Hi all,

New to the forums. Been really racking my brain here and looking for some advice from some savvy TL owners. I live in Chicago, IL and am looking to make the leap to an Acura TL. I'm definitely going with the Tech Package (cuz who wouldn't) but am really on the fence about FWD vs. SH-AWD.

Obviously cost is a factor and if I can save the ~ $3-4k that's definitely a benefit. But am I going to really despise the drive in the rain and snow of the FWD? Or would a good set of tires offset the difference?

The rides are a little bit different where the SH is a bit more harsh and sporty and the FWD rides a little more luxurious to me. But I'm honestly concerned about harsh weather conditions. Though we're nowhere near as bad as the Northeast states.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much,

SB

 

Welcome to AZ, from one Chicagoan to another.

I've managed the Chicago winters pretty well in my TSX, so a set of winter/snow tires and FWD can get you by.

However, the SH-AWD will make it so much easier. I'm really looking forward to getting to use AWD this coming winter and not having to worry about easily losing traction or being extra careful as I am in the TSX. And I have had a few occasions where some hills have given me trouble, whereas the AWD would be able to manage them easily.

I believe it's up to you to decide whether you want the ease of mind with the AWD. Or is ride comfort a bigger deal to you and you may prefer how the FWD feels. Also note the MPG differences between the two.

Good luck on the purchase!

 

AWD, you'll thank yourself later.

 

AWD - I'm 60 miles west of Chicago - FWD with snow tires, great - AWD with snow tires - phenomenal

 

Ge the AWD if you can afford it.

 

Get the SH-AWD. The dealers are giving them away. My friend just bought a 2012 SH-AWD advanced and got a slammin deal. 6K off MSRP for a Tech and $4500 off MSRP for his advanced. He paid $41,500 for his advanced. Invoice was 43,6xx! MSRP was $46,100. You could get a Tech SH-AWD for under 40K easy.

 

Yep - $37,898 at Muller's Woodfield Acura.

 

Is that brand new?

 

Yes, that is the deal I got for a brand new 2012 TL SH-AWD 6MT.

Shoot them an inquiry for an internet quote and Sebastian, the Internet Sales Manager, will respond back with a price very quickly. I had my quote within 10 minutes.

http://www.mullerswoodfieldacura.com/quickquote.htm

 

I have owned both (live in Long Island) and hands down the SH-AWD is the way to go. Ride is sportier but by no means harsh and as stated above the deals right now are awesome. If you can afford the price differental the superior driving experience overall and bad weather capability of the AWD make it the smart choice. Be sure to see if you qualify for the $1,000 conquest cash from Acura that the dealer will apply to the deal and reduce your selling price accordingly. You will love driving this vehicle !!!

 

Hey I am in chicago and just bought a CPO 2011 AWD, tech and body package for 33.6K with 19K miles. The AWD is a no brainer had to get a new family friendly car and cant believe I didnt get this sooner. Truly fits all my needs and the AWD vs the FW is really pennies at the pump IMO.

 

A few years back, Car and Driver compared FWD vs RWD vs AWD, with and without snow tires, using same make and model for the driven axle in question. Results in order of best to worst traction in accel/decel/turns: AWD with snow tires > FWD with snows > AWD without snows = RWD with snows > FWD without > RWD without.

Hope this helps. Just remember, what makes the SHAWD unique is the torque vectoring ability.

 

Chicago = AWD

 

I live in Ohio so when I was in the market to get my TL I was pondering the same question. I went with the FWD. I live in town and they plow the roads within hours of any snow fall plus the money savings up front and through the extra mpg was the deciding factor I went with. Also, I have read tons of post with people complaining about the rattles in their AWD models. I do know there will be a day or two a year that I may not be able to get out right away but I am willing to live with that even though that has not happened here in Ohio in the last 3 years. Just my 2 cents.

 

Advance congrats and welcome! If I lived in Chicago I would definitely go AWD because of the weather. I have FWD but AWD is really not needed in FL where I live. The ride in AWD may be a little less smooth but the winter traction will more than make up for it.

 

Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone. I'm going "hunting" this weekend and should have the results for y'all soon enough. Appreciate all the responses!

 

I paid $35,995 for my brand new 2012 TL SH-AWD 6MT. The deals are out there.

 

Guys,

I am about to pull the trigger on a 2012 SH-AWD Advanced.
Friday I was at Houston dealer and I test drive the FWD and the SH-AWD, I liked the feel and road grip of the SH_AWD.

Following are the prices I got:
Tl- FWD Auto Tech --Invoice price: $36,979 Dealer Price $34,484
TL-SH-AWD Auto Tech --Invoice price: $40,265 Dealer Price: $37,700
Tl-SH-AWD Auto- Advance --Invoice price: $42,301 Dealer Price:???

These dealer prices includes a large percentage of the $2500 dealer hold back, $1000 loyalty all below invoice.

Considering the discounts can you guys please comment on what price should be expected/paid for Tl-SH-AWD- Auto- Advanced ?

Thanks a lot in advance !

 

SH-AWD all the way.......I could never go back to a FWD or a RWD car


The SH-AWD turn the TL into a world class sport sedan....

 

My friend Jessie was in the process of buying one. Tustin Acura quoted him 41,500. Well we went to another acura dealer (I believe Mission Viejo) and they gave us a quote of 39,700 for a TL SH-AWD Advanced. Now Tustin matched it. So you should expect to pay in that range! Good luck!

 

If you can swing the extra $ - shawd is the way to go

 

The AWD will handle any weather but you compromise gas mileage. I've owned both and currently own the FWD. I love the gas mileage but really miss the handling and braking of the SH-AWD.

