Maxim

This car is laden with options. I, for one, just need the basic car with leather and sunroof. At this price range, it will be plenty. For the average age of the buyers in this group (and I might be far off the mark) we really don't need all the gizmos. Sorround sound? What's that? I listen to talk radio. Navigation? To go where? In town you don't need it, if you are traveling, a AAA map will do, thanks. 3-D solar sensing? Nice, but you can live without it. All this with a view to reducing the price. I know, I know, Acura packages its cars and the only option is usually the nav. But shouldn't there be a TL for the rest of us?

AcuraAddict

Jeez....Acura is giving you stuff to make you comforatable....don't like, buy an Accord or a Camry, don't ***** that "you're getting too much for your money"

Sparky

Quote:

Originally posted by Maxim
All this with a view to reducing the price. I know, I know, Acura packages its cars and the only option is usually the nav. But shouldn't there be a TL for the rest of us?

Yes. It's called an Accord.

Ken1997TL

Lots of features yes but my old Accord had bi-level heating/AC just like the BMW's. You could aim heat at your legs and the top vents could send cool air to your face. Too bad Honda doesn't have this anymore.

On the pic, notice the switch between the top vents.

nking23

Damn, its people like you that kill me. Look at all the S**T Acura gives you and look at the price. I can't believe you're bi**chin. If you don't like it then don't buy it and get some crap that has less stuff for the same if not more money. As for the navi is concerned. Its a WORTHY purchase for most people. Everyone is not good with a map and sometimes even with a map you have a hard ass time.

Maxim

Gee, lighten up people. This is a place for brainstorming. There are so many threads here because there seems to be a topic not fully explored. Remember the title is "what options could you live without?" I am sure someone out there has an unemotional viewpoint.

Maxim

So the TL is really an Accord with more options?

rhizopod

It's built on the Accord platform and shares many components with the Accord. You should do some research on your own before you post here.. e.g. the web, car sites, other forums....... just a bit of advice.

Ken1997TL

1st Generation TL = Mixture of Legend and Vigor
2nd and 3rd TL = Accord platform with more upscale parts.

lovemyTL

I dont get some of you people. I cant believe you would get OFFENDED because someone doesnt like the options in a car that you're interested in. People on this forum take sh!t so f'in personal - like they had a hand in designing the car or something. If dude doesnt like some of the options, he all of a sudden pisses you off?

Sh!t...I could live without bluetooth and DVD-A. Doesnt mean I'm b!tching and thinking about another car. Dude is just wondering what everyone else thinks.

Maxim

Puleeeze. I guarantee you that I do by far more research than most people here, probably more than you do. I have posted on other threads. I have also joined other forums. As soon as I check my emails I visit all in this order--Edmunds, Autoweek, Motortrend, Automobilemag, CarandDriver, RoadandTrack, TheCarConnection, Globalautonet, Autonews, Cars.com, Carpoint, Motorweek on PBS. I do this every morning. I participate in online automotive discussions on Washington Post. I get an e-mail update from USAToday whenever there is a new test drive. I read the New York Times automotive section every week. When everything is stale I go to the automakers websites. The reason I am here is that I love cars and love the Acura. I own two Hondas, one of them a Prelude. I know that the TL is built on the Accord platform. That's not the point.

All I am saying is that there is a group of people who want a TL but who can do without some of the options. I know that Acura has a unique pricing structure. You pay for the entire package less, mostly the nav. But other manufacturers do not. They have options and packages which you have to pay for separately. Toyota does not. Nissan does not. Nor are their premium brands like Lexus and Infiniti. The question is could you do without all the options for a slightly lower price? Again, this place is for intellectual discussion. I think that fact is lost.

Maxim

Thank you. Couldn't have put it better myself.

EmuMessenger

I could live without DVD-A. For the most part, I will use everything else.

I wish the climate control system had dual fan speeds. That would be awesome. I also wish the center vents could be closed.

rhizopod

The fact that the TL comes with very few options, is, in my opinion, one of the driving forces behind the TL's "bargain" status. Please do not get "options" confused with "features". If suddenly you could pick and choose this and that from the TL... it would necessarily drive the price up... think about the added assembly line costs and costs associated with maintaining a highly configurable model lineup. Let us also not forget the headaches that come with "option packages" (ahem, Nissan)... how some packages exclude certain features and force you to get others. The fact is, loads of features with few options keeps the TL price low. If you cannot grasp this fact, or decide that you could do without a lot of the features, then the TL is not the car for you.

Bitium

I could live without power tilt / telescoping steering wheel, which the TL don't have anyways. I like the exit feature like on lexus and others, but how often do you change the tilt or telescoping on the steering wheel. I do like 3D solar sensing. Living in florida (not anymore) I often found myself changing the temperature, when the sun was hitting my side of the car.

davew

Note that you only get the solar sensing thing with the Navi (I believe it operates based on where it thinks the sun is)...so by eliminating Navi, you eliminate at least two options Also, by eliminating 6MT, you eliminate Brembo's...then there is the A-Spec package. You get more money back upon trade ins for the options. And finally, remember that by having only a few packages, you get a bunch of freebies, where by BMW, Audi, Volvo nickel and dime you in an absolutely PATHETIC manner.

Bottom line, if look at the BIG picture, the Acura model is MUCH better, even if you get some things you do not need/want...

nking23

I understand what you are saying and I wasn't intentially trying to blow up on. I just find it amazing how people say that they should add this and make it standard when this car is already loaded with features that would be options on other cars. Then on the other hand how people talk about features that the car has that they may not want. If you don't like the feature then don't use them especially if other cars without some of those features would cost you about the same. Its like people are never happy no matter what. But again, sorry Maxim, I wasn't trying to blow up at you.

