but the new TL is getting to me. I love Acura cars and currently own 4. My oldest son has a 07 MDX Sport, my daughter has a 08 TL Type-S, and my youngest son has a 09 RDX.

My 07 RL has about 15,000 miles on it. I took my son's RDX in for its first service and looked at some 09 TLs. They had a 09 (Antracite Metallic?) TL on the showroom floor. It was just the FWD version, with Tech Pkg. I picked out another (Anthracite Metallic?) TL SH-AWD and took it for a test drive.

Overall, I loved the car. The exterior looks much better in person, and this one had the optional 19" wheels. It looked very nice. It was the Ebony interor that got me though. I loved the design, it looked very tech-like. It handled extremely well, and the 3.7L loves to run. I took it all through town, down the interstate, through traffic, everwhere. The thing handles off-ramps extremely well. It was very quiet, and I didn't think the ride was punishing at all. Styling got alot of comments, and people stared as I drove by. I really must say, I loved it. I hated it when it first came out, but now I want one.

So, I'm debating to whether trade my RL in, or keep it. I love it and its a very nice car, but the new TL has my attention.

09 TL SH-AWD vs. 07 RL SH-AWD.

TL SH-AWD
Pros:
INTERIOR IS GORGEOUS.
3.7L makes SH-AWD more responsive and alot more fun.
Handles better than RL.

Cons:
Smaller than the RL.
Ride is rougher than RL.

RL SH-AWD
Pros:
Exterior is a timeless design.
Big back seats.
Smooth but still sporty.

Cons:
Interior isn't as good as TL.
Not as sporty as it looks.
I really love the car and its hard to give it up.

Wife says there is not point in me having two Acuras. So, I don't know whether to keep my RL, or get the new TL. Comments?

 

Wow, my age is a little off on here.

 

Man, I was just about to say, 'wow, 3 grown kids at 35?!!'

 

age aside, my biggest gripe with the TL compared to my RL is that in the TL Acura cut out the armrest just where my right elbow likes to rest. Pretty stupid IMO

 

^ I don't recall there not being an armrest? There is one, because I remember opening it and finding the Aux. input.

 

Wow!!! You have the RL, boys have the MDX and RDX, daughter's got the TL. If you get the TSX for your wife, you'll have the whole Acura line!!! LOL!!!!

 

If you can get around the schnoz (I can't), then I recommend:

Wait for the 6MT SH-AWD model, coming in the 2010 MY. If you want to go with the automatic and you REALLY want the TL, then go for it.

Alternately, if you want better handling without buying a new Acura, I recommend the A-Spec suspension and wheels. This firms up the ride and improves handling without loss of ride quality. Lots cheaper than a new car, and you don't risk massive depreciation/loss of trade value.

 

So sorry to rain on your parade.

You are driving perhaps the finest AWD $50K automobile that exists. You are looking at a mediocre car with the most hideous hindquarters ever designed by a human.

Need I say more?

 

P.S. Those people who were staring were not admiring--they were registering disbelief that any car designer could come up with something so viscerally disgusting as the rear of the new TL.

The schnoz is kinda ugly, but the rear view is utterly nauseating and really a sad reflection on Acura's loss of direction.

(Can you tell I am not a fan of Acura's new styling cues?)

 

why not keep the RL and upgrade it slightly, get a CAI for it, get some spacers, intake runners, etc. That will bring you up to have more power than the TL and also keep you happy. Believe me, the RL's build quality is 10 fold that of the new TL, and if you drive the new TL for 1 day straight, you will see this. The only thing that the RL doesn't have that the new TL has is the new navi system and audio system. the Audio system can be upgraded, and the navi system isn't used that much anyway. RL FTW!

 

for the 09 TL?

 

and I just installed the pulley and TB spacer......WOW what a difference. I still didnt get to the intake..just mod it

 

god damn LAC and his family are rich

 

you dont gotta be rich to have those.... just save your money right dont spend it on unecessary things. We have expensive cars but not rich unless my parents are hiding the money from me haha

Plus i would keep the RL new TL is ugly IMO. I was about to buy me an RL but decided not to had the contract ready to go and everything but i backed out

 

Yeah, keep the RL. Btw what is spacer and intake runner?

 

^1....unless he meant the TB P2R spacer. But intake runners

 

I saw a TL on the road for the first time the other day. For some reason, the rear end looked great. I had only seen pics before, and did not like it until I saw it in person.

 

Well, while my '06 RL is in for that V-8 upgrade I have an '08 TL as a loaner. Now, I realize it's not the new, monster '09, but I have had enough time to learn what I like and don't love about the TL:

--MPG is killer, even when I push the car.
--Rear view camera is cool
--3.5 liters with 500less lb? I like that
--RL handles noticeably better in curves and turns
--RL stereo sounds better
--TL auto-stick is faster/more precise
--TL side mirrors are nice
--Build quality of the TL doesn't meet the RL: sunroof slider is thin and plasticky-sounding when moved, interior materials aren't as nice
--Sporty TL steering wheel is thin... RL wood version is more sporty than this!
--TL wheels are nice!
--TL is narrower in the cabin, but rear legroom is better than the RL.

