I've been car shopping for a few months now, learning WAY too much information about nearly every near-luxo sedan and coupe between $25-$40k - a pretty broad category to say the least.

I looked at and test drove:

BMW 330i
Mercedes C240
Audi A4 and A6 (and TT for kicks)
Honda Accord V6 (coupe and sedan)
Infiniti G35
VW Passat
Volvo S60
Lexus IS300 and ES330
Mazda6 (not luxo)
Acura TSX
Acura TL (03 and 04)

I ruled out the Altima and Maxima because that's what I'm coming from (97 Altima) and I wanted a change.

I did much of the same comparison that everyone else has. Here are my impressions, starting from the top: the 330i was a hoot to drive, but the interior was dated, the reliability is questionable, and the price seems too high for what you get. The Mercedes was nice, but too slow and mushy. The Audi's were great to drive, but like the BMW's were questionable in reliability and too expensive. The Accord is a *great* overall family car, but the sedan is a touch too bland and the interior is not nearly as nice as Acura's. The Accord coupe was almost what I ended up with - a blast to drive (in 6MT), and sporty enough looking without appearing to try too hard. I was very close to buying an '03 with nav for $26k, and would have if the one on the lot had been the color I wanted. The '04, by the time I put a spoiler and decent wheels on it, was approaching the price neighborhood of the TL. The Infiniti was also a blast to drive, but as others have said the interior is just hideous. The Passat, which thanks to VW marketing I really *wanted* to like, was a dog in acceleration, and over-priced. Ditto on the Volvo. The Lexii were nice and luxurious, but either too big and mushy (ES330) or too small and punky (IS300). The Mazda6 was inexpensive and very fun to drive, but I wasn't crazy about the appearance and the car overall didn't have the luxury features or fit & finish that I wanted. It seems like the best deal in the $21-$25k segment though, IMHO.

Which brings me to the Acuras. I ruled the 03TL out primarily due to resale value - buying the last year before a new model just inherently seems like a bad idea to me. I drove the TSX early on, and almost bought one on the spot. Beautiful in and out, fun to drive, unique, functional, etc. However, I kept coming back to the fact that I didn't really want a 4 cylinder car, even if it was the sweeeet 4 cylinders that the TSX has. Driving it in an automatic transmission just wasn't quite enough, and while the 6MT was a blast, I thought I'd probably grow tired of shifting over time in my day-to-day commute. That said, were it not for the new TL, I would own a TSX today.

I finally landed with the 04 TL due to:

- sporty, muscular appearance
- 270 HP
- amazing high-tech feature set
- stunning interior
- excellent ride and handling - best FWD I'd driven
- Honda/Acura reliability
- very reasonable price compared to other luxo brands

Overall, I'd sum it up by saying it had the best balance of everything that I looked at, and easily the best bang-for-the-buck. I should be receiving my Black/Parchment AT with Nav. around Halloween. Trick or Treat indeed!

-tony

 

Perfect Choice

 

Nice color choice, that was my second choice. A very good write up as well.

Welcome to the club!

 

Most of the cars I considered are on your list, the analysis was about the same, and I came to the same conclusion. Excect for interior color.

-r

 

What other choice could you have other than the ebony. It just screams class.

 

All the cars I wanted to consider, but didn't have the time to drive.

Cool. Saved me the trouble.

'04TL SSM/Quartz/Navi - end of October.

 

I like the look of the Parchment interior best - the faux-wood with the black and metal is just plain purty - provides more contrast than the Quartz or Ebony schemes, and I like contrast if it's tastefully done. Ultimately I thought that three of the four interior choices were very nice (I don't personally care for Camel)...

 

[thread hijack]Hey Sparky, did you end up reserving your car at Team Acura in the Springs? Or did you have to go up to Denver?[/thread hijack] (I'm from the Springs)

 

I'm actually doing business with Montano Acura in Alburquerque.

I bought my '99 3.2TL from Pikes Peak Acura in CSprings, but their slimy sales tactics on high demand Acuras are too much for me. Go to (warmer) Albuquerque, play golf and blackjack at the casinos. Sounds like a vacation to me. Oh, yeah and drive my new car 400 miles home!

You live in Cleveland, don't you?

 

Yes, I live in the Cleveland area, and my parents, with their view of Cheyenne Mountain, think I'm nuts for staying there. Well, you know, wife from Cleveland and all.

That's a hell of a drive to get a good deal on a car. At least you'll have the brakes broken in (200 miles) and the engine mostly broken in (Acura says 600 miles) by the time you get home.

 

Thanks for the post, Tony. The only car you didn't mention that I'm possible considering is the I35, although I don't think it will be sporty enough to my liking. I pretty much tend to agree with you on the others. Enjoy your new ride.

 

Tony - congrats! I did a similar analysis and came to the same conclusion (but it's nice to hear a second opinion). The TL is impressive, indeed. My second choice is also the TSX. Acura certainly has a couple winners on their hands. Since reliability is high on my scale, I'm impressed with the 105,000 tune-up interval. I tried to question when the timing belt/water pump needed to be replaced and was told 90K (but without much conviction). Let me know if you know it's different (you having come from a 97 Altima - I imagine you keep your car for awhile). It would be convenient to do everything at 105K.

Do you find blind-spots to contend with? I felt alot more 'closed-in' in the TL than the TSX. This won't prevent me from getting one, however (I'm sure you get used to it).

 

I didn't particularly notice blind spots when test driving the TL, but I have read that others have this concern. I'll have to check it out next time I'm in one. This is probably stating the obvious, but I've found that proper center and side mirror positioning goes a long way toward eliminating/minimizing blind spots.

 

The center pillar on the drivers side creates a huge blind spot. It was the first thing I noticed when changing lanes during the test drive. Arranging the mirrors will help but it is still an annoying feature. I never noticed it on my 03 TLS.