i'm currently in a 2k maxima and i'm mostly pleased with it. a couple gripes are the incessant road noise and some build quality issues. but i thoroughly enjoy the VQ30 and most of the ergonomics. overall very rewarding to drive.

if i go with an 04 TL, how much of an upgrade will it honestly be in build quality? in short, i'm looking for rattle free construction (music instilled rattling ), an effective LSD, and an easy to use navi. i'm not interested in navi if it's going to be inanely counter-intuitive to use, a la mercedes and bmw. i'm also a bit concerned about the lengevity of the leather considering some of the posts about 'butt-prints' in newer TLs. this is a concern for me since i'm looking to start a family and i don't want to end up with super deep baby seat imprints on the rear seats.

i've never owned a honda engine, but my girlfriend's accord seems peaky. just gutless at lower rpms. same with the TL? to be fair, my maxima's peaky as well, but the engine jumps thru the tach so fast, it's almost a non-issue.

i know some of these questions can be answered with a test drive, but whenever i go to a dealer here, it's impossible to get a salesman to take me out unless 'i'm ready to buy'....... like NOW. and i simply hate the pressure they apply when you are ready. besides, i can't stop staring at the design long enough to be rational. how are the blue-lit instruments at night? i would think that they'd be a bit hard to read at a glance.

if any of you have previously owned acuras, how do their service departments rate? nissan's reputation is deservedly abysmal. and also, is there any aftermarket support for the TL? same v6 as the new accords right?

i figure most of the 3rd gen owners here would still be in their 'honymoon' stages, so objective opinions/thoughts are welcome. thanks guys.

 

Serin, I too have a Maxima of the same generation that you do.
I have driven the 04TL and it is NO comparison to the Maxima. My
Max does have a nice engine, but everything about the car is unrefined.
1.) 4-speed auto is only average( most cars have 5-speed auto trans now),it has no sport shift capabilities, and no electronic control. Acura, 5AT or 6MT, both are vastly superior IMHO.

2.) Brakes are below average IMHO. Many times I have been in close calls where I felt the brakes were barely capable of stopping
the car as quickly as needed! Acura's brakes are far better.

3.) Suspension is beam axle in the rear. This setup is just not able to deliver a sophisticated, smooth, in control ride when compared to the 04TL with fully independent front and rear suspension!

4.) Interior- I have leather, heated seats, Bose (blows), auto-temp control (no nav). And yes, my leather has wrinkles everywhere my butt has been! I have driven the 04TL and the seats are more supportive (and I didn't notice any of the
dreaded seat issues that have been posted previously), the DVD
stereo is AMAZING, the navigation is definitely worth the extra $$
It works very well, and the voice activated controls for almost
everything in the car is SWEET!!!!!!!!! And the interior is very quiet
road noise is minimal.

5.) Styling- well, here is where the comparison is easy for me.
The maxima was unique when the 02 body style came out, that's
one of the reasons I bought it. It now has started to wear on me.
The Acura TL is a more modern, sophisticated, edgy design that
just screams DRIVE ME, ENJOY ME !! The interior is just absolutely
beautiful to sit in!! Perhaps one of the best designed interiors to
grace a sub 50k-60k car ever!!!!

6.) After market support- Comptech, as well as several others will
have parts available for this car, just give them a little time to do
the R&D.

7.) Reliablility- should be a trouble free car! Acura has a strong
reputation for building great cars.

Well that about sums it up. Maxima-strong engine, weak suspension, ok interior, inferior brakes, unrefined.
Acura-strong engine, smooth trans in either 5AM or 6MT, good brakes, fantastic interior, incredible stereo, refined handling!!!
If the dealer won't let you test drive, you need to run, not walk
to another dealer that will !!! I would not even talk to them if they
won't even let you drive the car!!!

 

thanks turbogg. were you ever on maxima.org??

yeah, i forgot to mention the brakes. definitely lacking in emergency stops, but stillen took care of that

how are the interior lights? the blue parts of the dash in the VWs are damn near impossible to see at night.

the rear beam has been a thorn in my side. but since just about any new car has independant all around (the 6th gen maxima as well) it's not a real comparison point for me.

here's the strange thing. i totally expect a honda/acura product to be reliable. but the other day my buddy's altima blew its radiator cap and we had to call AAA. during the ride, we asked the driver what car he tows the most. i was expecting to hear him say dodge or jaguar, but without hesitation he shouts out HONDA. none of his tow truck friends will buy one cuz they see so many on the side of the road. i rationalized it because there's so many dang hondas out there that it just seems like a lot. but there's more toyotas out there and they're pretty far down the list for tows he says. strange....