Is there going to be a 2013 TL or just 2014 TLX?
 

Anyone have any thoughts or heard anything about what Acura is doing next? Will there be a 2013 Tl or mashing the tsx and tl into the TLX next year?

the TL is on a 5 yr cycle...so a 2013 TL will be out. the update for the TL turning into the TLX will most likely be for the 2014 model yr.

2013 has the biggest overhaul for the lineup with the RDX, MDX and the RLX. and then intro the ILX. the NSX...2014? or 2015?

When do you think the 2013 tl will release?

probably the fall of this yr. that's usually when dealers get the upcoming year's inventory.

also to add...the 2012 TL was the mid cycle refresh of the 4G TL...so there will definitely be a 2013.

2013 TL will be the same as the 2012, except for a color combination here and there. We have no confirmed information but as the TL was newly re-done for 2012, just like the 2011+ TSX, 2010+ MDX, etc. there is nothing else planned for it for a while.

Once the 2014 RLX and new 2013 MDX are launched, the next up will be the new TL in the next couple of years.

kinda vague concept pic but nice shape
 

looks like the CLS.

Horrible Photochop

the redesigned MDX will be out for 2014. the redesigned TL(X) may be out for 2014 (assuming acura follows the 5 yr cycle). the tsunami events messed up the time lines for many manufacturer's in japan. the current MDX will be a 7 yr run. the TL maybe pushed out an extra yr before the redesign comes out making it's debut as late as 2015 with the NSX. :dunno: the current 4.5G TL is growing on consumers so they may not be in too much of a rush to get the redesign out.

The 2013 TL will hit showrooms any day now and specifications are available!

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-2009-2014-123/2013-tl-specifications-867960/

Wasn't there a link to the 2013 TL brochure on here somewhere? If I come across it again, I'll post the link.

Seems like next yr we get a redesigned version of both the TL and the MDX and as early as next spring for the TL (or TLX as you call it. http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...-luxury-rivals

^^the concept will be released for the new 2014 TL(X) most likely in the spring, but won't hit dealer showrooms until most likely the fall of 2013. there have been no spy shots of the redesign TL whereas the 14 MDX has been spied. all of this information from the car reporter guys is all heresay until acura actually debuts the redesign/concept. honda tends to be tightlipped about redesigns and when they will actually come to market.

Well it is a numbers game and depending on how hot this new Accord sells as well as if the figures from the 2013 TL are acceptable, they may not need to rush the redesign. However, based on the buzz from the performance of the new Accord, a lot of people are very curious as to how much more the next TL will offer.

The 2013 TL is already on Acura's website.

...concept is due 2014 from all the jia-jabba I'm hearing and reading. Acura is good at keeping secrets and also toning down a m,odel for the sake of safety...I think they need an excitement infusion, oh well.

So....

If the 5G TL is based on the 2013 Accord, we're talking about front struts.

How do you all feel about that?

Good question. I hope that is not true. The current Accord really handles well for a family sedan, and it has passed its genes on to the TL, which likewise handles well, especially in AWD form.

The new RL is going to have DWB, but I'd guess it would require a signficant reworking of the Accord platform to equip it with DWB for the TL, which would eliminate the principal benefit of platform sharing.

That said, the tests I have seen seem to indicate that the new Accord handles well, and puts down better handling numbers than the last generation. Now whether it could do that with a 305 hp, SH-AWD setup might be another story.

So-called "enthusiasts" will likely bitch and complain, who probably make up 1% of the sales, but contribute 99% of the noise.

The vast majority of the buyers will probably never know the difference, and may not even realize the pros/cons between struts and double wishbone...

The Porsche 911 and Cayman have MacPherson struts, and I don't hear anyone complaining. It all depends on how well they are engineered. If Honda does one thing well, that's Engineering...

Doesn't bother me at all if they do it right and from reports of the '13 Accord it handles better then the 8G Accord (which had DWB). I also owned a BMW that had Struts and that thing handled great. Struts does not mean the handling will be bad.

