hi all,

not sure if this has been posted yet, but there's a pic of the sports steering wheel option on the Canadian Acura website. choose the accessorize and price option on the TL site and you can select the sport steering wheel. basically it looks exactly the same as the standard wheel, only the leather wrap is perforated in certain spots. it's really not worth the $916.96 Canadian dollar they're asking for it.

 

You would have to be insane to pay nearly $700 (US) for that upgrade. :wow:

 

can't be a-spec
CAN'T BE!!!!
900+ canadian

gotta be like 200 US then
I kid

 

well the sad part is, I can't tell the difference b/w that one, and the one that comes standard with the car....700 USD, are they nuts?

 

it is unbelievable how much Acura charges for some of their accessories. sometimes i feel like it's highway robbery what they are charging customers. if you look at what audi offers on the 2004 A4, they offer a super sports package for $3000 installed at the factory. they include the following upgrades,

Ultra Sport Package on Audi A4 :

• Sport Suspension .
• Wheels: 18 in. Alloy .
• Tires: 18 in. Performance .
• Aluminum Beltline Trim . (interior)
• Aerodynamic Kit . (fully integrated 5 piece body kit, unlike the tacked on body kit like Acura)
• Perforated Leather Steering Wheel .
• Perforated Leather Shift Knob .

the 18inch wheels they offer are of much higher quality finish than the ones Acura offers. so if Acura wants to charge $4-5k for the A-spec, it would be seriously over priced. BMW also offers a high performance trim for the 330i sedan which costs $3500 installed at the factory. it includes even more performance upgrades than the Audi.

Performance Package for BMW 330i :

• Sport Suspension .
• Sport Seats .
• Alcantara Sport Steering Wheel .
• Aero Kit .
• Shadowline Trim .
• Black Aluminum Cube Trim .
• Anthracite Headliner .
• Wheels: Double Spoke Cast Alloy (Styling 135M) .
• Tires: 225/40R18 Fr & 255/35R18 Rr Performance
Low Profile tires with 225mm width, 18.0" rim .
• Rear Spoiler .
• Alcantara/Cloth Seat Trim .
• Engine: Specially Tuned 3.0L I6 DOHC SMPI
6-cylinder engine with 3.0-liter displacement, dual overhead cam valvetrain, sequential multi-port injection .
• Transmission: 6-Speed Manual .
• Includes front lights in black and short shifter..

 

Damn, that looks like MY steering wheel except for a minor color change where to on the intersection of the upper spokes with the wheel. That can't be an A-spec steering wheel. and CD$900 is insane for the option.

 

Where did you see an Ultra Sport kit for the A4? I just went to their site and only saw a regular sport package without an aero kit.

 

Can't see the extra $$$ either. They could at least make it the same steering wheel option as on the MDX with the woodgrain in it. Then they'd have something......maybe.

 

so how much will a fully loaded a4 and 330 w/ those packages cost compared to the tl w/ a-spec? they will cost much more.

 

BMW 330i with performance pkg ($3900) and doing leather instead of the alcantara combo and adding the sunroof and
xenons and winter pkg. will msrp at about $44M.

Fully loaded A4 with that new performance pkg will msrp at about $41M

TL as I have coming w/o nav will be $33.4 with the perf. tyres and mud flaps.

TL is way less than the BMW or Audi. The TL "is no Audi" "is no BMW" but the TL is arguably a better value.

I considered the S4 (already have a 2000 S4 we are keeping) but $50M +++ slowed me down, and also thought about the BMW 330i long and hard. Decided on TL because of interior room and comfort on trips and not wanting to duplicate the Audi's small sport oriented demeanor.

 

Those prices sounds about right. But they also include a lot of upgrades like 18inch wheels, fully integrated body kit (not add ons) and other interior treatments. So if you get a comparable TL with the A-spec (speculation has it at about $4-5k installed), it would put a base TL with A-spec at about $37k-$38k. In the audi you also get quattro all wheel drive and the fit and finish on the audi is still one notch above the TL. I really like the TL overall as it's a great improvent over the previous generation. But in terms of it being a good value, it is no longer what it use to be. Acura makes it seem like it's a good value by adding things such as bluetooth, XM satellite, and premium sound as standard. But it also cut costs by cutting small details like auto leveling xenon lights, 8 way power passenger seat, auto down on all 4 windows, blinking side markers, and a few minor interior trims and details. Also the few examples of the TLs I've seen at various dealers showed some quality control issues you would not see in a made in Japan or Germany car. It seems like Acura doesn't want to be a cheaper alternative to the luxury brands anymore, which is great because I think Honda has the technology to build cars that are at least equal if not better than the competition. But to compete directly with those other luxury brands, you also need to offer everything the other guys offer, plus a few tricks up your own sleeves.