-46K base price (with freight)? For that kind of cash, you can take home a new RL flagship.......the RL is so slow-selling that they are typically discounted thousands.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/im.../2012-acura-tl
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/im...ura-tl/gallery
The old adage says that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet when it came to the Acura TL, not many courters were charmed by its appearance. But Acura managed to sell more than 30,000 TLs last year, proving that a nice personality can go a long way. Still, Acura dealers often quietly told me that the main thing hurting sales of the TL was its styling, with many potential customers commenting, “I would take it if it only looked better.” The car’s radical face was characterized by a massive grille we referred to as the “shield” (Acura insisted we call it the Dynamic Power Plenum) and the rear end was an amalgamation of strange shapes and sharp angles that made many look away.
So for 2012, Acura decided to give the TL a complete makeover, one that would impress the best plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills. For starters, the shield has been dramatically toned down, with the vent openings, which also house the turn signal lights, blending more naturally into the front bumpers, helping to make the overall face of the new TL appear classier and, simply put, better looking. The rear end has also been improved via new bumpers, reshaped taillights and thinner trunk edge. What’s more, the TL’s new body style is also more efficient than before, with drag reduced by 5.4 percent. This means better straight-line performance and improved fuel economy.
New 6-speed Automatic Gearbox
The car’s on-road personality has changed little because most of engine and chassis components from the current car have been carried over. The same two engines will be offered, the 280-bhp 3.5-liter V-6 for the front-drive TL and the 305-bhp 3.7-liter for the SH-AWD (all-wheel-drive) model, albeit with some minor improvements that includes a better intake system and pistons with reduced friction. One completely new addition to the TL is Honda’s 6-speed automatic transmission that also sees duty in other Acura vehicles. Thanks to this new gearbox and an improved coefficient of drag, the new TL boasts better fuel economy, getting 20/29 mpg for the front-drive model and 18/26 for the SH-AWD.
2012 Acura TL SH-AWD
On the open road, the TL exhibits the same sporty character as the current car. The new transmission provides smooth up- and downshifts in full auto mode, while manual gear changes performed via the paddles behind the steering wheel are quick. Both the front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models displayed near-neutral balance through corners. There was about the same amount of understeer through tight turns in both cars, but steering improvements have made the TL feel a bit more agile.
Now that the TL has the good looks to go with its wonderful personality, Acura predicts that sales volume will increase by at least 10,000 cars per year. We say that’s a fair estimate, especially when you consider that the price for the new car will remain about the same. The base TL will sell for $41,535, while the 3.7L V6 SH-AWD will go for $45,085. The car goes on sale on March 18.
What’s Hot:
New styling
The 5-speed manual gearbox still offered in SH-AWD model
New automatic transmission
What’s Not:
Still not as attractive as other cars in segment
No V-8 option
TOP COMPETITORS
Audi A4 sedan
Cadillac CTS sedan
Infiniti G25 / G37 sedan
I almost spit out my coffee when I saw that Acura managed to sell 30,000 TLs last year, even with the awkward styling. R&T's Sam Mitani claims the new 2012 looks better.....I don't see much difference. But is this car, even with the superb Honda/Acura reliablity and the new 6-speed automatic, actually worth 42-46K base price (with freight)? For that kind of cash, you can take home a new RL flagship.......the RL is so slow-selling that they are typically discounted thousands.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/im.../2012-acura-tl
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/im...ura-tl/gallery
The old adage says that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet when it came to the Acura TL, not many courters were charmed by its appearance. But Acura managed to sell more than 30,000 TLs last year, proving that a nice personality can go a long way. Still, Acura dealers often quietly told me that the main thing hurting sales of the TL was its styling, with many potential customers commenting, “I would take it if it only looked better.” The car’s radical face was characterized by a massive grille we referred to as the “shield” (Acura insisted we call it the Dynamic Power Plenum) and the rear end was an amalgamation of strange shapes and sharp angles that made many look away.
So for 2012, Acura decided to give the TL a complete makeover, one that would impress the best plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills. For starters, the shield has been dramatically toned down, with the vent openings, which also house the turn signal lights, blending more naturally into the front bumpers, helping to make the overall face of the new TL appear classier and, simply put, better looking. The rear end has also been improved via new bumpers, reshaped taillights and thinner trunk edge. What’s more, the TL’s new body style is also more efficient than before, with drag reduced by 5.4 percent. This means better straight-line performance and improved fuel economy.
