I disagree with you. When I changed from the 3GTL (touchscreen) to the 2GRL (knob), I thought I'd hate the knob. It literally took me only 15 minutes to get used to it. My wife's Pilot has a touchscreen navi and now I find THAT harder to use....though in the case of the Pilot that's because it's a reach for even my very long arms.

Any case, I guarantee you will like the knob...I was once a skeptic and came around. Between that and improved voice controls (assuming they put RL-level accuracy in the TL this time around)....you won't care about a touchscreen inside of a week with the car.

 

Ah, to each his own. I've used the TL's navigation, along with several other Honda touchscreen navis, along with aftermarket portable and in-dash navigations, both touchscreen and knob-type, I've preferred the touchscreen in each kind, albeit I've never actually owned a car with knob-style navigation, so I never got to adjust to using it over a week or so.

I'm sure that over time I'd be able to remember the navigation menus and be able to navigate with the knob and without looking at the screen, but from my experience its been the opposite. To each his own... I do like the higher mounted screen though, its easier to use the back-up camera that way.

 

I have to agree with you on this, because a couple of weeks ago I got an '09 TSX for a loaner for a few days and I checked out the knob for the Nav and it wasn't bad at all. It's very easy to use and has a very short learning curve. Believe me, I was TOTALLY against Acura doing away with the touch screen. But after using the knob in the new TSX I no longer care about not having touch screen. Plus, Acura's knob system is a lot more intuitive than BMW's idrive. It's not as bad as people make it seem, but Acura's system is better.

But back on topic, the new TL's interior is very nice. I think it's an evolution of the current interior, plus I saw a video on you tube with a rep that stated all the lights in the vehicle are LEDs instead of bulbs, even the map lights!

 

Most of the interior is growing on me I like it, except for the knob. The control area looks too cluttered and the knob looks too cheap for clsoe to $40K car. Sure Infiniti is plastic, but it looks crhome, the Gennisis feels like metal to me, the TL looks like the same cheap ass plastic from the Accord.

 

Yeah I know. I played around with it in a RL and wished I could have that instead of the "jittery" mini-joystick I have in my TL.

As for the new interior.

 

The knob needs to be on the console and it needs to look like more that that cheapy looking plastic.

 

the Interior look's great as usuall, look's like extra thigh bolstering is in order for the seats!....if they can " IF THEY CAN ONLY GET RID OFTHE INTERIOR RATTLES!" , now that would be "ADVANCED"

 

I have an RDX and TL-S .. and I HATE the combo Atari 2600 Joystick and Atari 2600 Paddle control for the navi .. push .. pull .. twist .. slide ... blah .. blah .. I don't even bother using the navi system on it because you haveta pull off to the side of the road to figure out which way to direction to work the damn thing

 

Interior is great. Sat in a 08 accord coupe and four door.

Love them both.

I don't see it being that much different.

I know this is one of the best interiors Honda/Acura has ever made but that's just my opinion.

 

I think however that the BEST and more qualitative interior is the RL one. If the exterior was the same...

 

Well, the new interior is okay. It wouldn't turn me off from buying the car at least. However the 3rd gen interior in camel/black was a work of art. Its what made me buy the car in the first place. Coming from a design that was a solid "A+" in my book to a "B" isn't that appealing.

 

say what you will,justify it however you want,but in plain english the new 2009 tl is absolutely ugly inside and out and the bottom line here is that everyone that bought the 2007 and 2008 tl and types's are the luckiest people in the world as far as the acura tls go!!!!......................and being the proud owner of a new 2008 type-s i can honestly say that i love my car and wouldnt trade it for one of those things if you offered it to me for free!!!!!!!!......i hope before my lease is up in 2011 that acura makes a better looking type-s than mine otherwise im keeping this one...........it has all i could ever want as far as options,and i think the body style is amazing and beautiful................thumbs up to the 2007 and 2008 type-s!!!!!!!!!!

 

for a member who has little acura experience I think the interior looks beautiful. Gives a feeling of a high tech cock pit in a plane. Lexus interiors are muted and kind plain. I think the dash and console layout on my wifes TL looks nicer than my more exspensive GS350. Acura imo does a great job with their interiors.

 

I think the interior looks pretty good. I learned (from driving loaners and my wife's '07 CR-V) that I don't like the 3-spoke steering wheel. I also prefer the touch-screen NAV.

 

I think the interior looks great. It does mirror the Honda Accord a little to much though. I'd like to see it at night. I love the blue color my O5 TL gives off. Although I will miss touch screen, I will give this new knob feature a fair chance. I agree with what the other posted said about the sound system. Sure DVD-Audio is great ( who really listens to the DVD's anyhow, 90% of the time I listen to XM) but , they definitely need to beef it up.
I just hope there isn't one Honda Logo on the car. I remember when I bought my O5' TL, I was a little ticked when I looked at my side windows and saw the Honda logo. I believe they have changed that from the 07's and on.

I hope they have some positive revisions for the 2010 Model, and I hope they have and Type S model out by then as well. Then I will buy.

 

I like the hood over the nav display. If I have one beef with the nav display in my 07 is that it is subject to glare which makes it difficult to read at times. Otherwise, the interior of 3G offered great comfort, so my expectations will be high.