As for the timing of the TLX, since it will be built on the '13 Accord platform the sooner they re-do the car the better. Typically it has been one model year after the Accord so expect it this time next year. I'm looking forward to it. I checked out the new Accord and it is very nice. It will be a big seller. If Acura takes the '13 platform and step it up a notch further it will also be a hit.

"The Porsche 911 and Cayman have MacPherson struts, and I don't hear anyone complaining. It all depends on how well they are engineered. If Honda does one thing well, that's Engineering.."

Comparing a Front engine FWD layout car with MacPhersons to a Rear Engine RWD car with a RWD layout is hardly a valid argument for MacPherson struts.

DWB > MacPherson on FF vehicles. Period. End of sentence. No contest. No valid argument.

With the release of the '13 Accord, I am now looking forward to the '14 TLX. I was able to find this link that may generate some interest:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...as-rumored-tlx

Now the 'detail' of the front and rearends are definitely 'too' busy/repulsive, but flow of the lines on the side profile looks good.

It looks like it is about to sneeze.

Does anyone reading this board know whether the TL runs on the same assembly line at Marysville as the Accord,or does it have its own line? If it was the same line, then all the 2013 TLs have already been built ahead of the switchover to the new architecture, unless their tooling is sophisticated and flexible enough to run two architectures simultaneously.

If TL has its own line and dedicated tooling (based on shared architecture with the last Accord), then there's no rush; and the 2012 mid-cycle refresh was, indeed, done in the 3rd model year of a 6-year run.

I got to beat on a '13 CVT 4-cyl Accord in one of the recent "Car and Driver Editor for a Day" events. I have a 2010 SH-AWD 6MT. The struts on the new architecture do not concern me if the TLX inherits them. I'm more concerned the next TL won't be offered with MT - I'll gladly give up DWB suspension for a good Honda MT any day of the week.

Back in the day Honda/Acura's signature design was low cowl and airy greenhouse, the DWB and short engine design were major contributors to Honda's ability to differentiate its product like that. Now, with all the pedestrian safety and side-impact requirements, Honda can no longer make low front-ends all the way up to the base of the windshield...BMW has done fine with struts for years on it's 3 series because their upright design allowed a strut suspension geometry that worked well. Thanks to the safety regulators and the laws of physics within the current material constraints for mass-produced automobiles, Honda's forced "fat-looking" high cowl, high sill design architecture (just like everyone else) provides the room for a decent strut suspension geometry.

BTW, and now thanks to the IIHS' small-overlap front crash test where the TL scored at the top, expect big overhangs ahead of the front wheels on more cars that allow more room to place structure that will deflect the front of the vehicle away from the hit object before it can jam the front wheel assembly into the passenger compartment like it apparently does on cars with shorter overhangs. It sure would have been nice if it was the DWB geometry that prevented that in the TL rather than its long overhang....

They are still building TLs, I was just working with a dealer trying to find a silver on black SH-AWD and one is being built next week.

KeithL...Oh exciting....watching the birth of next child?? ;)

Well I have not decided yet, I may do a graphite luster that he has in stock or out of left field I may do RDX. Girl friend wants and RDX that is a tad out of her budget, I can buy RDX drive it or her TSX for 12 months and then get the TLX when it comes out.

For whats its worth from a Honda PR:

"Honda is building both the standard ILX and the ILX Hybrid at Honda Manufacturing Indiana, which is the only plant slated for assembly of the new compact Acura. Greensburg will continue to build Civic sedans, including the natural-gas-powered Civic GX, both for domestic consumption and export. Since the ILX is based on the Civic, the two cars sharing an assembly line is a natural."

Its not hard to do. I expect it runs like the BMW factory in Spartanburg SC. The cars are run through in batches down to the exact same color. I saw X3, X5, Z4 all on the same line. The Z4 has since been mover to another plant.

Try yahoo & see what they have on Honda assembly plants. Most likely there will be pictures of cars coming down the line all in the same color & body style.

