mmret

Hi all. Currently considering coming back to Acura as my wife and I plan on having a kid and our current cars aren't exactly up to the task.

Looking at 12+ SHAWD Elite models (That's the Canadian top trim level, not sure if its the same in the US). A few questions for you guys!

-What are the common rattles / fixes and stuff I should look out for? I had a 2006 TSX that had quite a large number of rattles, but great car otherwise.
-How many "large" suitcases can you get in the trunk? The shape overall seems odd with the AWD gear.
-How is the Xenon distance and spread given the car doesn't have adaptive lamps? We haven't been able to test drive in the dark given its summer.
-Road noise? Does the noise cancellation stuff really work?
-Any reliability issues? the CR dot chart looks pristine aside from the Squeaks and Rattles category (yay Honda...haha)
-Can the HDD copy MP3s from a USB stick or do I have to bring audio CDs for it to encode one by one?
-How close are you guys getting to the rated fuel consumption?
-The stock tires appear to be Michelin MXM4s. On our test drive I could get them to squeal with pain really easily. The chassis felt like it was at maybe 5/10th of potential but didn't want to push the rubber any further and wreck the car...do they really suck that badly? Am I going to feel compelled to replace them before they're worn out?


Thanks

Stew4HD

I believe the equivalent in the US the Advance model. I had a '12 for 2 years.
-I had no rattles. The dealer replaced the propeller shaft due the odd whoosh sound coming from that.
-The trunk leaves a bit to be desired, not sure you can get 2 large suitcases in it.
- Lights were plenty bright for me
- No reliability issues at all
- HDD can only copy CDs, period
- I was getting about 24 MPG
The AWD is made to push through corners and makes the corners very fun.. can't be afraid to push it

mmret

Thanks Stew ... when you say can only copy CDs you mean only CD-Audio, not MP3 files on a CD I assume...


So then what's the solution? Do you get all the artist name recognition features if you just plug a USB key or iPod interface in there or does that only work on the HDD?

sined

Copy CD audio with name of artist,name of song,name of album
Same with USB key and with IPod
It have GraceNote recognition imbedded and you can up date that feature with à USB key

Stew4HD

Using a USB stick is a good solution and just play from that. I didn't use the HDD much.

mmret

Yeah seems like a silly feature to include if you're going to restrict it so heavily. I mean I understand what they're trying to do with piracy and all that, but it just ends up coming off as annoying and ineffective anyways. Maybe its just a legal liability CYA situation.

The NAV data on these cars is DVD based right? I wonder if anyone has removed the HDD out of the HU and plopped it into a drive caddy.

kcarr91

The Nav on the TL is HDD based now.

Edward'TLS

The TL-elite model doesn't come with MXM4, but with 19" Goodyear RS-A tires.

Both the RS-A and the MXM4 are all-season tires, and not high performance tires. They do a good job in providing a quiet and easy ride, just as they are designed for. But they are no good in any high performance driving maneuver.

That's why I dumped the RS-A as soon as I could, and instead, bought the Pilot Super Sport max-performance summer tire for the summer driving.

Remember that no matter how good it is the OEM suspension calibration and/or how advance it is the torque-vectoring AWD system, it all comes down to the 4 small patches of tire rubber that come in contact with the roads.

In terms of road noise. There is no active noise cancellation device on the 4G TL. Tire selection is one of the major factor in determining the amount of road noise heard.

Stew4HD

^^ As always, varying road surfaces come into play as far as road noise goes

mmret

How does the Nav update work? Does the dealer just put a DVD in and it updates whats on the HDD?

echodigital

Yes. http://www.acura.ca/owners/systeme-navigation. I am thinking about summer tires as I have a set of winter tires and rims.

mmret

So presumably it would be zero cost to them to update it for me as they likely already have the disc? Or are the discs VIN-specific (now THAT would be evil)?

mmret

The deal is done. Picking it up tomorrow.

sluzynsk

Discs are passworded to your VIN. One use only. I suppose you could update the same radio again if you for some reason needed to but I have trouble envisioning a circumstance where that would come up.

The updates copy from a pair of DVDs to the hard drive. Takes about 2 hours with the engine running, or you can do a "slow update" where it takes longer than that but you can easily interrupt it and restart it as you go. I just did my update on a 4 hour drive; you can still use the radio or iPod/USB stick while it's running.

mmret

Just picked it up. Very nice, drives great, but already a rattletrap. I see nothing has changed since my 2006 TSX.

VTECMAN

Sorry to hear that. My 2012 Elite has 19000km on it and 0 rattles. Maybe it's hit or miss..

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Congrats....let's see some pictures.

gkon

Are you having a lot of rattles already or assuming that you'll be getting them? Do you happen to have any spare change in the car or shades in the shades holder?

I have 50k miles on my 2010 and don't have any rattles. My tires are getting to the point where they need to be changed which is causing a slightly harsher ride, but no rattles.

Nick

weather

I don't have any rattles either EXCEPT for the sunroof "ticking" that has a TSB on it....is that what you hear??

mmret

I think that is one of them...its hard to pin it down exactly while driving. Going to get my brother to help out. Hopefully the dealer will fix it, and the other rattles....