 

I also own the FWD model and I like the extra comfort of the ride. I have always owned FWD cars and have driven them in snowy Colorado just fine. I think both the SHAWD and FWD are great cars. You won't be disappointed with the FWD model. In sport mode, it has TONS of power! If you double downshift, it just takes off. The braking is really tight and handles curves with ease. It is great value for your dollar.

 

FWIW, I live in Boston and went for the FWD + Tech because I liked the suspension alot more in the FWD...

My rationale is that the number of days per year with treacherous snow is a handful, maybe 5-8... FWD does fine, you probably need to be more careful, but i drive carefully in bad weather anyways...

FWD handles well, Honda has a good grasp of FWD steering. You'll enjoy either version, I wouldn't be fearful in either case that the car isn't capable of getting you from pt A to B in the snow.

 

Believe AWD and FWD versions have the same brakes, but i could be mistaken.

 

In 100% of the situations, the type of tires make a bigger difference than the number of driven wheels.

Given the identical tires, AWD will provide more traction on uphill grades and from a dead stop, but AWD will not steer or stop better than FWD or RWD.

Tire selection in vital. In places like Chicago a proper set of winter tires is required for stress free driving in the white stuff but FWD will be fine unless you regularly drive on unplowed streets or go up hills.

Virtually all cars you see in ditches have all-season tires. Many of them are SUVs with AWD. The rest are BMW's

 

-almost 4 months and no update from OP.
You can't just come in here and tease us like that. Some of us are stuck with these cars for a while now. We live vicariously through the other AZ members who can afford to buy new rides or heavily modify thiers. Buckster 17, you haven't even chimed in to tell us what you bought, let alone posted some pics.
No love from you.
I have a pretty heavy internet addiction, I can't get off without a picture.

 

SHAWD All the way!!!

 

I Paid under $38k for my 2012 AWD tech. I love it and I don't think the ride is all that harsh. I use my car for real estate and I haven't any ride comfort issues. And I feel much better with the AWD under me in any conditions.

 

I've had both, the AWD feels a little stiffer but handles like nothing out there. The FWD is great in snow and if you get good winter tires it should do well also. In SHAWD I trust.

 

Sorta. Take turn the nannies off and you can get the car to rotate around the corner easier.

But yes, Tires are more important than what wheels are driven. Anyone who lives in a climate where snow is present 3-4 months out of the year really should have snow tires.

 

I'm the owner of a 2012 fwd model and my advice would be if you can afford to get the awd do it, if you can't, the fwd will likely fulfill all your needs anyway. In conclusion I don't think you can go wrong either way to be honest.

 

I have not seen that article but if Car and Driver did not, they should have mentioned that not all AWD are created equal.

For example, I believe BMW's x-Drive is RWD native and Acura's SH-AWD is FWD native. Under normal driving conditions power distribution is not equal in the front and back. I believe Acura's AWD system is 70% front and 30% back.

 

Think its the opposite, believe i read that the SHAWD can send 70% of power to the back wheels as needed.

All you need the rear power from is takeoff from a dig... once you are rolling FWD doesn't have the traction disadvantages, in fact it becomes more efficient in coverting BHP into WHP...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SH-AWD

 

In the awd models, the MID has a torque distribution monitor and you can see that under normal driving, more torque is sent to the front wheels.

 

Acura TL[15]
The fourth generation Acura TL, introduced in late 2008 as a 2009 model has two major trim levels, a front-wheel-drive version, and an upmarket SH-AWD version. Similar in layout to the Acura RL, the Acura SH-AWD TL features a 3.7L 305 hp VTEC V-6, transversely mounted front engine in the Global Midsize Platform. The 2009 model uses a five-speed automatic transmission, but Acura has also promised a new six-speed manual transmission for the 2010 model year. It remains to be seen if the 2010 model will also feature the newly announced six-speed automatic transmission featured in the prototype Acura ZDX announced at the April 2009 New York Auto Show. Unlike the Acura RL, the SH-AWD TL does not have the Acceleration Device.
SH-AWD operating parameters include:

• Up to 90 percent of available torque can be transferred to the front wheels during normal cruising.
• In hard cornering and under acceleration, up to 70 percent of available torque can be directed to the rear wheels to enhance vehicle dynamics.
• Up to 100 percent of the torque sent to the rear axle can be applied to either rear wheel, depending on conditions.

You could have just said im right....

 

If you had read my post, I said under normal driving. Not hard cornering or acceleration. Like I said, take a look at your MID Torque distribution monitor as I mentioned and you will see where the torque is applied. You will find that torque is mostly forwarded to the front wheels.

 

perhaps I should have said cruising instead of normal driving....

 

I originally bought the fwd tl w tech. It was raining that entire week. Under hard acceleration fwd wud skip slightly then traction control wud kick in. 4 days owning the car i had to bring it in to repair the 12v sliding door. The one where it opens and doesn't seem to lock in open position. They gave me an Shawd for the day. Drove to work in heavy rain. I drove it aggressively. Exhaust tone is different, suspension stiffer and more controlled in corners. No torque steer when accelerating thru a corner. I ended up wanting the shawd. Spoke to dealer and they took it back with my complaints. Put me in an shawd elite. Like some other guys have said. Shawd does not help u stick to the road in braking and cornering. A good set of tires for winter does more for you than awd. AWD does help move the car forward in wet to slippery conditions. The fwd does drive more comfortably for those rough roads and long commutes.
Better on gas too.