I went for my first long drive (700+ miles) on my 2012 TL SH-AWD and really enjoyed it. The car was such a pleasure to drive and it has this uncanny ability to be so stable when the road curves - and in fact it almost gives the impression that it's even "more" stable when the roads curve and they are wet
While the ride was very comfortable drive in general, I did find occasionally the car's ride is a bit too busy for some roads where visually I couldn't tell why it had to be so busy/bouncy. But as it was not that way most of that time I would assume that there is some subtle undulations on certain stretches that causes this.
Overall, loved it and looking forward to my next long drive.

 

That's interesting. I just got my 2012 TL SH-AWD Tech 6MT, and after nearly a week of driving, I felt like the suspension was not busier than my Subaru Spec.B, which had the same front struts as the WRX STi, and Bilstein suspension all around. I felt like the car is more taut through many different road surfaces. Here in Chicago, we're doing many, many road constructions, and on all of them (Wacker, Grand, Cermak, Sheridan, which are under construction with the tarmac ripped off), my TL felt firmer than the Spec.B. The only thing is the rattle noise!

I'm glad you love it. I'm really, really enjoying my car so far. =)

 

Unfortunately, the SH-AWD car is factory tuned for more handling performance than the FWD car.

Thus, the ride becomes a bit rougher on uneven roads.

 

Unfortunately? I find it a blessing! =)

 

^^^^^ Agree.

"Unfortunate" for those looking for perfectly smooth and easy ride.

"Fortunate" for those looking for exceptional handling performance.

 

Nice evaluation, MDXer. Glad it went to well.

 

Yes, you're always going to find with firmer suspension and tires that you're more aware of the road's imperfections. For me, at least, this means more confidence in my feel for what the car will do.

By contrast, soft suspension and tires leaves you comfy but disconnected; until you're familiar in the abstract with such a car's performance under different conditions, you're more at risk, I think, of making driving and turning and control errors. More surprises, less confidence.

 

In my opinion, if an owner finds the suspension on his/her 4G TL too firm and/or the ride too rough, then he/she has bought the wrong car.

Should have bought the ES350 instead, for the unparalleled cushioned easy ride.

 

Totally... That person needs a ride in my z06 with the t1 sways and mega stiff suspension lol...

I drove that car daily for 6 years and juuuuuuust started back up in the TL...

Speaking of back, mine feels great again!

 

"In my opinion, if an owner finds the suspension on his/her 4G TL too firm and/or the ride too rough, then he/she has bought the wrong car.

Should have bought the ES350 instead, for the unparalleled cushioned easy ride."

I frequently come across such comments and I find these meaningless and laughable. Cars don't fall under just two categories ES 350 and Acura TL. There are gradations and trade offs. Just because one finds TL stiff at times doesn't mean one needs to fall back to ES 350. I have had a 3 series and it was extremely fun to drive and ride was never as rough as the occasional rough ride of the TL. But like I mentioned the occasional rough ride of the TL is still manageable and the car is still enjoyable to drive - to me. And even if I find the TLs ride too rough, trust me I won't go for an ES350 (I have driven that car, not much less mind-numbing than a Camry IMO) I am sure I can find rides that are more fun to drive than the ES. Just enjoy your TL and let people express what they genuinely feel - which needn't all be "it's all great" or "it's total crap", there are in betweens.

 

I don't find the TL's ride too hard at all. But I do think it transmits more road noise than I would have expected. Drove it for about 500 kilometers yesterday to and from Seattle, and it was generally pretty good. Wish there was a 12-volt plug for the back seats so the kids could keep their iPad charged.

 

Nothing is meaningless and nothing is laughable.

People express what they genuinely feel, you express what you genuinely feel, and I express what I genuinely feel.

If someone finds his/her ride too rough and doesn't enjoy the experience, I don't see anything wrong by pointing out that there are other choices out there with a softer sprung suspension, e.g., the Lexus ES; just in case he/she isn't aware of.

Why the ES ? Because the ES is the best alternative since it is comparable with the TL, pricewise, classwise, and FWD-chassis-wise, but only at opposite ends in suspension tuning.

Likewise, if someone finds his/her ride too lame and doesn't enjoy the experience, I'll point out that the TL is the best alternative.

