so, i took my 3g in for an oil change, alignment and to replace a missing door cap. Valencia Acura gave me a 4G for the day as a loaner. The car was a base with Nav. The first thought was that they were trying to tempt me to get a new car. I get in the car and was immediately disappointed by the interior, i think that it is too dark and looks too plastic, my car has the parchment with the extended plood on the center console.. the new car was all black with silver plastic accents. All in all i thought it came off a little cheap. I then start the car, cool to not have to use the key..the nav screen is clearly much better detail wise, although I found the operation of the system needlessly complicated, I think the 3G is a little easier to use, probably due to familiarity. The next thing I notice is that the seat is not comfortable... the headrest is canted forward too much, causing it to hit me in the back of the head, i found myself slouching forward slightly. I felt that the shifter has a much firmer feel, but am not a fan of the button type, I prefer the gate style of the 3G. As I first drive the car I notice that the steering feels artificially heavy, like its trying to feel sportier. As i drive off I think that the acceleration seems to be about equal to my 3G. The stereo sounds a little deeper and fuller than the system in my car. I did notice that at freeway speeds, the car needs constant corrections to keep a straight line and seems to be too touchy. My car has 19" rims with 35 series eagle GT's... still this car feels "twitchier". I put about 90mi in freeway and city driving and couldn't wait to get my car back! Overall, I think that its a solid and well built car, however, I still prefer my 06. To think that I was worried that the loaner was going to make me get the car buying bug? Not so much...Keeping the 3G for now!, if only my 3G had the smart key, it would be perfect!

 

I like my 3G as well.

 

 

I've had my 3G for 3 years, and I still get amazed when I look at it everytime. I wonder if this feeling will die out in the next 15 years haha

 

3g looks betta

 

I have just about the same story. I too had a 4G base loaner for a day when I was getting my wheels mounted balanced and an oil change. I have the same complaints. The exterior of the car seems a little bloated to me and as soon as I got inside I was immediately disappointed with the quality of the materials. It just looked very cheap. The one thing I did like though was the way the Audio/Nav screens were set up. The detail and info it provided was pretty awesome. I differ from you on the steering. The steering was very heavy compared to our 3G's but I actually liked it better. It feels much more substantial of a car when the wheel is heavy in my opinion. The car actually felt slower than my 3G to me, might be the weight of it. Overall it's a nice car, but definitely not my taste. I'm curious about the 4G SH AWD with the sport and tech package. I love the way it looks and would love to give it a spin to see if it changes my overall feeling of the 4G.

 

3g way better looking its not because i own one but i love the look of it

 

yessir, 3G is the shizz. but if acura don't smack some sense into their designers for the next type-s or the 5G, then I'll probably have to go the Bimmer 5 series way when my TL breaks down.

 

I too find a lot of the new Honda/Acura models to be blah or just plain ugly! I mean look at the grill Acura chose to put on almost all its new models..... The 3G's are sex on wheels in my eyes!

 

I test drove a 4G before going back to a 3G. The 4G felt like a boat. I also test drove a TSX V6 and it seemed to me that it was the replacement for the 3G TL. That thing was fast as well, but the back seat was too small for the kids.

Joe

 

i vote for on the 4G as well

 

Yep even if the 4G was a performance beast the looks and styling still turn me off.

 

When the 4g came out... It pretty much almost guranteed me that i was going to be super happy with my car for the atleast the next 4 years...

 

if i were to ride a 4G it would have to be a SH-AWD but even then not a huge fan of its styling.... as a 3G owner when the 4G came out i was worried that i would have that outdated model and everyone would be like ur rollin an old car but actually i like my 3G more and more even after 3 years!

 

That grill looks good on the MDX, not a TL.

Anyway, I also had a 4G TL for a day when they were doing my timing belt, water pump service. My thoughts were quite similar those of the OP, especially regarding the steering.

As for the nav, I thought there was significant improvement in the ability to find a location or address via voice recognition. That was the only thing I was jealous of.

As for me and my 3G, I'll get as many miles out of it as I can and then see what's out there.

 

How many of you guys say something to the voice recognition like "find closest mexican restraunt." then the stupid car says "air conditioning 70 degress."

LOL WTF i swear i speak proper english and my cars voice recognition is always getting it wrong!!!

 

I thought the looks of the 4G would grow on me but compared to the 3G there is no contest. I had started saving all my stock parts when doing mods in the event I wanted to sell it.

I've started getting rid of my stock parts because once I get tired of it my son wants it with all the mods I am putting into it.

Not sure what will be next but I am very content with the 3G right now.

 

That could be due to a bad mic. I had a similar problem (also affected how well others could hear me on Bluetooth) and the Acura dealer fixed it under warranty.

