I was waiting for this car, six speed manual and V6 and Acura quality, but I've seen a remark that the rear seat doesn't fold. Does that mean that it's totally fixed? Doesn't open in any way?

That would be a deal-breaker for me, as I sometimes carry things too big for the trunk to/from relatives. And my good road bike, the one with all the titanium and composites, rides inside! Say it isn't so?!

Lynn

Michael Lynn Devore
Virginia

 

NO folding rear seats.

Maybe this should be a sticky.

 

My Acura salesman said the reason the rear seat back doesn't fold down on the TL is because that would lessen structural integrity. I always wondered why BMW, which offers fold-down seats as options on their sedans, was no good at handling.

 

Thanks. Bummer! Bimmer?

 

LMAO, You shoulda told the salesmen that!

 

Before you rule out the TL, check out the trunk carefully. It's quite large. Although the rear seat is fixed, there is a small pass through for things like skiis. Good luck.

 

Thanks, guess I see a trip to the Acura dealer with my bicylce along in the near future...

 

I think the car won't fit a bike in even IF the rear seat can be folded down. The trunk has a good size for two medium size luggages, but not the bike.

Guess I won't put the bike inside anyway, even it can be fitted in to prevent it from scratching the leather interior and the carpet lining in the trunk. Since your bike is titanium made, it won't be too bad to place the bike on top of the roof with those bike rack on the roof. Besides, it adds the sporty feel to the car.

 

What do u think about 2 full sized golf bags? Fit?

 

Lol, bike stays inside, it's worth as much as a car, well many cars. That way it stays clean, and also you avoid that horrible noise when you're returning home after a 100 mile ride and being very tired, drive straight into the garage! But of course the front wheel comes off in about 2 seconds.

 

My final test drive included taking my bike along to see if it would fit in the trunk. I took both wheels off and it fits perfectly (it's a 58cm frame). That pretty much sealed the deal for me as I don't want a roof or trunk rack. For multiple bikes I'll use the Mrs. CR-V or possibly install a trailer hitch with a receiver. Saw a nice custom hitch rack on a BMW forum where the receiver was hidden up under the bumper.

 

Don't know which trunk you are looking at. One big complaint that forum members have expressed is the small trunk. The trunk is 12.5 cubic feet w/o nav and I believe even smaller with the Nav. The 2003 TL had a 14.3 cubic foot trunk. I think the Lexus 300, the G35, and the Maxima all have much larger trunks.

 

Originally posted by Huskerfan:
Don't know which trunk you're looking at.

I guess it's all a matter of perspective. A golf bag in my current Accord is OK but tight, a golf bag in the BMW 3xi looked impossible (despite the salesman's assurances - and certainly not without some creative club arrangement...)The TL looked like it would handle 2 bags easily so from my perspective it looked large enough for my purposes and a large step up from where I am now.

At any rate, trunks all have peculiar shapes so I don't think cubic feet alone will be enough to determine whether or not you can fit special gear. I recommend a trip to the dealer before deciding one way or another.