gainful

IMHO, the styling, and the front windshield is taller than that 04 TL, which I think gives you poor visibility.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

I was going to upgrade but couldn't get into the new styling either. It's starting to grow on me (kind of like the new Accord when it was introduced), however, I still like mine better for some reason. I'd love to have the interior styling and technology from the 3rd Gen in mine though

69ssrscam

My favorite feature of the 2nd gen over the 3rd is the smoothness in the way the rear roof line flows into the rear deck. I love the shape & size of the tail lights and especially the white over the red. I just love the clean & conservative look. The rear of the 3rd gen looks too muck like an oversized Jetta. Not that that's a bad thing, just not to my tastes.....I love my 2nd gen.

gainful

headliner also different. But I don't like the headliner materials in either 03 or 04 TL. I still like the leather-ret kind of headliner material in the 90 Legend, and even 89 Civic, which is stain-resistant

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

The exterior styling is much more elegant, yet passively aggressive at the same time.

The interior... yeah, I do like the 3rd gen's interior, but it's not like the 2nd gen's interior is terrible, either. In fact, I still love it.

Plus we still have Type-S. :P I think the TL-S is going to be like the Legend in the future; still beautiful, design aging nicely, and very sought-after. I still can't get used to the 3rd gen's styling. Maybe I will in the future, but I highly doubt I'll ever learn to like it.

LiQiCE

This might have been true if the TL Type S was offered with a 6 speed, but because of the tranny problems I think it has marred the 2nd gen CL/TL's reputation to the point where people are cautious about buying them. It has already negatively effected the resale rate of the car... and I don't think I'll personally be buying another automatic transmission car from Honda or Acura again. Although I might just not buy another automatic transmission car ever

fsttyms1

i dont like any thing about the 2nd gen more than teh 3rd. actually i take that back. i like teh larger trunk

gainful

I also like the round exhaust tips on 2nd gen. The exhuast outlet on 04 TL has an ugly irregular shape that looks like it hitted curb or anything.

fiveoh-tl

The 3rd gen has grown on me slightly, but I wouldn't trade my '02 TL in for it. I think the 2nd gen was one of the nicest looking cars ever made......IMHO. The 3rd gen's got a nice drivetrain, and slightly nicer interior, but looks wise, it's not for me.

SONNYS99TL

I don't have a TL-S only a '99 but I would have to say I don't like the minimal increase of HP from the 03 S-type to the 3rd gen. They should have just made them with 300hp. That would make the car a lot more appealing.

LiQiCE

300hp and FWD? People complain about the '04 TL having pretty bad torque steer with 270hp. I don't think adding more horsepower would be a good idea without a shift in the driving wheels (to RWD or AWD).

SONNYS99TL

I don't think having 300hp would hurt sales at all, I think people would deal with the torque steer. I know I would.

big mike 13

dont like the 04-05's stock, but i wouldnt mind trading my Type-S for an A-Spec 05 TL, those have grown on me a LOT!

LiQiCE

Your average driver doesn't understand how to feather the throttle or ease onto the gas ... Not everyone is a car enthusiast. A middle aged soccer mom who steps on the gas hard and ends up out of control and crashing is going to blame it on Acura.

Acura themselves have said that 270hp is pretty much the limit for FWD, after that they plan on going AWD for their cars.

Just my but I don't think its a good idea nor would I want to buy a 300hp FWD car. There comes a point where you can have too much power in a FWD car.

I'll wait for mrsteve (or another S/C'ed CL/TL) to chime in here and say how their cars run great with FWD and tons of power

makers

Because my 2nd Gen '99 is paid for. . .

Crazy88

Couldent have said it any better....My dad has an 04 TL and there are horrible blind spots, all the technology is great, and i love the styling in the front, but the rear looks too short,high and edgy. The larger nav screen is also a plus. I dont like the Exhuast tip shape either

The 2nd Gen looks more elegant but i would gladly take a 3rd Gen just because its a fresher look i guess.

bkzjimmy

i thought the 04-05 looked smaller than ours untill i sat in it, i think theres more room in it...plus it looks much more sportier
and the 04-05 headlights cant be stolen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Severin

IMHO, the 3rd gen is a better looking car; the rear-end has a sporty look and the from end has more character than our triangular front.

However, I like that mine is bigger.

dpeterso

I drove the 3rd gen tl when it first came out to see what the differences are between the two besides styling. I really didn't notice a big power advantage on the 3rd gen. The quality of interior such as seats and plastics did seem better in the 3rd gen but I do like the dash styling of the 2nd gen better and the gauge cluster.

Over all, I didn't see any big reasons to trade in my 2000 TL-P over a 2004. Now, if they come out with an AWD TL, I might think about it.

dark inspire

having both 2nd gen and 3rd gen TL's id like to say that our Sunglass holder OWNS that of the measly side pocket wannabe sunglass holder of the new ones.