 

yea i have no prob with the blue tooth its just when asking to find specific restraunt types hmmmm but i dont use the speech option often as its easier to manualy change the station or air speed

 

last time i went acura for service, went i sit in the 4G, i thought that would be my next car.
however, on the way home after the service, i thought:" why dont i buy a G37 or 335 rather than 4G, they are better stuff for me."

lol

 

We have both, and I like my 3rd gen. I hate the way the 4th gen TL drives and sorta looks. But she liked it so thats why we have one. The steering on the 4th gen is too vague, and responds weird.

 

pimpin-tl,
Your ride is exactly what I wish I had. Beautiful TL. Didn't exist yet (neither the color or the Type-S) when I bought my vehicle. Nonetheless, I don't care to try and trade up at this point, I'd get hammered on the sale of mine. Too many miles, to many touched up paint chips (damn construction!). I wonder what I'd have to spend to get mine painted that color? Hmmm...

 

You have beautiful cars and garage.

 

i don't like the new TL so I ask my dealer if I can drive a TSX when I leave my car for service

 

I got a 2010 4G loaner today when I had my timing belt/water pump service done. I asked the dealer rep if he was trying to make me buy a new car, and he said they'd rather have me keep my old TL because they make more money on repairs and maintenance than they do on sales. How true, we don't call them stealerships for nothing. They quoted $600 for new front pads and rotors!

Anyway I wasn't impressed with the interior of the car. It didn't have navi, and I thought the instrument panel was really ugly. The only improvement is that they have the various gauges recessed so you can read them easily in the sun. But I love the blue lighting in my '04, and I think the '10 gauges are ugly and cheap looking and I don't like the way they're laid out.

I agree the headrest was at an odd angle. I didn't have time to see if it could be adjusted. I thought the rest of seat was a big improvement over the 3G, especially the quality of the leather. I don't think you'd have to worry about butt prints in this car.

The buttons on the steering wheel seem to be positioned lower than on the 3G, and I found they were difficult to reach with my thumbs while driving. Also the directional and wiper sticks seem to be shorter.

I won't even discuss the exterior. In general I think Acura took many of the best features of the 3G and ruined them. This is so disappointing because I love my car and planned on replacing it with another TL eventually. I'll probably keep my car another 2 years, and hopefully by then the 5G will be something I want to buy.

 

Wow-now that's a picture...a Type S in the same garage with a 4G. What's next???? Cats and dogs getting along???? (j/k...)

 

the only thing i wish our 3g was offered was SH-AWD

 

^^^ +1

 

i had a similar experience.. hated the headrest definitely still love my 3g just wish it had the smart key as you said im really considering going to a junk yard an getting all the parts but im just scared with all the rewiring an the cost i guess ill wait till this car is done an just make sure my next Acura has it

 

I test drove the 4g TL the other day, and it feels boaty and big for me. I dont really like the steering feel, I like the heavy steering from the 3G. Not to mention about exterior, they should do the 4g tl so u can see where the TL comes from, like the infinity where the newer Gs have subtle similarities with the old G but looks much better.

 

drools at ur garage if i were rich thats how my garage would look an id just alternate... luv it especially the colors

 

I wonder if the 4G forum guys are reading this. They must be getting pissed lol.

 

^ Probably not. They're used to this by now. Some of the veteran 3G owners of the past are over there and may be able to give us a different side of the story.

 

I think I might be one of the few here in the 3G section who would love a 4G.

2010 TL SH-AWD w/ 6MT + Tech + HPT in Palladium Metallic=dream car. And pimpin-tl- looks like you've got the best of both worlds!

 

And I see that you there's another Honda in the driveway. I like the KBP better.

 

i drove a 4g tl loaner for a day when i first bought my 04 tl in january. person before me never had the o-ring replaced in the power steering line...so i had the weird noise when turning on cold days. i liked the way the 4g rode...but didn't like the way it looked on the interior or exterior. i had a base 4g with nav and the interior lines, especially on the dash, were very displeasing to the eye. lots of jagged curves. the base wheels look tiny on the bulky exterior. i loved the nav and reverse gear camera though. the handling felt very solid and the car had adequate power for it's considerable size. like the rear end but dislike the overall shape of the car.

 

Yeah I got a loaner '10 recently too.

The exterior is just hideous. The top-dawg loaded ones look decent from the side (it's the large rims), but that's it. WTF were the designers thinking? Absolutely no comparison to the 3G.

I wasn't impressed with the inside, either. Too plasticy and too many buttons.

However, I really liked the way it drove. There is significantly more torque; that was the first thing I noticed.

 

Thanks. It was a pain to do, but glad it's done!

 

get rid of the 4g TL and get a roadster for the weekends. im sure she wouldnt mind that.

 

I was going to post the same thing. Acura is positioning the new TSX to compete against the G, the IS, and to a lesser degree the C class & 3 series.

I originally bought my TL over a G sedan because of gas mileage, comfort, and technology. I think those continue to be the hallmarks Honda is hanging their hat on.

I have recently considered selling my TL and going to a 5 series, but every time I get it washed and the wheels shined I change my mind .