I currently own a 04 tsx 6 speed. i am thinking about an upgrade to a 08 tl type s. Any thoughts from current owners would be great. I am also curious about the difference in performance between the auto and manual.

Thanks

 

You're in the wrong generation.

 

I can't help with the differences in different years of TLs, but my fiance, a variety of female friends and anecdotal evidence strongly suggest that men who drive automatics do not, on average, perform well. Nor do they impress.

Do you feel a connection to the machine? Listen to her and adjust the revs and gear for what is coming, rather than reacting to what has already been?

Or do you have several types of "hair product" in your cabinet, drink almond lattes and talk on a handset while checking your complexion in the mirror... on the highway?

The former "performs", the latter strikes a pose. Women prefer a man with a stick.

 

^sig worthy!

 

moved to 3GTL.

 

Get the 6 speed Tl type s and u wont regret it. I have a 6 speed Base TL and love it. And considering ur coming from a 6 speed tsx u'll like the extra power.

 

All i can say is the TL manual has been the most difficult manual for me...its unlike any other manual Ive owned.

 

Manual>Automatic.

 

I feel the same. I just bought a 2006 TL base and the clutch is so soft and the engagement point is so low. Maybe its time for the Check valve mod.

 

All I know is after I drive any other manual I have to relearn how to drive mine.

 

My daily driver is a A/T Nissan Frontier I4.
I have to relearn to drive every weekend. LOL

But not to scare away the OP, I wouldn't have the car anyway else but the 6MT!
Once I figure out the sweet spot and gas its smooth sailings!

 

6spd is great.

If I wanted an auto, I would look for a car that shifts smoother than the TL.

 

My last Acura was a 6 M/T, and now I have the 5 A/T.

The 6 M/T massages the testosterone, whereas the 5 A/T relaxes the whole body. That's why you will find the 6 M/T owners very aggressive when it comes to voicing their opinions on which is best. Seems like owning the M/T makes you a better driver than those slugs out there with an A/T.

IMO, if I only traveled freeway miles, the M/T might be more attractive. The problem is that there are few places one can travel today that doesn't require stop & go/slow commutes. That is where the M/T is not very pleasant.
I prefer the A/T over the manual, but that is just my opinion. I think my blood pressure went down 10 points since I bought it.

It is EXTREMELY smooth, and I like the grade logic. I also like how the shifts firm up as the rpm's increase.

As many have done on this site, I changed out the fluid (3X method) at about 15K with AMSOIL synthetic to help assure a long life.

'07 TL-S S A/T CBP
FUJITA F5
PROGRESS RSB
P2R TBS w/gaskets
Braille battery
V1 on the lookout

 

Go online and reference the Road & Track article "shifting priorities" in the Jan. 2010 edition.

It has some great information as it relates to M/T vs. paddles in varios conditions, including track.

Sometimes an M/T isn't the fastest, but it's still up to personal choices as to which is best for you

 

Here we go:


http://www.roadandtrack.com/auto_new...hift-gearboxes

 

Now that's an answer.

 

I shall use TechnoCats reply everytime this question is asked

 

I went from an '06 6-MT (bought new and drove it for 57k miles before trading it in) to an '08 Type-S Auto for family reasons... Obviously, the 6-MT is the way to go as it allows for far more engaged experience - as you should know. The power difference from your current car to the Type-S will seem like night and day; but be careful, because it will most certainly feel violent as you hammer the gas and shift through gears 1-3. Additionally, the Type-S has bigger, solid front and rear sway bars which makes the suspension much firmer than a base TL (base TL bars are hollow and smaller in diameter). Truthfully, you should drive both to see which one you prefer... what you don't want to do is get an auto without trying the stick, then spend your time trying to convince yourself that was the right choice. Other than that, they're the same car.

 

+1. I agree with you 100%. M/T is fun but not convenient in NY with all the crazy rush hour traffic

 

Dude it's women...

 

Honestly I think MT is a waste of time in anything other than a real sports car...and while I love the TL...it's not a race/sports car. But, like everything, everyone has their preference.

 

Yea the whole fwd thing kind of sucks doesn't it
Its whatever tho, because like you said it's all preference and I am personally going to have at least one manual car for the rest of my life simply because I feel like it makes driving fun. And just think about how much time we spend it our cars on a weekly basis.

 

You will probably have to buy used machinery then.

If you look at how the industry is moving, a true MT won't be available by the time you are 25.

 

If by used machinery you mean a classic/ not > 2011 car... I wouldnt NEVER buy a brand new car off the lot, but yea that def is the way the market is moving if you were to buy a brand new car.

