Yesterday, I drove down to Buffalo to pick up some things I purchased for the 4G. I got all season mats, trunk tray, rear seat cover, rims and tires. I have done this trip many times with my 2006 TL A-spec so it was nothing new to me. Each way is about 2 1/2 hours so it's quite a decent distance for the day. Here's what I noticed with the 4G.

I miss the extra storage the 3G had in the console. The small coin storage in the 4G just doesn't cut it. I also miss the swiveling door pockets the 3G had. Don't know why they couldn't do the same with the 4G. It makes it so much easier to access stuff.

The steering wheel on the 4G is a lot stiffer than the 3G. I drive with one hand on the wheel and my left arm was definitely getting quite the workout. On the way home I had to use two hands or switch to my right as my left was getting quite fatigued.

Then there's the pedals. It seems they're much stiffer than the 3G too. When I got to the border, about 1 hour 40 mins in, I got out to go to the Duty Free and my right leg was hurting. This never happened with the 3G. On the way back, I really felt the difference with the resistance.

The iPod connection is a big plus though. I have over 2,000 songs in my iPhone and having access to them in the car is a big plus. However, there's a quirk with the connection and the navi. If you plug in the iPhone first then turn on the car, it will resume the music where it left off. However, when the nag screen comes up, it kills the sound output from the iPhone. I have to unplug and plug the iPhone back in. What I do now is wait for the nag screen to pop up then plug in the iPhone.

Other than that, the 4G is quite good on the highway. Can accelerate rather quickly to pass people. Mileage is actually similar to the 3G on the highway. I was expecting it to guzzle much more. I just have to see if I can fix the leg issue by adjusting the seat or something.

 

good information-I am considering a TL with MT when I buy a new car in June2011. I do alot of driving-NC to NJ and back every few weeks- 635 miles-9.5 hours one way.

 

I make frequent trips to Atlanta, Charlotte, and Charleston from Augusta. I have a 2009 TL "Shawdy" as many of my friends call it. Amazing on the road. I had an '01 3.2 CL and before that even a smaller car. I notice the size and weight difference in most cars. I'm amazed at how the HP to weight distribution is in this car. The ride is very comfortable and road noise is minimum, I actually like hearing my surroundings a little bit as well as the engine. Steering is on point and the suspension is exceptional, I have 24k on her and it appears she's really is hitting her groove. I notice the same with my CL, which I had for 9 plus years. In "S" mode she hunkers down and pulls out like a beast. I was surprised how quickly I was at 100 mph before I noticed it... Saturday was funny becasue I was rolling with the company of a Ferrari Marranello and Porsche 911 Carrera S..it was interesting both gave me head nods. What it meant, not quite sure, LOL>

 

Gunner...
I know what you mean with the steering wheel and fatigue after a long drive. I'm a short guy, so naturally I thought it was just me. Being 5'5, I feel like the 4G is quite huge. The belt line is also very high on this car too. Hopefully I'll get use to it.

 

Gunner, where is the coin storage in the 4G? Am I missing something? I traded in my '08 TL-S 6MT for a '10 TL-SHAWD 6MT and the extra storage is sorely missed.

 

The "coin storage" as they call it is that small pocket right above the shifter. There is no actual coin sorter from the 3G that's spring loaded with I really miss. You really can't put much else in that thing.

 

that's the coin holder?? >:\

could they have been just a bit more intuitive with that? man.. lol

 

I seem to have recently developed some right leg soreness as well, though mine is a 6MT. Approaching 6800 miles...

I'm not sure if it's the constant up/down motion of my right leg when I shift, or if it's like you said, the stiffness of the pedal. My left leg is fine, which is supposedly where some people complain when one is not used to the clutch with the left leg.

The irony here is I traded in a 2009 Lexus IS 250 AWD at 4000 miles b/c the car was so cramped, esp with its AWD transmission hump hindering onto my right leg/heel/knee; over time I couldn't sit in, let alone drive, the dam car without my knee hurting.

I too will try a few seat adjustments to see if I can fix the leg issue.

 

I use that "coin storage" to hold my business cards of all my contacts. Fits just right but that's about it!

 

I just kept the coin holder from my 3G. Plugging and un plugging my phone was too much hassle - I keep an older iPod plugged in. Or if I want I use the blue tooth to play something from the phone

 

I thought the 4G would come with the coin holder too which is why I never thought of keeping the one from the 3G!

It took 3 full days for my leg to fully recover. I'm still trying to figure out what the main cause of it is.

 

I liked the 3G spring loaded coin holder too..

maybe now we need to use one of these coin holders that goes inside the cup holder... not happy about the trade-off



from $4.90 to $10.01

 

That was my fix to the coin issue . i had a couple of these left from my old cars .. they were removed when trading in.



Works like a champ though !!

 

but where did u put that?

 

I just put my coins in the small drawer under the arm rest.

 

They don't fall out when you open the arm rest?

 

Coins?!

This is the 21st century!

Don't you guys have something like the I-PASS? (electronic toll collection)

 

oo i put my phone in there

i actually haven't really used any place to put coins. there doesn't really seem to be any plausible place because the one infront of the shifter is inconvenient since the shifter is in the way, hard to claw out coins lol

 

Yes I have EZ-pass- The grocery store I go to has their grocery carts chained-you have to deposit 25 cents which releases the cart. When you return the cart and put the chain back on you get the 25 cents back. It may sound like a PIA thing to do but it helps keep the carts or cars from getting damaged. I also buy the newpayer from an outside stand (coins needed) then the parking meters. The coin holder is great for me

 

Went to an outdoor paintball field on Saturday that's 1 hour 40 mins away from me. So I guess it's a decent drive to see if my leg will hurt once again. On the way there, I did notice getting the same feeling on my leg/hip area like before. So I started fiddling with the seat settings. I know you're not supposed to do so while moving but this was the only way for me to find out what the issue is.

I'm not sure if it's just me not being able to remember properly but for some reason I think the 3G seat had more range in the adjustments. Like you're able to raise the seat higher, tilt it forward more, etc. But that could be me not being able to remember properly.

However, I think I managed to find what my issue was. I like to sit further back from the steering wheel. However, for some reason, doing this on the 4G gives you a bad angle for your leg. Doing so strained my leg greatly and I felt the pain starting up on my thigh and hip. So what I ended up doing was tilt the seat forward a bit and move the seat up. This forced me to bend my knee more to get a better leverage when pressing down on the pedal.

After a full day of tiring paintball, I never felt any pain on my leg on the drive home. So I think by moving the seat forward did it for me. However, I won't be sure until the next time I go on a drive for over 2 hours or more.