TSC17

I've been in the Honda / Acura family for about 13 years now, with the last 5 spent in an incredible '07 TL-S. It's the longest I've ever owned a car, simply because I've liked it so much.

But all good things come to an end eventually, and I'm ready to get rid of the TL-S (it's listed in the black market btw).

When I look at cars out there in that magical $45K range, the SH-AWD TL Advanced and fully loaded G37X stand out. I've also worked on plenty of both, and am pretty familiar with what they have to offer.

Yesterday I went out to test drive both cars, and was hoping that one would shine over the other and make my decision easy. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

First up was the TL. As soon as I got in it, I felt as if it were a familiar cockpit since I've been driving the TL-S for so long. Although I've always felt that the S had a beautiful and tech-loaded interior, the new one just kicked it up several notches. I brought my 11 year old son with me (already a car guy), and he absolutely loved the interior. And the back seats got a 2-thumbs up from him.

On the test drive it still felt quite familiar, but the steering and road input may have been a tad vague compared to my S. The acceleration was good, but unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to really put it through its paces.

I was quite happy with the test, but felt I should drive the G as well, so off to the other side of town I went...

The G I would be interested in would have everything...Premium package, Nav, Tech, Sport, etc. When looking at it, at least in the Graphite Shadow, it didn't stir the emotions as much as I would like. The color is lighter than Acura's Graphite Luster Metallic, and I prefer the darker shade. In black however, the G is stunning (professional detailer, so trying to get away from black after 5 years with NBP!).

When I got inside the car, it was nice and luxurious, but not at the level of the Acura IMO. I guess I'm used to all of the Acura's gadgets, knobs, and buttons and the G seemed a little spartan by comparison. The Sport edition driver's seat however was a winner and it had adjustable bolster settings (big plus). They didn't have "the one" that I would be interested in, so the interior was black with aluminum trim...it just had a cheap look. But with the dark wood trim, it adds a lot of class.

While my son liked the back seats, he didn't think they were as nice as the TL, and he said that he didn't have as much foot room, either.

But when we went for a drive, the motor just seemed to be more responsive than the TL, and it had a much nicer exhaust note (although I don't want a "loud" interior...but I did like the sound). My son wanted me to buy the car on the exhaust note alone!

So I felt that the TL had much luxurious amenities than the G, but the G felt like more of a "driver's car".

Other than that, here are a few observations:

Cooled seats and blind spot warning in the TL = winner
Overall interior design in the TL = winner
Engine and exhaust note in the G = winner
Smart cruise control in the G = winner
Rear seats in the TL = winner
Stereos = ? They both seem good, but couldn't put them through their paces. Knowing me, I'll probably end up modding them anyways.
Warranty on he G = winner
Proximity of the dealership = Acura winner (and I know them all)
Lease payment on the G = winner (both offering great deals on the price)

So after all of this, I still have no clue which one to get. The G seems like it would be more "fun" to drive, but the luxuries, amenities, and feel of the interior of the TL would be used and appreciated more on a day to day basis.

I know I'll get a bias towards the TL here on AZ, but wanted to reach out to others who may have owned both, or have driven both, or have other experiences with both that could help with some additional feedback.

I know that with either car, I would be happy as can be. I just don't want to second-guess any final decision that I make.

Thanks in advance for the educated feedback!

g37guy01

In your list of items, the G with the wood accents presents a much nicer interior than the TL. Other than that I agree, except the coupe has cooled seats. Don't know why they are not in the sedan.

I never have "buyers remorse" and never get the same car twice. Life is way to short to keep driving the same model, year after year, especially on a lease and wondering if you only got the upgrade for $50 more a month would you be $50 happier. Since you are leasing, why not adopt a "no buyers remorse" attitude for whatever you get?

There is some talk that Infiniti is releasing the G35h. If that is the same powertrain on the M35h, I'm going to give it serious consideration, but that isn't the "same" car as my G37x.

