For the people that ordered their TL and are still waiting for it, did you hear anything new from your dealer? On when it's supposed to come? Around April?
Especially if your in the nyc or nj area.

 

well mine, the vin# was "misread". so the color combo is coming this week but it has no navi . so they said another week, so i dunno. i guess the longer i wait the bigger my down payment, but i have to go to a wedding end of april and i'll be seeing peeps from HS so the TL will be a "look at me now" statement

 

I had to call to check up on mine. They should have the VIN# by Thursday, which means it'll be delivered by the 5th. I am so excited.

 

Oh I heard alright, and only last night. My order for a Green/Camel/6MT/Navi placed on Jan 31st now has a build date of April 18th and probably won't be delivered until towards the end of that month. That'll make exactly 3 MONTHS from order to delivery. Needless to say, I'm not a happy camper, though I can't blame my dealer. They've called me regularly to keep me posted, have been very apologetic for the delay, and offered to loan me a car in the meantime if I need it. They also advised me that my color combo in a 6MT w/Navi is one of the least produced TL's, that this is the only one like it they've sold so far, and the factory will only make them when they get orders for at least a certain # of them.

After reading all the posts up here for the last 6 months and going fishing at a number of other dealers, the attitude is the same: Acura f*cked up by grossly underestimating how many '04 TL buyers would be interested in Navi and have all quoted a 'GOOD' 2 months or more for this combination. If you don't care about navi, you don't have this problem and can name your price as the dealers are swimming in inventory of non-navis and are anxious to turn them.



BTW, since Acura is so stingy with making 6MT/Navi's, why the hell is that the car they use/push in all 3 of the TV commercials?

 

Because its the coolest and sportiest of the TLs. That sells.

 

Have you seen the non-navi version?? The dash is simpy hideous!! If they aired that dash they wouldn't sell any TL's!!!

 

Well Thanks a lot- I just love people who think they have to give their opinions no matter how harsh they are or who they offend. Simon Cowell would be so proud of you and your ability to sting. I know I speak for many when I say that I love everything about my non-navi TL, including the dash.

 

Non-navi TL owners really should get their own, non-luxury kind of forum. I mean, if you're buying a high-end sporty luxury sedan that's dripping with cutting-edge features, why on Earth would you skimp on the *most* luxurious, cutting-edge feature of them all?

Especially if it leaves a November 22, 1963 JFK post-assasination type wound in the middle of your otherwise gorgeous dash.

 

you know, there are those who could and would say that anyone who would buy a TL with an automatic transmission isn't really serious enough about performance to own such a sportscar, so knowing that, why do you choose to pick on people who didn't opt for the navigation system? I drive my car to work everyday and travel outside my area very little, so I decided to spend "extra" on the ground effects moldings instead. Can't we just all be happy for each other?

 

The TL is not a sports car. It's a luxury sedan with great sporty tendencies. The NSX? That's a sports car. No need for nav on that baby. We're driving luxo'd Accords, remember? Not knocking it.....just calling it as it is. Being fair, I'll take a shot at myself too- I'm one of those superficial people that bought the friggin' nav because I couldn't stand how the non-nav dash looked. I'm a little upset about it because I really don't need the damned thing and (to top things off) Acura apparently didn't realize their little manipulation would be so good as they didn't make enough nav cars. So I bought it because I didn't like the Oswald hole *and* was so happy that I found a 'rare' nav car in my color combo that the salesman got me hook/line/sinker.

Anyhow, enjoy your TL....it's a beautiful car either way. Just don't put the lumpy door puffs on the exterior

 

DMZ: which dealer did you go to?

 

Anyhow, enjoy your TL....it's a beautiful car either way. Just don't put the lumpy door puffs on the exterior [/B][/QUOTE

It does seem to take away from the sleekness of the car- My best friend bought one the same day I did and he had them put on his- I guess the worry of people banging their doors into his overrode the "look" issue.
You have to understand my overwrought attitude about this vehicle. I had a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP for six years before the TL and am now in car heaven. This is my dream car... Know what I mean?

 

Yup tlrocks, I know exactly what you mean. My RL was a boring dinosaur compared to this sexy bitch

 

non-luxury forum...funny. Actually, the TL is classified as a near-luxury or mid-sized luxury sedan, not a high-end luxury sedan. A touring sedan like the TL is designed with an emphasis on performance and comfort. So there are creature comforts and some fluff, but performance is emphasized.

The RL is is as close to a high end (as you call it) luxury sedan. Ride and comfort are paramount as well as a healthy dose of excess in the cabin. Features such as burled wood trim, supple leather and the overall feeling of roomy luxury that the driver and passengers experience is the focus. Performance is not an afterthought in the RL but the effort is placed on luxurious, albeit sometimes understated, comfort features.

The TL achieves an impressive level of luxury for the price but it is not a high end luxury sedan. You just don't understand the meaning of luxury sedan if you classify the TL as high end luxury.

The TL, or Touring Luxury, applies to all styles offered in the TL; the 5AT and 6MT with or without the navigation. Not just the navigation styles. So by your own definition, you would need to join all of us non-navi owners in this non-luxury forum.

