Hi Guys,

It has been just over a year with my 4GTL, 2010 Base Tech, and I thought I'd just update everyone with what has gone on since I bought the car. I also just went to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, and have had more time to see how the car does on longer trips.

After 11k miles and 2 oil changes (done @ the dealer, per MID) the car still feels very new. For reference, I do 85-90% city/suburb driving.

Acceleration, Power, Passing - The V6 really shines in highway driving, especially when passing. It is COMPLETELY effortless to pass. In fact, I usually only had to nudge the pedal down a bit, and there would be enough torque to pass without downshifting (though I'd need to plan those passes). If i floored the throttle, i'd shoot up infront of the cars and be going too fast, and need to slow down.

The 5 speed auto felt ok. The paddle shifters react slower than my foot (or S mode), so I didn’t even bother. The paddles also rotate with the wheel, so spirited driving on certain back roads in LA is awkward with the paddles. I don’t know why acura doesn’t bring back the manual shift gate, it’s a much more engaging experience, but without the hassle of an MT.

Driving on the strip, the V6 was stupid fast. I easily passed those overly aggressive tourists, nevada natives, and taxi drivers. I don't know how I'll ever be able to get a slower car.

Build Quality - Everything is still very solid, no rattles above 65F, and only 2 or so rattles below that (one from the dash which I cannot locate, another occasional one from the rear deck). Fitment is great, though some additional color options / trims wouldn’t hurt.

I don't like how the front and rear bumper aren't the same color as the rest of the car. Sure, you can say that the paint settles differently on plastic, but shouldn't acura have known that and made the paint different so that when it sets, it would be the same color as the rest of the car? Well I'm going to blame cost considerations again.

Leather Seats - The leather seats are holding up somewhat well so far. After 1 year and a handful of long distance trips (usually 200-500miles), there is still no heavy wear on the seats, but there are now more permanent "imprints" on the leather, and the occasional knick that won't go away. There are also some spots in the leather that aren't "shiny" and some parts that are. I'm not sure exactly why that is, but they go away after I condition it, and come back after awhile. I think it has to do with how soft the leather is and how I had to adjust my posture a few times during the 3.5-4hr trip. I condition them with meguiars(sp?) leather conditioner every 2 months or so, more often during the summer. However, I don't see them lasting the life of the car. A side note, one mag/website that has a long term ZDX (with the same leather) is already seeing wear (less than 1 yr of use) from just getting in/out of the car. They may not be as gentle as we are, and the zdx is more coupe-like than the TL, but it’s a bit worrisome to know that the leather is so frail.

On the trip back, I saw temperatures of 111f+ and actually began to feel uncomfortable with the sun shining down on me. I have dry eyes, so I could not put the a/c on "lo". I had it set at 69f, and while the air blowing out was cool, I began sweating in the seat and was kind of uncomfortable. I envy you 2012 guys with the ventilated seats, they would have made the long drive much more bearable. I hope my next car has them.

The seats were comfortable for the most part for short trips. I was plenty comfortable for the first 2 hours of the drive, but during the last 1.5-2hrs, my neck and back began to get sore. Not suited for long distance trips imo, at least not for me (5'9" 180lb).

Fuel Economy - Living in LA and driving in suburbs where there is either a stop sign or a red light at every other block, I was already prepared to see low FE. I initially started with 16mpg, and have edged to 18.5mpg now after a trip to vegas. Prior to vegas, it was a 18mpg.

With pure city driving, I get around 17mpg. To and from vegas, I saw 28mpg on the MID to vegas, and 26-27mpg on the MID coming back from vegas. My avg speed was approximately 85mph.

My SHAWD got 14.5mpg (pure city) for the first half year or so of it's life, and I rarely saw it go above 24mpg.

Ride Quality, Road/Wind Noise (NVH) - Many of you know that I'm very outspoken about acuras road noise problem, something I did not determine during the short test drive on the nicely paved streets near the dealership. After driving it for awhile, I began to dislike the balance of road noise/ride quality, at least in city driving.

