gainful

How many of you here would rather the 05 TL to be only a good driving machine without the unnecessary price-jacking high-tech shits like bluetooth, satellite radio, DVD-A,...?

I am one. Curious if anybody is the same.

MikeyK

I like buttons. The more the better I gues thats why i went with navi and the 3d solar sensing system (haha doesnt do anything)

Tripp11

The TL, with all it's "high-tech shits" is still significantly cheaper than the competition. I'm surprised it only costs $33K-35K to be honest. I do like all the gadgets though....especially DVD-A and the XM radio....I currently do not use the Bluetooth but will shortly.

flnsx

I like the high tech stuff. That is why I bought the car.

Don't swear you poddy mouth

caball88

no please do not take away my gadgets.

Norse396

Considering the poor quality control and poorly installed materials I'm not surprised at all. :banghead:

VTEC=happiness

I have to admit that you have had a lot of problems, but you have to admit that you are the exception. There are a few here with minor gripes, and they have been vocal (the unhappy are always louder than those who are satisfied), but most of these vehicles are fantastic.

As for the high tech toys, that's part of the reason I bought the car.

Jss1

Quality control and materials on mine outstanding and zero problems since October. Love the gadgets.

KeithL

Well I am exception too then. I agree we are proabbly in the mniority, but I also feel the teething problems of the TL and 1st year issues are more than shoudl be expected from Acura and they way they are treating their customers.. well see my other threads..

mr_superlove

Oh no, it would've been a much harder decision on which car to buy if not for the high-tech gadgets. Might have ended with a different result. If I wanted performance alone I probably would've went with something else. Took an emergency conference call in the car yesterday using the bluetooth as I rushed from one office to the other. Worked like an effin' (after all, this is an "adults only" thread) charm.

Aegir

That would be a different car. Sounds like you're describing an EVO...

casooner90

All the bells and whistles coming in as standard feature takes lot out of the dealer - haggling wasn't as much of an issue as it normally is. I like all my bells and whistles and that is why I purchased my TL - it had everything I wanted already. Go and price some other cars and you'll see the headache I'm talking about.

alv1

From my perspective, I don't think there is a feature I don't like and very few I really wish I had (woud pay for if I had a choice). I think they made good choices. I do with it would play SACD's.

Formula 350

I do not care about the bluetooth or satellite radio, but would like the trip computer to be a bit better AND stay on the MID screen.

Ron A

Wasn't there a poll on this some time ago? Anyway, I like the gadgets coming standard on the TL. I don't think the price of the gadgets would lower the final cost significantly enough to change the decision to buy the car.

I should have voted first, and then I would have noticed there is no poll. Where is the poll?

jtruman

all the "high tech shit" is the reason I bought the car.

Would not have considered the TL and gone with a G35 instead. I use my cell phone everyday in the car, and I listen to nothing else but XM (CD from time to time).

I think overall Acura would lose more buyers if they removed the techie factor and lower the price.

TLOBLLC

You have no business buying an Acura. Perhaps you should consider a Caterham Super Seven instead.

elessar

Definitely - right now that's their niche. I also would've bought a G35, or maybe a Maxima, if it wasn't for the DVD-A, Navi with voice recognition, standard XM radio, Bluetooth, etc. The TL certainly isn't the sportiest sports sedan, or the most luxurious luxury car, even at this price range. My parents just got a Lexus ES 330 for less than I paid for my TL, and as nice as the TL's interior is, the ES is just classier inside. BUT, it has almost no low-end torque, and it's missing all those gadgets I mentioned. If I just wanted the torque, I'd have gotten a Maxima. My co-worker just got one, and I've test-driven them. Driving-wise, they're very similar to the TL (over 260 hp on a FWD car). And if I park next to one, they look very similar in terms of size & shape (it helps that my co-worker's Max and my TL are both dark blue!). I'd say the one thing that really makes the TL stand out, and that I wouldn't want to give up to get one of those cars, or a (sportier) G35, is the high-tech factor. Take that away, and the TL falls back into the rest of the pack.

TLGator

OK, just to offer a slightly dissenting opinion...

Like others, I like the gadgets. A lot.

But, if the '04 TL had come without: DVD-A, satellite radio, bluetooth, voice recognition, and solar sensing...for the same price...and the other choices in the marketplace were the same as they are...

My decision would still have come down to choosing between the TL and the G35, and I would still have ended up with the TL.

Don't get me wrong - like I said, I enjoy our TL's gadgets. I use all of them except bluetooth, and I'll use that if Sprint gets some decent bluetooth phones. But none of the gadgets I listed above were major factors in my decision.

The major factors for me were: great looking car, powerful engine, Acura reputation (let's not go there please), OTHER features of the car like power everything and Navi and leather seats, etc., and the price.

So for me personally, the super high-tech features of the TL, while enjoyable, are not as important to me as they might be to others.

criss

I wish they would add more gadgets....Smart chip/ have the car sense that you are approaching and unlock the doors, the HID that move when going into a turn, an AUX jack would have been great and those sunshade that are in the concept RL would have topped it all off.

But then again I am a geek and have to have all the new crap when it comes out.

adam209

if you're looking for just a good driving machine, then get a new bmw and don't add any high tech shit.

Animate

The only "gadget" I could live without is the DVD-A (and I'm not sure how much cheaper the car would be without it). For me, the DVD-A has been a real disappointment. Very few titles (and new ones are SO slow to come out), and the sound quality can really only be appreciated when you're sitting at a dead stop. At typical driving speed (let alone freeway speed), I've found that DVD-A is often indistinguishible from a good CD. It will be very interesting to see if DVD-A has legs, or ends up as a noble experiment that failed.

rets

IMHO, if so, I won't consider 04TL as the car I wanna buy. Other similar cars, especially RWD vehicles, are way better than FWD mid-size vechile as you mentioned above, "a good driving machine".

Acurich

Agree w/junking DVD-A, but in general, keep / augment the gadgets.

Came out of a '97 ES 300 & found the ES 330 slow & BORING vs. the TL. Wouldn't even have had to RT*M, virtually nothing new in 7 years. I had the Maxima ahead of it on my preference list.

Here in hilly area NW of Philly I wouldn't consider RWD G35 and didn't want to pay the price or suffer the 'economy' of G-X.

TL was the clear choice. Now if only Verizon would come out w/BT capable phone.

mlaugh01

I came out of a BMW 325I into my new TL. The 325 was a maintenance nightmare and could barely drive the car in the winter, I will never own another BMW in my life, not if someone PAID me. Only had the 325 for 25000 miles and after 2 gaskets, set of tires, and a leaky roof, I sold it.

The TL is awesome and soo much more fun to drive than either of the BMW's I have owned (just 2).

Acura has an awesome car with the TL, and compared to the BMW, ES330 (my second choice), and S60 is not fair to any of the other cars.. TL out-classes them all.