Hey everybody,

I've been looking into getting one of these hot new TL's for some time now, and I think I've getting ready to take the plunge (6spd, NAV). However, even though I think I've made my decision on the body color (Anthracite), the interior color is something I've been going back and forth with for about month or so...

I'm trying to decide between Camel or Ebony. I've only seen the Ebony interior with Anthracite, and while it looks good (ableit a little monochromatic), it will sure be hot in the summer months. I've seen Camel around, but only with body colors of RRP or ABP... Has anyone seen and/or own an Anthracite with Camel? Can anybody recommend/dissuade me from the Camel and Anthracite combo?

Thanks all!

 

my vote is on Ebony

 

i was going to get ebony, but that gets hot especially in crappy DC summers. I went with quartz because it is quartz and black in reality. The combo looks really nice on the dash, doors etc

 

It depends who you ask, I say quartz is the best. Now if I were boltjames, I would say CAMEL.

 

You have to go Camel. Here's why:

Quartz: Only you will know its real leather. To the rest of the world, it looks vinyl. Lacks the woodgrain trim, and the carbon fiber gets lost a bit against all that grey everywhere. Sporty and youthful.....sort of like a Firebird. Hertz Rent-a-caresque.

Ebony: Dark. Oh, and its dark. I should have said that its very dark. No interior looks better for the first six months, no interior looks worse in months seven through thirty-six. Carbon fiber trim gets lost. Black dash on black surfaces on black fabric on black leather. Dust bowl waiting to happen.

Camel: Natural leather, so you get credit for spending the $$$ as it can't be mistaken for anything else. Wood trim, a prerequsite in a luxury car. Great contrast between the dark black/grey dashtop and the camel appointments. A sophisticated look (think BMW, Porsche, Benz) it's not for everyone....can be thought of as a bit orange looking, but not as orange as the BMW version.

Within the past year, I've owned an RL with ebony interior, a TL with camel interior, and an Odyssey with quartz interior, so I know from experience. Ebony is too dark and dusty and breaks down quickly. Quartz is just too bland and lacks the 'pop' that other interiors offer. Camel is just right.

BJ

 

I saw camel on an Anthracite at another dealer a week before my car came in. It looked fine to me, but they wouldn't budge on the price. That said, I bought my Anthracite with the ebony interior. Looks great!

 

I have to agree with boltjames wrt the quartz. It does look rather vinyl-esque, especially since my best friend has a 96 accord with quartz, and it isn't the best quality leather. Maybe I'm jaded from that....

Lore, or anybody else whos seen Anthracite/Camel, does it look like a 'doable' combination with Anthracite?

I think I'm leaning towards Camel, even though I haven't seen this combo with my own eyes, mostly due to the fact I really like the black/Camel contrast from what I've seen, plus is has this German-like appearance... Now I have to go find one.. less one with the A-spec package...

Does anyone know how much the A-spec goes for so that I have a ballpark figure to haggle with?

 

Need the Ebony. It is not too black. And I noticed it was not too hot. All summer I thought it would be miserable getting inthere after a full day in the hot sun. But it never bothered me. May be that I usually left the moon roof up (not open) to vent the heat. Or it could be the cool feature of opening all the windows with the key from 50 feet away gets the temp down fast. So the heat is not a problem. And you can not like the FAKE woodgrain. If it was real wood, then I would like it, but fake wood does not make it with a weekend furniture maker.

 

My friend spent a month trying to track down an Anth/Camel TL in SoCal and finally gave up and took an Anth/Quartz instead. I can't imagine how long you're going to have to wait for an Anth/Camel/ASpec.......unless you get really lucky, you're likely going to have to order it from the factory and wait, what, 12 weeks for the '05's? Just a guess....others know more on the subject and will likely chime in.

Good luck!

BJ

 

First off, you live in New England and she's in Southern California so talking about heat is really not valid considering the two climates are so vastly different.

Next, do you like the aluminum trim on your TL? By your logic, you shouldn't because it's not "real" aluminum. The wood on the TL may be fake, but it's good fake (like the carbon fiber, like the aluminum) and that's enough for anyone in a $35k luxury car.

BJ

 

Yeah, I've pretty much made the decision that I'm going to order anyway...It shouldn't be too bad (my dealer said 3 months), especially compared to 6-8 my parents had to wait for their Prius.

This is because my dealer says he cannot find ANY anthracite/camel anywhere in California, and Acura isn't making any more of that color for 04... So I suppose I'll just order an 05 model; hopefully they'll have the A-spec available (I've been hearing that it has been discontinued??)