After the vegas trip, with each way having 200+ miles of highway driving, I've come to the conclusion that the TL's suspension is well suited for road trips. On the (usually) nicely paved freeways, the TL rode very nicely, extremely smooth and quiet. Wind noise was only noticed in crosswinds and when going at unusually high speeds. Simply put, it was serene on the highway.

I then came back to LA and was reminded of why I disliked it's city manners. The TL's suspension began to pound away at the poorly kept roads of some parts of LA, a huge contrast after the smooth highway experience. I heard every road imperfection that I saw. Badum badum badum, bom bom bom, etc etc.. I miss driving it on the freeway. I think winstrolvtec went over this before. The TL handles well for its size, and a side effect of this happens to be that it is unable to properly handle road imperfections. For you 2012 folk, the additional sound deadening makes this less noticeable, so before you chime in with your "I don't notice any road noise" comments, that may be a reason why. the 2012 SHAWD Advance I test drove felt almost as smooth as my 2010 base. Though even with the additional sound deadening, I still find other luxury/premium cars to have much lower road noise. Also, please don't start linking db measurements, our human ears do not work like sound equipment and noise floors are different for different vehicles.

The problem with its noise isn't the actual volume of the road noise, it's the bump absorption. Both before and after buying the TL, I drove other vehicles, namely the Infiniti G25, G37, Audi A5 3.2, Lexus IS250 rwd, BMW 328i sedan rwd. All of those cars easily muffled the small bumps, which are too apparent in the TL. This makes the TL's ride feel "jittery", the feeling of being forced to feel the road, and all it's imperfections along with it. The TL's suspension absorbs larger bumps well, not being jarring like the G37 and A5, but the noise was worse than all cars.

I hope acura is able to lower their road noise. It, imo, is the worst attribute of the honda/acura brand. I think the gradual increase in sound deadening with each fmc/mmc means that acura is listening to the numerous complaints from consumers and revewiers alike.

The V6 felt very refined in both city and hwy driving, though when going past 4krpm, it becomes a bit loud/unrefined, not Nissan VQ coarse though. Not really a pleasant sound, but I’d usually be going too fast to notice it.

Tech, Sound, Phone, Nav – The sound system is still one of the best I’ve heard in a car. As an audiophile (spent a few years as an installer, did fabrication, fiberglass enclosures, sub boxes, etc), I usually change my speakers right away. However, I did not feel that it was necessary in the TL. It lacks some midrange, and obviously without a large sub, there isn’t much “thump” (I usually had 1 12” in a sealed box), but it’s adequate, and the highs are clear. It wouldn’t hurt for acura to give the TL a more flexible equalizer.

The nav is still one of the better navs out there, but I find it disappointed that it looks so outdated and doesn’t even work as well as my $150 garmin. The nav also updates too slowly for the fast changing LA freeways. I still occasionally miss a freeway ramp or exit with the nav if I’m unfamiliar with the area. It also looks archaic, and appears the same as my cousins 07 RDX tech.

It also wouldn’t hurt acura to give us some screen savers or be able to show the album covers (though I’ve heard you can see album covers in the 2012 models?)

I also dislike the fact that the phone book doesn’t not update automatically, and I need to manually update it each time I have a new contact. What’s worse is that I heard for the 2012 people, it updates the entire phone book each time you press the phone button, and they can’t make calls until it’s done?

Storage, Trunk Space - Storage space inside the car, for my purposes, is average at best. After buying too many drinks before and during the trip, I found that I quickly ran out of cup holders and had to begin forcing myself to finish or throw drinks away. There are also only 2 water bottle holders in the front doors; they barely fit 1 700ml arrowhead sports bottle each. For comparison, my 06 civic fit 4-5 500ml costco water bottles, and I could still stuff a map in between, not so with the TL, the water bottle would absolutely crush any papers inside.

