AltecBX

THe new RL will have a night vision system also.

AltecBX

China will be a new market for this TL. We are getting the this TL for '07 but with revised back lights cause of US regulation.

China

- 2005 sales forecast: 260,000 units (Up 19% from 2004)

- 2005 production plan: 270,000 units (including exports)

- Dongfeng Honda will expand its annual production capacity to 120,000 units from 2006 and begin production of one of Honda’s core models – Civic.

- Combined with added capacity at the second plant of Guangzhou Honda, overall production capacity in China will be 530,000 units annually.

- Honda will also strengthen local powertrain production, including local production of dies, to establish the foundation for local production and then grow steadily.

- As for sales, the Acura brand will be launched in China, the first region outside North America to introduce the brand. In addition to RL, the U,S, made Acura TL will also be introduced to the market.

http://world.honda.com/news/2005/c051220.html

italian_spak

im gonna get those taillights hehehe

theshark29

Hi,

Any idea if the '07 TL will come with an AWD version?

Thanks!

Hawhyen51

invincible569

Good info Altec.

dampfnudel

So that means the taillights have amber turn-signal lights and we're also getting LED amber turn-signal lights in the mirrors. I always prefer amber turn-signal lights.

So what else can we expect ? More HP, updated Gen 4 navi, NavTraffic, Aux. jack, MP3-compatible sound system, no more cassette player, revised dash/speedo/tach, etc.

AltecBX

I had to put this info out, because people here were doubting me that I was making shit up. Back to my info, the awd TL won't be out till '09. THe next sh-awd from acura is the RDX fo r'07, then '09 for the TL. The new RL will have night vision as well with an 4.0 V8.

sweetride01

What's wrong with having a cassette player?

dampfnudel

I know some people still own cassettes, but the majority of TL owners don't use it. As far as I'm concerned, the TL can keep the cassette player as long as they add other audio options like the aux. jack, MP3 compatibility and a 2nd gen Music Link with ID3 tag suport (info is displayed on the dash).

meagain

When I step into the car and see a cassette deck, I immediately think 'dated'. Might as well just have an 8-track player in there for kicks. I think it's ugly and can't imagine why it's in there. An archaic relic. It should be an option for those who still use old technology, but I don't want it in my $35,000 car. It really bothers me. I know zero people who use cassettes. I sure wish definitive information would come out on this '07 car.

joflewbyu2

2007 tl will have a S type version. what the difference will be is a guess. i believe it is the 3.5 290 hp engine and 18" wheels and a price of 37,995 w/o navi and $39,995 w/ navi.

03CoupeV6

For the last time the "Type-S" moniker is dead, gone, over, a has-been, part of the past, history, is no more.

This pure speculation is getting downright ridiculous. Leave the predictions to the people who actually know something about Acura, please.

AltecBX

The '07 is not getting a Type-S. Nor is gettign a 3.5 engine. Is going to have a the 3.2 tweak to produce more HP than now. I hear that they are going to offer a cheaper version of the RL in the near future with less option. And a V8 RWD for the future RL.

joflewbyu2

I work for an Acura dealership and according to our rep which has yet to be wrong, there definately will be a S-Type version but would not go into detail.

joflewbyu2

As well as a minor make over like the TSX received in 06 only after being out 2 years. Different front end, rear end, larger or more pronounced ground effects and others.

Wyman

A previous thread mentioned the 07 TL might be shown at the NY auto show this April. Would this mean the 07 could be available sooner than normal, say this summer?

dampfnudel

It's possible.

AltecBX

They are getting delivery in Sept/Oct '06, alond with the RDX.

need4spd

BTW - the reason for the lower red tail light in the lower part of the bumper for China is due to local regulations in Southern China (Dong Guang area) that requires a bright red tail light at the bottom part of the car (at first most cars had a stupid looking light added after the fact, now they are being built in at the factory for most makes). This red light is on all the time (not just brakes as in a third brake light for the US).

As for the reverse lights being down low, they are being moved to make room for the wider liscence plates used in China (like Europe), as the trunk was designed for US/Canada sized plates, and since the red lights have to be down low, they moved them to the same location.

As stated before, I highly doubt the lights will be in this location for the US market.

enigma

Have you seen the Honda Sports4?
Could this be 4th gen TL?

It doesnt look bad, but I think the mirror and the door knob will be forced to put back on the car...still looks sexy.

http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...ch&sa=N&tab=wi

enigma

Better link:

http://world.honda.com/Tokyo2005/sports4/01.html

ludachrisvt

iTrader: (2)

probably the new TSX

kilroy

I would welcome SH-AWD on the new TL, but I wonder if that will be enough to really catch BWM in the handling and road feel dept. SH-AWD still has the engine mounted sideways, which puts more weight over the front wheels and
contributes to understeer. No matter what Acura does, if they moved the battery to trunk, it would help


I still don't understand Honda's love of front wheel drive cars. How exactly is it cheaper to cram all the drivetran componets under the hood. It seem like it would be cheaper to have a drive shaft to the back, with engine mount "straight" in the car.

I remember when front wheel drive cars came out en masse in the 80's, everyone liked the loss of the hump in the car, and the traction in snow. It seem like the hump problems has been solved - and hey the police all use rear wheel drive in Michigan.

winstrolvtec

I assume Acura will move its sh-awd to the truck platforms, and use the sh-4wd, which is rear based on its other cars. It looks like it will debut on the sports 4, most likely the new Accord, but maybe tsx. While Honda may have taken its time to "catch on", they are doing so in the right manner. Two state of the art awd systems and now the introduction of turbo vtec.

winstrolvtec

I now realize awd and 4wd may refer to the same system, but that does not discourage the idea that a rwd based version should be made, and rumor has it maybe in the works for the next gen RL.

