I need to get a new car and have been looking very hard at the 09 TL SH-AWD in palladium metallic. I previously had a 3G TL navi (loved it) and have had several test drives in the 4G.

As far as the styling goes Im a fan of the new design, provided it has the right wheel package and color. I have a couple of questions perhaps some current owners of 4G's could answer

Im worried about trunk sapce and if it is at least as good as the 3G? Will two golf bags fit in along with some luggage?

Are the stock tires decent? Im a fan of performance rubber and am considering upgrading the the 19's with performance rubber. Do the 19's make the ride too sporty? I do alot of highway miles and need a comfortable ride.

Is the stereo at least as good as the 3G? It sounded about equal to me but I only had FM radio, no cd, ipod or DVD audio. Does the usb oulet charge the ipod?

Should I get the snout painted body color with the Palladium Metallic? Anyone done this and have a pic?

Any answers are appreciated.

 

No info on the trunk space issue. The SH-AWD gives up some trunk space to the FWD car, though.

The stock tires are mediocre at best (Michelin MXM Pilots). I can't wait until they wear out and I can replace them with something better. But there's no way in hell I'd even consider the 19" rims with the 40 profile tires. The ride on the SH-AWD car is jarring enough with 18" rims and 45 profile tires.

The sound system is simply state of the art. I came from a Lexus ES350 with the Mark Levinson sound sytem and this is easily better. Best I've ever heard in a stock sound system. By far. And yes, the usb does charge the ipod as well as integrate it into the rest of the infotainment system.

Painting the snout is going to be a personal decision. You may want to wait to see what RonJon comes out with for an accessory grill before bothering with an aftermarket paint job though. I got the palladium in large part because of the way it blended in with the grill's chrome.

 

From what I've seen, it's not worthwhile to paint the grille with Palladium because the colors of the car and grille are already so close. It seems most worthwhile with the dark colors, which clash the most with the grille.

 

Thanks for the timely replies guys.

Does anyone but me worry abou the open spoke design of the wheel with SH AWD model? Im thinking sinces the brake calipers and disks are so visble with the open spokes that they will look pretty crappy after one or two winters...

 

For a big car, the trunk space is kind of small.....good for 2 golf bags but not much else. I upgraded my wheels to 19" earlier in the year (kept my 18" stock rims for winter tires).......well worth it....the looks and grip/handling is much better. Yes the ride is firmer with the 19's but coming from a BMW 5 series, it's not too bad and the trade-off is worth it. I replaced my beak with a painted one earlier in the year.....looks much better (I think for dark-colored cars, it's a must).

 

I agree heavily with PsychDoc. He answered all of your questions precisely. However, I think that the grille on the Palladium Silver matches that paint color beautifully. I don't think that there's a need to even paint it. I have a buddy who has this color and it looks amazing to me.

Go and pick up the ride bro. You won't regret it!!!

 

I find the stock tires adequate as long as you are not going to push the car, my guess is 19 tires will make ride a bit stiffer and the ride is stiff enough already. The 18" AWD setup is an awesome highway and curvey road ride!

The 4G ELS is far superior to the 3G ELS sound system.

I can;t tell you about 2 golf bags, but I suspect they will, while the opening and trunk are oddly shaped it is farily roomy.

 

The 4G ELS system (includung w/tech pack.) is awesome. Better the the 2006 3G system I owned before.

 

Buries the 3G/ELS
I have at least 30 DVD Audio discs, & lots of SACD/hybrids, for the HDD.
Because of the Dolby/Pro-logic, the Ipod, & the HDD, & XM, all have "matrix" surround; meaning, it simulates, surround, but isn't. The surround DVD/A's, are beyond amazing.
The 4G itself, is light year's, better, than the 3G; I had an '05/'01, & '98.
Seats, handling, comfort; for $35,000, you'll never beat it
Go for it!
'09/TL/FWD/WDP/Taupe