As for trunk space, I've already made the determination that the TL's trunk simply cannot handle 2 large luggage’s, due to the intruding suspension bumps, speaker cover, small opening, and narrow and shallow rear. For a 2 week long trip, I had to start using the back seat for storage.

For a weekend trip however, the trunk was more than enough space. I had just one small duffle bag and a small roller luggage, then filled in the gaps with clothes, etc from shopping.

Overall - I like the TL even more after this road trip, but as you can see from the above, and from some of my posts around here, I have begun to find more negatives than positives about the car. Unfortunately, I may need to part with the TL soon due to some life changes. It’s a mixture of cost/upkeep considerations, the ride being uncomfortable (and noisy) for my daily city driving, and the sedan body style not fitting my needs any more. I also am a bit angry at Honda/Acura for not putting enough effort into making this car great. IMO, the MMC (in terms of drivetrain/features) is what should have been in the 4g. I don’t remember the 4.5G costing much more than the 4g, so I feel robbed by acura. This isn’t like “oh yea we just changed the bumper and tail lights”. They gave a much more updated car with additional sound deadening, slightly updated engine, new transmission, and more features for essentially the same price (I mean really? We 09-11 people need to manually update our phone books each time we have a new contact? No ventilated seat option for us?). Many of the items in the 4.5g could have been in the 4g, but I’m sure that due to cost considerations, acura did not put them in. If the 4gtl had the updated engine, updated transmission, more sound deadening, and ventilated seats like the 4.5g, I could deal with the remaining negatives, but that is not the case. I’ll still be around for awhile while looking/waiting for my next vehicle. Thanks for reading!

 

I took my 6sp/MT from Dallas to Fort Stockton on Saturday. Drove out there, had dinner with friends, and then drove back. 7 hours each way. When I drove as smooth as possible, I could get just over 30 mpg. And then after hours of normal passing, up & down elevation changes, a/c on, and loaded truck & back seat, I got over 27 mpg.

I love this drive;
The roads are not torn up from winter.
The speed limit is 80 mph
It was only 98 degrees.
Comemerative Air Force Museum in Midland is just off the highway.
Friends asking me why I had to get a new car, when it is almost 2 years old.

 

I think 30mpg is doable if there was less traffic. I think I lost a lot of it (mpg) to needing to slow down and wait for 1 car to pass another so I could pass both of them.

On the way back, I think it was lower because I had more stuff in the trunk and left vegas too late and got stuck in traffic. What was a 3.5hr drive turned into a 5hr drive with 2 restroom breaks.

 

Thanks for your review. My 2010 TL is behind the curve in some ways. But i knew that going in. I also knew/know from spending tens of thousands on home theater equipment over the years that new features and better amps, dacs, etc. will be introduced every 6 months. That's bidness.

The Genesis guys are crying that the 2012 is the car Genesis should've come to market with.

Here's one thing I like you didn't mention....based on KBB....my car has cost me abut $280 a month to own excluding gas and one oil change. Bet yours cost you about the same. Not a bad deal at all.

 

It's definitely not a bad deal.

What I meant by cost consideration is that I think I simply overspent on this car.

I'm in my mid 20's and I am just now realizing that making such an expensive purchase early on was a huge blow to me financially and it has staggered my potential for financial growth for the next few years if I continue paying it off. And because the TL wasn't exactly what I wanted, It is starting to feel like a huge financial drain even though it's still one of the luxury cars that have a lower cost to maintain and i am currently able to afford it. I think if I had got the 2012 tl from the start, I wouldn't say the same thing.

So unless there is some new mind blowing luxury car that is reliable and fits my needs well, I'll probably end up down grading for awhile so I can have another car with a lower overall cost to own while I build up my savings/investments. So for now, I am going to be trying to sell it. Maybe I will see you guys again @ the 5gtl or 2grdx

 

Sounds like a plan. Best time in terms of resale to sell your car is now.

 

Nice write up Jason, thanks for sharing, although hearing about Vegas would have been interesting as well but you know what they say.....so, we'll leave the hookers and cocaine parts out.

