Hi all,

First post here, and I've enjoyed reading many of the posts here. I have a few questions, and I've search, and I see that the answers to one of my questions specifically, appears to be somewhat unknown.

First, let me just explain what I'm coming from. Right now, I'm driving a 2001 VW Jetta VR6 that I purched. Great car, fun to drive, but as German cars would have it, expensive to maintain that "fun to drive" aspect. A few $200 items have broken that shouldn't have, and I also had to have my transmission (4sp auto) replaced at 35,000 miles (under warantee.) That was sort of the "last straw" with the car, and I will shed a tear when I sell it, but I'm just not dealing with the exorbitant extra maintainance of the car ontop of the the normal rituals that I follow. I'm in the finiancial position now to afford something nicer, and more so, a little bigger than a Jetta.

This being said, I've narrowed my options down to the 2004 Nissan Maxima SE and the 2004 Acura TL. I am looking to lease for ~39 months, not buy.

I test drove the Maxima, and loved it. A friend of mine who swears by Acura's told me, "before you make a decision to lease a Max., check out the '04 TL." So, that's why I am here.

I have heard great things about the 02 and 03 TL-S',s and I even like the 04 much, much more. I am weary about one thing. The transmission. Like I said, I had my Jetta's tranny replaced, and I'm really looking for reliability now. I know not every Acura TL owner had these problems, but a lot did. Even more so (in my eyes) than compared to the horrendous problems with VW's automatics. I've heard stories of the TL's dropping into 1st gear at 75mph, and all sorts of awful things. Being it was Acura, I was suprised, but I imagine they are fixing this problem for the '04 TLs, correct?

Another question I have is about the FWD. I was hoping the TL would be AWD, but I'm hearing rumours about that for late 2004 in a "Type S" model. This being said, how is the torque steer of the 270hp engine? The torque steer in the 04 Maxima was pretty brutal, and I think that car comes in at 255/265, ft/lbs torque, HP respectively. We all know that TS is an underlying problem of FWD, but how it is on the 04 TL?

Thanks!
Jeff

 

There is pracatically no torque steer in the TL....well, practically. You're not going to find a better feeling fwd sport sedad. The torque steer on the Maxima is ridiculous.

I had a TL Type S, had the tranny replaced at 31,000 miles...and Acura extended the warranty to 100,000 miles on the car. It never really worried me much.

I've had seven Acuras and they just never really break down. Granted, I tend to trade in every 2.5-3 years, but my legends were both pre-owned certified vehicles and they were perfect.

Acura is the way to go....reliability, value, performance, innovation, styling, you name it.

 

I've been driving a 2002 TLS since May 2001 and I think it's sort of similar to the new TL. The 238ft-lb of torque is enough to keep up and sometimes even beat the Maxima SE without being a torque-steer monster. As for the transmission, I haven't had any problems yet. It's reassuring to know, however, that I'm still covered for 100,000 miles. My experience has been wonderful. It's unfortunate though that people only bother to seek out online forums or post only when they have a problem, so the transmission issue (as I believe) may be blown a bit out of proportion. I know about a dozen other 2001-2003 TL owners (all with the 5 speed autos) who haven't had transmission problems as of this month.

 

Ya know, I gotta say that VW has made enormous strides over the past three years in all their automobiles. The build quality is solid, the looks are great, and the interiors are some of the best in the industry (no doubt partly due to the Audi influence), with top-notch materials. The Tourareg is a phenomenal SUV (Motor Trend's SUV of the year, in fact), and the new Phaeton looks like a stunner - as is the Glass Factory in Dresden where it's assembled.

So, for the life of me, I don't understand why VW is still behind in their engine technology and mechanical reliability. To my knowledge, NONE of their vehicles incorporate VTEC engine technology, and the base Jetta uses a 12 valve, SOHC 115 bhp engine which is 'old' tech. The V6 is only 180 bhp.

Anyway, to answer your questions, the Maxima will definitely give you reliable service, but the styling is a design nightmare, the interior quality is subpar, and, as you well know, the torque steer is possibly the most horrendous in this category of automobile.

On the other hand, Honda has done the best job in the industry of minimizing torque steer. In every day driving it is imperceptable. It only becomes noticeable if you start driving past eight tenths of the car's limit. And even then, it's not overwhelming.

Moreover, the new TL has one of the best interiors in this class. IMHO it's better than even the new BMW 5-Series. And when it comes to exterior design, well, the TL outshines most vehicles in this market segment.

Hope that helps...a little.

 

Hey, good luck in your decision. Just to add my 2 cents, I think you'll be much happier with the TL than with the Maxima. One big thing is the torque steer. Even without the LSD of the 6 sp, the auto. trans does well and I think for a powerful V6 has very little torque steer relative to other V6 FWD cars. It hasn't been a problem or even noticable to me at all. However, everything I've read and the test drive I took of the Maxima confirms that it is a torque steering monster. Besides that, I think that the quality of the TL can't be matched at all in that price range. You cannot compare the build and material quality of the two, the TL wins out hands down. Finally, it is a great ride, great power and smoothness. I haven't driven a car that was in this price range that had the combination of everything I look for in a car.

 

If you are going to lease a TL do it for 42 months. That is by far the most favorable lease at this time.

