BG74

with my '07 6MT TL-S. I've read every review of the '09 that's been published, went and drove it at the dealer, and I really think Acura took a step backward. The '07 looks MUCH better, has touch screen nav, and sportier handling...not to mention all of the other little things. I could care less about increased interior space and AWD. My lease is up in 6/10 and I won't even entertain the notion of buying another TL.

I've always been one that's had the "next" car planned, and now I can't imagine what I'll buy.

erick3

^ a lot of people feel the same way, including myself. i have to say though, the newer TL definitely gives a smooth ride. have you driven one that has been a bit more "broken" in? i was surprised to find the difference in the fwd base version. torque steer's still there, but there's a more noticeable punch when it's comes to the "spirited runs".

go buy one - i'll take your 6mt off your hands

WayneJay

Agreed, Agreed, Agreed!

I went by the dealership the week that most started displaying them and a salesperson saw me eyeing the 4G. After asking about my current ride and if I was ready to give it up for the 4G... My response to him was... "You all would have to pry the (my 3G) keys out of my dead hands".

Spiritman

I know that Edison was told this also. As all the forward thinkers of any time.
But time marches on. With or without you, and me..... We only fuel this thing called progress. We don't steer it. We just pay for it. Like it or not!

spinxt

^^
And what's with the cheap plastic interior door handles...that's the first thing I noticed when I sat in one at my dealer.....

powerflow

It's not just the TL, the whole '09 Acura line up is just distasteful. When I think what they offered in '05 it's just the opposite, that was a good year. Last year of the NSX, the MDX still looked good.

If I was currently in the market, I would be at the Infinity dealer. Most of my friends that drive luxury, semi-luxury imports feel the same way.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I'm with you, guys. I love the look of the 3G TL's. I'm not a fan of the 4G looks. I'm glad the interior has new bells and whistles, but they lost the sporty look of the TL in the 4G. But, they were stepping up in class to the Luxury Sedan, instead of the 3G's Sports Sedan class.

My '07 Type S has great bells and whistles too. The only thing I wish my TL had that the 2009 has is the XM Weather. Other than that, I'm not jealous or envious. The keyless start is nice, but I'm not going to trade in my 3G because of that. Mine has plenty of power and great driving experience to last me a loooong time. I keep my cars-my last car I had 10 years. I'll be keeping my Type S for that long as well.

Now, with all that being said, I do hope the 4G Acura line does really well. I am very loyal to the line, so I wish nothing but the best to all the 4G Acura cars. But I will not be contributing to the 4G success by purchasing a 2009 TL.

ray-ban

I wish my 3G had AWD. That is all...

3G>4G

Phlip425

I really like the new TL statistically, but style wise i just can't get a feel for it. Unless they change that front end, my next car is a used 06 RL A-Spec. I already have one in mind- it's in my Dad's garage...

P

RC51Ryder

I'm with you on that. I'm a Honda man ('96 Accord and a Honda motorcycle) and I wish Acura all the luck with the 4G but I will hold on to my 3G.

Integra

i only would want a 4th gen for the awd... other than that everything else looks ugly lol. although this is my opinion not havnt driven it yet. i still gotta go test drive one to see for myself.

Red Voodoo

The SH-AWD option is nice, but the design of the new TL isn't even in my top 10 for current sedans. I may look for an '08 Type-S in about 4-5 years if I can find one with low miles. Otherwise, I'll be considering the RL, the IS350 or G37 sedan.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

You guys are right-I forgot about the SH-AWD. I've never driven a car with it before, so maybe a test drive should be in my future too. I'm sure it would be a nice addition for the 3G's.

Hey, tomorrow (New Year's Eve) is the one year anniversary for me and my Type S. Actually, I put the deposit down on it a 4:30 PM on New Year's Eve (boy, those guys REALLY wanted to sell cars for end of year!) and I took delivery on New Year's Day. Wow, almost 1,300 postings later...I guess this IS an obsession.

omelet1978

I recently bought a used 2005 model in part b/c I think the 09 model fell off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.

I like the previous generation better, and I think its resale value will hold up very very well b/c of the newer model...

crxb

Which model of the 09 TL did you drive?
I haven't driven a 3G 'S', but after a test drive in a AWD-SH w/ HPT I was hooked. My 04 5AT was hard to go back to after the test drive.

Blazin Si

I finally saw a 4th gen in person today. It had the color-matched front grill from the dealer. I must say that Honda did a fantastic job of taking a really good thing, and messing it up. Hopefully the underwhelming response will give them a reason to redesign the bumpers for the 2010 model.

crxb

when I 1st saw the 4G I didn't like it. drive a SW-AWD w/ the 19 HPT and then see what you think.

Red Voodoo

It might drive like a dream, but when it comes down to looks, I'd buy the new Camry over the '09 TL. And you will never find me in a Camry. Hope that explains how I feel...