Not to harp over the ride and road noise all the time but I am not sure if I ever went over this. When I had the 04 3G A-spec, I had the luxury of having 3 different tire setups. The crappy BS EL42's, replaced with Toyo Proxes 4's, and also PS2's for the A-spec 18's. The tires made a considerable difference in the demeanor, ride and noise, handling, braking, and even eliminated a few minor rattles the car had. If you plan to keep it a bit longer, you may want to check into that.

In certain areas like in your demographics, when test driving the TL, it's usually on very basic (crappy) all season tires but when you test drive a RWD competitor, they usually use a good quality summer tire or much better all season, especially with the other cars you specifically mentioned. Even with the comparable lower end tires that might come out of that group, like an EL42 or ContiProContact, they are still a quieter and softer riding tire than the TL's Michelins. Acura tried to use these versions of basic all season tires in the past but with their FWD nature, suspension tuning, weight distributions, and power, they tend to eat them up rather quickly.

Aside from the how the suspension characteristics vary from many other cars, the difference in tires can be huge. That's probably in large why going up 2 rim sizes on the advance you test drove, with a much lower diameter, and the SH suspension, still felt nearly as smooth as your FWD.

I have the 6MT which uses it's own dampening rates and while I think it is fine, I don't disagree that the road noise and ride could be better but I do accredit most of it to the 18 in all season tires. I also noticed a little bit of a difference with the underbody plugs installed which where not installed when I took delivery. I also tamper with the air pressure a lot to find what works best for my tastes.

Usually I leave it set at the recommended amount in the winter because they don't heat up and expand as much while driving but in the summer, I leave it 1 or 2 psi less because the heat causes more expansion in the summer while driving. When the warmer weather came around it became over inflated a good amount because of the temperature change and me having it set exactly in the dead of winter. With around 5 psi over, it was pretty bad and I knew immediately it was off. Little things like this can make a huge difference.

And of course, Acura suspension settings are different, almost contrasting from many competitors. It's firm but also with more suspension travel than many others so it seems it doesn't dampen as well over small bumps as it does over larger ones. Perhaps it's because the amount of compression is not as much as it is when you go over large bumps. If I had to describe the differences in one word the TL would be "firm" while many others are "tight".

The way it's engineered doesn't help the comfort factor as much but does allow a very consistent handling experience even over poor surfaces. The demeanor doesn't really change and handling and steering are almost unimpacted even over bumps. I take it that is a product of it being FWD and FWD based in the case of the SH. These characteristics are probably results of certain measures in the suspension setup to prevent and minimize torque steer as well as power and steering loss over bumps, where that isn't as much of a problem in rear drive or rear based cars.

Some of these other cars you listed behave quite the opposite, shorter suspension travel usually means they are more compressed for smaller bumps and dampen them better but the bigger bumps will cause premature bump stop impact (vs the TL) and can be very jarring. Over moderate bumps, the suspensions can feel very springy and bouncy as a result and this worsens when loaded with passengers and impacts handling and steering more.

I think the balance and the non FWD chassis of these cars reduces the need to have such sporty rides, it's seems Honda has to make their rides overly sporty to overcome many of the handling limitations of FWD, which they are the best at and even out-handle many RWD competitors. Unfortunately, that comes at the expense of ride quality and road noise levels. Nonetheless, I think it can be improved a lot with tires and air pressure management for those who find it uncomfortable and perhaps a little frustrating.

In the meantime, Honda has been working on ways to help these areas out. The new silencers seem to be working well in the 2011 RL and with improved insulation it should not be a very difficult thing for them to address. The insulation thing can be a little counter productive in the sense that they don't want to disconnect the cabin from engine and exhaust notes that much, that's why the silencer is genius IMO. Plus they can always start using better stock tires and I suspect the adaptive suspension will make it's way into the next RL, and maybe TL, at some point.

 

nice the TL is a fine car even though there are some questionable things about it. i personally do not believe 30mpg for a tank of gas or even half a tank miles is possible, on the highway off course.

