How are the ATX on the TL/TLS . And are the all the RL Awd?
What are the common issues on both?

thanks

 

if you search, this comparo has been discussed her before. I was in the same boat as you a year or so ago. I considered both.

the answer is: It depends on what you want. they are VERY different cars.

the RL is the classier, more luxurious of the two. Some might argue it's better handling when fitted with aspec/wheels/tires. the stock 17" wheels and all seasons aren't exaclty sport sedan tires...but if done right, the RL can be a nice handling car due to the SH-AWD, which the TL-S lacks.

the TL-S is the sportier, faster, and more "fun" to drive of the two. If you just jump into one and drive and want to have "fun" as in taking turns, driving somewhat aggressively, then it's easy, the TL-S.

If you want have a relaxing, very luxuriuoos ride, and sportiness is much lower on the priority list, then hte RL is going to be MORE car for the money. the RL is in lower demand and prices seem, to me, to have depreciated much more on theRL. you can find a nice RL for similar pricing to a nice TL-S and if you look at MSRP, they are NOT in the same price point.

my 2006 RL with only 29k miles was $26,500. the dealer had a 2007 TL-S with 34k miles and they wanted $30k. I later saw it marked down to around $28k...but given the price these cars started at, and hte mileage...i'd expect the TL-S to be cheaper..but as the TL moves in higher numbers, they have more people looking to buy them...supply / demand..at least that is what I chalked it up to.

so what do you want?

I have a third car for "fun" so I was looking more for a luxury car that would fit all mykids in the back. handling / speed were a lower priority.

if I did NOT have my Boxster....and had to have one car to "do it all"....given my inclination to what to have a car that handles..I would have probably gotten the TL-S.

how many seas do you NEED? 4 or 5? if you can live with a 2+2 you have more options you could consider if you want to go outside the Acura brand.

both the TL-S and RL are very nice cars. you'd be happy with either but you need to test drive them both. they drive VERY differently.

the TL-S is trying to be a sports sedan. it's only drawback is being FWD. if you dreive it at 7/10s it is a lot of fun. if you push it to 10/10s...and REALLY drive it hard, you quickly find the FWD sucks and it plows. it's a great daily driver for someone who wants something "sporty". if you want a REAL sports car experience, you will be let down.

the RL is more in the same leage as an E class mercedes, 5 series BMW, cadillac, Lexus ES/GS etc.. it's an upscale luxury sedan. it is sort of sporty.....but by nomeans would I consider it a "sports sedan". if you buy it thinking it will be "sporty" you will be unhappy. but for what it IS - a luxury car - it is an amazing car and an amazing value. You can spend way more money and get a V8 Lexus/Mercedes/BMW and have "more" car...but if you compare the equally powered 6 cyl competitors to the RL..you get so muich more car for the RL for the same money...

how much are you planning to spend?

 

I would not buy FWD only, no matter what, torque steer is terrible, I hate it. What quality car has front wheel drive only, maybe a handful, AWD or RWD is sooooo much better. I drove a new TL the other day , all day, loaner, drove it hard. At first it was very nice, after about 1 hour the flaws came out over my Aspec RL, now I do not like it at all. I did not drive the SH-AWD TL.

 

I agree. I think for most car "enthusiasts", FWD is NOT what you want. for the "general" public, I think they don't mind...whichi s why I said the TL-S is fine when driven at 7/10ths. if you really do push it though, you quickly see it's limits.

i've driven numerous TL-S...and have had a couiple of new FWD TL's (4th gens) as loaners... while I think the new TL is more stiffly sprung than my stock RL (17s, NO aspec), it clearly could not take a long sweeping turn as well as my RL. the TL "feels" sportier around town b/c it is bumpier...and the throttle is more touchy...but when you really throw it into a turn, or take a 90 degree turn quickly, you can feel the front wheels tugging, and the car feels unsettled....

if you are an enthusiast...go AWD or RWD.

if you test drive a TL-S = drive it hard..hammer it away froma stop light and you WILL feel the torque steer.

 

I had a 2010 TL loaner and found it to require more of my attention while driving because of more limited visibility to the side and to the rear. In some recent concept car designs Acura toyed with replacing rear view mirrors with cameras. In my opinion, if the TL high belt line design trend continues, cameras are going to be needed because it was tiring being a "tank" driver.

To Acura's credit, the more robocop, high-belt line, tank design of the TL improves crash worthiness and gives additional design palette space for imbuing the car with a distinctive design.

It was downright relaxing getting back into my 2006 RL after the tank-like TL driving experience. My RL's lower belt line made seeing around so much easier.
wstr75

 

See this post regarding a direct comparison of a TL (granted not a TL-S) and an RL...FWD vs SH-AWD, there is a difference.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/sh-awd-sets-bad-example-500489/

 

I initially wanted to get an 07 or 08 TL-S, and to be honest, I never considered the RL. When I started to look around, the TL-S was a bit hard to find, and as a result prices were a tad high (all Acuras hold their value well, but the TL-S seemed exceptional) and negotiation was non-existent.

While I was seeking out the ideal TL-S, I started looking closer at the RL. It has the same engine after all (with a tad more power) plus SH-AWD (the best SH-AWD setup Acura makes btw), and all the luxury bits for less than the TL-S (due in part to the RL having more model years to choose from and being less cool)! That caused me to drive one, which was a blast. No torque steer, and the car seemed to get more grip the faster you drove through a corner. What really did it was leg room. In short, it was phenomenal, especially for a Honda. I'm 6'7" and that did it for me.

After I bought the RL (I grabbed a CPO '05 with a-spec wheels--18" wheels will pay for themselves due to cheaper/more numerous tire options), I kept noticing more and more I loved about the car. The keyless setup is nice--especially the personalized settings (with a power steering wheel), as is the sound system, and I can't remember a car with rear ashtrays (plus power sunshade). I could do without the wood, and the TL-S does look better.

Anyway, the money saved on the RL vs TL-S can pay for the a-spec suspension, and the RL is quite the sleeper.

 

One of my favorite threads on Acurazine. I still when I read that. Thanks, Chas!

Here's my contribution, my thread from when I was considering the RL as a 3G TL owner. HTH!

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/test-drive-2-rl-vs-tl-impressions-long-498203/

 

as a TL owner you can always chuckle at this (perhaps wince as well):

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/104406

 

 

Its always funny to see someone post in the RL Forum "what is better, TL or RL?" and expect anything but praise for our RL's.