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

sorry guys, but it will indeed grow on you....the sh-awd is hot....period

as for the standard tl, its not for me, my type s is a sportier ride with more power and better aceleration....but i must say, i am down with the sh...

TLType-s12

iTrader: (2)

Dude we understand that yes the SH-AWD is great. I wish my TL-S had it but is that all the 4G has? The styling is not as bad as everybody says. When I saw it in person it wasnt as bad as I thought. What the point is the TL has been Acura's " bestseller" for a while already. They took away the TOUCH SCREEN NAVI!! WHYY?? So I could take longer punching in a address? They had the opportunity to redesign the TL to blow everybody away. They FAILED! (BIG time)

Again im not baggin on the 4G, its not bad. BUT It couldve been great. Could you imagine if they came out with somthing so SIK that all 3g owners went and traded in? lol I hope you see my point.

shooter

I'm happy with my type-s for now ... until they can right the ship & modify the front & back of the TL, I will hang on my current ride & might look for another brand in the near future ...

wall e

i disagree. i think the '09 RL's are nice esp in white. that would be my next car fo sho!

mmade22

Wait until the 6MT with the SH-AWD comes out. Then see how many of you TL-S owners run to the dealer for one. I have heard, the 6MT is a whole nother animal.....Kind of like the 6MT 3G TL. I know the transmission in our cars is sick.

I can only imagine with over 300 hp and awd, it is gonna be sick. The grill can be changed and the car will look like a whole different car. Wait and see......

mmade22

Here is one of the many write ups from the guys who have driven the car.....

At first glance, East Liberty, Ohio is one of those sleepy, blink-and-you'll-miss-it midwestern towns, the kind you find buried in every county from Columbus to Kankakee. Then, on the outskirts of town, you round a corner and come face-to-face with an eighteen-wheeler cranking across an enormous banked oval. And a dump truck on a skidpad. And a small, diabolical little road course with more off-camber corners than you can shake a Snell sticker at. Welcome to the Transportation Research Center, otherwise known as TRC.

Acura invited us here for a track-only drive of its TL SH-AWD 6MT prototype, a car that by all rights shouldn't exist. The 6MT bit is the interesting part; it stands for six-speed manual transmission, and the SH-AWD acronym represents Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. The combination - the most powerful model Acura offers, paired with electronically controlled all-wheel drive and a clutch pedal - is enticing on paper, but in an age of declining manual-transmission sales, it's also a little perplexing. If you're shooting for greater sales and a broader demographic, why bother building a destined-to-be-low-volume car for a rapidly shrinking market?

Predictably, the (lovably impractical) answer can be found in one word: gearheads. A handful of renegade Acura engineers installed a three-pedal setup into an early production TL (the car is currently available only with an automatic) and begged management to drive it. After a little track time, the suits went nuts. We were asked to come to Ohio on the grounds that a manual gearbox transformed the hottest version of Acura's TL, and that the added wait and development cost (an extra twelve months of R&D; the manual TL won't go on sale until fall of 2009) would be worth it. Frankly, we were more than a little skeptical.

A morning's worth of lapping the manual TL on the TRC's Alan-Wilson-designed road course, however, left us a little surprised. In short, Acura's engineers were right. A manual transmission does in fact transform the Big A's midsize sedan, but not in the way that you might think. The manual TL SH-AWD benefits from the same 305-hp V-6 and balanced weight distribution that its automatic sister does, but the biggest change lies in its chassis
What was a somewhat lazy, neutral-handling car with a pronounced resistance to rotate has morphed into a drift-happy, throttle-adjustable track hound.

Steering feel remains a little on the light/vague side, and clutch takeup is a little mushy, but on a whole, the manual version of the hottest TL feels like a different, much sharper car.

Part of the handling about-face can be attributed to chassis surgery - everything from front spring and damper tuning (softer) to engine mount calibration (stiffer) was tweaked to accommodate the manual gearbox's lighter weight - but most of it is simple physics. With the automatic TL's slow-reacting torque converter and slushbox deep-sixed, the super-handling system is free to, well, allow the car to handle superbly. Acura's all-wheel-drive system reacts much more quickly and accurately here than it does in the automatic TL; mid-corner throttle changes affect the chassis's balance almost instantaneously, and it's almost as if the entire driveline has been completely retuned. The SH-AWD system's biggest asset, its Mitsubishi Evo-like active rear differential, now responds to the throttle with astounding speed, allowing you to magically launch the TL from low-speed corners with ease. Where a BMW 335xi, an Audi S4, or even an automatic-equipped TL SH-AWD fall off into wait-for-it understeer, the manual TL simply stays neutral, even slinking its tail out a little if you get aggressive on corner entry.

As a package, it's all pretty impressive. In a few small strokes, Acura has managed to reinvigorate its thoroughly ordinary midsize four-door for relatively little effort. Fuel economy isn't claimed to suffer, and all predictions have the manual TL's MSRP as being identical to that of the automatic-equipped version. And while it may not send the brand's sales through the roof, it's a sign that a healthy enthusiast heart is still beating in the company that once gave us gems like the Integra Type R. As far as the manual TL is concerned, there's only one real disappointment: it comes with a twelve-month wait.