Maxim

No problems, dude. Just trying to play devil's advocate. Remember how your professor would say something in class just to get you to debate among yourselves? That's what I am trying to do. Hope the others realize we are not here because we hate the TL. Imagine if we had nothing to say other than that everything about the car was perfect. Wouldn't be much to say after that, would it? We'd talk about Britney Spears or J-Lo and Ben. Right?

Sparky

I think the climate control system is dual zone and dual mode. I believe that the dual mode refers to dual fan speeds.

nking23

Point taken

SilverCL225hp

These are the stuff I almost never use or need, or simply don't like:

sunroof
heated seats
cruise control
daytime running lights

Tom Ky

The Navi system is one pricely option ($2000). I couldn't live without one mainly because it is a techie gadget and is the best system on the market. I just was playing around w/ my friend's 2004 Accord w/ Navi. The navi will calculate 5 routes to your destination (direct, minimize freeways, maximize freeways, best route). What's really useful is the search feature. We were looking for a restaurant, but did not have the location or phone number. We wanted to call to verify the store hours. Entering the name, the computer found the location and tele number for us. For anyone who is curious about navi, I'd recommend finding someone knowlegable to show it to you. (this may not be the car dealer)

EmuMessenger

I wish. Dual mode means one side can have air coming from the top vents and the other side can have air coming from the bottom.

Sparky

You are correct. I reviewed the Honda News website which described dual mode as the "airflow mode" that you prefer. I liked my definition better!

Raheel

Dual-zone, DUAL-MODE ACURA AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL system

To keep the interior comfortable regardless of the weather outside, the TL has a new dual-zone, dual-mode Acura Automatic Climate Control System. This system lets the driver and front passenger set the temperature to their individual liking, plus they can each choose the airflow mode they like. A pair of adjustable vents in the rear of the center console keeps the back seat area comfortable. Large, simple to use controls make the system straightforward to use, even on cars equipped with the available Acura Navigation System with English/French Voice Recognition (Navi Package). With a full set of conventional button-type controls for the climate control system, it is not necessary to access some climate control adjustments through the NAVI on-screen menus.

Monte TLS,MAX

Dual climate,Nav, DVD-A, heated seats and steering wheel if they offer it like on the 02+ Max and heated Side mirrors and leather I prefer a high quality cloth.

Bear2Day

I gave it a lot of Thought.
Monthly Payments!

neuronbob

Good answer! ROFL.

Seriously, I could do without the DVD-Audio part of the stereo system. Who uses that today? I could've used an MP3 player, or better yet, an easily accessible (read: front panel) input so I can plug my iPod in.

Raheel

For the people that think they would rather not have a DVD-A Player think again..

If we didn't have a DVD-A Player, acura probably wouldn't have added so many speakers and such a big subwoofer..

The DVD-A Player wont make the difference in sound, but the way they structured the audio will..

Even Normal CD's will sound very good, at least we can say goodbye to Blowz, I mean Bose

But I do agree that a MP3 Player would have been nice instead of the DVD-A Player, but than we would have had a crappy stereo, not a stereo geared towards a dvd-a Player

lovemyTL

so many is not one or two. if they jumped from 7 to 14, then maybe.

Raheel

I know but how many cars come with equalizers, big subwoofer in center front, acoustic windshield, I bet all that wouldn't have been there if they didn't decide to add DVD-A

Also Having DVD-A Makes the car distinct, Now you can say your car is the only Car in the Continent with DVD Audio Standard

lovemyTL

I'm with a lot of peopel when I say "It's a great option - but how many of us are actually going to use it?"

Raheel

I agree many wont use it, I myself wont either, I am just saying, that Acura Made the Audio better for normal cd's too by adding this option

EmuMessenger

wakattack

I like the car,

I don't really have any use for the DVD-A

I would have preferred a Mp3 capability or a line in jack. If this were an option I wouldn't have paid for it.

Bluetooth

Super cool, I like gadgets, but my cell provider doesn't
offer any bluetooth phones, and I won't change providers.
So this will go unused in my car. If it were a buyable option
I wouldn't have paid for it. I'd like to trade this for another
silly option, rain sensing wipers.

I will get the Navi though!

neuronbob

One of the reasons I'm buying the car is for this feature. Now when the wife is in the car with me she can freeze whenever she wants without making me suffer along with her. I love her--after all, she agreed to let me buy the car-- but not her hot flashes.

Raheel

So I dont get it.

Will the TL let you Blow Heat on one side and Turn A/C on the other side?

Because Emu said no to the dual idea..

EmuMessenger

A/C is all or nothing. You can very the temperature, but you cannot have the compressor serving half the car.

What I said no to was dual fan speeds. You can have two different temperatures and two different modes. e.g.; face on one side and floor on the other. Get it?

colas

I think the DVD-A as *standard* equipment by Acura was a smart move. Building it into 60K+ cars a year brings the price of production down considerably - methinks so much so that the price of the DVD-A system hardly adds to the price of the car vs. a nice CD-Audio system as expected in a luxury vehicle.

So, even if you don't usually use the system to listen to DVD-A disks, you will prolly use it for XM or CD at least and the sound reproduction will still be excellent. For those times that you pick up a friend in your new ride and pop in a DVD-A disk to show off, the wow-factor will definitely be there. Remember the first time you went to your friend's house and he/she showed off their DVD video surround system? It sounded incredible! DVD-A is definitely astounding - especially the first time you hear it and compare it to a regular CD recording - I wonder how many people on this forum have actually heard a DVD-A recording? Not a DVD 5.1 surround recording, but a DVD-A recording which has much higher resolution yet...

Raheel

I kinda get what your saying, so its not possible to have heat on one side and A/C on the other?