Ever since I've owned my '06 TL for past 1.5 years, it has been running extremely hot. The temp gauge in the dash, shows it being normal (in the middle and both radiator fans are running as intended).
So this seems to be more about heat coming off the engine, that just can't be expelled from the engine bay / under hood.

This is especially noticeable in hot summer weather. The frontal area near the hood gets so hot that I can't bare to even walk by the front fender. I can even feel the heat through front firewall and onto my legs.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

I remember one thread; where the OP complained of heat near legs....he opened up the center console area and found a tube or something disconnected, letting in the heat. just an anecdotal piece of evidence, but gives enough warrant to at least see if everything under the center console is buttoned up

 

I'll look into that center console area. It just seems like the heat coming off the engine, isn't being dispersed properly at all.
Perhaps removing those plastic shroud covers under the hood might help cool things down.

I'm just surprised that nobody besides myself is having this heat issue.

 

I also have a 2006 and have no such issues and all of my engine covers are intact. That said, I have a 6MT which has simpler cooling requirements.

 

How are you surprised????
your issue might be a one off issue, like something being disconnected..

my TL doesnt give off heat near my legs in cabin...

 

OP you still got sweaty knee caps?

 

Yeah, still having this issue and It mostly happens after a long drive (30+ minutes). Soon as I step out with my left leg to get out of car, I'm already feeling the immense heat.
My dashboard temp never goes above mid point, and radiator fans are running (both at high speed).

What should I have inspected? Water pump, thermostat, oil cooler? This much heat shouldn't be produced unless there's a V12 under the hood.

 

Another data point; I drove over 500 miles today in weather well up into the nineties; my 2006 kept me and all of my occupants nice and cool.

If your dashboard temp never goes above mid point, then your radiator, fans, water pump, thermostat, and oil cooler (if applicable) are all working as they should.
Regarding a V12, not sure what the number of cylinders has to do with anything; engines typically produce heat in direct relationship to the amount of power they are producing at any given moment. Said another way, regardless of whether you car had an I4, a V6, a V8, or even a V12, it would still produce virtually the identical amount of heat on any given day at any given speed.

Were I in your shoes, I'd have the car inspected up on a lift to make sure everything was stock and in good condition.

 

My '05 is hot as holy hell during the summer months. After driving it around town with the A/C blasting, and then parking it in the garage, it makes the trip into the house hot as I have to lean over the hood on my way inside. However....none of that heat makes it inside the cabin. With the car off, the fenders and hood are hot as can be. With the car on with the A/C, there is a steady stream of heat coming out from under the front tire and under the driver's door. My wife's Terrain is the same way.

 

Im having the same exact problem. Car shows normal temp but I can feel hot air coming in from under the steering wheel dash

 

well, have you physically checked to see if anything is wrong or disconnected?? that would be my starting point

 

I have not. What would your recommendation be on where to start with that.

 

Starting points would be to check to be sure all heat shields and other insulating material under the car are in place and to confirm the proper operation of the blend doors and such inside the HVAC system.

 

It's probably the Vtec dragon breathing too much fire into the intake. That's sort of on the drivers side of the engine bay. Stop hitting Vtec (yo) so much.

On a serious note, I think it's a good idea to get more ventilation in the engine bay. I trust the engineers to have designed the car to ventilate sufficiently, but I still think it helps to remove the plastic shrouding and what-not. I also removed a piece of the front grille that allowed more airflow. It was behind the grille if I remember correctly, which didn't affect the outward appearance of the grill. I went as far as to remove the plastic panel around the windshield wipers but that was a bit extreme. Oh, I also removed the plastic covers from underneath the engine, though some recommend against that since it has an effect on aerodynamics and noise. And they're supposed to protect under the engine from rocks and debris but I don't know how effective that really is. I never had any problems with that over the 4 years I owned the car.

I've removed all of that, sans the windshield wiper panels, on my 4G TL as well. Along with the intake runner/manifold gasket, the intake manifold is only somewhat warm to the touch. Just about everything else in the engine bay is cool enough to comfortably set your hand on, aside from the cats of course, even after a city drive in the summer.