Several A-TL members have been concerned about the 04 TL’s handling, me included. I decided to buy mine based on the incredible value and style I saw and hoped the handling would be up to my liking. Today I took a trip to the mountains to see if I made the right choice.
I will preface by saying that 1) I have owned many good handling cars, but I am not a racer and appreciate good controlled handling. 2) I waited until break in was over and the weather was good (no snow). I took a variety of roads that C & D once said were some of the best drivers roads in the country. (Hwy 28, 281, 107, and 178 that go from the SC foothills (hwy 11) to Highlands, Cashiers, and Rosman. Some say the roads were a factor in BMW locating to upstate SC.) 3) I stayed under control, and had the VSA on most of the trip. I only pushed the car to the limit on two or three occasions, when “off line” would not be dangerous.

My grade for the TL on individual components: Engine and transmission A+, Chassis A, Cornering grip (with HPT) A-, Torque steer A (almost non existent), Studdering (I think this is the term JonDeutsch used) B- ( too much power in tight turns did cause this a few times, but was tolerable. Steering B ( This is my biggest complaint. It is over-boosted for my tastes, but is not really vague once you get used to it.)

I found some of what C & D found when you went past 8/10 toward the limit. In those conditions under-steer is noticeable, but a little more turn in and she comes right around. Too much power out of a corner especially low gear corners, causes a loss of tire grip and “studdering” – as the LSD kicks in. In short if you want to drive your car at near the limit, this is not the best car for you.

If, however, you are like me, and like to drive with a little margin of safety (8/10ths or less) this car is a total blast to drive in the twisties. The power of this car allows you to attack uphill “s” turns easily. (Something you could not do as well in a TSX.) I found a formula that worked well for me. I would brake as needed entering the turn, and then apply power gradually past the apex. This approach would tend to offset the under-steer and let you really blast through turns, with an almost neutral feel. (An unexpected benefit of the NAVI is that you could see the turns coming so you were better prepared for them.)

In short, I am very happy with my choice of the TL. This really hit home when I left the mountains, and headed home on SC 11. With the sunroof open and some classical music on the great stereo, I knew that I had found the best of a luxury sedan AND a capable sports sedan in the new TL.

 

Nice review! Thank you for your assessment. I can't wait to take my 5AT on a long trip to the twisties.

 

Lakeman:

Great review - but you didn't grade/comment on the brakes.

Can you give some details on your stopping power, noticable fade, etc.

Thanks!

 

The brakes are progressive, easily to modulate and fade free. Braking power does not feel like a 911 (duh!) but it is plenty strong (turanzas). The brakes are night and day compared to my previous TL-S. Plenty of brake dust too. To minimize the problem I dismounted my wheels and gave them a healthy dose of New Finish car wax. At least it makes it much easier to clean. I agree with lakeman on the overall assesment of handling. I would just love if people stopped trying to compare this car to the M's, there is no comparison. If you compare it to the regular Bimmers you will notice that there isn't much of a handling difference and in some instances the TL is superior.

 

Vtechbrain summed it up. The brakes are so good you don't even think about them. No fade, easy to modulate, in short no negatives at all.

 

I agree that the steering is over boosted for spirited driving, but, coming back from a road trip and considering another aspect, the light feel is appreciated around the town (especially for slow, tight maneuvering) and is effortless on the highway and provides just the right feel for lane switching.

 

If you make it all the way into the Highlands, NC you have to try out Horse Cove Road and Highway 64! Quite a few hairpin turns ...

 

Lakeman, great review! I assume you have the stock Bridgestones. Did you notice any vibration or excessive noise coming from the tires during the trip?

 

RavenHwk, I failed to mention 64. Actually 28 ends up in Highlands and from there I went 64 to Sapphire, down 281 past whitewater falls ,over to 107 and up to Cashiers, and then to Rosman and down to SC 11. (One reason I did not mention 64 is that it was fairly busy and I had to kind of cool it there.) I will have to try Horse cove road. There are 2 really good sections on 28 that I took twice. I pushed the second run really hard and couldn't belive how the TL cornered.

Oswald Vader, I have the optional HPT tires - 030 Bridgestones, not the best but WAY better than the EL42's. No vibrations, some road noise - not tread noise - just rough spots causing some noise in the relatively quiet cabin.

 

One comment on the above statement. If you are experiencing understeer in a FWD car, this is because you have exceeded your tire's cornering ability. In other words the angle that you are trying to get the tires to go is larger than the maximum angle that the tires can remain attached to the road.

More turn-in is not really a solution to correcting understeer in a FWD car, because you have already exceeded (or will shortly) the traction limit. Instead, a smooth lift off of the throttle should bring the rear end around naturally. The ability of the throttle to steer the car should not be overlooked. This is the opposite of what throttle inputs will do for a RWD car.

 

I was curious about what you said about using the NAVI to see upcoming turns. Can you tell us how this works as I plan to place an order for a TL in the next 2 weeks, but I'm undecided about NAVI?

 

TL- Rocket, When the NAVI is set at the closer- in settings, you can see the layout of the road about a mile or two ahead. If some serious switchbacks are coming up they are displayed in perfect form (degrees of turn, tightness etc.) so that when you get there you know what to expect. I don't recommend looking at the turns while you are acutally in them, but looking ahead when you are in a straight section. (A glace can tell you, for instance, hard right 180 degrees, followed by mild left 90 degrees, and back to straight.) In the NC/SC mountain roads you very often have a fairly straight section followed by a series of S turns or switchbacks. The NAVI gives you a good idea of what is coming. It is really cool. If you can swing it, it is not only a great toy, but a real tool. The voice commands on the AC, and stereo are great.