On the reliability, well Hondas are considered among the best cars on the road for a reason. The other thing is you car will be under warranty for the entire time you own it so nothing to worry about there.

There is a good thread of Maxima to TL comparison on the board. The TL is a much more polished overall package then the Maxima. Honestly comming from VW and Audi myself I would say the TL feels more German that Japanese.

 

What do you mean? you should be at Acura dealer, not here!

 

The maxima is a nice car. The Tl is a fantastic car. I had a 2002 TL type S. The only problem I had was warped front rotors which were resurfaced and the problem never recurred. That was it! I turned it in for a new 6 spd, what a ride!!
Yes, the previous Tl had tranny problems around 2% failure rate, compared to other manufactures a 2% failure rate is insignificant (when chrystler minivans had tranny problems the were at a 15% rate). So do not worry about reliability (there are a lot of moaners and groaners in these sites) Compared to your VW the reliability of any Honda product will be like a dream come true!!!

 

I could not turn in my leased 2000 VR6 Jetta fast enough!! The 04 TL is by far a better car to drive, plus it won't fall apart like your Jetta did. Run, do not walk, to your Acura dealer!! You will not regret it!!

 

Hey everyone,

Thanks to all who responded to my original post. I'll do my best to respond to everyone here individually, but if I miss someonem, I apologize.

Acuraaddict: Good to know the warantee is nice. And yea, the Maxima's torque steer suprised the hell out of me. Don't get me wrong, my Jetta with the VR6 is quick, even at 173hp, but the TS on the Maxima was unbelieavable.

vandy786: Regarding the posting of transmission problems on the web -- I know what you mean. When I began having problems with my Jetta (Window actuator/regular, engine temperature sensor, brake lock switch (2x), transmission, etc) I searched out a www.vwvortex (a site like this, but for VW's), and it would appear from those posts, that every VW owner had a transmission problem. Obviously, that's not the case, so you have to take what you read online with a grain of salt, and sort of extrapolate those faults of some VWs to the entire VW population to get an idea of where you stand. I'm sure that's the same deal with this forum in terms of general reliability.

Gundar: Yes, VW makes an amazing car. My '01 Jetta with the 173hp V6 is a blast to drive. It's actually fun to drive to the point where I drive sometimes for the hell of it. The Audi influence is big, but for some reason, they have some quality control issues in their current type IV Jetta's and Golf's. I don't know if it's because they are made in Mexico as opposed to Germany. The interior of my Jetta is fantastic, and a lot of people who have been in my car, complement the seats as being so comfortable. The design is great, and the enginneering is great. That is, until, little things - stupid things - start to go.

I looked at the Touraeg, but it is over my budget since I want the V8, as reviews say the V6 is underpowered. The Phaeton, futher over my budget, is an awesome looking car. I've been "preselected" to test drive it in my area, but I'm not buying it. It's supposed to be a great automobile tho.

As for the Maxima, I didn't care much for the interior, don't care for the design (especially at the rear), and the torque steer is way, way too much. All of that combined together, noting a $399/month lease price (after $3,000 down/39 months) for the upper-end SE modem, makes it seem way over-priced to me. The Acura, known for it's reliability, comes in at a better price, and in my eyes, better build quality. The TL interior is in your opinion better than a 5 series, huh? Wow, now I really have to find my local Acura dealer and see what's up.

TorontoTL: Thanks for the information. Glad you're happy with your TL, and it looks like I'm headed down to my Acura dealer soon, instead of Nissan.

Chadr: Interesting you're coming from VW as well. I'm sort of "angry" that I'm leaving the German cars, but if I can get the kind of reliability that Acura is known for (compared to VW), in addition to the better build quality, the price jump to the Acura compared to my current payment will be well worth it.


Saintor: haha good point. Gotta find the closest Acura dealer, for now.

vtechbrain: Thanks for the info on the warantee and quality. It seems Acura has a much better reputation than VW. FWIW, my uncle has a 1991 Legend. 150,000 miles and the only thing other than routine maintanence he has done is a new radiator. All this, after the car was in a major front end collision, as well. Amazing. That 1991 legend shifts gears (auto) smoother than my 01 VW.

elbodude: haha thanks for the info. I am off to the Acura dealer in the coming weeks.

'04 TL w/ Navigaton, 42 month lease here I come.

On a side note, anyone want to buy a 2001 Jetta VR6, 38,000 miles, silver exterior, black leather interior, loaded, 6disc changer ,tinted windows, optional sport suspension, and 17" rims? :P New tranny, has 1,500 miles on it.

Thanks for the replies guys. You'll see me here from time to time, posting, and hopefully one of my next posts will be describing my new TL.

Thanks
-Jeff

 

My friend actually has a 2000 Jetta. All of a sudden at 36k miles the car will not go above 20 mph. Feels like it is stuck in 1st gear. Reverse is fine. Is this anything like what you experienced? Thank you.

 

That's 19 mph faster than my Jetta went!!

 

I think Honda builds better cars. I own a 00 TL (waiting for my new 04), and 02 Odyssey. Nary a problem with either. Friend bought a 04 Maxima SE in July, and the headlight bulb is already gone. Bad luck, maybe, but Toyota and Honda always rank 1-2 in customer satisfaction in many surveys.