 

1. Center vents look "tacked on" or out of place.
2. Too many f'ing buttons. When is Acura going to learn.
3. I've grown fond of the radio station/climate information high up (in my 3G TL, RL, and RSX). I don't want to remove my eyes from the road to look down in the new TL.
4. I just can't get the Chinese writing around the dial out of my head (from the first "leaked" interior photos). Maybe it would all make more sense to me if they left the Chinese writing on the USA model.

 

up the touch screen navi sucks!:thumbsdow

 

Finally, a brown leather option. I have an MDX with the "red" interior (I can never remember which obnoxious marketing term they use for it) and it adds so much more to the car. The only two interior disappointments that I have with my 3G TL are that I couldn't get a "distinctive" leather interior (read: not tan, white, or black) and there wasn't a cooled seat option.

As for touchscreen vs knob, I have a knob in the MDX and the touch screen in the TL, they're both fine. I find myself talking to both cars more than I do touching any of the buttons. I just wish they put the knob lower like Audi and now Mercedes and BMW do. What's the point of the knob over touch screen if I have to put my hand there anyway...

I just hope that the design feels as spacious as the current model, because when I sat in the 2009 TSX it looked great but felt pretty confined. (I know it's a smaller car).

 

just checked out 4g tl's interior today and it was much sportier and gorgeous than the 3g tl. also the way center console is contoured, it seemed more driver oriented. only if exterior was good as the interior...

 

I sat in an 09 yesterday. The seats were very comfortable and although there are a ton of buttons, everything was easily in reach. I sat in it inside the showroom, so I didn't get to test everything out, but it looked very much like the dash layout of the 09 MDX loaner I had last week. Just took a few minutes to get used to the joystick, but I liked it.

 

Sat in one over the weekend.
I don't like the interior. Too busy and not sporty enough.

 

It's interesting how people complain about how many buttons the new TL dash has. Funny thing is that there is only a difference of 3-4 buttons more than the 3rd gen TL (depending on what you want to consider a button), and if you have navigation. Considering the newer features and technology, what did you expect? Don't take my word for it, count the buttons on both cars if you don't have anything to do! If you like the interior of the 3rd gen TL and think that the new interior is ugly/inferior, you're crazy. There is no way you can say that the old interior is better than the new, and if you do, you're a hater of grand proportions!

 

Hmmm, interesting once you look at them "side by side" like that. It is rather unfortunate and appears as though our friends in Japan are getting a bit lazy. I was driving home up HWY 99 yesterday evening from work and noticed a 2008 Accord coupe next to me and noticed a similarity to this Honda and the rear section of the new TL and man oh man did that make me cringe. I thought that Honda got all the parts once Acura was done using them. Anotherwords, shouldn't a new Honda look like an older model Acura? WHAT THE HECK IS AHM DOING!!!

 

I just realized that I started ranting about the exterior of the new TL in the interior thread...oops!

That dang exterior though...seriously...someone thought that this would be an okay thing to do in replacement of the 3G?

 

[QUOTE=skyy406;9266685]Why is the armrest U shaped? Why is the e-brake on the drivers side? Why do you have to insert the key into the dash THEN push the start button?

Oh chit are you serious? That makes no sense.

 

Test drove one last week when I had to take my 3g into the shop for the recall on the steering wheel hose. It's not a bad ride but the back seat is stadium seating so there is no head room if your taller then 5'7. I was about 2 inches away from hitting my head on the room. I wonder if they fixed the issue of the dash fading so quick. I had my ride for about 4 months and the damn dash was fading already and i have a sunshade to cover the dash. Also the leather seats starting cracking and when I went into the dealership to have them look at it they said I had to buy that cracp in the bottle they sale that fixes the dash fading and reconditions the leather.

 

I agree. I thought it was going to be the exterior that would keep me from buying my 4th Acura...but actually I got to accept that but the interior was a big disappointment from my 3G. Tacky plastic everywhere and rattles too. Compared to the Maxima interior...very bad for Acura. Bought my Max this afternoon. Same price and much more content.

 

I really liked the interior so much I had to buy one. Have a rattle in my sunroof that drives me crazy, else I like the rest.

 

I loooooooove. My only complaint is I got used to the sliding armrest on my '07 and was hoping it would be on the '09. I also fall more in love with the outside daily.

 

I have to agree about the dash, I have had 5 3G TL's and every one had the dash issue. This one I have had 6 months and did not do anything to dash, I use a sun shade when parked outside and it started fading. I am using the Honda Vinyl cleaner per the TSB and while it helps it is short term solution and I don't understand how hard it was for them to fix this. I have never seen this in any other car. My next ride will likely be a G37 sedan.

 

This is kind of funny... even nostalgic. I remember when the 2004 TL came out, the 3rd Gen that everyone on this thread and the previous thread say is so great was being RAILED! I remember that all of the 2nd Gen TL owners hated it, much like the 3rd Gen TL owners hate this one. We felt that it was a very boring, boxy design. Then we saw it with the body kit... and it looked better. Then Acura made some minor improvements... and it looked even better. The bottom line is that TL owners have loved their cars so much, that they hate to see them change, and they naturally hate what they change into.

