larchmont

Info from Consumer Guide (posted by TColl03) indicates that the new TL will be 186.2" long. That's significantly shorter than almost anybody thought. DNB and acura_driver did calculations that showed this was going to be so. They got almost no respect for it. They deserve credit, not just for being basically right, but for having the balls to go against the "conventional wisdom" like they did. Their stuff is on the first page of this thread:

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...&threadid=1062


TColl03's thread is over here:

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...&threadid=2003


Consumer Guide's info is extremely likely to be right on. They're not infallible, but they're darn good. I'd bet on them.


Thanks for a great get, TColl. And -- thanks, dnb and a_d. Ya did good.

darth62

That blurb says that the bottom of the line TL will start at 30,000, and I find that hard to believe. That is only $1,000 more than the TSX with Nav. I still think the range is going to be more like 34,000 to 36,000.

SPUDMTN

Is this a na-na-na-na-na :P :P :P post?


SPUDMTN

larchmont

In part, in part.

Mostly, I just really think those dudes deserve A LOT of credit.

rzee

Nah, it's a PW thread as most of the larchmont threads are.

provench

That's ok ... as soon as he approaches my post count I am gonna reset him to zero Nah ... I to the time larchmont spends on this site posting ... good show. I can't keep up

As for the size of the new TL ... that's cool ... short = sporty and I think that is good for Acura. But what do I care ... I am off the market for a car until 2008

Jaeger

How long was the outgoing model?

Jaeger

bowersan

The old TL is 192.5" long.

The TSX is 183.3" long.

The 4dr Accord is 189.5" long.

Having the TL at 186.2" would be great for driving purposes.. but what about interior room? Cargo space? What do you all think?

gi'me

The new length seems good. My largest fear (which still remains) is that the car will appear to be a bloated pig like the Accord, Altima, and Camry and handle like one. For me, the TSX (as well as the SAAB 9-3 and MB C) are the perfect size.

LeeLee

Remember, a lot of the so called "length" of the Accord comes from its long front overhang in the form of a sharp bumper. The TL, with a more reasonably styled bumber, will have less front overhang.

It is the wheelbase that affects interior passenger space anyway, so I'd say the TL will be a touch larger than the Accord Sedan on the inside, just as Honda planned.

gi'me

As I recall, Honda/Acura is obligated to have a longer front overhang because it uses a double wishbone suspension which takes up more space than other suspension means. Am I correct?

Jaeger

Holy cr@p! - It's shorter than an Accord? I dunno - this is a car I'm going to have to see in person. I was hoping it would be smaller than the outgoing car (unlike what Nissan did with the '04 Maxima), but I just can't imagine it slotting between the TSX and the Accord in size. Then again, I've found the TSX to be just a little on the small side for me, so the TL may be the perfect answer.

Jaeger

LeeLee

Well, a double wish-bone structure does take up more space, but it does not necessitate a long overhang. Instead, I remember reading that the Accord's front overhang was lengthened to decrease injury to pedestrians struck by the car. In other words, there is a lot of space between the bumper shell and the actual impact beam and foam support.

dnb

Why, thank you, Larchmont.

Really, all I did was analyze a picture and post the results.

But it was fun to see all the reactions based on "feelings" and guesses.

dnb

You might not need to do anything. At the rate he's going, Larch's post count will overflow the counter variable and wrap around to 0 in a few years.

(Just kidding, BTW. This is a lame geekish joke.)

dnb

To get a better feel for the 04TL's dimensions you might want to look at the G35. As I wrote in http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...5&pagenumber=2

larchmont

UNFORTUNATELY -- it looks like something in that write-up is wrong about the size. They said the size is 6.3" shorter than the current TL, which would make it 186.2", but they also said the car will be larger than the current Accord, which is 189.5". I e-mailed Consumer Guide about it last night, and as I also said in the other thread, I already heard back from them.:

"Thanks for the tip. We will correct the error."


