BuisyBizz

I've been thinking about purchasing this car for a few months now, and I've seen some good deals (<25K). I currently drive and 07 Accord EX 4Cyl. Questions for you owners out there.

What are some of the downsides to owning the TL?

Is there anything drastic I would notice coming from the accord?

Is the ride quality / road noise better on the Acura?\

I like the Nav, but there's no way it can compete with the after market ones (esp. the garmin that has a cellular connection all the time).

I've spoken to an owner of an 06 and he said the ride is not as great as he expected, he feels every pot hole, the handling in the snow sucks, the nav system interface looks dated, and maintenance costs a bit more that his Honda CRV.

I've read some reviews where people complain about the torque steer, or that the front of the car bounces way too much on bumpy roads. Needless to say living in NYC that could be an issue.

Are there any other cars I should be looking at?

Babnik

The 07-08 has a softer suspension than the 04-06. The handling in snow depends on the tires not the car. If you don't like the nav you can save some money and get a non-navi and buy a portable unit. The maintenance on the TL should be no more expensive than most other midsized sedans, at least it's not for me. Torque steer is a problem on every high-powered fwd car.

nut854

I think Babnik meant to say "has a softer suspension", which is true in the 07-08's.

I came from a Camry to an 08 TL so I was in the same boat you're in. Pretty much everything you already stated is true, except for the snow comment which as Babnik said depends on the tires. When it comes to ride quality, I found the switch from the softer ride of the Camry perfectly acceptable. Hitting a pothole is a bit more jarring, but otherwise I consider the ride relatively smooth. You definitely want to do lots of test driving to judge for yourself, since everyone's opinion on soft/hard ride differs.

I was thinking of going non-navi since I already owned a top line GPS unit. I ended up with a Navi and I'm very glad I did. There are a million threads here on AZ on the advantages of the in-car unit. Without listing all of them, I'll just say that the overall experience of having a fully integrated touchscreen is a huge plus. The fact that there's a gps in there is only 10% of the value to me. Just the look of it alone keeps the car interior feeling very modern. Search for some of the "navi vs. non-navi" threads for more.

nut854

I just read that you live in NYC. Just an FYI, I don't consider my TL too city friendly. It has a large turning radius and the car itself is long and wide. If you can live with that, great, but if not, maybe look for a smaller car. Three competitors in the same price range would be an optioned out 3 series BMW, Lexus IS, or Infinity G35.

JwongTLS

If you're into performance, go for the type-s! Good luck

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

A couple things you said dont add up to me. How can a top of the line OEM Acura nav not compete with one of those little portable ones? Cell connection all the time? You do realize the TL has bluetooth and voice activation? The nav is amazing not sure who told you it isnt or "looks dated". Also, I dont care how good the portable ones are its still ugly to have something moujnted on your windshield (and annoying).

There is NO extra maintenance over the Accord you already have they are basically the same.

The interior will be much mroe quiet than the Accord and the car all around feels MUCH more solid and stable in every way (as it should).

Torque steer is not an issue I have the Type S and dont notice any bad torque steer. The ride is for sure stiffer on the Type S but it was made to be.

t3hanarchist

^^^^+1x9999999 SOO TRUE

and the NAV is like the best stock nav that you can get from like any car, honda/acura is the only cars with voice activated navs, and i just love the whole system on my Type-s

Acura604

I had both...a 08 NON navi and now a 08 with navi.

DO NOT get a non navi TL.. the center console is boring and looks straight out of a GM car.

Dont forget that the 07-08 NAVI TLs have a rearview camera which is priceless to have when backing up and there's crap behind you like a wall or another car when parallal parking.

What about burning a MP3 CD and then simply listing all your songs on the screen and via touch screen, selecting which song you want... without the navi, you'd have to select 'next' and 'next' and 'next' to get to the song you want.. and an average mp3 cd has 120songs on it.

GET THE TL NAVI!

FosterGuy72

Having come from an '05 Accord over to my '08 Type S, I can tell you that I am much happier in my TL than I ever was in the Accord.

The ride is about the same for me (Type-S does have stiffer suspension), and better handling!

The cabin has about the same amount of room, although my coworkers tell me that they love how much roomier the rear seat is when I drive us to lunch. The interior is much quieter and is much more pleasant to me.

Maintenance has been a little bit more for me over the Accord, but I stay with my local Acura dealer, whose prices are a little more than the local Honda dealer. Their service is second to none around here though.

One thing that always gets me though is when my TL is sitting in my garage after a fresh bath, I just can't stop sitting there and admiring the fantastic styling and attention to detail they put into this car's design, fit and finish.

Go for the TL, and the Type-S if you can swing it. Type-S has all the toys in it, including Navi and the bigger 3.5 engine. Test drive one, and I think we'll see more of you around here on AZ!

VQPower37

make sure u get a tl with nav like everyone has said ... u will def regret it if you dont. it completes the look of the interior and you have more options when it comes to modding time if you want to do anything such as ipod integration or a dvd player in the car.

most of the problems you have listed are true for any car, not just the tl in specific. as for maintenance costs, it will be more expensive if you got an acura dealership, but if you take it to a honda dealership or a private shop the overall cost should be relatively the same.