However, if someone finds his/her ride too rough or too soft, but still enjoy the experience, then I congratulate him/her for making the right choice.

There is nothing worst in life than to drive around in a daily car that one doesn't fully enjoy the experience driving it.

Life is short. Always go for the best that money can buy.

Don't settle for anything in between.

 

So the Acura TL is the best car money can buy?

Interesting.

 

I think what EdwardTLS is trying to say is, there _is_ no best. There's only _best for you_.

And each of us has to determine that for ourselves; it's good to hear other people's perspectives, but ultimately, only you know what you want.

For me, recently, a '12 TL SH-AWD is, no question, the best car for me and my wife; we love it, perfect ride and handling for us at the right price with the right features.

 

Do you think you could have been just as happy with, say, a Honda Civic and saved $20,000? It comes with 4 doors and gets you from point A to B, and probably uses less fuel.

 

I guess it's clear that any car can get the "point A to point B" job done. The question is will it do so to one's satisfaction considering all the criteria that one employs when making a purchase decision.

 

It all depends on your level of expectations. Some people are genuinely very happy tooling around in their Civic. Others won't tool around in anything less than some super-hiper-diper-vehicle.

 

Every person has his/her own priorities and requirements. My best may not be your best, and vice versa. But I'm more than welcome to share and discuss what considers to be my best.

The TL has a sport-oriented suspension, and the ES has a softer-sprung suspension. These are well known facts.

Some like it rough and some like it soft -- in terms of suspension tuning only. Thus the difference in vehicle choice.

And for myself, yes. I'm a dedicated hardcore Honda/Acura fan, and the TL is currently the BEST Acura that money can buy. I had always wanted to buy the rumored-then-canceled V8 RWD RL back then, but too bad that the car didn't make it to market.

So what's your logic going from the C63-AMG to the TL ? It is obvious that the TL has some merits that you enjoy BEST.


For some, yes. That's why the Civic is the most popular 4-door sedan sold in Canada. But for others, no. That's why we're all gathered together here discussing our TL's and not the Civic's.

 

I didn't get the TL to replace the C63. I just thought I hadn't driven an Acura for a few years, and would give it another go. Still learning about the car, and haven't made up my mind as to whether it's good or bad yet. To stay on-topic, I think it makes for a decent long hauler, although the absence of a 12-volt charger for the rear passengers does seem to be a strange omission. The cruising range isn't too bad either, thanks to the 70-litre tank. I guess these attributes can be found in numerous other vehicles as well, hence my earlier remark about whether people here could have been just as happy with a Civic, which also seems like a pretty decent everyday car.

Just curious, but have you ever owned another make of car besides Honda/Acura? You do seem rather "hardcore", as you yourself described.

 

Audi B5 A4 and C6 A6.

 

I can agree with that.

 

You might be able to solve this with a USB cable from mono price.com for a couple of bucks, to extend the center console USB connection to the back seat. I have found monoprice a great resource for electronics accessories of all sorts; great prices, high quality, reliable service.

 

"If someone finds his/her ride too rough and doesn't enjoy the experience, I don't see anything wrong by pointing out that there are other choices out there with a softer sprung suspension, e.g., the Lexus ES; just in case he/she isn't aware of. "

Ok, then I assume you either didn't read my post properly or you were not commenting on my post per se but making some generic comment.

 

Don't worry. My comments were not directed at you.

I too agree that the TL has a "more sporty" ride, especially with the AWD trim, but this doesn't bother you nor me.

My comments are directed at those who are seriously bother by their TL's comparatively rougher ride.

 

Acura should add a feature where you can adjust the ride and shifting characteristics such as what is available in the new BMW 535i. Of course, that would be more $$$.

 

I too agree that Acura should offer driver adjustable suspension (comfort, normal, sport modes) in the TL, so that it can cater to a much wider range of buyers with different ride quality requirements.

 

Just curious. How do you personally use this? Do you permanently set it to what you like or do you change dynamically depending on road conditions or other situations?

 

I've heard of people doing both -- I think it's again a matter of personal preference.