Also when you post: ....feel of the interior of the TL would be used and appreciated more on a day to day basis is exactly the way I feel about my G. The truth is unless you have tunnel vision and can't understand both models have their pluses and minuses, both these vehicles will get you from point A to point B with a certain amount of style and luxury.

Good luck.

JM2010 SH-AWD

Both good cars - neither one will treat you badly. I was down to the same 2 final choices, except I was looking the G37S with 6MT.

For me, the pluses on the TL largely mirror your observations. I preferred the TL's nicer interior and felt the ELS system was the superior set up. But what really helped me decide was the handling of the SH-AWD system (and I remembered what winter driving was like when I last owned a RWD car). While I also liked the G's exhaust note, I felt the TL's motor seemed smoother and more refined (while still sounding pretty good, especially above 4K rpm).

Good luck with the decision.

g37guy01

^^^^ Winter driving, living in a place where in the last few years we got pummelled, I was very pleasantly surprised at the way the G37x handled up to 20 inches dumped during the freak October snowstorm.

saturno_v

Both excellent propositions and great value for the money...you cannot go wrong either way.


The biggest difference is that the G has a more cramped back seat and in spirited driving the SH-AWD really shines while the AWD system in the G is basically a bad weather setup.


SH-AWD is the big win for the TL in my opinion (but I'm biased since I drive my 6MT TL SH-AWD)

silverrevlis

The key elements that gave the TL AWD Advance the win in my book was the Blind Spot Warning, Ventilated Seats and more rear leg room. In addition, after owning a G35 for 7 years, I have found that Infiniti/Nissan doesn't seem to have the quality thing down packed. Motors (window, sunroof), electrical actuators and seat components seem to retire after about 3 years in their vehicles, and this wasn't just one off situations...it was widespread. I will say that the entry/exit with the power steering column in the G makes ingress/egress easier!

TinyRK

The TL has more room inside and was cheaper than the G37x at that time. That's what sold me.

Edward'TLS

Both are very good cars. Hard decision indeed.

atruedsgb

The interior and SHAWD pretty much sold me on the TL over the G. The G's interior is just way too bland, particularly with the center stack looking so cheap for its price range. Since you spend most of your time inside, that's a key decision point. I spend a lot of time in my car (sales), so I just couldn't see myself enjoying that interior for 4-5 years.

The G certainly is an attractive car on the outside though, and it was pretty quick. Performance-wise, they felt pretty close in 6 MT form (I didn't drive the AT in either car), but the SHAWD put the TL over the top.

Rocketsfan

When are they coming out with a new G? Seems like the current incarnation's been around forever. I was set to buy a G35 until I saw the 3G TL and ended up buying that back in 2003 (and still own it). I'm keeping an eye out for a new vehicle, too, but hate the fact that a new TL may be around the corner (1 year away).

g37guy01

With some real world experience with the G it works very well. The key with an AWD setup is not how fast you can go based on your fear tolerance, but can the car keep going slowly, safely in spite of snow.

Anybody who thinks their drivetrain can beat dangerous weather conditions is a danger to themselves and their fellow drivers.

diddy_nyc

iTrader: (1)

If you're into contemporary art, then the TL's interior should win you over - very futuristic look and feel with a lasting appeal. I'm not a big fan of seeing wood accent trims on sport vehicles anyway.

The G is considerably smaller the the TL. I sat in one at the car show this morning and immediately noticed how small it was compared to my TL. I really didn't like the navigation system in the G. The sound system was quite impressive. I also liked the how one can position the seats the G.

The styling is subjective on both vehicles. Again, the TL has this very futuristic look and probably will look good in about 5 years due to its aggressive styling. Many do not like the front fascia. The G in my opinion will not look good in a few years. The design is boring and lacks emotion.

I think the G can outperform the TL Period

weather

This point pretty much sums it up for me. As much as I do like the exterir look of the G, the interior does not come close to the interior of the TL. Take the TL for a test drive at night and see the whole cluster and console and that will win you over. I often catch myself going for a drive at night just so I can admire the cockpit....such a delight visually! And as stated above, that is really what you see all the time when you drive the car and the G would just not do it for me. Again, both are great cars but for me, Acura gets the nudge.

g37guy01

^^^ I think the G with the wood accents beats the TL interior hands down. With the interior LED accent lighting installed, the G cockpit at night is so visually soothing and nicely lit.

