Today I had some time to kill and I wasn't far from a dealership that had a 2009 Acura TL. I had absolutely no interest in this car when I got my 2007 TL last March (since sold for a 2011 ES 350, which I sold recently to pick up a 2002 LS 430!), but I figured what the heck. Might as well see why everyone thought the 4G was so much better than the prior gen.

Wow, I was completely blown away. Not in a good way though.

-Door handle is plastic. Mine was chrome and felt nice.
-Arm rest on the door felt some sort of plastic leather. Certainly wasn't as nice quality or feeling as the 3G.
-The 3G had fold-out door pockets, which I loved. They were also a nice soft touch material. This one didn't have fold-out pockets and it was hard plastic.
-The center console storage compartment was tiny. I don't know if it was dual tiered but regardless it was a lot smaller than the 3G.
-Overall storage solutions in the cabin were bad.
-Visibility is horrendous. My god I had a hard time seeing out across traffic and merging. Those TINY side mirrors are worthless and the sloped back window definitely caused me to barely see.
-Bunker windows all around. Depressing feeling of being trapped inside a bunker while driving.
-There was a huge hump in the back floor. I'm guessing this was to accommodate models with AWD but still. Give me a relatively flat floor for the FWD version. Don't be cheap and do it across the board.
-Speed and acceleration was great but I didn't feel it was much different from the 3G.
-Steering wheel was too fat. It was a perfect size in the 2007.
-Felt smaller inside over the 3G. I had the seat where I would normally sit and I could tell there was no more room than in the 2007. Possibly even less. I don't want to hear numbers either. They obviously fudged them because there was seriously a lack of leg room behind my seat and not much better behind the passenger seat with it pushed up more.
-That exterior styling is quite possibly the ugliest design I've ever seen on a luxury car. Something about me is, I hate practically every new car design from the last 10-15 years. There are very few that I actually like. If I say this 4G TL was the ugliest, that is REALLY saying something.

I would love to know why you guys think the 4G TL is this magical car that stands the test of time. To me, it was complete trash.

 

Oh yeah, one more thing I didn't mention. The carbon fiber trim in the 2007 TL was really nice. It was hard and cold. It felt luxurious and went well with the wood. In the 4G TL? It felt like plastic and not real. Another example of how they really cheapened out the materials in the last generation TL.

 

Well, given almost every 4G I've seen used has torn armrest on the doors explains why they felt rubbery. The 4G interior materials and base wheels give me rental car vibes.

 

I drove both the 3G (TLS) and the 4G before deciding on my '10 AWD MT car. I actually waited too long on the TLS and couldn't get the color combo I wanted, so I waited two years for the MT version of the 4G.

When I was actively looking at them, I actually drove several 3G Type S cars. They were quick, looked good and were comfortable. What I did not like were all the squeaks/rattles and the dated interior and tech. The squeaks/rattles, btw, were not confined to the Type S cars I drove. Virtually ever 3G TL I drove as a service loaner, no matter how low the miles, suffered from them.

For me, the 4G fixed these things and added SH-AWD, which is a game changer in terms of handling/feel. Contrary to your opinion, I felt the 4G interior materials overall were an upgrade and more modern looking in design. For example the metal trim on the dash/doors is actual aluminum, coating a plastic substrate to make it more dent resistant. Leather is also upgraded over the 3G.

There are things I wish were better -- carpeting and floor mats and yes, the padding under the console armrest claps out prematurely (but that's easily fixed). Overall, I'm really glad I was able to get the 4G. It's held up very well, and I look forward to driving it every time I get in it.

 

Squeaks and rattles??? I drove several 3G TLs before I bought my 2006 and even slammed and clapped out TLs were virtually squeak and rattle free; my 2006 has roughly 180,000 miles on the clock and is not only completely squeak and rattle free, everyone who rides in it comments on how quiet the interior is, even at speed, even on rough pavement.

 

Yeah, no I did not get the feeling of quality in the 2009 over my 2007. Not even close. All those things I listed were true about the plastics. I didn't even feel that the leather was upgraded for the seats. I couldn't wait to get this car back to the dealership. The tech doesn't matter at all. Anyone can easily go out and buy something at car toys or best buy to get a backup camera or a nice touch screen for their phone.

 

It's great that you got a good one. My experience was not consistent with that. FWIW, we had two Accords of the corresponding generation -- they were relatively solid cars. Combined we got 350,000+ miles out of the two of them. One was totaled in an accident at 200K; the other one is still going strong at 150K. Both 2.4L with manual transmission.

 

If you test drove a FWD without the Tech package it did not have the higher quality leather seats that the AWD Techs came with.

 

It had the tech package thus the "higher quality" leather.

 

I test drove a couple 3G TLS manual before getting my 4G TL manual. In terms of looks alone, the 3G TLS is the definite winner. But in terms of performance and tech, the 4G TL all day. You probably drove the FWD version of the 4G hence why you probably didn't feel much difference. But the extra power in the AWD makes a pretty big difference comparing to the 3G TLS. In terms of build quality, you might be right in the sense the 4G cheaped out a little bit. I have the infamous leather-vinyl peeling issue on the driver's seat side bolster. Other than that, no other issues with the leather or plastics. My '12 TL MT just hit 225,000 KM and it's still going strong.