I'm not going to pay for something I will never use. I'll keep the money and buy one of those paper thingys...what do they call them? Maps. Yeah, one of those maps. I hear they've been making them for thousands of years and they pretty much have the technology in them down to a science.

Also, the a navigation system still won't be enough for some idiots to be able to figure out where they are and where they are going.

So having a feature you never use, or worse, don't know how to use, is worse than skimping in my opinion.

 

Curry in Scarsdale.

The commercial that starts off with the symphony showing the satellite shoving the Navi screen in my face with the driver talking to the car's system while driving through the desert at night just happen to air as I started typing this post.

 

BTW, since Acura is so stingy with making 6MT/Navi's, why the hell is that the car they use/push in all 3 of the TV commercials? [/B][/QUOTE]

I've asked that exact question to a couple of dealers.

I just got a build date of 3/31 with delivery of 4/6. Gave me a Build # and told me they won't have a VIN# til car built on 3/31. Is that correct?

 

What exactly did you order and when? From which dealer?

 

ordered 6 mt, with navi in black/ebony.

Left a deposit end of february. Was suppose to locate one for me in 72 hrs. 3 wks later tells me he found one - another dealer has one coming in beginning of April.

Going to Ryan Open Road in East Brunswick, NJ

 

GO_TL: If you pulled out the Bluetooth, Voice Commands, DVD-A Changer, Keyless Customization, wood/carbon trim, and leather seats you'd be left with an Accord, right? All I'm saying is that the reason you (and the rest of us) didn't buy a Honda with better performance characteristics and instead purchased an Acura was *because* of the luxury features. The NAV being the best luxury feature on the car is something that you never should have skimped on. It's more than just a paper map replacement:

1. Voice Commands for radio, CD, ventilation system, maps, etc.

2. Yellow Pages with addresses and phone numbers.

3. Distance Locator for 'nearest record store' or 'closest ATM'.

4. Compass.

5. Auto Setting of interior clock including crossing time zones.

6. Syncronizes car position with air conditioning/heating for optimum comfort.

7. Easier navigation of XM radio.

8. Fills ugly JFK head wound of a radio in non-nav car.

 

Totally agree...I got the body kit instead of the Navi....who needs navi to go to work and get around your own town?
Long trips...that's why we have the QX4.

 

albertanf1: Again, the nav is much more than just a digital map. I too didn't want a nav car but was blackmailed into it because of the gaping wound radio in the non-nav car; turns out it was the *best* decision I made as it has many many uses that I never considered. Since you got the body kit, it's safe to assume that you're a Version II TL owner:

Version I: Luxury car driver wanting something more sporty.

Version II: Sports car driver wanting something more luxurious.

No harm in either version, but we just can't relate. As a Version I guy, if I wanted a true sports car I'd have just purchased an NSX or a Z. I wouldn't be trying to soup-up a middle-aged luxury car into a 'better' version of a lowered and riced Accord. You talk about saving $3k on the navi and putting it to 'other things'. Tell me, how many 'other things' could you have gotten if you just purchased the damn Honda to begin with?

The conversation isn't really about not spending another $3k on nav; it's really why on Earth you Version II's spent $10k more for an Acura badge when what you really want is a souped-up Accord.

 

Hey boltjames, you are really obsessed with the JFK
head wound thing.

What's up with that ??

 

berlinrl: Do a Google search for "Kennedy Autopsy Photos" and you'll see a striking resemblence to the TL non-navi dash. Something's missing and there's a whole lot of cover-up going on.

 

has anyone ordered a 6mt/navi from montclaire and are waiting for it..?

 

got email from them last week stating they did not have what i'm looking for scheduled up to may 5 coming in - black/ebony.

 

I was not trying to insult, was simply stating my own personal opinion. Look at it this way at the very least you got a helluva deal on your ride!!

Doesn't change the fact that I still don't like the non navi dash :yack:

 

I agree the Non-navi dash looks very good, but the Navi dash looks better, almost enough to pay the extra, even though I do not need this feature.

 

No, the non-navi dash looks like an abortion and the navi dash looks like a master piece.

It's like taking the Mona Lisa's nose off and putting a Snoopy cartoon nose in it's place.

 

Wrong. That statement might have been true for the previous generation of TLs but not the 2004 TL. I testdrove Accords, G35s, Saab 9-5s, and the TL and I can tell you that there is a world of difference between the TL and an Accord. I think the most obvious difference is the exterior. It is radically different from the Accord. Most importantly are the differences in the car's underpinnings:

Horsepower
Accord EX-V6: 240@6250 rpm
TL: 270 hp@6200 rpm

Engine Block
Accord EX-V6: Aluminium Alloy
TL: Aluminium Alloy with cast-in iron cylinder liners

Fuel Induction
Accord EX-V6: Electronic Throttle Control
TL: Drive-By-Wire

Front Suspension
Accord EX-V6: Double Wishbone
TL: Independent Double-Wishbone with coil springs and stabilizer bar

Rear Suspension
Accord EX-V6: Five-Link Double Wishbone
TL: Independent multi-link, double-wishbone with coil springs and stabilizer bar

Transmission
Accord EX-V6: 5-speed Manual / 5-speed Automatic
TL: 6-speed Manual with short throw gearbox / 5-speed automatic

Ok, I mostly agree that the navigation system is a luxury feature. But there are two things you must remember:

1. The Accord / TL comparison is not apples to apples anymore. Acura has moved the TL far enough from the Accord to all but eliminate this sort of discussion.