1075

Please don't misinterpret this as a bash, because it isn't intended as one I agree that it is a good idea to get current owners opinions but beyond that it's what you like as an individual that matters most. Most of your questions can be best answered by doing a thorough test drive of an '07 or '08 with and without navigation. You will then be able to do a direct comparison to your Accord and get a feel for how you like the TL. I am not talking about the standard dealer 5-10 mile test drive, I'm talking about actually spending a couple of hours in both cars and driving them in real-world conditions.

That being said, I would also recommend going with the navi version for the reasons previous posters have stated. I enjoy the convenience of an integrated unit that I don't have to stick to the windshield and carry in and out of the car, the back up camera and voice commands.

csmeance

What are some of the downsides to owning the TL?
1. Only downside over the accord is that you'll obsess over the new scratches and dings and whatnot a lot more than you did with your accord

Is there anything drastic I would notice coming from the accord?
2. Yes, the car will have nearly 30% more power than you accord. As well it will be quieter, much more solid, have a much more comfortable interior and have HID headlights (the TL's are nearly the best off all cars made, I believe 2nd or 3rd best of all HID's).

Is the ride quality / road noise better on the Acura?
3. Yes, the road and wind noise is a lot less than the accord, however the suspension will feel more compliant. Because the TL comes with 17's vs. the accord's 16's, there is less tire to absorb the bumps. However the TL's suspension design will overcome this and it'll still be comfortable.

I like the Nav, but there's no way it can compete with the after market ones (esp. the garmin that has a cellular connection all the time).
4. The stock TL navi is amazing! You have Blue-tooth connectivity, Voice Activation, control of you Audio system, Navi traffic (depending on year) and as well you can integrate a dvd player into it. 90% of those folks who buy a TL without navi wish they got it with navi after seeing it. Some folks even go to the extent of spending nearly 5+K to retrofit it into their cars!

I've spoken to an owner of an 06 and he said the ride is not as great as he expected, he feels every pot hole, the handling in the snow sucks, the nav system interface looks dated, and maintenance costs a bit more that his Honda CRV.
You have to remember, the ride is something subjective. What may feel harsh to you can be something really soft for another person! Snow handling is based on what type of tires you have. If you have High Performance summer tires, they won't be able to get traction in the snow. However if you have snow tires, you'll be powering through 6-8 inches of fresh snow!

As far as maintenance, it's nearly identical to what maintainance your accord needs. The only thing that you need to go to the dealer for is really the fluid changes such as oil changes, brake flushes, transmission fluid changes. Wipers and filters you can easily change yourself for under 20 dollars and 10 minutes of your time.

As far as "dated look" sometimes I think the navi looks dated in my car, but I've been seeing the same screens for nearly 5 years... Everytime I get into my 760, I see how much easier the navi is in the TL and how much I love it.

I've read some reviews where people complain about the torque steer, or that the front of the car bounces way too much on bumpy roads. Needless to say living in NYC that could be an issue.
Even in my 04 without the torque control system, it's not bad at all, and the only time you get torque steer is if you press the pedal to the floor and spin the tires. The car bouncing too much on roads could be a sign of out of alignment or some bad bushings on the suspension.

Are there any other cars I should be looking at?
Cars that compete with the TL are:
Audi A4
BMW 3 Series
Cadillac CTS
Infiniti G35/37
Lexus IS350/250 (stupid small back seats)

BigJack75

Coming from an 07 Accord you may not notice getting a TL as that much of an upgrade. If you already have all the bells and whistles then the TL is just adding a little more prestige's name and a little more refinement. Don't get me wrong I love my TL-S but my gf's 03 Accord still is pretty nice. The is lighter and has a softer suspension. I have the type-s so I feel all the bumps. In my opinion the 03 Accord stereo is slightly better. Bass hits hard and has more clarity. Also coming from a 4 cyc. you are deffinately going to notice a decrease in gas mileage at least until the newness factor wears off. The TL is a sweet car. I love the look and feel.

BuisyBizz

Thanks for all the feedback. I do realize that the Stock Navi is awesome (and not just for the GPS). What I meant to say was that the aftermarket ones keep adding new features, like lane assist, junction view, real time movie times, gas prices, etc. I would not get one with out the nav, because I hate having to take mine in and out all the time, and worrying that someone will bust my window because they *think* I might have left it in there...

I test drove a type s a few months ago, but like someone said, it was the dealer 10-min test drive, on some relative smooth pavement, not really enough to get a good feel for the car.

Any thoughts on CPO vs. private party vs. another non-acura dealer?

Most of the TL's competitors have really tiny back seats, sometimes I drive on road trips with friends sitting in the back, and I can't imagine sitting in some of those cramped quarters for a couple of hours.

BigJack75

The newer nav systems are coming out with 3d images. They show buildings and terrain. I wonder if we can update ours. It's nice to have nav built in. Never used a 3rd party one execpt playing with it at best buy.

Pesonally I always look for the best price. Buying a used car is a risk whether it is cpo or private party so I never pay the extra for cpo. I just look the car over well and roll the dice. Most times I come up a winner.

I don't carry too many passengers in the back seat but the few I have had back there were like "damn this is nice and roomy".