 

I don't know if I would say that. My MID has been around 26/27 in mixed driving. I think if I could get it on a flat highway and maintain a decent speed it would be very close to, if not over 30. The stop and go absolutely kills the MPG in this car though.

 

The best I got with my-SH-AWD was 27 on the highway. I am getiing about 23 MPG now on my overall average display. Not great but as expected with the AWD and my lead foot.. she just loves to be pushed!

 

1. Find a smooth road like in west Texas not torn up from winters.
2. Find a straight road. This is a benifit because just turning the
wheel increases the tires rolling resistance thus more gas
required to maintain same speed.
3. Find a flat road (like west Texas)
4. Get the tire pressures right
5. Turn off the a/c.
6. Set the cruise at 65 mph.
7. Zero the mpg display.
8. Don't speed up
9. Don't stop for gas or drinks

That is how I can get 30 mpg.
Of coarse I don't get that very often because I do have to drive normal most of the time. But now I know how good the mileage can be in the perfect senerio.

 

not to add that you have to pump some higher grade gas...

dont go pumping valero or arco premium expecting high MPG..

 

Who do you think refines the vast majority of gasoline in the USA? Care to guess?

Since the early 2000's, Valero has bought up a majority of the refineries in the US and other countries and they, in turn, sell to the other companies.

Look it up.

 

Same here!
I am German, and f*ck is gas cheap here. No reason to drive like a Granny on a Sunday morning on her way to church.

I average in the 23mpgs...

 

I love to ride around in M3 or M2 with the revs up at 3000 or higher.. Its like riding around on the edge of a wave of torque.

 

of course how bout we just take off the rear seats and strip it down to save few hundred pounds. lol i meant 30 mpg under normal conditions, you know cruising on the highway with the A/C on, in the summer heat where tires stick more on the hot pavement creating more rolling resistance...impossible to get 30mpg on a tank on sh-awd tl in those conditions. best i got with my 03 Tl (FWD, 3500lbs, 5AT) on pure highway cruise was 28-29 mpg at 75mph. for a whole tank of gas that is. thats with cool weather, ac off and low rolling resistance tires pumped to 35 psi. a courtesy 535i that i had for a few days did 32mpg on the highway but that thing had like 8 gears.

 

I never wrote that I get 30 mpg in daily driving, as I only drive this car occasionally.

I was just trying to share with those who might be interested in how good the mileage might be under the right conditions. So for my curiosity, I drove my TL (in 95 degree heat) to find out.
The "work" required to turn off the a/c is one punch of a button. Not at all close to the work suggested of unbolting empty seats.

I hope those who were curious about the TL's (2010 6spd mt - AWD with HPTs) max. possible mpg (without coasting down hills) found my results intersting as well.

 

[quote=jasonwdp10;13081988]Hi Guys,

It has been just over a year with my 4GTL, 2010 Base Tech, and I thought I'd just update everyone with what has gone on since I bought the car. I also just went to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, and have had more time to see how the car does on longer trips.
quote]

My 330 Mile trip from San Diego to Las Vegas last month gave me a 24.6 MPG and that was with AC on across the Hot Desert. I two large suitcases in the trunk, a small cooler on the back seat plus some snacks. So my wife and I headed out with our usual gas stop at Barstow... At 63, my back is not the best but after the long trip, we jumped out of the car, and headed for the Casino, and my wife and I felt Great from the seats and the overall ride... The AC unit does a phenomenal job of keeping the cabin at a PERFECT 69 degrees, and XM Satellite kept us entertained most of the way, but you always need to switch to 98-99 FM, The Highway, to get the latest highway 15 updates.... For me, my 2010 SH-AWD is a dream car... As to POWER, well lets say that my handy Radar Detector was also a nice companion on the trip.... I think the Engine likes 80 MPH!

 

^^^^
I really appreciate you writing that.

 

Did you stop by barstow station? I've been going there since I was a kid. I know it's just a mcdonalds/panda/etc, but back when I was a kid, seeing a mcdonald that looked somewhat like a train station was pretty neat. I go there religiously everytime I go to vegas. I was also glad they served thrifty ice cream so I could cool down before getting back on the road!

