Not outdated all all. It's a thing of beauty that I always stare at when I walk away from it (except when it's really dirty).

 

Considering i'm coming from a 10 year old pick up truck which had manual roll down windows, manual adjustable mirrors, no power door locks, no Navi, no XM, no BT, no voice commands, no cruise control, no rear view camera, ugly hubcaps/rims...the TL-S to me seems to be a head of its time and there's no way it's outdated...but i do agree with everyone's comments regarding the tape deck, that part does seem outdated and unnecessary =\

 

Which ones?

Japanese:
G37s? For a 50% upper in price, I'd expect that
Maxima? wretch...
Nothing Toyota or Lexus is interesting anywhere near a 35K price point
Mitsu Evo... Different class of car
Subi WRX... see above
350Z?

A dropped TL, with A-spec, 19s and cleared headlights = still king of the road for the money.

 

The thing is, 3g's are good looking cars for all time. I am a salesperson at one of the acura dealership, and sometimes people come in for 4g TL and they think its too much so some times they ended up getting 3g TL, which now we offer great $$$ on it, and I still think its a nice little car to drive around. the new TL looks more like new line up from acura than a 4g TL. 3g TL will never be outdated, just like Acura Legend. I still think Acura Lengend coupe is one sexy ride.

 

Let me clarify by stating that I'm not only referring to Japanese vehicles at the 35k price point.

Let's see of the top of my head:
A4
1/3 series
CTS
Malibu
Accord
Genesis
G35/37
Mazda 6
C Class
Altima/Maxima

Don't get me wrong. I believe that the 3G was way ahead of its time and it does an excellent job in melting in with the rest of the crowd. I love looking at my TL. I catch myself looking at it often. That's partly why I bought it!

But...all these new models that are out now are good evolutions from their predecessors and you can tell that they are just new and modern. It's an exciting time for consumers. So many choices out there...

 

Absolutely not. I compared my Type-S to: Lexus IS250 AWD, G35 AWD Sedan, M45, Audi A4/A6, Cadillac STS and Mercedes C-Class. I think the Type-S offers the perfect blend of luxury and sport. Of course, I came from a 1995 Mustang GT so my main requirements were a good combination of luxury and performance.

To me, the TL has a personality to it. I feel comfortable in the car and it conforms to what I want/like. The other cars I did not feel attracted to. There was no emotional urge to buy them. I found that the Type-S was the perfect blend of everything that I wanted in a car. None of the others came close.

 

dude big +1....you read my mind. I cant count how many times ive gone out to smoke and just stared at my car the whole time.

 

Look what i started. lol TL-S is one sexy beast. With my CSL spoiler arriving soon, it will look even more sexier. Its the quad exhaust and the tailight that makes the car even more sexier than the base TL. Size is pefect. Not too big, not too small. Just right.!

 

LMAO ... how come we all do the same thing in the garage huh? Except that I'm always making sure I'm downwind so that the ashes won't get on my TL ...

 

+1

I think it has looked a bit dated since the IS 350 came out. I still like mine though and it's staying with me another 3.5-4 years.

 

spoiler??! noooo!!! (jk, it's your car, but spoilers on a TL really ruin the clean look)

Im with everyone else here, the 3g is a classic in it's own right, and 3 months into my ownership I still stare the F out of it like some obssessed ex-boyfriend .

the 4g TL to me looks like a completely different lineup to attract the older consumer group, that doesn't want to pay for the RL. the 09 TSX looks to me to try and replace the TL and attract the younger consumer group that enjoyed the sport/luxury blend of the 3g TL. I really like the 09 TSX body style, but the car as a whole was just not for me. It's not surprising actually. Cause if you look at the body-style of the 2g TL, it looks like what became the 2g RL....

the only cars out there that makes me feel the slightest bit dated are:

07-08' BMW 3 series coupe
06-08' Lexus IS250/350

those 2 cars are simply f'n hot....I see them all the time out by where I work, and I'm always giving them the stare-down....

 

+1 on the cassette.. you think the could have done away with it when they made the radio play mp3's..

+100 on the ipod (probably felt the cassette was too important to give up )

the 17's, I love my type-S 17's (in a pinch you can take them carefully through a carwash). The 18's on my 350z rode a little harder. A more agressive looking tire would be nice though...

