With all the TL bashing and the sometimes overblown reaction to insignificant problems I read on this board, I thought a positive write up on the TL was in order. I just returned from a 3000 mile trip with my 2004 TL 5AT that has about 30,000 miles on it. The car had four occupants and a trunk full of luggage during the entire trip.
FWIW my car is a very early build and has had the transmission recall completed and the headliner and sunvisors replaced due to noise issues.

Navigation- Awesome...wouldn't buy another car without it...find nearest gas station command is my personal favorite
Comfort- Front and rear seats excellent for my 6 foot 200 lb frame. The rest of the interior as is well documented is top notch and a nice place to spend some time.
Gas Mileage- 8 litres per 100K or approx 32mpg @ 130 km per hour or 65-80 mph. Seems high I know but perhaps its because mine in Canadian and our gallon is a little larger than a US gallon.
Road Noise- Very little and that is with the Bridgestone Blizzak LM22's installed. The Michelin Pilots I have for non winter driving are even quieter.
Interior noise- no noise at all, this is after having the headliner replaced and both the sun visors replaced, before replacements it was squeeky as hell.
Ride/Handling- Even fully loaded the handling was great at sane speeds. The ride was sporty not floaty, you can feel the road but its not too intrusive, just as it should be. For highway cruising the fwd is a non issue, I only ever notice it when hammerring it from a dead stop or through a tight corner.
Power- Fully loaded the car still rips and gets great gas mileage to boot.

I couldnt be happier with the car overall after 14 months of ownership. I have had a couple of small issues but they have been dealt with in short order by the dealer. The issues I have had were really more annoying than anything significantly wrong with the car. So for all you guys considering this car for your next car I say you cant go wrong. For anyone having problems I would say I feel for you but try and find a good dealer, the problems with this car are on balance very minor and can be fixed in short order with the help of a good dealer.

TWO THUMBS WAY UP!!!!!!

 

Nice writeup, fair and balanced.

 

I agree. I haven't had any problems with mine either. The only noise I have are from thing being in the car. Like coins, radar detector, pens, etc. When removed from the car, it is silent. The only noise fix I had was the trim around the shifter, which I wedged a thin piece of business card between the trim and the carbon fiber it was sitting on.

 

another happy tl owner... lol nice... i love mine too =)

 

Love my 05 SSM/Q/Navi too !. I had posted a thread about all of the "minor" things others here have posted as well.
I have not had any creaks,groans,rattles,squeels,thunds, thunks or whatever.

 

When we get ours(again, dont get me started) I doubt we'll notice any small rattles. My dad has a used 97 rental taurus. It makes popping sounds, buzzing, whirriing(like a diesel) and it sounds like a convertable even with all the windows up. As for Navi, if ur a guy u need it, either way its as fun as hell to play with. 32 MPG?! thats insane. Cant wait till we get it. Only thing I am worried about is the front wheel drive. We live at the bottem of a dead end hill in new england. Good write up.

 

[QUOTE=AJAX]I just returned from a 3000 mile trip with my 2004 TL 5AT that has about 30,000 miles on it. The car had four occupants and a trunk full of luggage during the entire trip.

How much weight do you estimate you were carrying, also what's the tread like on your rear tires after your trip?
Mine is an early build as well and would have worn out a set of rears in 3,000 miles with four passengers and luggage (approximately 850 lbs.). It appears some TL's are more prone to excessive rear tire wear than others when loaded.

 

I do have one noise occasionally. It's a really loud rock band playing in the back seat. Sometimes it's an entire orchestra.

Oh yeah, that's the DVD-A player....

 

Nice write up ... I've had mine for about 6 months with 8300 miles. No shakes, shudders, or groans, except for the harmonic at ~50mph and a little flat spotting until it warms up. I have an occasional rattle in the driver side speaker but only noticeable when Howard Stern is on (so unless I get Sirius I expect that to clear up in less than a year).

I've had one prob with the VSA during a snow storm that cleared up on its own but other than that this has been the nicest, quietest, most fun, best built car that I've owned. It's a keeper.

 

I'm another super happy TL owner. My '04 TL, Anthracite, 6mt, navi, has a little over 5000 miles and other than the buttprint issue with the leather seat bottoms, I've had absolutely NO problems so far. I have No rattles, no vibration issues, and I'm 110% satesfied with my new car(1year old this month). Yes, if I drive the car on an unpaved road, or over potholes, I might hear an occasional rattle, but for the most part, on decent roads, my car is totally silent and doesn't rattle. Count me as a happy customer!

 

I love mine, and im addicted to fixing her up! Is there something like a AA group for me??