I love my TL but hate the turning diameter is terrible when compared to other cars of its size (or even larger). This was quite evident when I tried to make a U-turn and had to do a 3-point turn while others were doing it in a single turn. I thought this can't be right and went back and tried it again a couple of times with the same result. After looking at the turn diameter no I can see why I couldn't do it while other could.

-----------CAR-------Turning diameter in feet
TL and RL............................39.7
BMW 5 series......................37.4
Infiniti G35.........................36.0
Infiniti M35/M45.................36.7
Audi A6...............................39.0
Mercedes E Class...............37.4
Toyota Avalon....................36.9
Volvo S80...........................39.0

 

I notice the same thing.... my judgement is totally thrown off with this car. Especially when backing into a parking spot.

 

fwd and wide tires...

 

welcome to to the world of front wheel drive cars.

 

Agreed, although I think Acura Could have done better. The Toyota Avalon is much larger, is front wheel drive and has a much smaller trurning diameter!

 

that is the only thing i hate about my TL i cant make u turns at all. my gpas e430 makes turns 4 times tighter than my car. ugh

 

Looking at other front wheel drive cars the TL diamters is still 2 feet larger or more!

TL-------------------------------39.7
Nissan Altima-----------------37.4
Toyota Camry----------------36.7
Passat-------------------------37.4
Lexus ES300-----------------36.8
Audi A4------------------------36.4

 

I used to see some other cars having even worse turning radius. TL ain't the worst yet, however, I agree Acura should try to do something...

 

And if you have a 6MT G you can smoke the tires during the turn making the radius even tighter..lol

The TL is a compromise of many things....

 

Never had a problem u-turning, even on roads with narrow lanes...some of the things you guys complain about amuse me...

 

Tight fender wells and wide tires don't make for small turning radius.
I agree it's a pain when parking.

Our Honda Pilot (wider vehicle with similar size tires and wheelbase but much larger fender wells) turns in 38 ft.

 

I really haven't had a problem making U-turns. I thought I would notice it given the numbers but I really haven't.

 

... you guys must have not owned a 01 Maxima. The TL has beautiful radius compared to the MAXIMA. I loved my car but it was such a boat. On the Contrary I think TL has a really good radius. However I can never centre my self in a parking spot.

 

I was concerned about this, seeing how the Acura sedans tend to have large turning radius (if you think the TL's bad, take a look at the TSX!)

But actually, I've had no problem with this at all. My friend, who has an 04 9-3 (which has the passive rear wheel steering), was surprised that the turning radius of the two are more or less the same. For some strange reason, I think the turning radius is huge when I'm turning from a dead stop, but when turning while moving (say, 5-20 mph?), it *feels* smaller. Anyone else think so?

 

I don't agree that it has to do just with FWD.

My 98 RL has a turning diameter of 36.1 feet and it is much larger than my TL - and FWD.

 

It really depends on the suspension set up, too. Sportier handling in FWD = larger turning radius.

 

My old Mazda 626 was FWD and had similar tires, but it was far easier to park here at work. I could pull right into the spaces in the parking structure, but I need to do a three-point turn to park my TL in the same spots.

 

91-95 Acura Legends had AMAZING turning radius.... But if you notice the steering wheel takes forever to get to each end on those cars

 

Very funny that you mentioned this. I was about to say the exact same thing. My 2000 and 2002 Maxima had a far worse turning radius. I used to feel like I was driving a school bus when it came to tight turns. This makes me really appreciate the "tight" turning radius on my TL.

 

Yeah, my '02 Maxima (and my Mom's '00 Maxima) both had a poor turning radius (40 ft.). My TL is only 0.3 ft. better but, believe it or not, I do notice the improvement. This is something that you just have to get used to and anticipate when you have to make u-turns or turn into a parking stall.

 

This is the only thing I don't like about the TL...the wide turning radius. It makes parking in cramped lots a real pain.

That said, if that's the worst I can think of, then life with this car must be pretty darn good...