New 6-speed Automatic Gearbox
The car’s on-road personality has changed little because most of engine and chassis components from the current car have been carried over. The same two engines will be offered, the 280-bhp 3.5-liter V-6 for the front-drive TL and the 305-bhp 3.7-liter for the SH-AWD (all-wheel-drive) model, albeit with some minor improvements that includes a better intake system and pistons with reduced friction. One completely new addition to the TL is Honda’s 6-speed automatic transmission that also sees duty in other Acura vehicles. Thanks to this new gearbox and an improved coefficient of drag, the new TL boasts better fuel economy, getting 20/29 mpg for the front-drive model and 18/26 for the SH-AWD.
2012 Acura TL SH-AWD
On the open road, the TL exhibits the same sporty character as the current car. The new transmission provides smooth up- and downshifts in full auto mode, while manual gear changes performed via the paddles behind the steering wheel are quick. Both the front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models displayed near-neutral balance through corners. There was about the same amount of understeer through tight turns in both cars, but steering improvements have made the TL feel a bit more agile.
Now that the TL has the good looks to go with its wonderful personality, Acura predicts that sales volume will increase by at least 10,000 cars per year. We say that’s a fair estimate, especially when you consider that the price for the new car will remain about the same. The base TL will sell for $41,535, while the 3.7L V6 SH-AWD will go for $45,085. The car goes on sale on March 18.
What’s Hot:
New styling
The 5-speed manual gearbox still offered in SH-AWD model
New automatic transmission
What’s Not:
Still not as attractive as other cars in segment
No V-8 option
TOP COMPETITORS
Audi A4 sedan
Cadillac CTS sedan
Infiniti G25 / G37 sedan
Last edited by mmarshall; 05-11-11 at 02:20 PM.
05-11-11, 02:05 PM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Agreed, the price would make me spew if I had to pay it for a TL, I'd decline.
30K units per year is about 2500 per month. Still weak when compared to sales of 3/IS/C-class/A4 that are somewhat in price range.
Wow, so they finally put a 6 speed in the rolling boat. Hopefully they can engineer a DOHC V6, DOHC V8, and D.I. system before they become obsolete.
30K units per year is about 2500 per month. Still weak when compared to sales of 3/IS/C-class/A4 that are somewhat in price range.
Wow, so they finally put a 6 speed in the rolling boat. Hopefully they can engineer a DOHC V6, DOHC V8, and D.I. system before they become obsolete.
05-11-11, 02:14 PM
#4
Lexus Fanatic
This is the reason why I bought my GS350 back in the day. I looked at the TL and the M35. The M was the GS competition so it boggled my mind that the TL is not in the same class as the GS yet is in its price range ( almost ). Between the styling and the pricing these guys are smoking some serious stuff
05-11-11, 03:21 PM
#9
What's even sadder is that the 2012 TL looks older than the 2011 and earlier models... I know they tried to tone it down, which they did. But, the new design looks very underwhelming, very boring, and very outdated compared to the competition and compared with the older TL.
05-11-11, 03:49 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
i think the RL is up there with the TL in terms of ugliness.
the new TL looks a lot better than last year's.
and yeah, 42k for a fwd is a ripoff. This is a $35000 car that competes with the ES
the new TL looks a lot better than last year's.
and yeah, 42k for a fwd is a ripoff. This is a $35000 car that competes with the ES
05-11-11, 04:35 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Here's an interesting write-up from R&T.
I almost spit out my coffee when I saw that Acura managed to sell 30,000 TLs last year, even with the awkward styling. R&T's Sam Mitani claims the new 2012 looks better.....I don't see much difference. But is this car, even with the superb Honda/Acura reliablity and the new 6-speed automatic, actually worth 42-46K base price (with freight)? For that kind of cash, you can take home a new RL flagship.......the RL is so slow-selling that they are typically discounted thousands.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/im.../2012-acura-tl
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/im...ura-tl/gallery
The old adage says that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet when it came to the Acura TL, not many courters were charmed by its appearance. But Acura managed to sell more than 30,000 TLs last year, proving that a nice personality can go a long way. Still, Acura dealers often quietly told me that the main thing hurting sales of the TL was its styling, with many potential customers commenting, “I would take it if it only looked better.” The car’s radical face was characterized by a massive grille we referred to as the “shield” (Acura insisted we call it the Dynamic Power Plenum) and the rear end was an amalgamation of strange shapes and sharp angles that made many look away.
So for 2012, Acura decided to give the TL a complete makeover, one that would impress the best plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills. For starters, the shield has been dramatically toned down, with the vent openings, which also house the turn signal lights, blending more naturally into the front bumpers, helping to make the overall face of the new TL appear classier and, simply put, better looking. The rear end has also been improved via new bumpers, reshaped taillights and thinner trunk edge. What’s more, the TL’s new body style is also more efficient than before, with drag reduced by 5.4 percent. This means better straight-line performance and improved fuel economy.
