Finally got my TL and.....
Thread Starter
10th Gear
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Finally got my TL and.....
I must say this is one sweet little car. I swear it's smaller than the 02 Accord I used to have. My garage footprint appears smaller.
As for the review:
ENGINE: I felt the engine was sweet and gave plenty of smooth power at low speeds. I didn't push it hard whatsoever as I plan to ease into the first 500 or 600 miles. I did take an up ramp towards the highway and boy did that puppy feel like butter. Smoothest engine I've ever driven. Quiet as a whisper and the accelerator felt like I was pushing on a cloud. Nice.
Shifts were nearly imperceptible and although I didn't go tiptronic (am also waiting for break-in before that), I could tell that there was an Incredible Hulk of a powerplant just sitting there waiting for someone to make me mad and turn green.
EXTERIOR: I have the deep green and it does look black at night. Lots of people were staring wherever I drove tonight. At the gas station (the dealer gave me a voucher), three people walked up and started touching like this was a showroom. I couldn't even be mad about it, though I've got some fingerprints in my dealer detail now.
I got the mudflaps and they look sharp on the car. I don't think I could have gone without them after seeing them on. I am going to wait until I see the wing spoiler before I add one. I also want to see the body side molding, which may also go on.
I thought about the lip but the raised tail on the TL is almost lip like. I still can't help feeling the car is missing something on the hind end, but this may be my years of Accord (with a tail) driving that is telling me this.
The front of the car is LOW. I don't think I would want to kit it up personally though in the pictures the kit looks awful aggressive and super sweet.
INTERIOR: One word, wow. The parchment and the wood and the aluminum all work for me. The alum trims the wood all around the car. The pics don't do it justice. I was one of those who was wanting green and quartz, but the parch is beautiful and not as light as the pictures -- or my test drive memory -- recalled.
The seats are firm and incredibly comfortable. The lumbar can get superstrong, Lexus-style, if you let it. I love how you just push a button and the pump kicks in versus the lever or pull stick versions on Acuras and Hondas past.
I put the lumbar on max for a short while and could still "feel" it in my back when I got out.
There is no sedan in the sub 40 price range, and I tested them all believe me (sometimes up to four times; ask my G35 dealer) with an interior this complete. Everything is tight. Shutting the door brings about a sound that's so ergonomically pleasing it's crazy. This is Lexus quality now, and I almost went ES 330.
FEATURES: One word.....wow!
Start with the stereo. I've read on here about people wanting to upgrade the stereo with a new sub or new speakers. I wouldn't change a thing. I think of myself as a closet audiophile and granted I'm coming from an Accord, but this stereo rivals anything I've heard in home systems, let alone car systems.
Play a CD in your car and play the same one in TL and you'll hear a 35-40 percent increase in quality. Things are clearer. I could hear that trumpet better, the guitar riff. It's like someone put Windex on the electronic portion of my CD and cleaned it up.
DVD-Audio? Well all I had was the Acura demo disc, but there's a comparison of a two-channel CD audio song vs. DVD audio of the same song. And one listen and you'll know.
As good as CDs sound on this system -- and I don't think Mark Levinson has much on Acura there -- the DVD Audio represents an almost infinitesimal jump in quality. Remember how good you thought your first CD sounded when you compared it to the now lowly cassette tape?
DVD Audio is a bigger jump than that.
Hearing the separation, just a drum in left rear and just a guitar in the right, is amazing. There's a Missy Elliott song on the disc that is mind blowing. I'm not a fan of hip hop but to hear all the things that are going on in that song amazed me. I've heard it before on the radio, but it was like I had never heard the track.
I'll be at a record store this weekend stocking up on some DVD-As, that's for sure.
As for XM? Well, they've got my $9.99 a month when Acura's sub ends. The sound quality is like a CD. Compared to your FM station, this is like light years ahead. I only wish Acura would allow me to plug in more than 6 favorite channels. I love all the talk radio, two ESPNs, a Fox Sports plus entertainment and weather channels.
