Hi all,
I've seen many posts where people say that the Lexus ES, and BMW are so much more Luxorious. I have even seen one person on Edmunds comparing the TL interior quality to the Civic. Now that's an insult. I don't own a TL yet but the interior is one of the reasons I like the TL. I have sat in all these cars and the TL just wowed me with it's Luxury feeling and awesome styling, much more than the 330, ES, or I30. I know its a matter of personal taste but I just had to state my opinion after reading so many. What do you guys who own the TL have to say about the interior compared to other luxury cars in the price range?

Kitt9000

 

I consider the interiors of my MDX and TL-S more "upscale" than "luxurious". Honda/Acura has always used a simplistic approach to design and ergonomics - a less is more approach. My last car was a M-B whose interior in many ways was over-engineered. Quality wise the M-B leather was superior while the Acura's vinyls and plastics are of equal or better quality. Lexus has always used a "softer" design philosophy for their interiors (the IS300 being a notable exception) which gives them a more luxurious feel. In the end, it's really a matter of personal taste. All the cars you mentioned use high quality interior materials.

 

I agree. I stepped inside of two TL-S's and was very impressed with the luxury feel of the car. Now, I'm not some punk that hasnt had luxury car experience or anything. My dad owns a 2000 S-500 which I drive a lot, my brother in law has a 96 S-class, my cousin has a 2001 LS430... on and on and on. Anyway, I feel that the TL-S has a very nice, sport and luxury combo to it with the white gauges. Of course, I think the wood with the parchment looks more luxurious than the black/black wood, but hey, thats just an opinion.

My opinions are that Lexus has very boring interiors. They all look the same, from the 92 SC400 to the 2001 LS400. The ES is more of the same and IS is just plain ugly. They should have used the same old lexus interior.

BMW is overrated in my opinion. Their gauges are very ugly and in desperated need of revision. The ac/stereo controls are also outdated.

Mercedes has only two nice interiors... the new s class and the new c-class. The old benz interiors are horrible. Analog mpg gauges, yellow and orange everywhere on the dash... horrible looking gauges.

TL-S is very nice and nearly flawless... very important to me.

 

I agree that the interior is nice. I believe in the Zen-like approach that less is more.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Lexus interiors too. What bugs me is that people think that BMW and Mercedes are far better. I beg to differ when it comes to the quality of plastics. Believe it or not, not all plastic is the same. Acura has done a good job in choosing the matte finished softer touch plastics...and made them thick enough to make them feel high quality.

My wife was very bothered by the interior of the BMW. The BMW front seat back was hard plastic...not leatherette like the Acura/Lexus. The switches make the thing busy...so complex looking. And I do NOT like the red gauge lighting. I much prefer white or slightly greenish lighting. That's my 2 cents. I love the fit and finish of my Dad's GS300. But don't put Acura down either...they all have their own approach to interior tidbits.

 

I don't know why Americans make a big deal out of Mercedes. In Europe, Mercedes are taxi...damn...

For me, Acura TL-S is sporty, has a class...etc.

I am happy with what I have. Maybe if I buy a car for my parents, the I will buy a Lexus.

 

Benz used to be overrated, but now they are coming up with some very nice cars. The new S-class is in a league by itself. Expensive? Yes, but not THAT much more than the competition (comparably equipped) and they are much better cars than they used to be. You get what you pay for. Trust me, the new Benzes are very nice. The old ones are very overrated (along with BMW). Lexus taught them all a lesson in the 90's and Benz and BMW have finally got the point and have started producing very nice cars. Watch out for the new e-class.

The TL, in my opinion, is better inside than its competition, by far. And the price competition cant even come CLOSE. Americans (LHS, 300M) make more luxurious cars, interior-wise, than their German counterparts. At least for the first 1 thousand miles until everything falls apart!

 

I used to wrech cars for a living in my youth, and having been under all makes, I think the old Benzes were made a cut above nearly all other cars.

For example, they used to allow you to drain the torque converter easily when changing ATF - this is not marketing hype, merely the best way to ensure longevity of the auto transmission. It is completely unseen and unappreciated except to the engineer that designs it, and the technician who maintains them.

Acura/Honda rate higher than the Big 3 domestics in my book for the fastener test.

I also used to rate cars by the quality of their fasteners. Ford was the worst, then GM, then Chrysler.

Mercedes fasteners were the best, usually tapped into sheetmetal or with nuts, and often cadmium plated.

Don't know about the new stuff, but I'm hearin things, and it ain't so good.

 

I like the Acura interior, but it is not as luxurious as some others. Some Lexus' have great interiors (GS, LS, SC) but the ES and IS are boring and ugly.

I do find some of the buttons on the Acura to be a little cheasy (like sunroof and seat heaters), but overall it is a very nice interior for the money.

 

I almost bought the BMW 328 when it came out. The reason I didn't buy it, was because first too damn expensive with all the options $45,000.00 and the interior sucks. That orange on the dash and instruments is ugly and outdated. The navi on BMW is just bad. NOT touch screen then, I don't know about now. I do like the mercedes interior, specially the 2000 CL500 coupe. The new infini q45 has a very nice interior too. Hopefully acure will keep improving the interior of our cars.

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<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by Bitium on May 09, 2001 @ ]</font>

 

Ya, the TL-S might not have the best interior. Then again for the money it can't be beat either!

No high end car can even compare to the value of our TL IMO.

 

I agree and disagree with some of the points made. The TL has a great looking interior minus the truly fake looking plastic wood wannabe thingy, but I got over that the 1st week. I do like the gauges a lot and the AC control. However, I love the BMW's orange lights cuz it's really easy on the eyes at night, plus it looks like an airplane cabin
The Lexus interior is very nice as well, simply yet upscale.

I think there's a fine line between upscale and luxury, depends on the individual. I personally think that my BMW's interior is just upscale but a much, much, much better leather quality than my Acura. The seats are a lot more comfortable on my BMW, but hell if you pay over $50K for a car, it damn well better be.

 

Yo Jatlife:

I saw one other TL before i purchased mine it was a WDP with parchment interior. I hated it. I think the ebony interior looks hella better than parchment. It looks sharp as hell esp. at night. I can understand your concern with black wood tho... I think the interior esp. black looks fairly luxurious. I would reccomend to things tho: upgraded woodkit, and burlwood shifter. This will add to the interior's luxury. for those with mad flow get the wood steering wheel. let me say somethin: my mom just bought a 01 benz and guess what? she had to pay 650 bucks for heated seats... haha, ours comes standard. when my mom found that out, she was kinda envious! I say we have nice luxury, definitely not civic, one complaint is on the pre 02's no memory seats, but i'm the only driver so for me not a big deal, and secondly, the Lumbar support is like my preludes, the pumping action switch... i prefer electronic lumbar support, but who gives a shit, its still damn nice for me.

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'99 3.2 TL

Black/Black
Burlwood Shift Knob
Bodykit
Spoiler
Tint