chadr

Some background. I currently own a 2004 RX-8 6-speed that is going through the buyback process and it puts me in the market for a new car. Obviously I tend to favor the sporty side of things compared to a typical TL buyer. That being said here are my thoughts.

Overall exterior - the car is handsome but certainily it does not inspire passior like the RX8 does. Construction from what I saw was quality, seams, etc all looked good. The two on the lot were the dark green and the white. The green is not good for the car but the white is surprisingly nice (not my style but works well).

Overall interior - the interior on this car is comparable to any similar german marque out there. I used to work for an Audi dealership and I can say comfortably the TL interior is as good or better then an A4 interior. The surfaces are all top notch the layout excellent, and the only things I see I would change is addition of an exterior temp gauge to the climate control display and changing the 4 spoke steering wheel to a 3 spoke.

Driving - I drove the auto since the 6-speed isn't around but I was mostly looking for feel of power and torque steer. I drive aggressively and I can say the car is very solid and stable. Power is good but I hate slush boxes. There is roll in the suspension but not an excessive amount. The car is comfortable and easy to drive. With a 6-speed it would be a blast. Torque steer is present but not terrible and I bet with the LSD in place it would be even less.

Overall I have to say I am impressed by the car and by the redesign in general. The old TL didn't do a thing for me, it was too soft for my tastes even in the S-type form. The new car leans much more towards the sport then the old car did in my mind. I am ordering a 6-speed and I think it will be a very nice car to own.

Now I just hope they come up with an MP3 player for it as that is the one area I am really disappointed with in the car.

moreace

Y is it that auto isn't getting LSD? Also I agree on MP3, it can take the place of those useless storage bins

chadr

Cannot comment on the whys of the LSD but that is the case. I noticed that the suspension tuning on the MT6 is also more aggressive then the AT5 version. For example the MT6 gets larger sway bars then the AT5. I guess they are aiming the 6 at the sportier crowd, which happens to work just fine for me.

EmuMessenger

The storage below the stereo is a joke and a disappointment. In my wife's 03 Accord EX-V6-Navi, it is one, big compartment that holds 15 CD's, in the jewel case.

wfmiller

chadr, where did you get to test drive the car at? I was told by Lancaster Acura that they would not have any in until the 22nd of this month. I test drove one yesterday in Mechanicsburg though while I was there.

TLS RULZ

chadr,

You might wanna see if you can fit the MP3 player from the TSX into it

Dirk Diggler

Chadr,

What's the story behind the RX-8? Why is it being bought back?

Dirk Diggler.

blkngld

I believe that Mazda made claims for greater HP than was delivered. They offered to buy back the cars of anyone that felt they were misled.

Raheel

How much money did you lose, selling the car back to Mazda?

Raheel

Did you mod the compartment?

Honda's website says it only holds 12 CD's

http://www.hondacars.com/models/popu...ry=Photo&Num=5

EmuMessenger

Ooops, my bad. I thought it was 15. She has so many crammed in there, it might as well be 50.

Anyway, touché...

Point being, the space is so much more useful. A friend with a V6-Navi coupe had a custom LCD installed in that compartment and it hides behind the factory cover. Very clean and tight!

VTEC11

LoL, that's funny..

How much HP did it make opposed to what was published??

chadr

Ok sorry about not responding was having tons of issues getting to this site, DNS record appeared to be hosed and was directing to a different site.

Anyway - the Mazda buyback. Yup the car doesn't make the power they claimed it would although that is less of an issue then the fact that I am getting like 13 mpg on the car. It was rated at 247 when I bought it and it was re-rated to 238 now and actually makes around 225 or so according to dynos. As far as how much money did I lose? Not a cent, in fact they are returning every penny I have in the car except gas so I made out quite well on the deal.

As far as the TL - drove it at Reading Acura on Friday. They have a few in stock currently and available for driving. I would call for an appointment though since they are pretty popular.

Dunno if the MP3 from the TSX will fit or not. I find it hard to believe that Acura will offer MP3 on the TSX but not on the TL. The compartments under the nav/stereo are not overly large but they are fairly deep, certainily big enough for misc stuff like sunglass case, etc.

Honestly the TL is amazing for the price. I am just dealer shopping now to find who is going to give me the best price on the car.