Besides the general question, what are you specific reasons for paying extra $$$ for an S type TL.

Also, does the interior only light up red/orange or can it be changed to another color like the blue in the regular TL?

 

i love my TL-S despite some problems and my accidents, shes my b!tch

 

IMHO HELL YES I have nothing else to say, its YOUR choice

 

Now that I have my TL-S, I would say yes, I actually asked the exact same question a few weeks ago in this thread
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157264

 

Do You need to ask!

 

Yes...the higher hp engine, two-tone interior, rear lights, quad exhaust, red interior lighting...a great overall upgrade from the typical TL for a small some of $2000 more

 

Paddle shifters, TL-S on steering wheel and seats, suspension, trunk lip spoiler, stainless steel pedals, Exclusive 17" alloy wheels, Brembo brakes, Type-S allows higher revs on downshifts with the automatic. I think all of that is worth $5,000

 

Nice thread as it has some interesting points made. I expected most people who bought/leased the type S to say it was worth it otherwise they would not have spent the money. However one thing that is a real turn off to me is the red interior lighting as apposed to the blue in the TL. Am I to assume it cant be switched to a different color like some other cars do?

 

Man...I forgot to write down A LOT of those ...yeah the upgrades alone amount to over 5k though It'd be hard for me to justify paying an extra 5k for the type-s over the normal TL ....but hey good thing that's not the case

 

When I bought a new 06 TL Nav in Aug 06 I didn't know about the 07 TL-S coming out until Sept 07 I didn't think there would be much more then a 3.5. Until I looked at it in Nov 06 Then I was pissed So I dug a deeper hole and bought one in Dec 06. I don't regret 1%

 

Ouch...that sucks...everything comes at a price ...glad you got the TL-S afterwards

 

As far as I know the red interior lighting cannot be easily changed. I suppose you could pull apart the entire dash and replace all the Lights if you wanted to.

However, have you seen the red at night. I think the lighting is awsome. The blue is nice too, but the red definitely fits with the more aggressive character of the TL-S. Blue is too "calm" of a color.

 

Just get it.
You'll love it.

 

i don't have the S but an extra 2k over the regular TL w/ nav is a pretty good value imo.

 

If you don't have any TLs yet... I'd suggest you getting a Type S instead of regular TL..... the extra few grand is worth the extra gadgets. However, if you already own one, it's not worth it from a finiancial point of view to trade in for a newer one............

 

so KBP is your "calm" color of choice?

yeah, the red lights suck...

 

Well, I'm going to offer another perspective... We just bought our TL a month ago, and we went for the regular TL over the Type-S for a couple reasons. First, we were told the 09 (next major rendition of the TL) will have the 3.5L V6 and AWD. @nd, they weren't willing to deal as much on the Type-S as they were on the regular. Now, for us, neither TL had all the options we were wanting, so our purchase (lease actually) was a stop gap to the next model change. We are gambling that in 2010 when our lease is up, the new model will have a year under it's belt to work out any first production year bugs, and hopefully, Acura will have heated and cooled seats, power/memory tilt/telescoping steering wheel, along with the bigger engine and AWD!

 

I do have a 2004 TL which I think has more power than the current (de-tuned?) version. However the few extra horses of the type-S are not a big deal for me since I have a much faster sports car when I want to drive WOT.

That red light will be another major issue to me aside from the extra $$ since I much prefer the blue.

 

2004 TLs have the same hp as 2005, 2006, and '07 base model. The SAE calibrations for hp were changed... all base models are 258 hp.

 

I came VERY close to the -s, when I'm spending that much money, another $2000 was definitely worth it.. It was actually the red illumination and the stiffer suspension. I drive more 'comfortable' than 'sporty' and personally felt that was enough to stop me from the extra $$$. I keep my cars forever (average is 12 years).

While I was sitting at the salesmans desk as he went back and forth to the manager during our negotiations, I kept turning around and STARED at the NPB Type-s right in back of me in the showroom.. I even got up, looked and got inside several times.. I was REALLY REALLY on the edge on getting the type S.

Keep an eye on my car, it's slowly turning into a Type-s (rear lip, side markers, who knows what next!)

 

As I recall mine was rated at 270 in 2004 and the dealership said it was because they no longer were making a type-S so all TL's now had equivalent HP as last years (2003) type-S. Is my memory correct?