Forget about the exterior styling... it's too subjective to argue about. In terms of performance, and shear technological advancement, this is the best TL that Acura has ever made. The leather on the Technology version is the highest quality that they've ever had, and the features are absolutely amazing! This car is more expensive than the previous TL because it is stepping up in quality to compete with better cars. It is stepping up to compete with the Lexus GS, Audi A6 and BMW 5-Series. The features that are being made available at the higher trim levels allow this car to compete well against all of those models. The only one that is a better drive is perhaps the BMW. This is the reason for the larger size, the increase in features, the increase in horsepower, and the increase in the sticker price.

 

I agree that Honda (/Acura) has never had a clue about the need for a quality sound system. I immediately had to totally redo the "Premium" system in my '04 TSX because it sounded like sh*t with muddy bass and cheap-ass speakers. Recently drove an '09 TSX with the upgraded system and while it was much better than the basic sound system it still is a far cry from the systems in other mid-luxury brands. (Knowing Honda's penchant for using the same components in various models, I assume it is essentially the same as the system in the TL.) And DVD-Audio is dying fast. I have about 30 of them and that's all I have found that interests me in that format. In fact, I haven't bought any new DVD-A's in a couple of years.

 

OK, so, I was ready to buy my new Mayan Bronze Metallic TL, Tech last night. I went to the dealership, loved the exterior color, loved the way it handled, I can live with the single disk system and the no touch Navi, BUT, I do not think the BLACK interior, nor the Parchment or Taupe with all of the chrome do a thing for the total overall look with the Mayan Bronze exterior! I want the wood interior trim back and the Umber leather seats, when that is available in the base TL with the Tech package I will be ready to plunk down my hard earned money and not before,

 

the interior of TL 2009 is amazing i love ed

 

YES! Two days driving it now, I like the interior better than the exterior! It feels like a $60K car inside. The seats are a little tight around the sides if your a big one. I'm 6ft 255lb and it's very snug on my love handles with no side adjustments unfortunately, but the body roll has been seriously reduced compared to my 05 TL. The leather is not improved from 2005 despite what others say, it's still imitation leather in most areas, but it does look good in black and grey.

The sound system is not as good as promised, but the guys who ranted and raved about it are not an audio tweaky like me. Once again Elliot Schriener's system is weak as there are no MID EQ adjustments and it's way too bright around 2khz, and it hurts my ears when at volume 30 on most tracks, and a slight distortion is apparent on my DVD-A discs (which I make myself) in the sub frequency range of 60hz, not a good sub or placement of the sub location in my opinion. Oh and the Acura Demo DVD material is very mediocre. The Beck song has a intentional vibrating bass sound that is not complimentary in the TL. I played it in my home theatre and it's brilliant track on the right system.

I'm a little annoyed about the HDD and it's parameters. It's great to actually have the option to edit the track info after you've burned it to HDD, but the letter selection is very awkward and you can't go to the top of title without erasing the whole title, so you have to enter it again. Arg!

The first time phone pairing was a snap with my 3G iphone, but later a second time took a few attempts. The 2nd key identity is brilliant. I'd like to have the windows go up and lock on a button along with the all windows down feature.

More to report later of course. Overall so far, 4.5 out of 5 stars. I love it.

 

*edit* I just found the press and hold button that lets you navigate left without deleting the previous title. I'm really loving the USB port in the center console. My iPhone just pops right up, and it's easy to navigate because I know my ipod section very well. Just a brilliant marriage, it charges the unit, I don't need to use the mini stereo jack hence a better connection, and it's a smart clear phone with very little blue tooth lag.

 

You don't have to put the key in to start it's just set up to hold it if you like.

Man you guys at Jenkins must all be idiots.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by skyy406
Why is the armrest U shaped? Why is the e-brake on the drivers side? Why do you have to insert the key into the dash THEN push the start button?

The steering wheels looks gaudy imo. I hope to God that the "metalish" looking trimp is really metal and not some cheap plastic like the TSX has. What a downer.

Why is the armrest U shaped? – Making it “Z” Shaped cost too much!
Why is the e-brake on the drivers side? – You don’t always have someone shotgun when you need it!
Why do you have to insert the key into the dash THEN push the start button?- The dash port is to use if the Key Fob’s battery goes dead + it’s a good place put your used gum since the “not an ashtray” is felt lined!
The steering wheels looks gaudy imo. – I don’t look at the steering wheel, I look through the windshield. It keeps me off the curbs! Wait, I only have one steering wheel, how many do you have or are you talking about the front wheels that steer? They are just as gaudy as the rear wheels aren’t they?
I hope to God that the "metalish" looking trimp is really metal and not some cheap plastic like the TSX has. What a downer. – Yea, it does look better than cheap fake wood doesn’t it?

Hey – just kidding!

 

when you ck out the 4G interior - be sure to look at the SH-AWD interior - esp the seats - more bolstering, good looking stitching, and black carpet

and don't forget the 1080i TV avail as an option w/ the nav




out wait I meant to say Wallpaper function