I got 28mpg on the mid going there, It was only me, the gf, 1 duffle, 1 small roller, and a laptop backpack (well, and roadtrip snacks/drinks). Avg speed was approx 85mph. On the way back, we started at 25-26mpg due to the traffic leaving vegas, and traffic at the primm and then again at barstow, avg speed was lower, but there were many more random traffic buildups and near full stops. It edged up to 27mpg by the time we got back.

For the uncomfortable neck/back, and sweaty feeling, it was on the drive back. First the sweaty feeling. I actually was not driving at this time and was sitting in the passenger seat. What I usually do, is get in the car, turn the AC on max or "lo", and roll down the windows. After a few minutes when the heat is vented out, I roll up the windows and set the a/c to 69f. I find 69f to be the magic number for me in comfort. At this point, the sun was on the passenger side shining almost directly on me, and the mid showed 111f. my front windows have 35% tint.

I initially had the two vents on the passenger side pointing away from me. One vent towards the bottom part of the window (to circulate air + cool the door), the other vent pointed up to circulate air. It began getting too hot, so I then pointed the left vent down towards me. It still was too hot and ended up pointing both vents towards myself. I didn't touch the 69f because it's still usually the best setting for me. The air that was shooting out was still pretty cool, but I think the actual temperature was just too warm. My eyes were also dry so I did not want to put it on "lo". I thought the TL had some gps or temperature sensor so that it would increase the fan speed to keep the same temp, this is the feature that I thought was not working (or not working well enough). I also made the unfortunate mistake of putting some expensive chocolates I bought in the trunk. By the time I got home, it was a melted mess

An hour into the drive, we switched and I drove again. My neck (mainly) and my mid-lower back began to get a bit sore as I was heading home. Maybe I was sitting "wrong" or didn't adjust my posture, but I won't deny that there was soreness for a good hour or so, especially my neck. I actually ended up driving straight to pasadena to pick something up and the pain went away shortly.

I really, really, really, love the power. I usually slowly inch my way ahead of other cars to overtake them. That way, even if i'm going a bit fast, It doesn't look that way. I try not to make sudden or quick lane changes unless I need to, and try not to stay too far ahead of the rest of the traffic (as to not draw attention to myself). I think i usually stayed just 5mph faster than exeryone else. Those people that you see flying by at 90-100+ are the ones that end up getting tickets down the road.

I'm currently internally debating on whether or not to move (back) into a low power, high fuel efficiency vehicle. I've been driving economy cars my whole life, the TL was a big change (especially in overally cost), my gas bill more than doubled from when I had my civic. One of the (few) things that I miss about economy cars, is that fillups were painless and I wouldn't hesitate to drive if anyone asked. (Also that small chips/dings wouldn't really make me cringe like they do now.) Now I think twice, because not only does the feal basically cost 2.5x more, but it also eats up gas a lot faster, especially in LA city driving with the a/c blasting. I will try my best to find another vehicle that has a better overall mix for my purposes now.

Thanks for the radio information! My xm expired and I was unable to find a good deal to renew it, so I just left it off. I usually bring a pretty large (16gb) flash drive full of music so I can keep myself entertained. I'm going to be looking for an ipod adapter soon so I could listen to (frosty), heidi and frank webcasts next time. I'm also already thinking of when I should go back

 

One week after picking up my '12, I took the car on a trip from Houston to Memphis. That is about 650 miles, each way and roughly 11 hours in the seat. It was early April and the heat wasn't too bad outside but still used the AC. I would make rest stops about every 3-4 hours to piss, gas-up (if needed) hop back in the car.

I found the seats to be very comfortable. I am 6'4 and weigh 270lbs (just call me slim) and found the seats and headrests excellent. BTW, I like these headrests better than the 3G because they stay put where the 3G's would move back if I leaned back into them.