Robots make it easy to do, just have different assembly programs for them. The cars a located in the assembly welding jigs by laser beams to specific locations on the chassis to line the panels up.

The graphite luster looks pretty nice. Check out the pix posted by Todd Cooperiderr on the wash and wax forum. He is a professional detailer in Ohio, and he put the full process on his GL SH-AWD. It looks spectacular.

I can see your dilemma, as much as I love the 2013 TL, the TLX is so close to coming out that I would be regretting getting the 2013 IF the TLX came out and I loved that one better. My gut feeling tells me that it will disappoint many with a much blander styling (and losing the dual exhaust) but I could be wrong. I think the interior will be the part I'll be disappointed with the most, I love the current TL interior styling with its plethora of buttons. It looks soooo nice at nice, looks like a plane's cockpit *lol* The RDX, the ILX and the RLX looks more plain because of the complain of the excessive buttons from the critics so I am 99% sure the TLX will have a toned down interior too.

If you have something else you can drive between now and the preview of the TLX, I would see the logic to go that way because the saving grace is that the 2013 will still be out and available when the prototype of the TLX comes out....and with good deals to be had (color selections may be limited by then if they are winding down production though)

I'm gonna think positive because I have too.... I am on my third Acura and have loved them all and would love to stay with the brand. I am really hoping that Acura has heard the rumblings and concerns out there regarding the future TLX (much like they did on the 4G grille) and that they get their mojo back on the 5G. The same mojo that they used to make the 3G TL the hit (and segment leader) that it was in styling, features, performance and value. I already have plans to trade my '12 on the '15 TLX. But of course that all depends on whether or not I'm right about my hope.

^^^ We are in the same situation...Here's to waiting and hoping! :)

Well I figure we will get the interior layout of the Accord and RLX, dual screens, etc. What I really want is to see some of the RLX tech in the TLX. I want the TL and RL/RLX MDX BLIS not the stupid camera view on the right side only of the Accord. I would hope for lane departure and adaptive cruise control with clos speed follow and I would be happy. Right now as much as I hate SUVs it might make sense for me to get an RDX drive it for 9-12 months then pass it to the GF so she can get what she wants and afford it and know the history of it. If I really get pissed driving the RD I can always drive her TSX, neither is like driving a TL, but it allows me to make a quick decision in 9-12 months once the TLX starts being seen. If I do a TL now it will take about 18-24 for the payments to catch up with resale and me to get out of it, so it is a matter of keeping my impatient-ness in check for a while.

KeithL.....That is not a bad strategy either. I am getting really itchy for a new car also...I know I'll be able to ride it out this spring because the Q and the IS won't be out yet. For me, the new car itch is April, May and June.....after that, I just wait until next year. So for me, the earliest I will get rid of my TL will be the spring of 2014. By then, we should see what the TLX will be offering (hopefully anyway)....If I don't like what I see, it will be the Q or the GS/IS (which will be out and available and aware of any problems) or, if I like the TLX, I'll just pick one up as soon as it becomes available. The latest speculations are the the TLX will be a 2015 released in the spring/early summer of 2014. If that is the case, that would be great, if it only comes out in the fall, I'll just carry my TL till then end of its lease in the spring of 2015.

If they hold true to that time table, I guess I will have to wait for the 2016, provided I like the restyle. I make it a point not to buy the first model year of a brand new design.

Treblig...do you own or lease your TL? I understand your point in not buying a first year model but to be honest, I would say that there are no major advantage to wait unless you prefer the MMC upgrades. Here is why, if things are seriously wrong when they release, they will do a TSB or a recall (if it is a safety issue). For example, the TL sunroof rattle problem, despite all the complaints about it, they next fixed the new models, they just did a TSB and let the dealers fix it rather than change the way the car is built. It is cheaper for them to do it like that....The RDX has noise in the rear suspension, I am sure that once they identify what the problem is, they will issue a TSB to get that addressed for the current owners.