New 6-speed Automatic Gearbox
The car’s on-road personality has changed little because most of engine and chassis components from the current car have been carried over. The same two engines will be offered, the 280-bhp 3.5-liter V-6 for the front-drive TL and the 305-bhp 3.7-liter for the SH-AWD (all-wheel-drive) model, albeit with some minor improvements that includes a better intake system and pistons with reduced friction. One completely new addition to the TL is Honda’s 6-speed automatic transmission that also sees duty in other Acura vehicles. Thanks to this new gearbox and an improved coefficient of drag, the new TL boasts better fuel economy, getting 20/29 mpg for the front-drive model and 18/26 for the SH-AWD.
2012 Acura TL SH-AWD
On the open road, the TL exhibits the same sporty character as the current car. The new transmission provides smooth up- and downshifts in full auto mode, while manual gear changes performed via the paddles behind the steering wheel are quick. Both the front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models displayed near-neutral balance through corners. There was about the same amount of understeer through tight turns in both cars, but steering improvements have made the TL feel a bit more agile.
Now that the TL has the good looks to go with its wonderful personality, Acura predicts that sales volume will increase by at least 10,000 cars per year. We say that’s a fair estimate, especially when you consider that the price for the new car will remain about the same. The base TL will sell for $41,535, while the 3.7L V6 SH-AWD will go for $45,085. The car goes on sale on March 18.
What’s Hot:
New styling
The 5-speed manual gearbox still offered in SH-AWD model
New automatic transmission
What’s Not:
Still not as attractive as other cars in segment
No V-8 option
TOP COMPETITORS
Audi A4 sedan
Cadillac CTS sedan
Infiniti G25 / G37 sedan
I almost spit out my coffee when I saw that Acura managed to sell 30,000 TLs last year, even with the awkward styling. R&T's Sam Mitani claims the new 2012 looks better.....I don't see much difference. But is this car, even with the superb Honda/Acura reliablity and the new 6-speed automatic, actually worth 42-46K base price (with freight)? For that kind of cash, you can take home a new RL flagship.......the RL is so slow-selling that they are typically discounted thousands.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/im.../2012-acura-tl
http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/im...ura-tl/gallery
The old adage says that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, yet when it came to the Acura TL, not many courters were charmed by its appearance. But Acura managed to sell more than 30,000 TLs last year, proving that a nice personality can go a long way. Still, Acura dealers often quietly told me that the main thing hurting sales of the TL was its styling, with many potential customers commenting, “I would take it if it only looked better.” The car’s radical face was characterized by a massive grille we referred to as the “shield” (Acura insisted we call it the Dynamic Power Plenum) and the rear end was an amalgamation of strange shapes and sharp angles that made many look away.
So for 2012, Acura decided to give the TL a complete makeover, one that would impress the best plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills. For starters, the shield has been dramatically toned down, with the vent openings, which also house the turn signal lights, blending more naturally into the front bumpers, helping to make the overall face of the new TL appear classier and, simply put, better looking. The rear end has also been improved via new bumpers, reshaped taillights and thinner trunk edge. What’s more, the TL’s new body style is also more efficient than before, with drag reduced by 5.4 percent. This means better straight-line performance and improved fuel economy.
New 6-speed Automatic Gearbox
The car’s on-road personality has changed little because most of engine and chassis components from the current car have been carried over. The same two engines will be offered, the 280-bhp 3.5-liter V-6 for the front-drive TL and the 305-bhp 3.7-liter for the SH-AWD (all-wheel-drive) model, albeit with some minor improvements that includes a better intake system and pistons with reduced friction. One completely new addition to the TL is Honda’s 6-speed automatic transmission that also sees duty in other Acura vehicles. Thanks to this new gearbox and an improved coefficient of drag, the new TL boasts better fuel economy, getting 20/29 mpg for the front-drive model and 18/26 for the SH-AWD.
2012 Acura TL SH-AWD
On the open road, the TL exhibits the same sporty character as the current car. The new transmission provides smooth up- and downshifts in full auto mode, while manual gear changes performed via the paddles behind the steering wheel are quick. Both the front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models displayed near-neutral balance through corners. There was about the same amount of understeer through tight turns in both cars, but steering improvements have made the TL feel a bit more agile.
Now that the TL has the good looks to go with its wonderful personality, Acura predicts that sales volume will increase by at least 10,000 cars per year. We say that’s a fair estimate, especially when you consider that the price for the new car will remain about the same. The base TL will sell for $41,535, while the 3.7L V6 SH-AWD will go for $45,085. The car goes on sale on March 18.