 

I just saw in the service dept. anthracite w/camel TL. The color combo looked awkward to me. There's no flow between exterior and interior colors. I prefer anthracite w/quartz, while camel goes well with black and red. Yet afterall, color is a matter of a personal taste! :-)

 

1) Ebony
2) Quartz

Camel is not an option for me. I think it's the ugliest color possible. It should be discontinued.

 

Ebony!

 

Yes, Anthracite/Camel is definitely a doable combination. I would have jumped on it had the dealer been willing to work on the price. I really like how the black dash and the camel contrast on interior - looks very classy, and the color's quite pleasing the eye once you're in it. Word has it that it looks less orangey these days...

 

quartz if you're under 30 (or believe you're under 30),
camel if you're over 40 (or think like an oldie),
flip a coin or use personal preference if you're anything in between.

just a polite observation.

 

It should be discontinued because you don't like it? Who are you voting for president? I guess the other guy should be disqualified now.

The bottom line for the original poster is that he would do well to sit in an Ebony and Camel TL for ten minutes each and decide which he likes better. Although I admire BJ's persistence on this topic (he's posted his reasoning on the interior colors at least 100 times) I wouldn't personally rationalize any choice of color, nor choose one because of what anyone else might think. I just chose the color I liked best. (To be fair, I've posted this opinion 100 times, too. )

If you sit in a Camel TL and go "Wow" (like I did) then get Camel. If you sit in a Camel TL and go "Hmm, not sure about this" then get the Ebony. Either way you'll be driving a great-looking car.

 

Personally I'd go for Ebony. My 3-series has a beige interior which gets dirty very easily from kids and wonderful black shoe scuff marks all over, so I'm not doing a light interior again. Besides, Santa Barbara doesn't get too hot so a dark interior would be perfect over there.

 

Ebony, Ebony, Ebony

 

Get what YOU like!!!!!!

 

I was down to Camel and Ebony too and decided to go with Camel. The Camel will be cooler during our warm summers, I like the Euro-premium look, and its more unique (and rare) than the ebony or quartz with anthracite. Of course my wife pushing hard for the camel did help sway me but the decision was still ultimately mine. My only concern with Camel is scuff/dirt marks but if treated quickly I think I'll manage. I have a deposit down on the following custom order for Nov. delivery:

05 Anthracite/Camel 6MT Navi

Time to get my 94 GS-R prepped for a new home. It will be missed but I'm ready for my TL!

Brian

 

BMDUNCAN - How many miles on your '94 GSR? I'm getting rid of my '95 GSR when my TL arrives next month. I've got 145K. What a great car it's been!

 

CAMEL!!!! and that's that!

 

EBONY ALL THE WAY!!!!!!! Camel

carcar

 

I know this is a repost for the 100th time it seems, but we continue to see folks suggesting that they like the wood look with the lighter colors, don't like the carbon fiber with the darker colors but would like the opposite then they come in. I have told you guys you can do either of two options. The first (and humbly the best in my opinion) is to order the OEM pieces in wood look through your dealer parts dept. Then when they come in, have your service dept. take out the Carbon Fiber pieces that come with the Quartz or Ebony and replace them with the wood look OEM pieces that you ordered. The cost for this option to be able to have the combo. you want and like is between $800 and $1000. Your second option is to order the overlay pieces through exoticwooddash.com. These will run about $400 and will stick on top of the Carbon Fiber pieces. Either way you end up with the combination you wanted vs. only what Acura tells you what you can have.
Feel free to PM me for additional information. You live in Santa Barbara. Not too far from the South Bay. If you feel like driving down, you can see mine in person.
Bruce

 

153K on mine and in the family its whole life. My dad bought it brand new, sold it to my brother in 96 and then I bought it in 2k. Still have the original window sticker among other records.

 

Well guys,

It looks like I wont be gettnig a new TL for another couple months. I've just had some financial burdens come up, and I just can't take the plunge right now...

I'm actually glad this happened, because I was just searching for an excuse to allow myself to wait for the 05's, just to be sure. Plus, I was about to just drop cash on an Antrhracite/Ebony (the only car in southern California in stock w NAV/6MT), which is already my second choice.

*SIGH*. I think I'll be in the market again in feb - march timeframe. BTW, has anyone driven the TSX? I took it for a test run the other day when I was waiting for my dealer to get some papers/deals ready, and while it didn't punch the gun like the TL, it handled REALLY well. I was actually very impressed! Anyone have a similar experience?

 

Having had the TSX as a loaner car all I can say is I feel the two cars are night and day. For the price I feel the TSX is a total rip. It performs and sounds like a typical 4 cyl.

Junk in my opinion.

Does anyone know does Lexus have the same glaring differences from their LS and GS models?