2. You only get one more JFK reference in this thread....

 

for all u guys waiting for more than a month, i would check surrounding dealerships as some dealerships tend to sell rare color combos to higher paying people first. i too was waiting for a month but then got a call that it was going to be delayed until MAY. so i called around and found 3 NBP w/NAVI from surrounding dealers, then my dad (kinda short temper ) threatened the manager and we got the car in one short week. dont let ur dealership play u for a fool. research and be forceful

 

forgot to mention a nice salesman from another dealership told me that it only takes around 30 days for a car to be ordered AND delivered. this affects most people who are getting good deals on em, like i did (got $1850 off), since the market value for TL is close to MSRP, but has been dropping since it came out. if a dealer offered u a good deal than they arent makin as much money as they can on another fool whos willing to pay MSRP, but if they delay ur sale until May, then they arent losing that much money since the market value will probably be around the current "good prices"

 

Accord V6 does NOT come with a 5speed manual. It comes with 5speed auto and 6speed manual as an option on the coupe.

 

Thanks for the clarification. The Accord sedan with the inline 4 has a 5 speed manual option. That adds one more check on the TL side and reinforces my original point. These two cars (Accord and TL) are not the same by any stretch.

 

Your right that these two cars are not the same.

 

I totally respect your right to disagree and you make some interesting points. Let's just say when looking for a performance sedan at the "near/entry" - luxury end, I would never consider an Accord, even with everything you could possibly get...the styling sucks on the new Accord....(I don't mean to offend any new Accord owners out there).
I'm not a sports car guy (ie. Version II), nor luxury guy (Version I). I'm somewhere in between. Let's just say I like the TL's performance and looks, and yet the inside is fine with me...true luxury is the Merc. S420 in the stall next to me at work, but yet I still get the looks and questions from the owner about the TL.
I say enjoy your TL...

 

GO_TL:
I think electronic throttle control and Drive-By-Wire are the same thing. Just means an electronic signal governs the opening of the throttle instead of the traditional tension pull "wire". but i agree with you the TL is not a soupe up accord. you get what you pay for. What's listed are alot of the things that are noticable to consumers. but i am sure if you had time to break down the 2 cars entirely there will be little things here and there that will seperate the cars even more. For anyone who thinks an accord is a better deal or "just as good" go get an Accord then. everyone here has gotten a TL and is happy about it. sheesh how many times is this going to go on for.

 

Got the build date and number for car they have on order for me.

I talked to the manager about wanting something in writing to reassure us that this vehicle is ours. He sent me the Order with the Build date 3/27 - 3/31 and Build # on it. Said car will start being built 3/27 and done by or earlier than 3/31 at which time he'll have the VIN#. He'll also then get the ETD. Car will be shipped out right away and should be here in NJ in a week.

I do feel better now. Of course, I would of loved to of had the car couple of weeks ago, but I'm willing to wait as long as I know there's one with "my name on it".

I've also been wondering about the fact that perhaps some of the bugs of the earlier cars has been fixed with the cars now being built.

So, now I'll just wait til next week and see if I can then get the VIN #.

 

Finally got info on order/delivery. I talked to the manager about wanting something in writing to reassure us that this vehicle is ours. He sent me the Order with the Build date 3/27 - 3/31 and Build # on it. Said car will start being built 3/27 and done by or earlier than 3/31 at which time he'll have the VIN#. He'll also then get the ETD. Car will be shipped out right away and should be here in NJ in a week.

I do feel better now. Of course, I would of loved to of had the car couple of weeks ago, but I'm willing to wait as long as I know there's one with "my name on it".

I've also been wondering about the fact that perhaps some of the bugs of the earlier cars has been fixed with the cars now being built.

So, now I'll just wait til next week and see if I can then get the VIN #.

 

Maybe I should give my dealer a call.

 

Yes and no. The throttle control in the Accord provides more of an assistive functionality of drive by wire whereas the TL replaces the conventional throttle cable system entirely.

The ETC in the Accord controls the throttle only while the transmission is switching gears, when the traction control system is engaged and when using the cruise control.

The drive by wire feature in the TL constantly evaluates the road and engine speed, gear position, throttle and pedal position to determine what the ratio between the accelerator and the butterfly valve opening should be. At low speeds the butterfly valve will open slower as you press down on the pedal. At higher speeds it will open faster. The vehicle stability assist and traction control features are also part of the drive by wire system.

No doubt the same technology exists in both vehicles in that they are both throttle control systems. But the implementaiton in the Accord is highly diminished when compared to the TL.