Again, I know many people share your view of waiting for the first year bugs to be worked out but Honda/Acura rarely has serious issues with their new models and where there is something wrong, they usually address it quickly. For me, I like getting the newest and latest and where I flip them so quickly anyway, I don't care about the little glitches since they are often more little annoyance than problems per se. But again, I understand your reasoning and you are not alone sharing this thought/view.


I did it with my 2009 TSX (bought in spring 2008), the 2013 RDX (spring of 2012) and to an extent, my 2012 TL (new 6 speed tranny) and nothing have been show stoppers or enough for me to say, gheez I wish I would have waited :)

Weather...I'm fortunate enough to own my TL.

I base my strategy on past experiences. I bought a 2000 VW Passat 4Motion after the 1999 new design release. The '99 was fraught with issues. My 2000 was issue free for the 5+ years of ownership. I bought the 2005 TL which didn't share the issues that the 2004 did. And the same with my 2006 RL vs the issues experienced by the 2005. Could be coincidence or just plain luck, but that has been my experience. I agree that Acura has addressed new model issues with TSB's, but that requires regular trips to the dealer to address.

i had the opportunity to preview the new RLX in person and at night to see the interior (play in the car a bit) and drive it. the interior is beautifully laid out in the RLX with the same "cockpit" type feel in the driver's seat as the TL. the seats hug you, the controls are all very intuitive (like they always are in hondas/acuras). yes the buttons are toned down, but there are multple ways to control the everyday things you need to control (dash knobs, steering wheel control, touch screen control). i believe that this interior look will trickle into the MDX and the TLX (i hope).

acura has finally caught up to the other manufacturer's when it comes to exterior lighting designs (the RLX looks pretty freaking sexy at night with the tails and headlights). i would think that this same theme would carry over to the TLX. we know the jewel eyed headlights will be in the MDX. do not be surprised if they pop up on the TLX.

more than likely like the RLX, these will be part of the "advance" pkg of the TLX and of course at a premium and limited production.

acura has been playing catch up since the tsunami. of course we're all :wish: for the design of the TLX. i quietly said to the sales guys from my dealer "i really hope they dont' mess up the design of the TLX." as a couple of acura corporate guys were standing around.

^^^ Lucky you...I didn't get to see the RLX and won't see it for a while I think. Why didn't you swing by on your test drive and pick me up? *lol*

I appreciate your feedback and put a lot of credibility with your posts....I believe you are one of the fine one here that also post balanced posts....good when things are good and bad when they need to be. I know its normal for us to have our bias and sometime, that often sways our objectiveness in our posts (some call it fanboys....those are the extremes) but you always call it as it is and quite honestly, 99% of the time, I agree with your posts/comments so this inspires confidence :)

PS...I am getting my water bucket ready for my soon to be resumed, outdoor car wash...Oh the excitement :) Not sure my neighbor is looking forward to seeing me in my rubber flip flops and speedo washing my cars *lol* Especially when I reach down to do the under body (of the car that is)

not sure the salesman at the event would have really wanted me to drive out of the city let alone out of the country! lol. he was nervous enough with me accelerating around a turn. :tongue: i'd like to get a little more behind the wheel time withthe RLX...which i may do if i'm over there for service (they said they would let me). :biggrin:

everybody is bashing on the RLX before they have even seen it with their own eyes, touched it and played in it, driven it. however, everyone is entitled to their opinion. the exterior of the RLX doesn't WOW me by any means, but i'm sure it will have it's buyers. the e-class doesn't really WOW me, but it's still a nice car esp for the amount of money you'd have to plop down to match the goodies in the RLX (it better be). acura's demographic tends to be more practical and value oriented buyers. i'm hoping acura doesn't mess up the TLX. as nice as the interior of the car maybe with all the updated gadgets....i want balance (exterior looks and the interior creature comforts). it gives me all the more reason to hang onto my 3G TL esp if they drop the 6MT from the TLX. :(

about that speedo and flip flops comment...:what: just stick with board shorts and flops. i'm itching to get the outdoor babies ready from spring and summer with detailing therapy. :tongue: