Greetings, all. I am the proud new owner of a SSM / non-Navi / 6MT that I picked up last Wednesday evening. I paid $32k even before tax -- not spectacular, but I think I did alright considering it's been hard to find a manual tranny around here and that TL's have been flying off the lots.

In any case, I have had a chance to put a few miles on the clock. I'm coming out of a 2002 Trans Am WS.6 and my previous cars were a 2000 Integra GS-R, '98 Jetta GLX VR6, and '97 Camaro V6 -- all manual trannies. Of course, the TL blows all of them away when it comes to the level of luxury and fit & finish. It's a beauty, for certain. Equally not surprising is the fact that it doesn't have anywhere near the performance of the Trans Am. Duh.

DRIVE WHEELS:
We can all rationalize and deny as much as we want, but FWD just doesn't lend itself to performance driving as well as RWD. Torque steer is very apparent. Does it bother me? A little but I'm sure most people won't mind all that much.

POWER:
It's got more oomph than I originally thought it would have. I definitely noticed that I get very little respect at the stop light from people in various other makes of cars. Just last night, someone in an Altima with a chip on their shoulder decided to try to get in front of me when the light turned green. I never had that problem when I was in the Trans Am except from the odd minivan driver who feels like they have something to prove.

Gearing is obviously set up to maximize the relatively low torque of the engine (as compared to the higher HP)... this leads to running out of RPM's very quickly in the first few gears. I find myself bouncing off the rev limiter if I don't pay attention to the tach. This probably has as much to do with the silent operation of this near-luxury class car as it does with the gearing's quick zip to redline. This doesn't bother me much either because I'm sure I'll get used to it. It does however prove that it's easy to fool the seat of the pants when you're multiplying torque with some gears.

TRANNY
I really like this shifter. It manages to be fairly clean without being stiff or notchy. The throw isn't terribly short, but it definitely doesn't require the arm motion of a school bus like some Japanese shifters.

SUSPENSION
I didn't get to drive a 5AT so I can't compare, but the suspension in my 6MT is kind of perplexing. I find that it somehow manages to be stiff but soft at the same time -- hard to explain... it's definitely firm enough to provide decent handling, but it becomes just a little springy over some twisties. Keep in mind that I'm coming from a car with a suspension that would rattle teeth on a small pothole. I think the tuning is more than adequate for most people's use but I'll probably spring for the A-spec (pun intended).

OVERALL
It's not the cheapest, but it's reasonably priced for the wealth of options you get standard. It's not the fastest, but it's plenty quick for 90% of what you'll end up doing every day. It's not the tightest in the turns, but it handles most of the roads out there very well without being harsh. And the looks? Well, heck...

I have to say that I'm seriously happy with my choice. Sure, you can pick nits with anything... but the TL does everything well.

Besides... now I am a member of one great forum!

 

I agree wholeheartedly on the aspect of the suspension. It is a mystery to me how it seems firm as a German sedan and yet, rebounds too much on a bumpy road. Acura engineers still haven't figured out the smooth yet firm suspension yet. I suggest you read neuronbob's excellent review on his newly installed A-Spec suspension. The review definitely makes it seem worthwhile.

I would like the steering to be slightly tighter as well, although I am still able to hold the line accurately in turns, I want some more "feel" going into the turn. This might change with a change of my tires/suspension.

Enjoy driving your car. I have over 6K miles on mine now, and I still relish opening up the sunroof, and shifting to my heart's content on an open road. The engine note is intoxicating, and the manual tranny (driven well) gets the most out of the prodigious engine output.

 

Congratulations on your car. I agree with your comments on the suspension and would recommend you read my comments on the A-Spec suspension; the link is in my sig. Overall, the TL is definitely a good value, which is why I bought it instead of a BMW 330i.

 

Great review!! Just about how I would some up the 4 test drives I have taken. Two manual and two auto. I've driven countless standards in my life, and I really thought the clutch was very tricky. It grabs way too high. Congrats and I hope you enjoy lots of spirited driving.

 

Tiresmoke, excellent review, and many of your observations match mine. You picked up on the nuances of the car very quickly. It took me a couple months. The suspension comments are right on. IMHO, I think Acura wanted the good ride of a luxury car and tuned the shocks to provide that by making them quite soft. To get handling they used wider tires, heavy sway bars and good suspension geometry. This makes the car corner flat and grip well, but hit some uneven road, quick back and forths, and it starts to bounce and jump.
I plan to follow neuronbob,s lead and get the A-spec suspension, when it is a stand alone option. It seems to be the best "fix" I have seen yet.
Congrats!

 

The suspension will loosen up with time. Mine has 15k now and it is noticeably more compliant now. The springiness in corners has also disappeared. The cornering and handling have remained the same. As expected the car has broken in to a very fine mix of handling and comfort. The tranny has also improved in feel, it has no notchiness at all. Dont worry about Aspec your car has all the suspension components already the package would just be appearence in your case. After 15K I can safely say that the car just keeps getting better and better. Enjoy

 

Are you saying that the 6MT suspension is "close enough to A-spec" to not make it a worthwhile purchase... or are you claiming that they literally have the A-spec suspension stock?

 

I would venture to say that perhaps it is just us getting used to the suspension not the suspension actually becoming sportier.

I have yet to drive an A-Spec so I can't comment on the difference (yet...)

 

Let me officially welcome you to the forum. And thanks for the excellent report. You've got your first reputation points which you can view on the User Control Panel (CP).

You've had FWD cars before so that should not be new to you. An observation I have made is that the TL handles differently from a RWD, but that is mostly because of the weight distribution. It feels different than my BMW, but it gets there quicker. Independent testing has confimed this (see Road & Track's April issue).

I notice the torque steer if I accelerate going around a corner. FWD and the VSA want to straighten the car out. But it's not nearly as bad as the '04 Maxima SE I had for a week. In a couple weeks, you get used to it and deal with it. Analagous to the way Porsches with rear engines handle differently - but they get there quickly. It took me a while to get used to that and utilize its full potential.

Your car will continue to improve performance wize. Only at about 5,000 miles will it reach its potential, according to reports here.

I'm still discovering new and wonderful things on my TL - pleasant ones.

Congrats on your new ride. I am sure you will continue to enjoy it for a long time.

XP

 

Thanks for the points! Where do I trade them in for cash?

I was initially contributing the feeling of the suspension to the weight of the car. I'm sure that plays a role. I never really minding FWD all that much until I got used to driving a RWD car. Now it will just take some getting used to the FWD layout again.

Back when I used to AutoX my Integra, I found the FWD to be a hinderance when entering and exiting tight turns. It seems so counter-intuitive to brake slightly through the apex to keep weight bias over the drive wheels. Plus getting on the gas too early meant stealing some lateral, cornering traction and giving it to forward thrust... People who say that it's "easier" to drive a FWD car just mean "it's harder to oversteer and scare yourself." (difficult, but not impossible since I found a way to 360 my Integra in a slalom once -- don't ask how since I don't know.)

But basically all this is moot when it comes to the TL since (1) I'm not that good a driver to really know the difference, and (2) it's never going to see an SCCA event.

I just really love this car... not because it's the best out there for everyone, but because it's the best FOR ME.

 

Absolutely true. In fact, I still find myself stalling the car once or so a month, even after 12k miles.