What’s Hot:
New styling
The 5-speed manual gearbox still offered in SH-AWD model
New automatic transmission
What’s Not:
Still not as attractive as other cars in segment
No V-8 option
TOP COMPETITORS
Audi A4 sedan
Cadillac CTS sedan
Infiniti G25 / G37 sedan
The 2012 Acura TL bases at $35,605 which is right on the website. Not sure where Road and Track got a base of over 5K higher but they are known to get things wrong and then correct in the following issue. You would have to load the 280hp TL up with the Technology and Advance package to get it $41,535. You would have to load the TL SHAWD up to get into the 45K range. The RL starts at 47,200. The TL is a lot of car for the money and not overpriced compared to the competition and what it offers. Acura would not raise the price that much over the 2011 mainly for a 6 speed auto and cosmetic changes.
05-11-11, 04:40 PM
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
The poor TL, they used to sell 70,000 a year, Acura's volume vehicle and aimed for that this generation and met only 1/2 of that 
. Acura made it ugly, didn't add anything outside of AWD to warrant the price increase and has completely priced itself out of the market. Acura=value brand to customers, its like Buick. They were primarily bought by people moving up from Hondas or Camry/Maxima customers who were attracted to the value of the brand.
Now the brand offers no value and has been squeezed by all the sides. They added to their own problems by adding a V-6 to the TSX which only steals TL customers and the TL basically outmatches their flagship RL. A complete product mess of sameness. This only compounded all the other problem Acura and the TL had. Very sad.
But Mike it does start at 35k, most sold are FWD models an 80-85% split with AWD models. Dealers still have amazingly 2010 and 2011 models and now have revised 2012 models. You could get 6k off it easy, no one pays close to MSRP with this slow selling car.
Any TL over 40 grand is completely nuts, period, end of discussion. Its made in Ohio, on the Accord platform on the same assembly line. This thing should sell for much less, they got greedy. According to Acura:
Starting at $35,6051
2012 TL SH-AWDStarting at $39,1551
2012 TL with Technology PackageStarting at $39,3351
2012 TL with Advance PackageStarting at $41,5351
2012 TL SH-AWD with Technology PackageStarting at $42,8851
2012 TL SH-AWD 6-Speed Manual with Technology PackageStarting at $42,8851
2012 TL SH-AWD with Advance PackageStarting at $45,0851
So R&T is wrong with the base price.
Now Acura compounded the ugly problem by pissing off early adopters who liked the ugly beak transformer styling who now see Acura has admitted the car was ugly by toning it down. Thing is the entire car is a mess and adding a smaller beak won't help. So now 2009-2011 owners have a very outdated looking car already.
Acura stated they expect to sell 50,000 TLs with the updated beak. They are clueless if they really think that will happen.
So sad what they did to the TL
Believe it or not, I PREFER the giant beak compared to the toned down one.
. Acura made it ugly, didn't add anything outside of AWD to warrant the price increase and has completely priced itself out of the market. Acura=value brand to customers, its like Buick. They were primarily bought by people moving up from Hondas or Camry/Maxima customers who were attracted to the value of the brand. Now the brand offers no value and has been squeezed by all the sides. They added to their own problems by adding a V-6 to the TSX which only steals TL customers and the TL basically outmatches their flagship RL. A complete product mess of sameness. This only compounded all the other problem Acura and the TL had. Very sad.
But Mike it does start at 35k, most sold are FWD models an 80-85% split with AWD models. Dealers still have amazingly 2010 and 2011 models and now have revised 2012 models. You could get 6k off it easy, no one pays close to MSRP with this slow selling car.
Any TL over 40 grand is completely nuts, period, end of discussion. Its made in Ohio, on the Accord platform on the same assembly line. This thing should sell for much less, they got greedy. According to Acura:
Starting at $35,6051
2012 TL SH-AWDStarting at $39,1551
2012 TL with Technology PackageStarting at $39,3351
2012 TL with Advance PackageStarting at $41,5351
2012 TL SH-AWD with Technology PackageStarting at $42,8851
2012 TL SH-AWD 6-Speed Manual with Technology PackageStarting at $42,8851
2012 TL SH-AWD with Advance PackageStarting at $45,0851
So R&T is wrong with the base price.
Now Acura compounded the ugly problem by pissing off early adopters who liked the ugly beak transformer styling who now see Acura has admitted the car was ugly by toning it down. Thing is the entire car is a mess and adding a smaller beak won't help. So now 2009-2011 owners have a very outdated looking car already.
Acura stated they expect to sell 50,000 TLs with the updated beak. They are clueless if they really think that will happen.
So sad what they did to the TL
Believe it or not, I PREFER the giant beak compared to the toned down one.
