bioyuki

Yeah, yeah double post but this information is pretty important considering all the speculation going on about the 2003 TL. Hope this helps clear the confusion .

The following quote is part of a message sent to all Acura dealers from the main Acura Sales Division on 12/7/01. The subject is the January Move Allocation.

3.2TL

1. This is the first allocation for the 03MY

2. The 3.2TL allocation is for February arrivals

3. White Diamond Pearl will be constrained at 23[%].

4. Anthracite is now available on all models.

5. Navigation models will include On-Star.


And yes, the 3.2CL is getting 6 speed:

3.2CL

1. This is the first allocation for the 03MY

2. A 6MT is available on the Type-S models and is constrained at 40[%].

3. Navigation models will include On-Star

4. Anthracite is available on all models.

5. Coverage of 3 units per dealer will be applied.

Note: The 6MT will be very limited in future months-review your order carefully"

Damn, when I bought Anthracite wasn't an available color for the Type-S . IMO it looks better than Satin Silver. Oh well, pretty interesting that WDP is being constrained to 23% though...wonder what that is about...

This information was gleaned from BobB from the CL board.

TLluver

Man the only reason I bought the TL-P and not the TL-S was cuz I liked the anthracite color so much...and now its available for the TL-S...that pisses me off!!

fahoumh

so trade it in for a new one......hey, what's the deal w/ On-Star on the CL and TL? I thought it was exclusive to only GM vehicles.

AzNTL

The RL has the On Star system for some time now

fahoumh

wow, that's news to me.....LOL:p

pianoman41

From what I've read, the actual On-Star equipment is made by Delphi Automotive. When Delphi subcontracts for auto makers (almost always GM), they usually sign an exclusivity agreement for X number of years. I believe this was the case with On-Star. GM subcontracted it out to Delphi and they could make it *only* for GM vehicles for something like 5 years. Once the contract was up, they could sell it to whoever would buy it. Acura was one, and I think even Ford is getting in on the action by offering it in some of the Volvos (and Jags). The RL got it in either 1999 or 2000, and now the TL will have it.

The same thing holds true for the new Quadrasteer on the 2002 GM Denali pickup trucks. Delphi manufactures it for GM and they have exclusive license for it until 2005. Anybody else wants four-wheel steering on their trucks, they gotta do it in house or have someone else do it. After 2005, other manufacturers can offer Quadrasteer on their trucks and buy it from Delphi.

thebeaud

I've seen the commercials and everything, but don't know much about On-Star. What are the main functional additions that comes with adding it??

iatacs19

100% correct sir.

daverman

Phew! Looks like I'm not going to have New Model Envy for at least another year. I love anthracite, but I love my SSM TL-S just as much. OnStar? Nah, I don't need yet another subscription service.

thebeaud: OnStar is a roadside assistance service (like TLC), except that it uses a geostationary satellite for voice and data communication. Additionally, the OnStar unit on your car has (another) GPS sensor that can relay your current position to the operator. In case of theft, accident or airbag deployment, the OnStar system will also communicate the position of your car.

Plus the operator can unlock your doors if you're locked out.

Basic service starts at $16.95/month, or $34.95/month if you want hotel reservation and other concierge service. By contrast, the trip routing, address lookup and point-of-interest search on your Navi is free for the buying price. And that cell phone you already have will let you make your own reservations.

$200 - $400 a year for OnStar? What a rip-off. No thanks!

pianoman41

On-Star is basically three components--a dedicated cellular telephone transmitter, an integrated brain, and a GPS unit. There's no display like a navi, just an "On-Star" button. If you want assistance with anything (and I do mean anything), you press the button. The cellular link dials up On-Star and connects you with a live operator (kinda like Acura Roadside Assistance). Most cars do this via speakerphone so you don't even have to pick up a handset--just press a button and then talk. You can then ask for directions, movie tickets, airline reservations, the local weather--you name it. Same as the conceirge service offered for Acura. What sets it apart from just navi and roadside assistance are two main things. First, they can do cool sh!t like if you lock yourself out of the car, you can dial an 800 number from a phone (not the one in the car, silly--another one) to reach them, give them a PIN number and they can unlock your car remotely. They send the signal over the cell connection to the car and the integrated brain pops the locks. What's the GPS unit for? The second cool thing is if you get in an accident and the airbags deploy, the car automatically calls On-Star and the operator on the other end gets a code saying the car was in an accident. They try and make voice contact with whoever has the car. If they get no response, they assume the worst and automatically send police/fire/EMS to your GPS coordinates. The GPS unit is also used to help in giving you directions, as the cellular link transmits your current location to the operator so they can correctly route you and give you the closest services available.

BTW, I think this is where the anti-theft market could really shine. Just like you can send a signal over the cell phone to remotely pop the locks, you could send a signal to, say, kill the fuel pump or ECM. If your car got stolen, you call On-Star, give the PIN, and they remotely disable the car (no matter where it is in the country). Then they poll the GPS unit and locate the car and send the police. Far more effective than LoJack.

What are the drawbacks? First, you have to pay a monthly fee for the service. I don't know how much it is, but even if you don't use it, you get whacked the fee. Second, the car needs to be in an area with cellular coverage to be effective. And if you're in an underground parking garage or the like, you're going to lose the GPS connection as well. (Obviously, no cell or GPS access would defeat my anti-theft idea, but in combination with a regular alarm it would still be pretty awesome).

On-Star has some cool features I think I would like, but I definitely would *not* pay monthly for it. I'll take the navi for free any day.

pianoman41

Doh! Daverman must be a faster typist than I am. He beat me to it.

AcuraAddict

Unfortunately, as of now, you can only get the safety and security plan (EMS notifaction, remote unlock, etc.) and not the premium plan (conceierge, roue planning, reservation placing etc.) on Acura models.

Crzy Acura

I didnt read the whole post... but im pretty sure the RL just got the onstar on the 2002 models.

thebeaud

Wow, thanks for the informative replies. Definitely sounds like a cool service, but I couldn't see paying the monthly subscription fee. I probably wouldn't use many of the features, although it sounds like the theft-deterrent possibilites would be great.

Thanks......but yeah, I agree with Daverman - no "model envy" quite yet!

AzNTL

so other than the on star system everything else is the same rite?
And the 03 TL is due out in Feb?

patrick

The On-Star GPS would be a great addition to your aftermarket alarm system if you really modded your TL to the hilt. I mean, if you sink $15-20K in a competition stereo system, another $10K performance mods and the like, it would be stupid of you not to pay for the subscription fee. But how many people out there would do this to their car? Not many. But for those who do go crazy, it is an absolute necessity. Just my 2 cents.

daverman

Ha! Typing class in high school pays off at last.

BTW, you are correct that OnStar uses cellular rather than satellite technology for voice communication. In fact it uses the ubiquitous Old Reliable AMPS (Analog) cellular towers. Those guys who own those old AMPS towers are still making money even in this digital world! Talk about return on investment!

BTW, I use the Dvorak keyboard instead of QWERTY; it has improved my typing speed about 20%, and reduced much fatigue.

doopstr

No On-Star for me, Thanks.

tuRb0mikEy

Yessssss, more exclusivity for my car..I love it

Shoofin

I think either BMW or Mercedes has onstar too..
Ed

AzNTL

Yes they do have the on star system. so basiclly this year if you dont want the on star system just buy the 02 TL and save bug bucks rite?