 

It took me 6 months to find the exact TL I wanted, and I was almost ready to just get one with an automatic.

Ended up finding the right one, and with a 6-Speed manual, and had to drive 7 hours round trip, twice, to get it. So glad I did not get the automatic. This car is my first manual transmission vehicle and I love it to death.

 

Yea this was my first manual as well^. Oh wow I wish I could edit my last post..."wouldn't never"...really?

 

i went from a 06 6sp tsx to a 08 6sp tl-s and never looked back. the tl-s is just that much better in every way.

 

we dont grade you on posting

 

Everyday, I ask myself. Why didn't I just get the 6-Spd. For my year TL that would have gave me more goodies such as the Brembo Brakes and the LSD. This car is just not fun to drive with the auto...sure....I have the sport shift but it's mainly a toy and I don't feel connected, The tranny is still a slush box.

 

Its all personal preference imo

I went for a 6mt because im 20 (well 21 now) and its "cool" to drive a stick right now. I ALMOST wish i went with the RL because even though i like to pretend im speed racer sometimes... 98% of me driving is daily commuting and the absolute luxury of an auto in this car or the RL might have been a better option, but i will not deny the manual is a ton of fun

Buy what you want but I personally will probably buy my next manual car when i can afford to have a DD as well.

 

this question has been asked here before...

neither is better than the other - it just depends what fits YOU and what YOu want.

i test drove both..in my opinion, the manual torque steered worse than the auto, but maybe that was because I drove the manual harder....

to me, the TL, even the TL-S, is NOT a real sprots sedan. it's frickin FWD...so no matter how much you mod it, it will torque steer and if you drive it HARD it will understeer and plow... driven at 7/10ths it feels very sporty, however, and is fun to drive.

if you have to shift gears and really like to shift and want to make it feel as sporty as you possibly can, get the stick.

if you will use the car as a daily driver and will only ONCE inn a while really feel the need to drive it hard, get the auto. you can use the paddle shifters if you want...they aren't like a Porsche PDK, but if gives you a somewhat more sporty interface with the car, even if they are a bit sluggish to respond..

for most people - with real world driving needs, the auto is the way to go. people who bash the autos and drive sticks and claim that you have to have stick, blah blah blah..bought wrong frickin car..they shoudl have bought a true sports car and then yeah - you have to get stick. If I was buying a Cayman S or some real sports car, I'd get a stick. My boxster is a stick...why anyone would want a tiptronic boxster or cayman - i have no idea... BUT...for an Acura...the auto is probably the more useable practical choice.

the stick may be faster. but most of us don't time our drive to work in milliseconds..and the light will turn red no matter if I get from 0-60 in 6 seconds or 6.5 seconds. if you are buying a TL or TL-S to drag race or try to outdo other sports car or sports sedans, again you are buying the wron gcar... go buy an RS4 is you need an uber sedan...

the TL is a GREAT all around car. despite being FWD, it performs reallyw ell, is very reliable..and IS a lot of fun to drive. I came VERY close to buying a 3rd gen TL-S... I ended up goign the route of buying a CPO RL and a boxster...so I have one car for pure luxury/cruising and one for pure fun...but if I had to sell both cars and get one cfar to "do it all" a TL-S would be high on my list..even if it's not truly a hardcore sports sedan..because it's such a great car and great value...

test drive them both... then go home and sleep on it. the stick is nice but for most people, having to deal with stick on a daily basis is just a PITA. there is areason why so few TLs are stick... but for those who want them - there is NOTHIGN wrong with them.... it all comes down to what YOu want...

good luck!

 

 

I very much agree^.

 

Y'all crazy.
Auto = Luxury
TL = Touring Luxury.
Manual = Cheap

TL is not a race or sports car. Don't get me wrong. I love my car and all the performance mods but I still know my place and where the TL belongs.

 

I only chose stick because I've learned a lesson early on with my first used automatic car. The transmission died and I didn't have the funds to repair it.
From then on I bought Manual cars. The clutch is just so much cheaper to replace.
And of course they're fun to drive.

 

This pretty much is my opinion. Who the hell cares, you buy a car because you like it. You dont buy a TL because its fast. you buy it because its sexy and is fun to drive.

The end

P.S. I drive a manual so im cooler.

 

I got the auto cuz I know my kid is going to inherent this one day.

 

So I don't have to depress the clutch all of the way before shifting????

 

Yup, that's why I chose not to get a 6MT. I like to go to my TL, sit back and relax while I drive.

Now if it were a sports car like a Corvette or a MX5 then the Manual is the way to go.