I love the last line!!!


Search guys and you will find my future car coming off the assembly line in a year. I am not getting a new one but rather three years. There will be a few used with a decent price tag.

Don't knock it, till you tried it!

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

everyone seems to be down on the navi being without a touch screen, but in the new position that the screen is in, there is no way to make it a touch screen as its too far from the driver....i like the new system, but do prefer the position of the screen in my car over the new one....

cotmfk

I think it's silly that they took away the touch screen Nav. That is one big advantage that Acura had over other brands! But, I think it's awesome that they now have AWD. Maybe the looks will grow on me, but for now... the 3G looks a lot better. The whole Acura line up took a big hit from the ugly stick IMO. Oh well... in 4 years a new line up will come out and maybe I will buy the 5g?

crxb

Coming from my 04 TL I thought the loss of the touch screen would suck - but Acura/Honda - does such a good job w/ their nav set ups (as opposed to say bmw's idrive) - that - I have not missed the touch screen at all - the screen is better up high in the dash - res of the screen is outstanding. the interface is easy to use. I do miss the clock being up high - now its lower - where the nav was. - just want the clock up there 2. - was easier to glance at the time when rushing to work

crxb

Different colors make a big difference for me - lighter colors - esp the Palladium (silverish) the grill and rear trim - don't stand out as much - also the rims make a big diff. Loved the oem rim on my O4 - but the oem rims on the base 09 TLs - are too small.

Spiritman

You see why He is called Ray-Ban? It's His clear way of seeing thing's. Well said!

1075

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, there is no way that I would consider a 4th Gen TL until that buck toothed - smiley face grille is gone. There is not enough time in the universe for that to grow on me and I'm not spending that kind of $$ on a car with a design flaw that major.

Will Y.

Sorry to say this, but that rear end is as as the front end. I went to a dealership hoping that the new TL was better looking in person-- boy, was I wrong.

I try not to post too much criticism its bucktoothed-front end, Transformer-faced rear end and bigger/heavier design when cruising the 4G forum, though. I'm too old to "enjoy" the high-tech of the interior too.

The 4G TL is larger and heavier than the 3G. It's probably trying to move to a different market segment-- more lux, less sport, like a GS-- but that's not the market segment in which I am shopping.

As a Honda fan, I hope the 5G TL looks better.

Malloy

iTrader: (3)

My buddy is a press guy/car enthusiast. He drove the 6MT AWD and was absolutely thrilled with the performance.....said he could get past the styling since it performed so well for a lux sedan. He also drove a 335, ISF, S4 and and few others that day.

Im not warming up to the styling...I really hate the sharp lines with the rounded wheel opening bulges (front fender specifically). I also hate the rear reflectors. (the last of reflectors on the 3G really helps the rear look clean) I do like the 2g TSX...just not as much as my 3g TL

crxb

Will Y. - what surprised me on my 1st drive of a SH - AWD (and to a lesser extent the base TL) - was how well it handles - (yes even thou it is larger) - & even w/ my 3G running Mich Pilot Sports and the same on the 4G - the 4 has much better handling imo - so much more composure and a lot less drama on a turn at the same speeds. - none of that torque steer - I'm not putting down my 3G but at times it felt as if it was "plowing" on a quick turn. - w/ the AWD sys of the 4 - it just gets the job done. (I haven't driven a 3G 'S' - so I cant compare the 2. if your interested in that comparison - here's a link to that thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-2009-2014-123/2009-tl-sh-awd-5at-vs-2008-tl-type-s-5at-700137/

RC51Ryder

How did he drive one of those? Acura has announced that the 6MT AWD won't be available until 2010. I think your buddy might have mixed up his cars during the test drive.....

cotmfk

On an S... torque steer sucks also. AWD would have been awesome!

Maybe when the 4g 6-speed AWD comes out, I can do a massive conversion on my 3g. lol I dunno I might just be crazy enough to do it!!!

jguerra23

Is not the best pic since I snapped it from a Treo 700wx from accross the street.

The 4g design was poorly executed. The rear is the best part of the car, from the side looks like a GS, and the front is horrible. On a parking lot, the grill sticks out like a soar thumb.

I was starring and a V6 Accord coupe, and i must say , Honda had it right when designing the front of this car, sporty front, TL should of followed this, but now its just a PLAIN OLD BIG SEDAN, no point in modding it.

enigmaos

iTrader: (4)

crxb

Silver_Surfer

Crxb,

I'm happy about your new 4th gen and congrats by the way! But you are starting to sound like an infomercial...

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

car and driver or road and track just did an article on the 6sp, so its out there, maybe not for sale, but test models are in the country...i guess if you know someone in the right places, you could drive one....