But, which was right and which was the error?

The guy gave a direct phone number. I called, and got him right away.

He said the info comes from the Acura press kit -- and that's what it says there!!! -- the car is 6.3" shorter than the current TL, and it's bigger than the Accord. Obviously, both can't be true, not what they seem to mean anyway.

He said he thinks what they mean is that the length IS that amount, but that the INTERIOR SIZE is bigger than that of the Accord and/or that the car is wider than the Accord.

He says they're looking into it and they'll let me know if they get anywhere.

Jaeger

Ah... the plot thickens... Good work Larch, keep us posted.

Jaeger

SilverCL225hp

If it is really 186.2" long, then it is really a direct competitor of Infiniti G35 sedan, since the Infiniti is 186.5" long. Let's look at the length of some main near-luxury sports sedans:

Infiniti G35: 186.5"
Lexus IS300: 176.6"
Acura TSX: 183.3"
BMW 3-series: 176.7"
Volvo S60: 180.2"
Saab 9-3: 182.5"
Audi A4: 179.0"
Mercedes-Benz C-class: 178.3"

I always thought the current TL TYPE S kinda too long, it is 192.5" long, so the new one has been truncated for complete 6.3", good news.

jbbrann

It think the new TL will be the best competitor in the 185" - 190" sedan class.

Iceman

Well I think it's a CYA thread. Larchmont was SO wrong about the size, he wants to deflect attention from himself to the people who guessed right.

larchmont

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...1847#post21847


"I've been saying that you should be ready for surprises about the car. If there are to be any, I'd say that the most likely one is that the car will be somewhat smaller and even more "on the edge" than most people think. And my main reason is, yes, "size." Hardly anyone seems to agree what an important factor this is in determining the nature of a car, but I'm saying it is so. And, as best I can tell from the pics, plus the calculations that were done by DNB and AD, I would guess the car will be closer to 187" than 190. That's enough to make a significant difference in the balance and "compromises" between handling and comfort."



THPHHHTHPHRHPHHHHHTHPHHHHHHH!!!

TSeniorX

Ok, Larch, now that you've got a fix on the size of the new TL, can you get something started about its' reliability?

larchmont

I bet it'll be great.

But what still remains a mystery is, what will be the real "personality" of the car, how will it behave and feel. I kept saying that "size" is such an important factor in determining it, but even though we now know it, the size and its proportions are so UNUSUAL that we still don't know how the car will behave and feel.

I think the very unusual size proportions will make for an unusual kind of car. (More later, probably on a new thread.)

"Quirky," anybody?

SPUDMTN

But you have to understand that it's an entirely new model we're dealing w/ here. I don't know how you can make such assumptions...it's BRAND SPANKIN' NEW! Who knows how reliable it will be...NO ONE! How can you make such a large assumption with so little (or NO) experience w/ this new TL? :P :P :P


SPUDMTN

larchmont

ACURA! ACURA! ACURA!

ACURA! ACURA! ACURA!

Acura, Acura, Acura, Acura.

Acura Acura Acura.


Is there an echo in here?

Iceman

I stand corrected. Larch, you have shown again what a lucky guesser, er, automobile expert you are.

larchmont

Thanks for the -- it means a lot to me.

Yes, lucky guesser, and also just trying to put together all the hints and factoids that we had. I thought they just didn't all fit together, unless we changed some of our assumptions -- and, since "size" was the main thing we didn't really know, I thought that was likely to be it, and that the direction had to be "smaller."

What fun. It was like analyzing Shakespeare, or solving a murder mystery.

But I never imagined it would be shorter AND WIDER than was assumed. The main thing about the car is that it's just UNUSUAL. We can't type-cast it, and I think we still don't have much idea of what it's going to feel like and act like.

SPUDMTN

I guess a joke isn't funny if I have to explain it (so I won't)--not the response I was looking for...but oh well