I brought my '05 A-Spec (which has 4,000 miles on the odometer now) in to the dealership this morning to have them fix the driver's seat (it was making this weird creaking sound) and they gave me a "regular" '06 TL (with 1,000 miles on the odometer) as a loaner. I took the car out for a drive around town and hey, this car's not bad. I hadn't driven a non-A-Spec since the summer when I test drove the TL prior to purchasing mine.

The regular TL's suspension is much more compliant than the A-Spec's, and if you don't drive the two back-to-back, you might not detect how big a difference there really is between the two. That's not to say that the A-Spec is bone-jarringly stiff, but it definitely tightens up the handling. If anyone with sporty driving inclinations wants to see an improvement in the (regular) TL's handling without giving up the elegant un-lowered look of the car, definitely go for the A-Spec suspension kit as it keeps the ground clearance virtually unchanged.

The loaner has Michelin Pilot HX MXM4s, and right away I felt it didn't have quite the grip that my Pirellis have, but it tracked a lot straighter than the P Zero Neros. The Pirellis want to follow every groove in the road, but these Michelins don't have that effect.

I'm not sure if this is a change for the '06, but the leather on the steering wheel in the loaner is much smoother than on mine. My '05 TL's steering wheel has much more textured leather and grips more nicely. But the smoother leather on the loaner felt more "luxurious".

Another thing I noticed, since both cars are non-Navis, is that the background colour on the HVAC/Stereo display, and also on the digital clock, is now blue, whereas it's black on my '05. The blue doesn't look as chic, if you ask me. I can't figure out why they'd change that.

All in all, the regular TL's a pretty good car. Can't wait to see the 4G TL.

 

steering wheel on a regular TL is different from the A-spec one, so that could be the different feel you're refering to...

 

You may have a point there. Thanks.

 

Well, got my car back from the dealership this afternoon. It's good to have her back. The "regular" TL's good, but the A-Spec is something else.

 

so how does 06 non-navi's display color differ from 04&05? can you give me more detail? I'm just curious

 

Well, it's now bright blue (on the '06) as compared to black on my '05. Not sure if I can be more precise than that, so I hope that helps. Strangely, while I wasn't too crazy about that blue background when I first got behind the wheel, which was in the daytime, when I drove the loaner at night, that same blue background looked rather striking. Still, I wouldn't trade my A-Spec for a non-A-Spec, even though it's a pretty decent car in its own right.

 

I actually think the stock setup runs more balanced than the ASPEC. Yes, the low profile tires have the edge in the hard turns but the ride is surprisingly harsh and steering is not as relaxed. Having the both a set of Aspec 18-8.5 wheels w Michelin tires and the stock wheels with Michelin’s for the 6MT/Navi. I think the difference is significant just going to an 18” wheel. To me it was obvious with the first couple hundred feet. I contrast the ride to 2 of my 4 cars. A stock BMW 740i and an Eibach Lowered Probe GT which I have run H, V and Z rated tires as well as stock suspension. The stock setup on the TL to me runs a lot closer to the BMW and I think that was Acura’s target. If you want the racer ride than all or part ASPEC seems the way to go but I think Acura spent a good amount of time dialing the car as best it could given the configuration. Since the TL in my case is not for road rallying I really think of changing the tires on the summer wheels to 255/40/18 for a better ride, rim protection, and a nasty look. I think if it’s just your car for hot rodding around than APEC may be for you but if you are carrying a passenger or two then I would not long for the ASPEC because the car losses some luxury feel.

 

That's a pretty good summation, and along the lines of my own sentiments too. I don't drive the TL hard (well, I guess that's relative) since it's a family car, really, but having had a number of sports cars I do appreciate the better communication that the A-Spec set up (and that includes the tires) gives me in what exactly the car is doing and the condition of the tarmac. And it all goes back to my original contention that after living with the regular TL for a day or so, it's really not too bad at all.