As mentioned, I was averaging about 27-28 MPG on that trip. When making the same trip in my 3G base, I would get 31-32 mpg.

 

When I made this past trip of mine and when NOT doing my best to be smooth and max.ing the mpgs, I was moving along at the posted 80 mph speed limit (because no one would ever put in writing that they were speeding) and I had to pass someone. The TL passed with so little extra effort. But as I pulled back inline (one lane each way), I noticed the pickup truck way up ahead looked for some undifinable reason differant. As I very slowly closed the gap, I was able to finally see in very small letters on the tailgate "sheriff". It had no lights sticking up on top and no color sceme to identify itself for what it was. If I had left my foot in it just a little longer during the pass......

 

Thanks for the suspension, tire, psi information.

As for the vegas trip itself I'm actually a pretty tame person. I only occasionally gamble, and go to vegas mostly for the food, shopping, and shows.

This trip, I splurged a bit and went to ARIA, one of the new casinos at the Citycenter in vegas. The room itself was very nice and had many features/functions integrated into this tablet looking thing. On the second day, I probably spent a good 2-3 hours seeing how it works and lazily flipping channels enjoying the room. It was pretty relaxing.

The first thing I did after checking in, was to try and get some food. Before setting out to look for some food (I was headed towards the wynn buffet from aria), I forgot exactly how far the wynn was and how warm it was outside. After a 4hr drive and a torturous 35+ min walk in 100+ degree weather (especially since so many of the escalators on the strip seemed to be broken), I finally arrived at the wynn and dam near collapsed at the short buffet line. (Ok, it wasn't that bad, since I first stopped at the palazzo for Espressamente Illy, amazing coffee. Try the Cappuccino Freddo Grecco)

I chose this buffet because it was the most reviewed one on yelp, and also because it was relatively highly rated. I usually head straight to the rio buffet "largest buffet in the world", or planet hollywood's spice market buffet, but this time I thought i'd try something else. The lines at the buffet were surprisingly short, with only a handful of people at the shellfish/seafood section taking plate after plate of pure crab legs. I opted for a prime rib (gotta eat your $$'s worth ya know?) and got two slices and filled the remainder of the plate with au jus. The cuts were medium-medium rare and were nice and juicy. After that I got in line for teh crab legs and filled my entire plate with crab legs and shrimp w/ cocktail sauce. I thought this buffet was good, as in, the individual items were pretty good. I wasn't a fan of the lack of selection and price ($39) though. I think I have more fun at larger buffets just because there's more selection? Or maybe I could have eaten a giant bone in ribeye stead @ delmonicos or one of the many steakhouses around for $30-50? Either way, after my 2nd plate of prime rib (3 plates of food total) I was stuffed, and found a nice lounge at ARIA to finish off the night.

The next day I went to Mon Ami Gabi (french?) at Paris for breakfast and enjoyed a Steak and Frites while sitting outside facing the bellagio fountains. (Frites is pronounced free-tez, apparently. I had been saying "Frights" the whole time haha). I spent most of the day on looking for snack/dessert shops, slots (not much of a gambler), and shopping. I had a dinner reservation @ Delmonicos Steakhouse (by Emeril Lagasse), but ended up caving in to an italian restaurant before I got there. Then went to watch Cirque De Soleiu's (sp?) Zumanity. It was nice, funny, if not a bit raw. Definitely not for kids. Also, don't sit in front unless you want to be picked on constantly lol. I think I will see their "O" next time.

The morning that I left, I went back for more Illy's coffee, and then also stopped by the Grand Lux Cafe @ the Palazzo. I got this monstrous burger (grand lux burger? or something) and was absolutely stuffed... It's a vacation after all!!

I haven't been to vegas in years and still had so many things I wanted to do on the day I was leaving. I think next time I'll stay longer, and hopefully be able to plan another trip there soon.

 

Nice write up, I agree on the road noise. I had the same issue with my 2004 TL, Switching tires to a low noise rating helps. Maybe we just need to turn up the radio?? Just kidding