two-five TL

Hi all,

I'm located in NYC and am looking to strike a deal on a new car by end of this month, with an 06' 6-spd w/o NAV being strongly considered. However, I have the following questions that I'm concerned with and would like you guys' comments/clarification:

1. Theft an issue on these cars, esp. the HID's? My family used to have a 00' TL and had its HL's stolen 2x, what a nightmare.... Are the new TL headlights prone to the same issues or not?

2. Gas mileage - I've read that ppl can get mid to high 20's/mpg on these cars when driven somewhat conservatively? Is that true despite Acura's claims of 20/29?

3. 6-spd gear ratios - I haven't had a chance to test out a 6-spd yet, and I was wondering if the gears were pretty tall for cruising or short and constantly needs to be shifted, ie. Type-R? What's the RPM in 6th gear @ 70mph?

4. Can someone direct me to a STOCK HP and TQ dyno chart? I just came off a 2001 Prelude and am dying for some low-mid range TQ.

5. Lastly, what are some of the most common issues on the 3rd gen TL's? Mechanical or otherwise? I haven't read through that section yet so some quick cliffnotes would be much appreciated


Thanks in advance!!!

quantum13

I average 22 or 23 mpg. As far as the gears are - its close ratio so you don't HAVE to do alot of shifting if you don't want - and at 70 MPH i'm doin less than 3000 RPM, probably closer to 2000 since at 60MPH in 6th gear I'm doing 2000 RPM. Common issues are rattles on the interior, alignment issues, Bluetooth issues with the HFL system, there are more, just go to the problems and fixes section of the forum... by the way - get the 6SPD - just my two cents...

SouthernBoy

1. Theft of such things, or of cars in general, is not really an issue in my area, especially since I park both of my 3G TL's in my garage. My Ranger pickup gets the driveway. I suspect that if you live in an area where theft is a problem with HIDs or anything else, the new TL will be no less susceptible than any other similarly equitted car.

2. I don't live in anything like New York city, so my mileage is not a good indicator of what you might expect. I generally get around 26 MPG back and forth to work, and have gotten 33.94 on the road with the A/C on the entire time. Yes, my TL is an '04 manual.

3. Gears 2 through 6 are close ratio by today's standards. First gear is pretty low and wide from second. The final drive ratio is high at 3.29:1, but the 6 speed helps greatly to make up for not having a lower gear there. It is an excellent transmission. Clutch action is the area where most people have problems at first. Pedal travel is relatively short, with an even shorter takeup. And the travel from initial engagement to the point at which there is enough friction pressure to move the car is VERY short which causes some to buck or stall the car at first. Once you get use to it, you'll like its precision. Quantum13 is right about the RPMs at 60 in 6th gear. It's dead on 2000 RPM at that speed. The automatic TL rurns 1725 RPM at 60 MPH (I have one of each - mine is an '04 manual and my wife's is an '05 automatic).

4. As I recall, the brochure (2004) has a dyno chart. You could probably turn up on on this site with a search.

5. Both of mine have been flawless. Mine did have the flatlined outside temperature display which killed the battery since the car sat for 5 days like this. That happened when it was around 7 weeks old. Since then, no problems.


I second quantum13. Get the manual if you can live with it in NYC. Then manual handles different and better than the automatic and comes standard with Brembos up front.

realfresh

Hey two-five, yeah...my friend has a last gen prelude 5spd and yeah, there's really no comparison. I have significantly more power throughout the powerband in my 6spd TL. I went from a 3.0 CL to the TL and I'm loving the torque. When I'm on the freeway, I am almost always able to pass people in 5th and 6th.


This might help
http://www.dragtimes.com/2006-Acura-...aphs-9166.html

KJW73

My (for what it's worth...):

1. THEFT: Theft is high in my area, although I live in the burbs (not that that means much, really) and park underground at work during the day. I have not heard of anyone stealing the HID's, yet anyway.

2. GAS MILEAGE: During the break-in period I was getting 13 mpg in city driving (stop n go); now at 7,200 miles and 9 months later I'm averaging 20 mpg in the city. Not bad. Highway mileage I averaged (on my only long distance trip since I've owned the car) 27 mpg.

3. GEAR RATIOS: Not a clue; I drive the AT (my first).

4. ALSO CLUELESS TO DYNO, ETC.

5. TL ISSUES: I, personally have had none (except one minor rattle that my man was able to fix himself by slippin a piece of paper under the metal around the shifter; haven't heard it since).

Good luck and keep us posted!

csmeance

just to steal the hids, wouldn't they need to open the hood, take out bumper and pull out the light assembly?

dmarcus48

The theft of the hid's in earlier tl's was because the lights fit into one of the other honda's, civic or accord I forget which. The 3rd gen tl headlights don't fit anything else so theft really isn't the issue it was. Of course in NYC you never know.

I've got a AT, with about 4100 miles on it now. I've been getting 18-20 mpg in all city driving and have gotten 32 mpg on a highway trip.

The car is great, smooth, quiet, fast (at least it's fast enough for me).

oppnyc

1. Based on your luck
2. My TL is bad on MPG. I am in NY (Staten Island). City - 13-15 mpg. HWY 28-29. But I do city driving 95%, so on 10 gallons I make 130-150 miles. no more
3. I have Auto (so no comments)
4. No help with this.
5. My TL rattles all around. This car is made in USA= poor quality. I tested several TL and all of them rattle in same way. Cabin is not quite as you may expect. Constant squeaks and other noises. Read web reviews for 3 gen. of TL. Most of them conclude same:
a. Engine is great
b. shape is nice.
c. build quality - poor (rattles)
Do small test : go to dealer and do the following:
Open driver or passenger window and close the door. You will hear that whole door shakes and vibrates.