 

I know I could look this up, but does the TL have noise cancellation?

 

I agree with VOdoc on this one..... have anyone noticed how similar the new TL is with one of the Saturn Aura? WTF were they thinking

The 07 and 08 TL Type S have the ANC.....

 

I agree with your comments other than that the TL SportShift is faster. It is still too slow for my taste, but that's just me.

 

I just picked up my RL, rolling the spankin' new rear dif, and so I drove the TL and the RL within a few minutes. That '08 TL definitely shifts faster with the autostick, but the RL handles sweeper curves like a slot car.

The '09 TL is nice inside, except for that wacky center armrest. I'm tall enough where I can still put me elbow on it, but it would be useless for those of the pygmy race (ie those under 6' tall). Why discriminate against pygmys?? Just doesn't seem cool.

It's the TSX that has the cool steering wheel. Thick and sporty.

 

Ballinger, I'm curious, did you find the shifting in the TL to be much faster overall compared to the RL? I've always noticed the RLs shifting is kind of clunky/jerky compared to some other trannys I've had.

 

06TL kicks @$$ shifting vs 09 RL. It seems to resist down shifting at WOT and refuses to up shift during normal driving...what the...

 

Not much faster, but noticeably faster and smoother. At light throttle, the TL shifts very, very smoothly. At about the same, the RL lags a touch and isn't as smooth as the TL.

At heavy throttle, the '08 TL had a more pronounced shift, but without much lag. The RL has more lag and it's more pronounced.

The RL noticably outcorners the TL and in a long, drifter freeway curve that had the TL understeering under power at 90mph, the RL is on rails driving the same way. Passing on the outside line can be fun in the right situation and with the right car. I can't afford a BMW 5-series X, so this will do!

 

as much as I love my RL...my TL kicked @$$ handling wise at high speed. I drove it for almost 3 years so I've got enough practice. As far as new one's, I have reason to believe they are even more stable.

Unless of course you were riding on MXM4's, then all bets are off!

 

But then again you are comparing FWD TL with SH-AWD RL. The shifting and handling would be a better compared if you had the SH-AWD TL.

 

Well, I decided to keep my RL. Wife said I didn't need two Acura's, and I couldn't get rid of her. (The RL) So, if it wasn't enough for me to ditch the RL, I didn't need the TL.

So, it lives to stay in the garage another day. Besides, I have other cars that perform the sport part that was missing in my RL. My job requires me to travel, and I almost always choose the RL for my companion. RL is a great long distance cruiser.

I guess it was just the new interior that was drawing me in. Feeling bad, I went and got her detailed at the Acura dealership. Now shes shiney, and clean.

 

how much is the car wash or how much is the oil change on one of those?

 

LAC is rich as helllll... but I'm not hatin TOO much, he is an old dude...

 

Probably made a good move LAC. I bought an 09 TL for my daughter last fall. I've had significant seat time in the car as I "borrow" it often. I love the upgrades in all the tech that this car has compared to our 2G RL. Also, I found the drivetrain experience (shifting, acceleration, etc.) to be better all around showing Acura's next gen improvements in this area. If I was buying new right now I'd have to seriously consider the 4G TL over the 2G RL. But you're like me. Already have a young RL and the next gen RL is on the horizon. Probably worth waiting it out. I never had as much issue with the styling as many others here, but it is certainly a more dramatic style then the RL. My 18 year old daughter loves the bold style, but I don't think it's quite my thing

 

You have better impulse control than I do, then.

 

Neuron's misfired

 

It seems like the new TL is a love it or hate it kinda car when it comes to the exterior styling....and I hate it hahaha

Reminds me of the early gen CL that had the crease in the rear of the trunk. It was very polarizing at the time - I personally thought is was pretty sharp.

Gotta say though, this new TL just has not grown on me. It looks like a cheap Pontiac or as psheu and VOdoc put it: a Saturn Astra.

IMO, if Acura could have put the interior & powertrain of the current TL into the 3rd gen TL - then I would be at the dealership working out a deal today, but as it stands, there's no way I would consider dumping the RL for a new TL.

I like to think of my RL as a sleeper - with the badges taken off, dark tint all around and dropped, this car has a subtle menacing presence that just isn't echoed in the TL

 

Since your keeping the RL, spoil the wife, trade hers in for the TL, then you'll have both in your garage!

 

 

Had to be a joke. Regardless, something to definitely ignore

 

Ahhhhhhh.....

 

whatever you do though, do not take the car to get washed, this can not end well, ask bob.

 

Yeah, the car wash is dangerous to your car and your wallet.

"The RL needed a wash, so I came home with a CTS-V".....