 

I own an 08 TL-S, I went and drove on 09 TL, I don't feel mine is outdated. The lines on the 3G TL are deady sexy, the 09...............ain't. A female friend of mine looked at the 09, who knows nothing about cars (and washes her car maybe once a year), and said....and I quote...."It's got a big nose and a fat ass, I don't like it.

 

honda/acura has done very well with car styling....look at the NSX, came out in 91 changed very little, and i'd still drive it. and its hard to believe that a 96 civic is 12 years old. i'd rock a 96 civic over the new ones

 

Acura: "good until now..."

 

No It still puts a smile on my face and entertains me. And as long as it continues to do these two things, it will not fall into the category of "just a piece of transportation" for me.

 

Tien, that's an interesting observation about the NSX and the Civic. I wish they had done the same with the TL.

+1 on this about the TL.


TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I THINK THE 4G TL CREATES MORE DEMAND FOR THE 3G TL AND TYPE S. With all the negative reaction to the new cars, I bet alot of people are seeking out available 3G's.

 

Cliffnotes: TL is not close to outdated.

My lease is expiring in a few months on my '05 TL, so I went test driving- 2008 TL-S(auto), 335i (manual and auto), 535i (auto), Jag XF, Audi A4 (manual), Volvo C30 (manual). I also sat in, but did not drive, the new G8 GT, G35 sedan, Audi S5, Volvo S80 and CTS.

The best feeling car to drive so far at street legal speeds? The TL-S, followed by my TL.

The TL's interior and electronics seem to be very well designed and ergonomic in comparison to almost every other car- not too many buttons, and in the right places. I don't have an iPod, so I don't care about that. You should try the 2006-2008 iDrive some time to see how great the TL Navi system is.

Exterior looks- the Jag looks great, but the TL's lines are still better and seem more contemporary than every other car I looked at or drove. Cars' exteriors aren't highest on my agenda (although I try to avoid bad looking ones), but I still look back at the TL every time I park.

Next cars to test drive: G37, GS350, CTS... If none of the cars is much of an improvement over the TL in everyday driving, I'm just going to buy my TL off lease with absolutely no regrets if I can't get a lease on a TL-S at close to the same $$ I pay now.

Either that or go to Caymans, SLKs and other cars we can't afford.

 

You never tried '09 TL? Good luck by the way!

 

I saw a slightly-modded Integra 2 days ago and thought how much I still like the design then wondered if Acura will ever get back to making stunning cars that look better than everything else on the road.

 

Agreed, I think years from now, people will still use the 3g TL as the benchmark for what a good-looking car should be, just like the 2G Legend. Whoever decided to get rid of that name should be drug into the streets and stomped...well maybe they saved the legacy of the name Legend by not calling the 1G RL Legend, because that car was nothing like its predecessor.

 

There are a few cars produced in the last 20 years that will look great for a very long time and the 3rd generation TL is one of them. There is not a better looking sedan IMHO.

Other cars that I that I would also put on this list include:
Acura NSX
BMW Z3
Honda S2000
Aston Martin DB9
Corvette C5
McClaren F1
Saleen S7
E46 M3

There are others but let's leave it at that for now.

So the answer is: NO the 3rd Gen is not dated.

 

I think the 3G is an awesome looking car- even better, mine is almost paid off. I'll drive this one til the wheels fall off. Don't forget, there will always be something better and more advanced usually just after you buy your car. If you always want to be in car payments or lease payments, get the newest model. That's what the car companies want you to do.

The 3G is still a fantastic car overall, even if the newest one has more/ better tech.

 

My car could feel outdated, well not really when i downshift and leave them LOL

 

Absolutely NOT! Was at Nalley Acura two weeks ago dropping off my 07 TL S Type for maintenace needs, they had a new 09 TL (only one) and in my opinion, the car is even uglier than what you see in pictures. The front is just awful. Firmly believe our 3G's continue to set the standard vs. all of the new cars on the road.

 

I think the 3G TL will age much better then the 4G TL. To me the 3G has a more classic look, 4G TL is too far out there. When you look at cars from BMW for instance, when they bring out a new generation car you can see hints of the last generation. Of course BMW knows where it is going with its cars, I think Acura is still trying to find out what it wants to do.

 

yeah BMW gets better and better excluding the 3 series sedan. I hate the tailights. I didn't think 3g tl was all that. That was until i saw the type S. The quad exhaust got my attention. Its got that euro-design. It reminds you of the M class and the AMG class.