ABP-CL9-TSX

The styling of the second gen is better, and so is the steering wheel, but I like the 3rd gen TLs because of its power and interior! The styling has grown on me though!

TommiGSR

iTrader: (1)

i love my 02! imo, best styling ever on a sedan! bimmer 5 series (02-03 model) takes 2nd in my book

scottt

My fav feature is OnStar. Used it again last week. Worth every cent. Wish Acura continued with it on the TL.

MikeekiM

Interesting... I was just thinking about OnStar and whether I should renew... I have had my account closed for the last year...

I pay a lot more for the gym membership that I never use...

While it is true that some of the features can be got elsewhere...and for cheaper, it is not totally accurate...

It seems impossible to really put a comparison on some of what OnStar does... All of the features can be got somewhere else...except for the auto detection and subsequent emergency dispatching when the airbag goes off...

I bumped into someone at the Acura dealership that just rolled his 2003 TL, and was rendered unconscious...the paramedics were sent, and he was saved... He was at the Acura dealership to buy a new TL, but was very hesitant to make the purchase without OnStar...

It's also nice to be able to call and have your car locked in those situations where you ask yourself "hmmm...did I lock my car"?

I do wish that our cars were installed with digital OnStar equipment though...then I could link it to my Verizon account and go with shared minutes between my car and my cell phone... Now THAT would be sweet!

TLover8888

i like the 2nd gen styling...cant get into the 3rd gen.

r10apple

I always liked the slightly bland, "sleeper" exterior of the TL-S. The new TL still sticks out a bit much for me on the road--almost like a CTS or Aztek does. While I think it truly is a much prettier car than what a lot of people, I still find it a bit 'odd' for a J-car (of course I can't get used to the Celica, either)....

scottt

I always renew when the auto show hits DC. This year they offered a nice emergency first aid kit, and 100 free personal calling minutes.

MikeekiM

Hmmm... I wonder if OnStar has a presence at any of the Bay Area car shows... I was just at the San Jose show, and did not notice them there (though to be fair, I was not looking for them)...

I missed the San Francisco show in November... I will have to look in to that!!! Thanks for the tip!

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, isn't Verizon supposed to link up with OnStar now? My dad wants to put his XL Denali's OnStar account on our family's Verizon account. 5 bucks extra, I think? Not a bad deal at all.

I saw OnStar in action for the first time when I hit a brand new Escalade. I got out of my car, walked to the Escalade, and OnStar had already called him, I guess. They sent out a tow truck and the police.

So far, we've never used OnStar in the Denali, but my dad keeps the basic safe & sound plan on it just in case. I've played with the basic menu program and the voice recognition... pretty neat.

MikeekiM

I know that you must have a car equipt with OnStar Digital equipment (and I don't think the TL-S has digital equipment)... For those that do, you can link your OnStar account to only certain plans...I think the Americas Choice plans... I haven't looked into great detail since we don't have the required OnStar equipment...

I am hopeful that they will also extend it to non-digitial equipment at some point...afterall, it is less of a technology issue, and more of a pricing policy issue... Why wouldn't they be able to offer the same deal to us?

Cariboo

I'm driving a 2005 TL as a dealer loaner while my 2000 TL gets repaired.

What I don't like about the 3rd generation:

No sunglasses holder

Steering wheel controls-They are harder to find at night then the 2nd gen. I also don't like the controls being on the front of the steering wheel and not recessed. I keep hitting the cruise and stereo buttons when changing hand positions.

XM stereo sounds really low quality. It sounds like I'm listening to AM radio (even after adjusting Bass/treble controls) . It just sounded like the signal was weak.

Surround sound: I didn't know what to expect, but it doesn't sound anywhere close to a home surround sound stereo. My 6 disc indash changer with infinity speakers sounds much better than the 3rd gen stereo.

The ride sucks. If you love a tight suspension and don't care about an extra- smooth ride, then you'll like the 3rd gen. I drive 50k worth of highway miles each year for my job and love the smooth ride of my 2000 TL. You feel every little bump in the road. I wish they had suspension options.

What I like:

THE POWER!!!!! I can't remember driving a car with this much power. It is a blast to floor it when passing left lane drivers in the right lane or passing slow truckers that decide to pass another truck when going up a hill. I know that the engine is the same as in the 2nd gen S-type. WOW!!!

The handling: Although I don't like the ride, this car is fun to drive in-town. This car is very responsive. It feels like driving a sports car.

The interior and exterior styling: I actually like both the interior and exterior, but not quite as much as my 2000 TL.

The verdict: unless Acura smooths out the ride, I will be getting another 2nd generation Acura TL or trying a new RL ( I haven't test drove one yet, but I'm sure they ride better than a new TL) when I trade up.