XM has something for everyone and plenty for those who hate Britney Spears in heavy rotation all day long. I found classics, oldies, jazz, contemporary jazz, three gospel stations, kids stations. It was amazing. I don't know how I lived without XM.
Now I know you all are going to ask me about Bluetooth. I have AT&T and I ordered the T616 Ericcson yesterday and it came today via FedEx. When I got home with my shiny puppy from the dealer, the box was sitting on the front porch.
What great timing, I thought.
OK, so I halfway charged the new phone, swapped my SIM card out of my old one (by the way AT&T basically gave me the phone for free for customer loyalty). I sat in the TL and hit the talk button. I was able to choose a male or female voice (liked the lady) and she prompted me to an easy setup.
I just put the phone on handsfree mode and TL did the rest. I called my mom and she said I sounded like I was in the house. I called my sister after rocking out to some XM in the garage and she said I had echo and reverb.
No problem. I turned the volume down to 4. Still echo.
To three. A little echo.
To two. No echo at all.
I had her call me back as I again rocked out -- did I say this stereo simply gets louder with no speaker rattle or bass-mad brittle sounds? -- and the female voice chimes in, "You have a incoming call."
I hit the talk button, the music dims and my sister is back on line. I have to turn volume down to 3 this time before echo/reverb goes away, but even at those levels, you can hear plenty fine, believe me. The thing works seemlessly. I added a few numbers to the car's computer.
It's kind of funny for a car to ask you if something's right and play your voice saying "Mom," back to you. But that's what TL does.
I now say "mistress," and TL phones the old ball and chain at work (OK, guys I do love the wife, but I can't wait to show her this trick).
The memory seat things work great and I didn't know about the defrosting outside mirrors or how the TL's side mirrors will automatically rotate downward when you're in reverse, giving you a better view of the road (only one side will do this, depending on where you leave the mirror switch, left or right; leave it in the center and nothing happens).
The heated seats will chase you out of the car and the backseat has more room, to my legs, than my Accord did. As for getting little ones in and out, I had no trouble installing a car seat or getting my kid in it. At least as easy as Accord.
All in all, there was nothing I didn't like in day one, except for the blind spot over your left shoulder. It'll take a little adjusting to as I like to glance over the left before moving into a right lane. TL blocks the view, forcing a more pronounced shoulder turn to look. Not a big deal, just an adjustment.
I'll come back and report as I go along, but for those who say this is a gussied up Accord, I say believe what you want. This car is worth the money and I'm awful cheap. It's got everything you could want standard. The all season floor mats I added, though, look great with the black trim interior. Compartively, the 04 Accord I drove last week, with Navi, feels like a Hyundai, albeit a very nice one.
I love Honda Accords. I have had five of them. I swore by them. Now I will never own another one of them. So long as this car is reliable, and it's a Honda after all, I think I'm in Acura for a very long haul.
There's no better car in this class. I know it's front wheel drive and all, but this car will outrun most anything on the road and I didn't mention handling, but it was raining today and I never felt the car move, not once. I intentionally hit some big puddles to see if it would nudge like the Accord would. Nada. Zip. You feel like your car is SpiderMan just sticking to the road. It feels like an Army tank, so heavy, but you know you can move -- really move -- if you have to.
One poor soul got excited when he got his TL at my dealership last week. Dude peeled out of the parking lot and hit 90 before he got to the light, not a 1/4 mile down the street. But he did see some lights before he got there. Blue ones.
The turn radius on my TL was as tight as ES330, though not as tight as G35 as I recalled. Felt the TL drove better with road feel and all than either of the other two cards I considered.
Guess you all can tell I'm happy.
Stepping off my rant soapbox.
For now.
As for the review:
ENGINE: I felt the engine was sweet and gave plenty of smooth power at low speeds. I didn't push it hard whatsoever as I plan to ease into the first 500 or 600 miles. I did take an up ramp towards the highway and boy did that puppy feel like butter. Smoothest engine I've ever driven. Quiet as a whisper and the accelerator felt like I was pushing on a cloud. Nice.