 

10mdxer it's dynamically set by the driver. It does more than adjust the suspension it also restricts the motor (acceleration) by this switch. Comfort setting doesn't allow you to slam heads in the seats, soft suspension. Normal gives you some head whipping ability factory suspension, and sport is all out full potential release of the motor and sport suspension. I've ridden in a BMW with this feature and honestly I don't know if I would use it. I guess it would be a oh-ah factor in the car.

Now to the post topic, the day I bought my TL I had a 300+ mile drive home and loved it. Yes, very comfortable especially since I've been driving a BMW with more of a sport set up the last 6+ years. I have the FWD version which is also an adjustment. If anything I can say at times the car felt to spongy to me. Maybe it's the tires (17s) or just I'm used to a rougher more sporty ride feeling. But I will be switching to 18s to get more of the road handling back. Like what was said earlier, we all have our own preferences. If you are not happy with YOUR purchase then you should have done more research. We all know what we like and want and there is no need to bash others because we don't agree. And not say anyone is bashing any one in this thread.

 

I too, just took my first long trip in my TL FWD Advance (purchased last October/first time on highway). Last Saturday I drove 850 miles in one shot - took about 12 hours. Yesterday I came back the same way. The car was very comfy for me. I originally set out to get a AWD Tech but after a test drive I felt the Advance with it's 18" wheels was a better daily driver for my tastes. I'm happy with my decision. Plus, the vented seats and blind spot monitoring are nice to have.

In the end I was very happy with the car. I packed two acoustic guitars in rather large Calton cases and two large suitcases with plenty of room to spare. The ride felt just right on the highway and I had fun doing some sporty mountian road driving in the Smokies during the week. The seats were comfy and had plenty of adjustment. Entertainment options and Nav system were very good. It would've been nice to have a little more storage around the cockpit though.

Two minor annoyances did crop up.
1) After 5000 miles of driving I've never had the display be more than .2 mpg off while driving in (flat) South Florida - once I got to the mountains it would be off by up to 5 mpg. BTW, I averaged 30.5 mpg on the highway going 80-85 mph.
2) Once I got to Tennessee, every time I pulled into a parking lot or turn lane, the nav system announced "Entering unverified area" even when not navigating and I couldn't find a way to turn it off. Very annoying. By the time I left Tennessee, it stopped on its own.

 

Much happier with the ride quality of my 6MT vs. my 09 BMW 335i 2 door, I just wish the steering wasn't so light on freeway/highway cruising. I wish it was a tad more stable on the long drives...

 

I driver frequently from DC to Ohio and my TL FWD is perfect. Not too soft and not to stiff.
If I had only one car I would have bought AWD, but I have my fun car when I need it. You guys have not felt jarring until you drive a Mazdaspeed Miata. But OH the handling! I

 

To add my perspective here (new owner of TL, well for a few months now.... love it!):

If I had lots of money to burn and no other interests, I'd definitely pick up a new 2012 or 2013 Civic Si, just for the fun of it. It's a lighter, smaller car, with performance, and would be more of a "pure" driver's car for that reason alone.

The TL is, like many other cars in its class/price range, in fact a heavy car, and that gives it a particular feel, even with what I consider an ideal suspension and power/torque arrangement. It's not just a sports car, so its balance is different from the one you'd find in, say, a 2013 HFP Civic Si (another dream car, hope that's on the way for a lot of people!).

 

If purely for fun, a much better choice will be the brand new Scion FS-S or the Subaru BRZ; now that the rear-drive Honda S2000 is dead and the Miata/MX-5 is in it's senior years.

 

Great thread. I outgrew my 2004 s2000 after having a family but was always looking for similar driving characteristics. In the interim, I have had a 2009 Cooper Clubman and 2010 Audi A4, both manual trans. The Cooper was surprisingly very s2000 like dynamically. It was good on short drives less 20 miles, no highways. The Audi was the opposite.

Ultimately, my 4G 6MT felt the best hybrid. I would like a touch more steering feel like the Cooper. Like someone said, it would be nice if we had variable drive settings like the AudiS4, Ferraris,etc. Hey my normally aspirated Cooper has a button for Sport which tightens up the steering and throttle response, standard issue.

I think most cars now with e-throttle employ variable steering, loading up the effort as you go faster. I wish they just gave us the choice thru a button/setting even if it's just soft vs firm.