ACURA TSX'D

What do you guys think about this comparo? I'm been going back and forth between this forum and audi's forum and i feel like i should go with the Acura due to its reliability and features but i've been totally intrigued by the S4.

jspagna1

If you are going to lease, go for it. If your going to own stay away. I think Audi's suck!!! They ar etoo expensive to begin with and they are too expensive to own. The repair costs for these cars are rediculus and are twice as much as a BMW or a MB. Pargts are just too expensive for these cars and ther is no denigingy it. Sorry to say.And the truth hurts because I do like the styling of them myself.

How many more misspellings can I make?

ACURA TSX'D

Yeah, that's whats holding me back from deciding about the Audi's, their reliability. My cousin had an A4 and told me stories about constant repairs he had to do with that vehicle. But, despite all that, i still think the overall package of an S4 is intriguing, which is why i'm comparing this to the '12 TL Advance...

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

Audi is faster.. thats all...

and yes, it is pretty... but i'll save my $10k extra, and make my Acura the way i want it

jspagna1

It's like the stock market, I always think long term!

CalgaryAWDTL

In Canada the S4 is about 15-20 thousand more for similarly equipped cars after taking into account Audi does not discount much at all. As well, Audi leases are way too expensive because their residuals are very low. I believe the new S4 also is plagued by some infamous water pump issue which there doesn't seem to be a fix still. I could be wrong here but recall reading about this issue and how many owners have been stranded because of it. I test drove both cars and IMHO think the TL AWD handles better.

winstrolvtec

The Audi is fast, it has a nice ring to it when you say that you drive an S4, and it's an attractive vehicle in the a similar fashion as the 3G TL was or is, but it ends there.

In base form there is too much missing to even bother owning the car IMO and loaded, at over $60k, there are too many corners cut and it's lacking too much outside of just straightline performance to justify that type of money. That's brand new comparably equipped 5 series money and even more than a fully loaded A6 4.2 prestige.

CalgaryAWDTL is correct that there is a pretty nasty and well documented water pump issue but who knows what the affected rate is, and the TL has tested better in handling on more than one occassion.

potmilkz

Audi just an expensive overpriced Volkswagen..


then again Acura is as well but with reliability behind their work

but remember.. what would benefit you in the long term..

hondo164

Good comparision to a Volkswagen...it is just as reliable

KeithL

I have struggled at times with the same camparison. Problem for me is here in ATL A4 Premiums are as rare as the dodo. And even rarer is the Titanium Sport package. I have driven the A4 a couple of time and liek its ride, but it is clearly smaller than the TL. It is nimble, but I did feel a tad of turbo lag. Also I fidn their electronics a tad sluggish. In a TL Tech the electronics are amoung the best of any car I have tested and are very fast. The Audi MMC responsiveness a a very noticable lag. I do like the fit and finish of the interior, although some of their buttons (especially their MMC) seem rather light weight almost fragile and flimsy.

YetiTL

Waiting for the reply from a certain member....

JM2010 SH-AWD

Check out the Automobile magazine article from last year comparing the two cars. Pretty close overall, one car's advantage is offset by a deficit in another category. At the end, they called it a toss-up.

Add in the TL's reliability and cost advantages, and I think we have a winner!

JAB00

Audi's aren't reliable. I had a friend who had an A6. He last previous cars were a Nissan Z and Lexus IS 350. He loved it (the Audi) when it wasn't in the shop. After his electrical issues where finally fixed (after months) he sold it after 1.5 yrs of ownership. He's now looking to get an Hyundai

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

My mother owns an 2010 S5 3.0T (supercharged)

the water pump burst like 2 weeks ago, when the car hit 5k miles

Audi used PLASTIC water pumps on the S4/S5 V6 3.0T.... As opposed to the usual Metal pumps they are using on the 4.2L V8 S5 Coupe

I made the dealership give her the metal pump as a replacement

docboy

docboy

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews..._s4/index.html

ACURA TSX'D

THanks for all the input guys. I've been driving my 06 TSX and absolutely love it. My intent for my next car is to keep it for a LOOOOOONG time, probably around 8-10 years. I want a car that will last me that long. I know i'll be getting great reliability with the Acura, which is why i'm leaning more towards the TL. I guess i'm one of the few that have always liked the styling of this 4g TL and in my opinion, the styling improved drastically w/ this MMC 12 TL. I guess the S4 is out of the question for me now.

VTEC Racer

The S4 has fixed headrests. That's how you know it's a TRUE luxury car and the TL is not.

hondo164

I rember that the next time I see them broken down on the side of the road and in the repair shop.

CalgaryAWDTL

Huh? My 2008 (E92) M3 had adjustable headrests but the 2011 (E92) M3 changed to fixed headrests. I guess the 2011 M3 is a true and more luxury car now despite it otherwise being the exact same body style and engine.

Sorry but I don't get what this means??

jjsC5

We need a new response from you. He said S4, not A4.

VTEC Racer

Calgary and Hondo,

Sorry, it's a joke from a time before you guys became Acurazine members.

jspagna1

Good one!

CalgaryAWDTL

LOL did some schmuck actually make that statement about fixed headrests=true luxury?