Shifts were nearly imperceptible and although I didn't go tiptronic (am also waiting for break-in before that), I could tell that there was an Incredible Hulk of a powerplant just sitting there waiting for someone to make me mad and turn green.
EXTERIOR: I have the deep green and it does look black at night. Lots of people were staring wherever I drove tonight. At the gas station (the dealer gave me a voucher), three people walked up and started touching like this was a showroom. I couldn't even be mad about it, though I've got some fingerprints in my dealer detail now.
I got the mudflaps and they look sharp on the car. I don't think I could have gone without them after seeing them on. I am going to wait until I see the wing spoiler before I add one. I also want to see the body side molding, which may also go on.
I thought about the lip but the raised tail on the TL is almost lip like. I still can't help feeling the car is missing something on the hind end, but this may be my years of Accord (with a tail) driving that is telling me this.
The front of the car is LOW. I don't think I would want to kit it up personally though in the pictures the kit looks awful aggressive and super sweet.
INTERIOR: One word, wow. The parchment and the wood and the aluminum all work for me. The alum trims the wood all around the car. The pics don't do it justice. I was one of those who was wanting green and quartz, but the parch is beautiful and not as light as the pictures -- or my test drive memory -- recalled.
The seats are firm and incredibly comfortable. The lumbar can get superstrong, Lexus-style, if you let it. I love how you just push a button and the pump kicks in versus the lever or pull stick versions on Acuras and Hondas past.
I put the lumbar on max for a short while and could still "feel" it in my back when I got out.
There is no sedan in the sub 40 price range, and I tested them all believe me (sometimes up to four times; ask my G35 dealer) with an interior this complete. Everything is tight. Shutting the door brings about a sound that's so ergonomically pleasing it's crazy. This is Lexus quality now, and I almost went ES 330.
FEATURES: One word.....wow!
Start with the stereo. I've read on here about people wanting to upgrade the stereo with a new sub or new speakers. I wouldn't change a thing. I think of myself as a closet audiophile and granted I'm coming from an Accord, but this stereo rivals anything I've heard in home systems, let alone car systems.
Play a CD in your car and play the same one in TL and you'll hear a 35-40 percent increase in quality. Things are clearer. I could hear that trumpet better, the guitar riff. It's like someone put Windex on the electronic portion of my CD and cleaned it up.
DVD-Audio? Well all I had was the Acura demo disc, but there's a comparison of a two-channel CD audio song vs. DVD audio of the same song. And one listen and you'll know.
As good as CDs sound on this system -- and I don't think Mark Levinson has much on Acura there -- the DVD Audio represents an almost infinitesimal jump in quality. Remember how good you thought your first CD sounded when you compared it to the now lowly cassette tape?
DVD Audio is a bigger jump than that.
Hearing the separation, just a drum in left rear and just a guitar in the right, is amazing. There's a Missy Elliott song on the disc that is mind blowing. I'm not a fan of hip hop but to hear all the things that are going on in that song amazed me. I've heard it before on the radio, but it was like I had never heard the track.
I'll be at a record store this weekend stocking up on some DVD-As, that's for sure.
As for XM? Well, they've got my $9.99 a month when Acura's sub ends. The sound quality is like a CD. Compared to your FM station, this is like light years ahead. I only wish Acura would allow me to plug in more than 6 favorite channels. I love all the talk radio, two ESPNs, a Fox Sports plus entertainment and weather channels.
XM has something for everyone and plenty for those who hate Britney Spears in heavy rotation all day long. I found classics, oldies, jazz, contemporary jazz, three gospel stations, kids stations. It was amazing. I don't know how I lived without XM.
Now I know you all are going to ask me about Bluetooth. I have AT&T and I ordered the T616 Ericcson yesterday and it came today via FedEx. When I got home with my shiny puppy from the dealer, the box was sitting on the front porch.
What great timing, I thought.
