Although our driving impression is limited to the track, a few things are readily apparent in the TL six-speed. First: all that measuring was worth it. The clutch pedal is as smooth and progressive as any car we’ve driven, in stark contrast to the spasmodic pedal in the Infiniti G35 (although Infiniti has made improvements with the G37). The same goes for the shift lever, which continues in the Honda/Acura tradition. Shifting in the TL is so easy that it requires almost no attention, leaving your focus on the road ahead.


When designing the manual transmission for the 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD, engineers actually measured the shift stroke of its competitive cars. Obviously—why else would Acura tell us this?—the TL has the shortest throw in its class at 3.5 inches. Engineers also measured clutch pedal engagement and disengagement effort. We’re fans of short-throw shifters and smooth clutch pedals, but going so far as to quantify those normally subjective qualities is something we don’t see very often. We’re not about to complain, though, given Honda/Acura’s reputation for slick-shifting manuals.