YetiTL

Yeah...kind of...but let's not talk about those numerous incidents about what is luxury to who...it makes bunnies cry and spontaneously combust...

which is bad for karma and mojo...

VTEC Racer

Yes, along with several other features of equal "importance". I'm sure he will be popping his head in here shortly.

JM2010 SH-AWD

Working on that water pump repair.

Glashub

I thought I saw a puddy cat!

KeithL

Damn missed that. Sorry, I have not driven an S4, just the A4.

ACURA TSX'D

I sat in an S4 over in Audi Mckenna in norwalk and was amazed how SICK the S4 interior was. When i say sick, i mean it in a good way...haha...anyway, the interior of the S4 blows away the plastic that's inside the TL. When i drive a car, i always like to open and close the doors to "feel" that quality. With the S4, you hear and feel that quality "THUMP", compared to the TL, which isn't bad either, but the TL just didn't have that quality that the S4 posesses. Just my two cents.

jasonwdp10

I know what you mean. I often drive an A5, and while both my TL and the A5 are built well and sturdy, the A5 materials feel better, heavier, and the TL feels a bit.. lighter?. Doors on the A5 close with authority, like with a heavy thump. Whereas, even til this day, most japanese cars doors close with a somewhat hollow clunk. Not as premium feeling/sounding, but it still gets the job done.

Though even with that, I can't justify the insane premium over the TL, we're talking a 10-18k difference (depending on A or S). Also reliability concerns, otherwise I'd be in an A5 or S5 right now.

ACURA TSX'D

Yeah, that 10k difference is a major deal breaker for me. On top of the quality/reliability issues, it appears the TL AWD Advance is THE car i'm looking for to purchasing. I'll write up a review once that car is in my possession.

TechnoCat

Asking for an Audi comparison on an Acura forum is just stirring the hornet's nest! I did have a 2010 TL SH-AWD 6MT, and went back to an Audi, the 2011 S4 Prestige 6MT. You asked specifically about AWD; the Audi is better in poor weather, but otherwise I consider them equal. Acura did an amazing job on the SH-AWD, and I'd bet a software update could fix the inclement condition issues.

I've heard the horror stories. On my fourth Audi, I haven't lived through a horror story. And there have been several TL horror stories here. I think it's somewhat luck-of-the-draw, with the odds better with an Acura but either way most people will get lucky.
The water pump problem impacted the 2010 models only; no 2011 reports of it I believe. Audi did a terrible job of dealing with this though. It reflects badly on them. It's certainly a good reason to avoid the brand.

You cannot equip the cars similarly. Can't be done. The TL will always be roomier, the S4 will always have folding rear seats, the TL will have dual aux inputs, the S4 will have better integrated electronics and far more adjustable seats. I'm not saying you can't make them equally nice per se, just that there will be huge differences. Just because both have an iPod interface doesn't mean they work equally well, for example. The cars really don't look alike, don't feel alike, and don't accelerate similarly either.

But keep in mind that the S4 Prestige is like 1/3 more expensive than the TL SH-AWD. On a value basis, the TL clearly wins. For $13K more or so, the S4 should offer some additional refinement.

deeblew

I've read about the sh-awd being subpar in poor weather condition but noone has elaborated on this issue. Could you explain the difference between the audi and acura awd performance in poor weather?

VTEC Racer

Here is a video you can check out which shows the Acura SH-AWD system vs. Audi Quattro. I don't know about you but I would call this test an example of driving in poor weather conditions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJZxV...2772B40E710771

Another fun one:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY7VYvG0rzo

ACURA TSX'D

Thanks man, that was pretty cool to watch. Anyway, I stopped by Acura of Cerritos last night and inquired about when they will be releasing their '12 TLs. They informed me that they won't be getting the for another 3 months. Now, is this their way of pushing the '11s or are they telling the truth. I had the assumption that the '12s would be released sometime this month based on what i've been reading on these forums. What's going on here?

compewterbleu

I've driven in the snow, rain, and hail with my 09 TL w/ SH-AWD and haven't experienced any sub-par performance. And mine is equipped with 19" HPT's...I wasn't in deep snow, but damn if the vehicle doesn't take to the road like a beast! I even let a friend of mine who races take the wheel in the rain and he was shocked about how well is handles. I've been tossed into a few situations that I didn't want to be in and due to the SH-AWD system I came out free from harm, thank God.

Glashub

Hey Vtech, I'm an Acura fan but am curious why we don't see the Acura tackling the same course, taped from the same angle, as the Lexus and Audi. It would have impressed me more if after seeing the other 2 struggle, we saw the Acura zip up the hill.

VTEC Racer

No problem. From what I understand, the first of the 2012 TL's the dealers will get will all be the FWD models. The SH-AWD models aren't expected to arrive until later (maybe closer to summer?). So if your dealer is saying three months for an SH-AWD model, I'm sure they are giving you an estimate, but they probably aren't that far off if the delay in the SH-AWD delivery is true.

VTEC Racer

All three cars are filmed on the same course. The sign for each course is on the right. So the 20% sign you are seeing during the Lexus and Audi shots are actually for the course to the left. All three cars are on the track with the 30% incline. I don't know about you, but the fact that the Acura made it up and over the hill effortlessly is impressive to me considering the fact that the other two cars couldn't even get half way up the hill.