OK, so I halfway charged the new phone, swapped my SIM card out of my old one (by the way AT&T basically gave me the phone for free for customer loyalty). I sat in the TL and hit the talk button. I was able to choose a male or female voice (liked the lady) and she prompted me to an easy setup.
I just put the phone on handsfree mode and TL did the rest. I called my mom and she said I sounded like I was in the house. I called my sister after rocking out to some XM in the garage and she said I had echo and reverb.
No problem. I turned the volume down to 4. Still echo.
To three. A little echo.
To two. No echo at all.
I had her call me back as I again rocked out -- did I say this stereo simply gets louder with no speaker rattle or bass-mad brittle sounds? -- and the female voice chimes in, "You have a incoming call."
I hit the talk button, the music dims and my sister is back on line. I have to turn volume down to 3 this time before echo/reverb goes away, but even at those levels, you can hear plenty fine, believe me. The thing works seemlessly. I added a few numbers to the car's computer.
It's kind of funny for a car to ask you if something's right and play your voice saying "Mom," back to you. But that's what TL does.
I now say "mistress," and TL phones the old ball and chain at work (OK, guys I do love the wife, but I can't wait to show her this trick).
The memory seat things work great and I didn't know about the defrosting outside mirrors or how the TL's side mirrors will automatically rotate downward when you're in reverse, giving you a better view of the road (only one side will do this, depending on where you leave the mirror switch, left or right; leave it in the center and nothing happens).
The heated seats will chase you out of the car and the backseat has more room, to my legs, than my Accord did. As for getting little ones in and out, I had no trouble installing a car seat or getting my kid in it. At least as easy as Accord.
All in all, there was nothing I didn't like in day one, except for the blind spot over your left shoulder. It'll take a little adjusting to as I like to glance over the left before moving into a right lane. TL blocks the view, forcing a more pronounced shoulder turn to look. Not a big deal, just an adjustment.
I'll come back and report as I go along, but for those who say this is a gussied up Accord, I say believe what you want. This car is worth the money and I'm awful cheap. It's got everything you could want standard. The all season floor mats I added, though, look great with the black trim interior. Compartively, the 04 Accord I drove last week, with Navi, feels like a Hyundai, albeit a very nice one.
I love Honda Accords. I have had five of them. I swore by them. Now I will never own another one of them. So long as this car is reliable, and it's a Honda after all, I think I'm in Acura for a very long haul.
There's no better car in this class. I know it's front wheel drive and all, but this car will outrun most anything on the road and I didn't mention handling, but it was raining today and I never felt the car move, not once. I intentionally hit some big puddles to see if it would nudge like the Accord would. Nada. Zip. You feel like your car is SpiderMan just sticking to the road. It feels like an Army tank, so heavy, but you know you can move -- really move -- if you have to.
One poor soul got excited when he got his TL at my dealership last week. Dude peeled out of the parking lot and hit 90 before he got to the light, not a 1/4 mile down the street. But he did see some lights before he got there. Blue ones.
The turn radius on my TL was as tight as ES330, though not as tight as G35 as I recalled. Felt the TL drove better with road feel and all than either of the other two cards I considered.
Guess you all can tell I'm happy.
Stepping off my rant soapbox.
For now.
so I see its worth the extra 5K!
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Racer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 322
Likes: 4
From: RHODE ISLAND
Nice Car , Does your car have a heavy orange peel? I am like the blue but the the 2 that I saw have heavy orange peel. Leaning towards the Pearl white with Quartz interior. Saw the Red last nite looks great too. Very Classy also.
Thread Starter
10th Gear
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
You guys are right about the second bank of XM slots. Found it today by hitting the memo button on the steering wheel. One more reason to enjoy the car.
I have not noticed the orange peel effect you all speak of. After things dry up around here, I'm going to sit outside and put a heavy coat of carnuba on my puppy and make her shine.
Day 2 and still loving it. Be back with a longer report later.
I have not noticed the orange peel effect you all speak of. After things dry up around here, I'm going to sit outside and put a heavy coat of carnuba on my puppy and make her shine.
Day 2 and still loving it. Be back with a longer report later.
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