 

I had an 06 TL NAV, tradded in 4 months later for 07 TL-S. I love all the difference. My brother LOVES the TL-S, says its like driving a 4 door Corvette, but he liked the more laid back 06 TL. ALL TL's KICK ASS

 

No offense to your brother, but has he been on meth or crack for very long?

It may be quick for a sports sedan, but a Corvette would make it look like a horse and buggy.

 

No. The 2003 Type S had 260 hp, rated BEFORE the new rating implementations, so that number is incorrect as well. The 2004 TL WAS advertised as 270 hp on TV, internet, magazines, and in the dealership, but this number is incorrect. The engine for the 2004-2006 remains unchanged. 258 hp. Not 270hp. Sad for all of us...

 

I was considering the BMW 328i, Lexus IS350, Infinity G35, and TL.

For the TL to be any competitor at all with the others the Type S is the only option.

328i with same features as the TL-S is about the same price but has to be custom ordered (at least around here). It seems people buying the 328i just want the BMW name for the base price of $32,000.

G35 was nice but I just didn't like the interior as much as the TL.

IS350 was a very close second but same story with the 328i. The dealer didn't have any loaded up with options.

The Type S was easy to buy. Comes in either manual or automatic.

 

After driving around family slush buckets with his family most of his life, the 07 TL-S is like driving a 4 door Corvette to HIM I am NOT saying it is as fast, etc. It was a general statement compared to what he was use to. Yes it handles WAY BETTER than what he is use to, and YES its MUCH FASTER than what hes use to.
No big deal, it was just a general statement. Many people I know DON'T own fancy cars. None are poor, just spend their money more wisely, and I DON'T

 

With respect to the red interior lights...I was very against them before I purchased my TL-S. I was pleasantly surprised that the red/white gauges are actually far sharper and easier to read both day and night. I thought the blue gauges/interior lights were great, but I actually now think the red ones are actually very nice and easy on the eyes.

 

...the red interior lighting IMO is much nicer to look at and better the read

 

Personally, I wanted the better resale value of a 6-speed Type-S, as much as the higher performance engine/suspension.. The wheels/breaklights and other aesthetic features are just small pluses.. Though I feel the TL-S gauges are what the standard TLs should have from the factory..

From what I've read on this site, you can fairly easily convert the red dash lights from the TL-S to the standard TL's blue/white lights. I have seen some pictures of it done. I believe there are small red plastic/rubber covers on the bulbs that make them red, just remove them, and voila, boring white lights!

 

Maybe this will help your decision.........

 

^ Werd

 

I have to say im not too impressed with the TL-S. I drove the '07 -S as a loaner when i got my tl serviced and was not too impressed with the car. I mean dont get me wrong its a nice car... just not $40k nice.

The suspension was tight - which you would expect in an S... but the handling was comparable to my '04 6MT. Now perhaps it was the shitty stock tires they put on these cars, but the thing was a bit sloppy, and the tightness only served to harshen the ride, with no notable benefit to handling...

I guess I think that the car is not worth the money...

...additionally the auto felt a bit sluggish... im sure the 6MT makes up in that regard...

...and the red interior blows haha - my humble opinion... i looove my blue gauges....

 

Unless you really want one Better then spending$$$ on weed, coke, alcohol Or a DUI. Its a matter of personal choice.

 

It's 36k Nice though and IMO the red looks much better then blue/white and the exterior tails + quad exhaust and interior two tone leather seats and not to mention the bigger more powerful 3.5L engine make it all the more worthy for a simple 2k more over the normal TL which IMO have ugly tails, the pre-07 tails (all red) look better.

 

many folks here are picking up the S for around invoice 35k. pretty good value.

 

You are slightly off also... it WAS 270 HP in 2004, but they changed how to calculate the HP and under the new calc, it was 258... if they did not have to change, they would still say 270...

 

i paid $35,900,and love this car!!!!!!!

 

Just answer yourself this simple question: how much did you think you would have to pay extra for any model to simply get a bigger motor, i.e BMW 325 to 330, etc.? $4000 up. And I haven't even referred to other features besides the bigger motor in the S. I didn't even think twice for $1800 or so.

 

ALL the searches I did in the last 1.5 years, ALL 6-speeds were priced cheaper then the auto at any used site or lot I checked out. Usually they are beat on more.

 

And with the old rating the 286 hp TL-S would be 300hp.