Just picked one up (2010) for the wife. Little one on the way and she needed something bigger. Anyone else look at one? Nice car, very driver oriented.

 

I test drove one before I bought my Lexus IS. I was coming from a 2000 acura TL that was very reliable (145k miles with just the alternator changed). The car is beautiful and had the tech package very agile and beautiful. Only thing that made me choose the IS is that the TL was way to big for me. So much space on the inside that I felt like I'm driving a bus and I am not a small person, 6'1 /200lb. IS fit like a glove to me. It was the perfect size on the inside and I did like the design better with the IS although it doesn't compare with the quality of materials and it's not as solid build as TL but than again they are different class.

 

My wife has a 2010 sh-awd and I have an 07 gs350. Both are modified and I find myself leaning towards the tl more than the gs. Tech in my car is outdated. Handling is terrible even lowered on coilovers. Her car handles like a dream lowered on coilovers and even handled well stock. We have raced and we start off neck and neck but my car pulls after about 2nd gear. Overall though I enjoy driving her car more than mine.

 

I own one now and I think its not worth all the hand jobs it gets over on Acurazine.

Its underpowered. 305hp with 35% of it "sapped" away by the AWD. My 450H would have killed this car off the line to the limiter.
It rides hard, feels all the bumps.
Noisy, wind noise, road noise, squirrels farting outside in a tree noise.
Ugly. Have a child combine a Red Tail Hawk, a CTS, and a Chris Craft boat. Presto!
Seats are not comfy at all.
Goofy offset wheels. Brakes are Okay...but needs more grab.
No parking sensors
No Power Tele-Steering
BT clarity and connectivity is crap.

It corners well and is amazing in the snow. SH-AWD is very cool.
The ELS system is great as long as the speakers are not blown. (Ive had 2 replaced under warranty)
The drive shaft has these sealed bearings that go out. The entire $2100.00 drive shaft has to be replaced.
Just had that fun one done. While it was under the knife this week. I drove a 2013 TL-SH AWD... besides the added 6th gear reducing the ratios, giving it better gas mileage. The 5K mile New TL-SH drove exactly like the 60K mile TL-SH I own.
Made me feel good that my car is aging well. Also made me feel sad for Acura that a 2013 TL drove exactly like a 2009 TL with miles on it.

I cant speak of the manual tranny TL-SH's I hope that they are much much more fun.


This has nothing to do with 3GS lexus BTW... off to car chat.

 

Probably a very nice vehicle, just not a fan whatsover of the exterior design of Acura.

 

So the AWD saps 106 hp? Yikes! That seems kinda high.

 

/thread... Matt in 2016

 

Yes, and I can hear squirrel farts through the glass. I was being facetious.

305hp in a GS350 AWD feels way faster than the 305hp in a TL-SH.
I know the Acura fans scoff and go bat isht... but its how I feel. That car will be traded in soon.

 

I test drove an Acura TL SH-AWD before purchasing my GS 350. I didn't care for it. I found the ride was ridiculously harsh. This was likely done in order to mask the inherent handling disadvantages of the platform's FWD origins. The technology package was quite out of date. In addition to an antiquated GUI, loads of features are unavailable. If I recall correctly, a power tilt and telescoping steering wheel is unavailable as is a heated steering wheel. No forward or rearward proximity sensors are available. There were other missing features, but I don't recall them off the top of my head. To me, the interior appeared down-market due to its drab black/gray dashboard and cheap-looking silver plastic trim.

I had just finished test driving a Chrysler 300S V8 AWD before driving the TL, which roughly costs the same, and I found the Chrysler to be a far superior vehicle. My impression was that the Acura TL SH-AWD is the ultimate Honda Accord. The problem was, for $45,000, I wasn't interested in purchasing a Honda Accord. The TL makes more sense at a lower price point.

 

Actually, it goes beyond simple masking. Not just TLs, but many (if not most) of today's cars ride harsher than they need to (even those with COMFORT settings and adjustable suspensions). That's because the entire industry has become obsessed with getting rid of what they consider "Old Man's" cars and selling to a younger audience. Problem is, though, that making cars ride like Go-Karts does not necessarily make for a younger audience....and it will just p*** off those who like soft rides and find them harder and harder to find in today's vehicles.


No arguments with the 300....the 2Gen model, like most newer Chrysler products, is head and shoulders above its predecessor.

 

Talk about apples to tampons. The 300s was designed two years after the TL for starters. The TL-SH is the FIRST year of AWD in a TL. Whereas the 300 line has had AWD since 05'

The 300S is my absolute least favorite car. Unless were talking about the SRT8 line (which is a whole different animal). That 300s felt way cheesier and cheap than the TL. The seats felt like they were designed for fat Americans only. They felt big and swimmy to me...and I'm a fat American. The AWD in the 300 felt like a sedan was bolted onto a Ram 1500 drive line. Dash board and controls looks like they were designed by Ricardo Montalban. I am in no way in support of the TL-SH at all, but to compare it to a Dodge? Really??. The TL-SH's AWD system as bulky as it is, feels light years ahead of that Mopar. The TL is still a FWD car... but the SH systems doesn't make it feel like one at all. As I said. The SH AWD is that cars ONLY saving grace.

The dodge to me felt like a group of Mopar engineers were all standing around and an exec rushed out to them screaming we need AWD now!! Then a few weeks later it was slapped together. Sort of early 60's Russian space program rigging. It works... For the sake of saying it works. I actually have video here on CL of me passing a AWD 300 up a hill in a snow storm in my RWD GS450h. That 300 was pitching all over the place.

As far as the interior to the 4Gen TL vs the interior to a 4 gen 2013 GS. You're right, no comparison. Lexus wins hands down. Now compare the TL to a 3GS since the TL-SH you're speaking of was designed in 08' as opposed to the 4GS designed 4 years after.

 

So was I.

 

When tastefully modified I'd say they are worth and "handjob"

 

^^^Looks awesome!

 

The SH-AWD may be new to the TL, but it has been used (and perfected) on other Honda/Acura products for several years.


Then why complain?

Try sitting on a Golf GTI's front seat as a big American and you will have something to complain about.