Check out the new issue of Car and Driver. Photos of new small 4dr Acura and a comparison of the TL-S and a few other similar cars. As usual BMW wins but for about $7K more I'll stick w/ my 03 TL-S. Especially w/ FWD in the snowbelt.:

 

could you please scan the comparo and post a link?

 

Sorry I don't have a flatbed scanner. And the comparo will not be on caranddriver.com until early October. The new issue should be on the news stands by the 9/15 or so.

 

What is really surprising is that TL-S is ranked aheaed of the new G35 (although I shouldn't be surprised because I don't like the G35! ).

 

It also said their TL-S did a 16.0 quarter mile, I think they meant 15.0. MPH wasn't good either, I think they had a car with a problem.

 

The times for all the cars are off by a lot. Consumers Reports got 15.0 at 94 mph on a 330i sedan auto and the C&D test was slower. Instrumentation, road grade (slight uphill?), conditions beyond normal correctability of std. correction procedure, etc. could be the culprits. Certainly the 16.0 at 88 mph given for the TL-S could easily be done with the standard TL, and as I recall, C&D netted better times with the last TL std. in a luxury sedan comparo.

 

It's intersesting that in the brief preview of the 03 Maxima C&D says an Acura TL-S w/ atomatic can do 0-60 in 6.2 sec. Yet the comparo has it at 7.6 sec. Different cars and different track surfaces sure but a 1.4 sec difference in the same issue?

 

I agree. I think the C&D editors may have forgotten how to drive... or forgot to turn the A/C off! I was a dissapointed in the TL's time, but given all the cars were off... it's not so bad. I've noticed, and call me stupid, a difference in performance with the VSA off versus on. Even in normal to spirited driving... far from redline or four-wheel-drifting. It seems to shift faster and smoother and overall seems faster. Could be my imagination, but only time will tell.

 

I assume you mean faster w/ VSA off, right?

 

In the front of that issue, in the letters to the editors section of C&D, someone complained that the BMW tested times were slower than previously mentioned. The writer responded by saying some individual cars are faster than others even though they are the same model. Sounds pretty bogus to me...
I just hope I got a fast TLS, if that is true...

 

Sorry to burst your bubble, but no two cars are identical. Meaning some will be slower and some will be faster.

RUF

 

Yeah.... that would be VSA off. I could live without the orange exclamation point though... try explaining that one to your girlfriend.

 

I doubt they range from 14.6-16.0

 

Elevation? I was running 16.2 stock.

 

Does anybody else think BMW owns Motor Trend & Car and Driver??(not to say BMW's are not BADASS cars!!)
In the back of the same issue of C&D it has the CL-s At different #'s... now we all know the they are the same car! almost

Here we go
1. It says top speed GOVERNED (140mph)....i Know its not governed to 140.. i've hit over 140.....In the back of same C&D CL-s top speed 149!! what gives??

2. Anyone notice everything seems to be lower (from personal exp.) than we really know it is on the specs. Like someone mentioned MPG..getting 25-26 mpg is not hard!! They claim 23mpg on a 650 trip. of course less than BMW's 24mpg

3. And finally the 16.0 1/4 mile time (Go ahead let me hear it...mag racing...different factors...yada..yada...yada..) maybe they should have gotten the same bada$$ driver for this test that they had gotten for the CL-s test....maybe we could have gotten 2nd!!!!

What does everyone think?? Oh by the way i wrote Mel Gibson's movie Conspiracy Thoery....HA..HA
And remember we are all friends here!

 

I've been to Denver before but it was a long time ago but spent most of the time in Telluride...(skiing of course) and if i'm not mistaken the octane rating were really low to compensate for the high altitude....so my question is what is the highest octane you have there?? Low octane decreases performance...as i'm sure you know.

 

91 is the highest we sell around here. I know at the track they have higher octane gas, but never tried.

 

whoa, how'd u get that car&driver then? and what place was the tl-s then?

 

TL-s came in 3rd
BMW 330i 1st
Audi a4 2nd

 

2003 is probably slower than 2002. I remember 1995-1999 Maxima getting slower and slower each year. Emission and other requirements or Acura tries to put less load on the transmission.

 

Mine is a 2003 and I got a 15.2...go figure