Just got back from the dealer where I drove a black on black 12 AWD-TECH. I was short on time, but from what I recall of my 11 test drive of the same car (AWD-TECH) I much preferred the 12 with the new 6 spd auto. Now I need to decide if I want to pony up for the advanced package or not.

Im curious if any 09-11 owners have driven the 12 and care to comment.

 

what were the differences? I haven't had time to test drive yet.

 

depends on how long ur planning on keeping the car IMO if u will for atleast 5 to 6 years get the advance package, if ur gunna trade in a year or 2 for the new gen tl ... i would skip the advance package ... juss my opinion ofcourse

 

would you say it felt faster with the new 6 spd or was it hard to tell?

 

From what I recall, it did feel noticeably quicker.

 

I'll be keeping it for a at least 5+ years. I dont care about the 19" wheels or BSI, but when it is pushing 115 outside, I think the cooled seats will come in handy. I wish they would have made it part of the tech package.

 

I agree with you 100 percent. I opted to not get the Advance. Part of the reason is they didn't have one on the lot yet. I may have went for it, but I really did not want the 19" wheels. They had an AWD Tech Black/Black, so I bought it.

I drove it quite a bit today and it definitely feels faster and much quieter inside. I like the small refinements and new transmission.

 

Yeah, I might have drove away with one today if they would have had a white on black shawd-tech. He knows they have 2 that he can get his hands on in by early May. No idea of when he could get an advanced in that color combo.

 

The Crystal Black Pearl is very sharp. I never thought I would own a black car, and now I own 2. I am really digging the black on black....

The white is awesome, but shows dirt and also road tar.... Good luck with your purchase.

 

I see you had a 09 tl how does the new 6 speed shift compared to the 09?my 10 tl has always had a rough feel to the shifts especially cold.Do the shifts feel smoother?

 

It definitely feels a lot more smooth going through the gears.

 

boomvader, congrats on the new purchase! must be a ton of fun. how are the shift times on the 6AT? does it interfere with manual mode? i'm a big MT fan but the other half, well, not so much... so I'd almost be willing to compromise if the AT is good enough (ie shifts are fast, smooth, and it doesn't shift on you in manual mode). i know the torque converter is still there (and is far and away from a clutch), but it ultimately may not be worth the 10-year fight over the stick...

 

In my younger days, I had a few BMWs all with manual transmissions. I also owned a couple of Jeep CJs with manuals. I swore I would never own a vehicle with an AT. Now that I am in my 40's and seem to be much busier than the younger version of me, I can really appreciate the AT. In my 09 TL, I found myself using the Sport mode or the paddles when I wanted some extra acceleration... The past few days in my '12 TL, I am finding that extra zip in the regular D mode! This car is much improved over the '09. It's definitely a better upgrade than the 2007 was over the 2006, when it came out. In addition to the new AT, the cabin is much quieter inside and I am finding a lot of little changed details that I like.

 

good luck with black not showing dirt....last time i had a black car, it was dirty again 5 minutes after i washed it....hell, it would get dirty just sitting in the garage....now with silver, it almost never looks dirty

 

I'm going for a test drive later today. I'll be testing both the Base and SHAWD advanced models. I'll report back tonight.

 

Sadly, I dont think there is any paint color that does not show dirt to a certain degree.

 

Silver and white azre the best colors for not showing dust as fast. My PMM does pretty good but I do see dust on it about 5 mins after washing

 

Black is by far the toughest color to keep looking clean. Silver is the easiest but it doesn't shine like the darker colors do.

 

I got a 10 4G and have not had the chance to drive the 12, but I am going to wait for the 5G....Hearrrrrrd it going to be a bad biatch!

 

My mentality in a nutshell. In all fairness though, I can (sometimes) recognize the benefits of an AT... but then they go hunting for gears or taking forever to downshift, and land right back on my nerves. I know an AT will never have as much involvement as an MT, but if the manual mode is truly "manual" and the shifts are always fast and smooth... I might be convinced.

@Jason, enjoy the drives! looking forward to the report...

 

i want to see someone with a 09-11 test the 12 and tell us once and for all if it is faster?

when will the car mags get one and flog it and do a full blown road test?

 

how about the ride in the awd?Does it feel any different?Do some bumps still sound noisey.

 

The one I drove yesterday felt smoother than what I recall the 11 I drove about a month ago. But then again it was at a different dealer, on differnt roads.

 

nvm.. they didn't have a SHAWD model -__-

 

Now comes the joy of negotating a price with the stealerships.

 

They didn't budge too much on price with mine, but they threw in some wheel locks, door edge protectors, and a trunk mat.

 

Congrats