I have spoken with several Acura dealers and everyone one says the same thing.....there are NO changes on the 05 TL. Acura's website doesn't show a breakdown comparision that I can find of the changes between 04 and 05. It lists all of these neat features the 05 TL has but doesn't say if they are truly new features or if the 04 had them as well. We are trying to decide whether to go with an 04 or 05 TL.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

My understanding is that the changes are minor. Seat sensors in the passenger seat have been added and the seat belt mounting anchors have been changed. There also may be different tires on the navi model. That's about it. Have fun in your quest.

 

So, does that mean the 04 TL doesn't have sensors in the passenger seat?

 

The '04 TL has sensors to turn off the side Airbag, but the '05 sas sensors to turn of the front passengers air bag in addition to what the '04 has.

 

Have you read this yet???? http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showp...78&postcount=1


In order to figure out which features are new, you have to carefully read 04 info and compare with 05 info. Most of items are the same, but Acura puts some sparkling wording to describe some of them. Don't be confused by those.

As ppl said above, there is no BIG change, but some minor ones. Please read those threads, you will see answers...

 

Having just picked up my 05 last Thursday, I would have to agree that those are the only changes that I can see. The Tires for the Navi are now Bridgestones and the hazard flasher button in mid-dash has been cut in half. The button now is the just the bottom half while the top half houses a Passenger side air bag "Off" light. A great car

 

I just took delivery of an 05 6MT navi on Friday and it has Michelin tires.

 

You're right, I'm wrong. Had Bridgestone on the mind after all the conversation about them. Like grimpeur said, mine has the Michelin tire as well (see, that's how rumors get started, bad information). Sorry!

 

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mxm or pilot sport s/s?

 

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mxm or pilot sport a/s?

 

I read that they're the MXMs. It's nice to see Michelins, but why couldn't they go with the Pilot Sport A/S?

 

I agree, the mxm is not even as good as the mxv4 let alone the pilot sport a/s. However the mxm has got to be better then the el42's, anything is better then the el42's. Big difference in wet grip between the el42 and pilot sport a/s very noticeable.

 

Funny thing about Acura - They want to please the majority of customers with their marketing plan....Package the "high demand" options together, price the vehicle within reach of their target demographics, and select a tire that will satisfy 90-95% of their target market.

The Michelin MXM and MXV4s are tires that Acura has had a relationship with for many years. As I recall, they were OEM on 2G TL/CLs and are OEM on the TSX (maybe RSX as well?). They wear well and most Acura buyers are happy with their quiet performance and are oblivious to the lost performance potential because they never push the envelope with their cars. Why they even went with BS in the 04/05TL is beyond me.

Meanwhile, 90% of the Jane Schmoes were complaining to Acura when their 04TLs had to replace their BS EL42s after 25K miles because they were bald and they were getting more vibration in their TLs than in their bedrooms. Acura's answer: go back to old faithful! Why would Acura spend more money for Pilot Sport A/S that only 5-10% of buyers will appreciate and risk a harsher/noisier ride and shorter treadwear when the MXM/MXV4s made almost everyone happy?

For those 5-10% minority of us who make a big stink about not getting the perfect color lightbulbs, driving on the wrong rubber, or stopping with the wrong color brake calipers, Acura wisely figured that they could save money because they won't be able to make everyone happy all of the time. Acura knows we'll shell out a couple of our own bucks to make our cars exactly how we like it while they keep making cars that 90-95% of people will be content with.

Which reminds me, how many LED lightbulbs do I need to order?

 

Congratulations. You got to change your SIG "Soon-to-be: '05 TL/SSM/Ebony/5AT/Navi"...