today some friends of my dad came over and we did a little test drive of all the cars there. We test drove a 2004 TL (5AT, Navi), 2001 CL-S (stock), 2004 Nissan Maxima (5AT), and a 2002 BMW 325Xi (Sport package, 5MT)

Handling:

First off the handling is hands down the BMW, the steering is nice and sharp it handles well and doesnt tourque steer. Being 4wd cornering was no problem, it went where you told it to go. The Maxima having 260lbs-ft to the front wheels was all over the place. it tourque steered like it had a mind of its own. its steering response is awful its too tight when going slow and too loose when moving fast, awful. The TL vs. CL-S. Lemme just say that Acura has improved the steering alot! The CL when taking a left turn porduces a lot of body roll. The Tl has hardly as much body rolls given it is lower then the CL. The TL does tourque steer a little given that it is FWD, but its manageable.

Power:

The slowest car is obviously the BMW here. The CL was the next slowest car, but not far off of the TL or Max. The TL has VTEC but it is much more refined and does not sound or feel like it pulls like the CL VTEC. The power is close between the TL and Max, given they are both auto, the Max's tourque advantage i believe gives it the upper hand in accelaration but its debatable.

Exterior Styling:

The max is as you no love it or hate it. The CL is a nice looking long coupe. The BMW is nice but very popular but i really like the look of the 20-spoke Xi sport package wheels. The TL i think looks flat out awesome, excellent job on the sleek headlights and clean taillights.

Interior:

I think all the cars have nice interiors overall. The CL is very ergonomic but its quite plain looking. The BMW interior i absolutely love i just like the cockpit style. The Max has a nice metallic trim and on board computer. But the best interior has to be the TL. It had navi a nice wood trim, metal knobs, a clean on board screen and nice bright blue gauges .also the sweetest sound system and blue tooth technology.

Overall:

I enjoyed driving the BMW the most because of manual and 4wd. but the perfect car would have been a 4wd 6MT TL (i guess we'll just have to wait for the RL)

 

Nice reviews... Thanks! I appreciated the comparison to the Beemer and the Max.

I drove an 04 TL recently... actually I had it all day as it was a loaner while my CLS was in the shop, and I have to tell you that I was not impressed overly. I think that the 270HP claim is total fabrication... it is reasonable at the low end but weak in 3rd gear and up. My CLS when it was stock could have abused it badly. I also find that somehow that type S suspension got lost when they transitioned to the new TL. I found it "boaty" compared to my CLS and I have no suspension mods. My CLS ride is much is much more controlled in hard cornering. I am running ES100 tires, so traction is certainly better than the stock MXM's, but that should make no difference to body lean.

Aesthetically, I really like the interior, especially the dash lighting. At dusk my CLS gauges are almost impossible to read as there is insufficient contrast when the lights are on. I also like the relocation of the sunroof controls to where it makes sense (by the sunroof), BUT I think it is a tragic error to eliminate the sunglasses holder. I also like the sliding armrest... nice touch.

I am not so keen on the steering wheel controls... I think it is just too much junk on the steering wheel and I would have a hard time sorting it out in the dark. The older CL/TL models had controls that you could locate by feel, without looking.

Last but not least... I am a golfer... in fact I went golfing when I had the TL loaner and I had a hell of time getting two sets of clubs and one pull cart in the trunk. Usable space is drastically reduced by two huge hinge assemblies for the trunk lid. I think that Acura went a little overboard when going "Euro" in the chopped off ass look. In many ways I think they were trying to look more like beamers. I friend of mine has the 6 speed TL... he was a little surprised when I pulled away from him with my CLS (CT headers and AEM CAI).

Don't get me wrong... I like the TL... just not for me. Might be a nice replacement for my wife's TL when she gets tired of her 99.

 

I would advise against it. go with something european, they can do euro styling rite

 

I see no use comparing automatics to sticks, guess I'm biased cause I don't like automatics.

 

I've had 04 TL's as loaners when my 03 CLS 6MT was in for service. And I have to say that I thought my CLS had a much better looking and refined interior than the TL. The TL had a tin can sounding interior and looked a little cheesy. As far as handling and power my CLS when it was stock handled better and pulled much stronger IMO. I do like the 04 TL but like my CLS much better.

