Long time TL owner (have had a 97 TL that I purchased in 2000 that's still with me) and about to upgrade to the '06 Auto w/ Nav in anthracite on black.

I finally made it out to an Acura dealer yesterday and took an 05 loaded TL for a spin. Bearing in mind how smitten I have been with my 97 Acura and having mentally built up this immaculate vision of the new TL, I was heartbreakingly let down by my first spin. Thought I'd share it with you guys in the hopes of being re-assured that it was most likely the test car and not every TL.

First impressions, the interior looked like poor worksmanship. Are we still getting them from Japan or are they assembling the new ones in the US. There was just something about the dash that made it look very "plastic".

Turned on the car and the nav was such a let down, like a 16 color resolution screen on an old win 95 machine. I was hoping a color screen with 16 million colors and crisp resolution would have been a warm welcome.

So I stick her into D and we head off. I took the a test drive in the hills of WV and the car performed very well. But later to that. In first gear, heading off from a complete halt, the car produced a very low rumble from the engine. I cant really explain it but it developed into a subtle vibration that I felt in the accelerator. It only came in first and nearly died out in second and was non existent in third and ahead. Was very strange, almost felt like the engine was knocking but it wasnt a knock.

Additionally, the steering felt right. A LOT tighter / firmer to turn than my 97 TL, which is like a hot knife through butter. Is it because the car is new ? Do new owners have similar experiences ?

So back to the drive, the car handled blissfully, the sports tuned suspension had virtually no body roll as that of my 97 TL and curvey up and down hilly roads were such a thrill to drive. Breaking too was unbelievably good. The older one doesn't stop anywhere near as well as this one.

As for the constant "knocking" in the side panels, I didn't hear any immediately. Are they really that bothersome ?

I've also read in another post on here that the new TLs come with white dials as opposed to blue, are they visually more appealing. I nearly regret not having test driven an 06 TL but it seems like I will make another trip out to the dealers to have another go at it. I dont want to put such huge dent in my love for the TL, especially since my 8 year old baby continues to surprise me with her performance.

Would help if some of the veteran owners highlight on my negative first impression.

Cheers

- Kamal

 

I am not sure what you found bad with the car other than the cheap plastic inside and the motor vibrations? It seems like most modern cars have a cheap platic feel to them inside these days, except some German cars, the Jaguars, and maybe some volvo's.

I think the TL is better than most Japanese cars though, even more expensive ones.
We test drove many TL's before buying, and found the auto trans cars a bit of a let down, they seemed more noisy and had more vibrations, while all the manual trans cars seemed very quiet and smooth. Maybe the new auto TL's we test drove had not adapted the transmission yet, its supposed to learn your driving style over time, and a new car with no miles on it has not done that yet.

As far as the nav system goes, we look at it as a toy we do not need.
From what I hear, its one of the best avalable though, so I dont know what
you are compairing it to...
I think its a good car for the money, I would have paid more for some things like auto headlights, rain sensing wipers, better trip computer, and a combo key alarm remote, but as it is, our car is nice, smooth, quiet, fast, comfortable, good handling, good economy, and its reliable. It also looks quite sharp inside and out.

Brett

 

Brett thanks for the response, I in no way meant to belittle the TL. I presently own one and felt no other car to be a worthy upgrade for my next purchase. I have test driven the '06 330i and will admit (in my opinion) that the TL doesn't handle as well. I also test drove the G35X and was really impressed by the way the car handled. Yet I want one simply because my present TL has been unbelievably dependable and handled everything I've thrown at her without really complaining in the 135,00+ miles that are on her odometer today.

As for appearance, I love the look of the TL inside and out. I think Acura designers put an incredible amount of soul into this design. It's one of the few automobiles I think looks wholesome front back and side. There isn't an angle that I look at the TL that makes it look bad.

The cheap plastic-ish finish isnt something that I feel in my present TL, the new ones looked different but its nothing major, just something I've noticed.

As for vibrations and automatics, I'd have to disagree with you on this one, a load of my relatives bought new automatics within the last couple of years and I've had a chance at driving all of them within the first 300 miles. Some examples I can give you are the Audi A4 3.0 with Sports package, RX330, Mercedez S500, X5, and I've not felt anything like the vibration I felt in this TL. In fact my aging TL has nothing like it either. The only other car I felt this was in a loaner '05 Pathfinder I had which had a low RPM vibration in first gear.

Considering Acura's are rated to have the best navs in the market, I defo thought it would have had one better than the Mercedez and the Lexus Nav, but the TL's seemed blurry compared to this one. Does weather affect the display by any chance ? It was really cold the day we went for our test drive.

Again, inspite of my slightly disappointing first date with the car, I am still going to buy it. I dont think there is any other car in the market that offers the same value in terms of features and options as the TL and TSX do (in their own categories) and I will own a TL. I just thought I'd ask with some of the owners hoping this is one off. Maybe I'll just test drive another one in a few weeks and see for myself.

thanks again

- K

 

Do you think that the 330i and the G35x handled better due to RWD and AWD vs FWD? I have never driven the BMW and I drove the G35x when it first came out, so I really don't have a good reference point, personally.

 

Yes the performance difference is primarily because of the RWD / AWD vs FWD. But that has still not affected my decision to stick with the TL