Wyman

Well the NY Auto show is 4 weeks away. Will they show a modified 2007 TL?
Thoughts on what it may include? HP bump? New body detailing/lights? Updated Navi? A real iPod connection? New A Spec pkg?

TonyCD

Not quite sure where to even begin on this one....

Honda has always stood for efficiency. Fuel efficiency and packaging efficiency. That's meant FWD, right back to the original pre-Civic knockoffs of the Mini. It's not cheaper to build; traditional Detroit RWD has all the sophistication of a Conestoga wagon. It's more efficient with weight and space, because it encloses all the mechanicals forward of the firewall.

The only way to "solve" the hump problem on front engine / rear drive cars is to raise the interior floor above the driveshaft. That worsens interior room, aerodynamics, and raises the center of gravity for poorer handling. It's no solution at all. Maybe you've seen it "solved" in SUV's.

The police in some places still use Crown Vic's precisely because their mechanicals are so primitive that there's a lingering impression they're cheaper to fix and longer-lived. Ford, like GM before it with the Caprice boat, has played to that impression by providing a beefed-up Police Interception version to the public sector. Foul-weather roadability has nothing to do with it.

Post less, read more.

dampfnudel

There was a rumor that the 2007 TL would show up at the NY Auto Show. I'll be there so I'll find out for myself. I think you can expect a few more horses and some minor cosmetic changes inside & out. The navigation unit will definitely be upgraded to the 4th gen units that the Accord & TSX currently have. The 2006 TSX also got an aux. audio jack so I'm expecting that for the TL as well. Who knows when we'll see a better Music Link, maybe with the next gen TL. As for a new A Spec package, I have no idea.

kilroy

TLynn,

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I now realize that all RWD are like Crown Vics and suffer from poor aerodynamics, high centers of gravity, and poor handling. When NASCAR figures this out I’ll bet they switch to FWD. BWM can’t be far behind, once they realize they’ve been building crowded, tippy cars with poor aerodynamics.

I suppose I should apologize for posting something as ridiculous as suggesting Acura switch to RWD. I am sure most forum members would never want a RWD TL.

Perhaps you can send me your email so that I can run my posts by you for approval?

Wyman

Keyless push button start would be nice too for '07, although not like the RL.

TonyCD

Perhaps you should read your own original posts before you try to rewrite them in pathetic codpiece-substitute ripostes like this one.

You said, and I quote: "I still don't understand Honda's love of front wheel drive cars. How exactly is it cheaper to cram all the drivetran componets under the hood. It seem like it would be cheaper to have a drive shaft to the back, with engine mount "straight" in the car."

The implication is clear: You believed Honda stuck with FWD because it was cheaper. I replied that this was not Honda's motivation. You were wrong then, still wrong now, and still haven't answered me. Then you wrote:

"I remember when front wheel drive cars came out en masse in the 80's, everyone liked the loss of the hump in the car, and the traction in snow. It seem like the hump problems has been solved - and hey the police all use rear wheel drive in Michigan."

Not exactly scientific proof that RWD has magically conquered the physics of wet-surface driving, and I pointed that out too. Your reply: "Well, BMW uses rear-wheel drive, so it must be good!" Not in rain and snow, it's not. As for the efficiency issue, name me ONE car with category-leading efficiency -- of either space or fuel -- that has front engine and rear drive. Other than the two classes that have no FWD entry (sports cars and high-end luxury sedans) and no care for efficiency anyway, there is none.

I don't think you should apologize for suggesting Acura should build an RWD TL, and I never said that. I think the apology you truly owe is to your fellow posters, for wasting time out of their lives with the sloppy and self-serving inaccuracies in everything else you wrote.

Post less, read more.

Xpditor

Hey! You kids play nice!

Daddy's home.

mlody

I would not mind painted rear calipers with Acura name for 6MT. It would really match nicely even though the rears are not Brembo and do not expect them to be Brembo for ’07 model.

dampfnudel

Any chance Acura may give the TL a 6AT ? I doubt it myself, but you never know.

psteng19

What about intelligent key?

04RedParchTL

The best place to find news on Honda cars is from the source: http://hondanews.com

whatjones911

Whats wrong with the RL's keyless system?

PandaBear

If Honda want efficiency and handling why not add a hybrid drivetrain with FWD at the front and have the electric motor bolt on the rear directly?

Advantage:

lighter front end with smaller engine (1.8L instead of 3.2L), battery and 2 electric motors in the rear.

better weight distribution

torque in the rear (electric motor can have instant torque, any rpm), both for driving and for braking (no caliper, just regen brake)

fuel economy when no need for electric motor

no drive shaft to go all the way to the rear

4wd for free


Disadvantage:

spung weight

more $

small engine means louder engine and not as smooth

less trunk/gas/rear room

more complicated control (hey, if you design one system for both accord and TL, then the engineering is literally free)

more things to break

recharge now done via front/real wheel on the road, so it eats tire faster


overall I think it is the future and the right way to go

AltecBX

You still have to turn the ignition, instead of just pressing a start button. In some cases, you might forget to turn it off when you leave your car and drain your battery.