 

nice review, all the cars besides the cl have 2 doors too many though

 

i like the cl better then the tl also, ive driven one, nothing special, felt to heavy

 

Good point! I really like the M3... two obstacles though... not sure if I could handle my wife having a faster car than me and also price is a bit of an issue.

 

i've also compared the CLS, the 330i, and the '04 max. i didn't drive the '04 TL but drove the '04 accord coupe. the '04 accord has a much softer suspension and a numb steering feel compared with the CLS. the beemer handles very well but is much stiffer, samller, and about $12K more than the CLS when comparably equiped. its the most attractive of the bunch overall, inside & out. i drove the 2wd 330ci. its quicker than the 325ci. probably even more so than the 325xi due to the awd weight. the 330 interior is also very sharp, but a little more cramped than the CLS. when shopping the '04 max i only drove cars with traction control. i never noticed any torque steer w/ the traction control. it must make a big difference. my CLS 6-speed doesn't have it and it has way too much torque steer.

very hard to decide on a car given the current state of coupe choices. good to know i'm not the only one stumbling around in this haze.

 

Took my car into the dealer today and got another 04 TL 5AT for a loaner. I have to make a slight adjustment to my previous comments. As much as I think my CLS 6MT is a much better car in terms of performance and interior look and feel, the TL out-of-the-box does have a much nicer/smoother ride than my CLS did when it was fully stock. It's really quiet and feels very stable. However, I still don't like the interior of the TL as compared to my CL. Overall it's a very nice car and I would consider buying the 04 TL 6MT if I didn't have my CL.

 

Has anyone driven the G35 coupe? It looks kind of attractive... at least the back end is nice... I am not as keen on the front end.

 

I'd rather have a softly sprung slightly bland styled (CL-S) with lots of hp, nice interior, and low cop visibilty than an underpowered, overpriced status symbol (BMW 325 anything). The TL is not worth the extra $6k that it would have been over mine (discounted CLS6), and the maxima is a joke. I drove a 6 speed and the shifter was awful, rear window visibility is non existant, and the exterior is still plain dowdy and goofy looking.

The CL is still a pretty decent deal if you dont mind doing some suspension mods to make it handle on par with the newer sporty coupes.

 

I have, gored. I drove an auto G35C and it really is one of the sweetest cars I've ever driven. It's so composed, even under hard acceleration AND it handles great. I drove it @ 55mph+ on a 30mph speed limit jug handle and it showed no sign of giving way. From a standing start, my butt dyno tells me that its about as quick as my Maxima but seeing how quickly the speedo needle spun (not to mention the stationary objects outside flying by) I'd say its measurably quicker than my 2k2 Max.

Despite the knock on Nissan's build quality, the body is built TIGHT!!!!

The front seats are way more supportive than the G35S/X and it pretty much has the same dashboard as the sedan. Warning: Backseat passengers above 5'10" will bang their scalps on the rear glass.

That said, the hype is real IMO.

 

didn't consider the G35 or Z. i was looking for a coupe with a back seat for adults. the Z has none and while the G claims to have one, it doesn't.

in the nissan/infiniti products i looked at the '04 Max and the '04 M45. if the M45 could take a corner i'd have bought one. i'm ready to marry the engine. and the overall build quality of the car is outstanding. a blast to drive in a straight line. but no cornering capabilities at all. very similar to the muscle cars of the past. but with more pampering.

 

Almost happened to me when my wife almost bought an S4. That would have given me a complex.

 

Had some frieds over last night and they drove over in a completely restored 1973 Challenger... 340/4bbl auto. It sounded really great and I could hardly wait to go for a drive in it. It would certainly squeel the tires, but boy was I dossapointed in the acceleration. I was expecting gut wrenching torque and huge pulling power. I took hime for a drife after in my CLS and he was pretty impressed with the performance and the precise handling. We didn't actually line up the cars and race, but we both knen theat the CLS was faster. On the one hand I wwas pretty happy with what the CLS can do... but it sure shattered my image (memories) of the 70's muscle cars.