I have been confused as to what the Acura TL's direct opponents are. Many people have been comparing the G35 to the TL and that is a given. But also, people are comparing the Legacy GT to the TL when actually the GT goes against the TSX (?) according to C&D. On Acura's website, when you compare the TL to direct opponents (as it says on the 'compare feature') its direct opponents are the 3 series and the es330. When you compare the 3 series to the TL however, it states that the TL is a mid sized 'car' while the 3 series is a compact car, their words, not mine. Also, in a 2004 issue of C&D, they test 6 or 7 cars in a sport sedan competition of only V6 cars IE the Volvo, Mercedes E class, 300 (no hemi), Cts, Bmw 5 series, audi A6 (old body)

Of those cars, it is listed that the Cts, Volvo and even the 5 series is directed against the TL.

When Consumer reports tested lux. cars, (Lexus LS, MB S class, Jag, so on) they hav the TL as 3rd place in all ranks and tested lux. cars, beating the e class, 5 series and other cars

Now this is the question i am asking;

What are you opinions on the TL's Actual Opponents, or what was made to fight the TL in the sport sedan catagory???

 

somehow we wiggled into the middle?

IMO.....not a bad thing at all

I'd rather let people driving around me guess what sort of category the TLs fit in. Gives the car a little more mystique.

 

Infiniti G35 Sedan, not coupe
Lexus ES330
BMW 3 Series (supposedly)
Mercedes C class (supposedly)
Cadillac CTS
Audi A4
etc etc....

 

one year ago, the CTS placed 7 verses these car

one year later, it wins against the MB e class, 5 series (only difference with a v8)

go figure

 

I think it really depends on what scale you're doing the compare. If your looking at Price, then you've got one group, size a different group, luxury level, a third ... the nice thing about the TL IMHO is that the one class I care most about ... value ... there is no competition

 

While C&D is enjoyable to read, one must always remember that it is supported by ads it sells to the very companies whos products it is supposedly reviewing. This goes for MT and R&T as well.

With respect to competitors, everyone is going to have their own short list. My short list included the G35 coupe (the sedan was too ugly), the Prius Navi (neat), the Volvo S80 T6 (twin turbo and loads of torque down low), Mazda Speed 6, Jaguar S-type R (400 HP Supercharged v8!), Audi A6, Cadillac CTS-V and the Lexus IS350. It should be noted that the list prices on the Volvo and Jag are much higher but they are selling so poorly that they can be had for siginifcant price reductions. As I compared these choices I slowly eliminated them one by one; the european cars for reliability concerns, ditto for the Cadillac, the Mazda and Inifiniti because they had ugly interiors (although the outside styling of the G35 and the birdview navi is really nice) and finally I decided against the Lexus because I needed the car and did not want to wait and I prefer not to buy a first year car. The other issue is that Lexus prices have been going through the roof so I figured I would be looking at around $42k for a loaded IS. It was impossible to justify when I could get a loaded TL for $31.6k new. The Prius I gave up on because the value is just not there. By the time you get Navi it is within a couple thousand dollars of a TL. I was also concerned I would not be happy with the performance coming from a couple of 3000GTs and a V-12 BMW.

 

The answer, like with so many other things is 'it depends'. For me it was mid size near luxury sedans. I would not include the 3 series BMW cause it's to small. I did briefly include the 5 series but it was to expensive. Everybodies list will be somewhat different. My list did include a loaded Accord V6 but not a Nissan Altima. I also briefly considered a CTS.

 

Surprised to see you guys overlooking the Saab 9-3. It was a close 2nd for me, and it was extremely difficult to decide, as this car is very, very unique in their features. Oh well, I'll just have to get the 'vert later.

 

Unique to me = No parts = No good Service = No Thanks!

 

It depends on what your selection criteria is....

Front Drive?
Rear Drive?
AWD?
2 door?
4 door?
Engine Type / Size / Power
Price Range?
Tastes, Color Choices, Brand Prestige, etc, etc.

Whatever attributes you value, put them in a formula and filter out the competitors based on that criteria. Likely all of the cars mentioned will be at the top of a list depending on whose formula you use. As an example, if you were dead set on a RWD or AWD, the Acura would not even be in the mix. That doesn't mean is not as good of a car, just not comparable with that selection criteria.

Be true to what YOU value, not others....unless they make your car payments!

 

true, but the main idea for me is that the sport sedan catagory and luxury catagory is kinda vague......... IMO

 

actually, we did

it was the saab 9-3 convertable that inspired my dad to purchase a sport sedan instead of anotha suv because of it's turbo and style. Fortunatly, the TL had a commercial that same time and we decieded that it was a better buy

 

I think most people look in their pockets and go " Wow I have $20,000, 30,000 or 40,000 to spend and check out how much car it will buy them, because its no surprise, the more you put down, the more you get. With that being said, I think direct competition tends to be everything in a given price range. To compare a 20,000 car to a 35,000 car is a pretty short debate, you are always going to get more out of the 35,000 car (if thats what you really don't mind spending). I checked out everything between 30-40000 and the TL was extremely hard to beat. I still think the G35 is a sharp looking car, but that Inspector Gadget nav system made it a bit suspect, along with that interior. How Acura thinks somebody willing to drop $55, 000 on a 5 series, is concerned with value and will get a TL is beyond me. Tell me how much money you have to spend and I will tell you what cars you will be comparing 95% of the time.

 

I agree. The TL is kind of unique in that it's the only FWD sedan at its size and price that has both luxury and sporting aspirations. But to be more helpful, here's a short list of comparos off the top of my head:

Lexus ES330: FWD, like the TL. Similar price & size, softer & slower.
Honda Accord EX V6: FWD. Cheaper, less sporty version of same chassis.
Subaru Legacy GT Limited: AWD. Smaller, less lux, probably more athletic, a bit cheaper.
Infiniti G35 Sedan: RWD. More sport, less lux, less room.
BMW 3-Series: RWD. Smaller, sportier, pricier, unreliable.
BMW 5-Series: RWD. Same size, much costlier, unreliable.
Audi A4: FWD or AWD. Similar size, but same-price versions have no power.
VW Passat GLX V6: FWD or AWD. Beautiful, pleasant and hellishly unreliable.
Volvo S60: FWD or AWD. Smaller backseat. Have to pay much more for similar HP.

As you can see, these capsules are biased toward my own belief that the TL is a uniquely excellent value in its class. But hey, you wrote a TL board.

 

yea!

 

Yeah, I definitely agree. I think most people look for the best car in the price range they are looking to spend. So my opinion of direct competitors would be G35, fully loaded Maxima, CTS, A4, 3-series, C-class, and Lexus ES/IS. BTW 7 months and no regrets with my choice, 05 TL w/ NAVI.

 

Corrections to my earlier post:

•Diddy's right to include the Maxima. Most would say it's even more powerful, quite roomy, but cheap inside and more crude over the road.

•I f***ed up in saying the Audi A4 is "similar size." It's substantially smaller and tighter inside than the TL. More like the BMW 3 or the TSX.

 

I'm looking at replacing my TL with an Infiniti M35 w/ Journey pacakage. Price will be $38,891.00 (list $44,00.00) plus tax & lic using a Nissan employee discount.

 

Agreed, or as Jimi Hendrix said "Knowledge is spoken but wisdom listens"