What others find as bland in the G, I find as classy. I don't like the aluminum trim, I don't think that belongs in a car of this class. YMMV.

diddy_nyc

iTrader: (1)

I don't see the point in having wood accent trims in a sports car. It's not even real wood, it's a veneer. Maybe it's used to appeal to older drivers.

jjsC5

I've owned several Infinitis and several Acuras, to I have no bias. The G is simply WAY dated. I would never buy a car this deep into it's life cycle. The Acura is much fresher. Dynamically they are both good cars though.

You said you would probably modify the Stereo. Here there is no comparison. The top G stereo is fair at best. On the other hand, the Stereo in the TL with Tech is often regarded as the best car stereo made regardless of the price of the car. Why anyone would mod it is a mystery to me, but I get that some folks are really into music and I should not judge.

I also won't buy a car without ventilated seats (I live in the sweat capital of the world!). So that makes it a real easy choice for me.

Either way, I think you would be buying a nice car, I just think the TL is the better choice right now. On the other hand, I'm a speed freak and just bought myself a new BMW 550 and the TL does not have enough HP for me (it's my wife's), so I get the desire for speed - the G does win that one convincingly.

DannyZRC

I mentioned in another thread that I test drove a G37x in the rain recently, and I found the handling/steering/engine all to be very nice, and the automatic transmission was head and shoulders above the 6AT in the TL I've driven.

I also mentioned that I had a very bad experience with the stability control, to elaborate : I was going through a carousel in wet conditions at moderate speed (marked 25, entered at 45, dry speed on that carousel at pace is 70+), And I was breathing onto the throttle to eliminate the push, so far so good, very nice response and behavior. Well, I got snap oversteer right as I was breathing into it a bit past the 2nd apex, and snap oversteer isn't great, but the real problem was that the VDC killed the throttle, which made the problem worse, and then it started doing the braking dance until I slide to a stop 45 degrees to my lane, and I couldn't start moving again for 1-2 seconds even though I had my foot down.

It took a skid I could've easily corrected and made it worse, much worse, and then left me stopped and unable to move for ~2 seconds at the exit of a more or less blind approach area from the offramp.

Car had no warning lights, all systems seemed to be functional, only factor was that the rear tires were more worn than the fronts, but not to the wear bars.

This type of VDC behavior is unaccpetable to me, complete dealbreaker. I'd previously driven the G37x in the same area in the dry and experienced VDC intervention that wasn't spectacularly smooth, but it was acceptable. Same area, same turns, higher speeds (in the dry), and the TL SH-AWD had less VSA intervention, and the intervention it did produce was invisible, only indicated by the VSA light.

g37guy01

@jjsc5 the TL is less dated by what, one year?

@diddy different strokes for different folks

@danny your post sounds like the one poster on this board who smashed his rims because he exceeded the physical limits of his car. Either way if the VDC programming was a real issue it would be all over the Internet. VDC sounds like it did what it should have. If you really are fearless you can turn it 100% off.

DannyZRC

g37guy, I didn't enter some corner way hot and have things go pear shaped, I was smoothly breathing on the gas when I was already heeled over and in a fairly steady cornering state with relatively little rear end slip angle, and I got a fat stack of snap oversteer. Not "it slid a little", no, it felt like the rears had gone over an ice-patch.

I appreciate that the G37x is a pretty neat little car, my 2nd wet test drive was more positive than my 1st dry test drive, and I'm sure with the nannies off it's a very controllable and fun machine to hustle with.

I'm just not into a car that will do some crazy dumb stuff if I have the audacity to try to have a little fun without first turning off the safety net.

I'm not Johnny McRacefist, but I spent 4 years hooning a 94 Camaro Z28 w/ 6 speed and I did some much faster and more sideways things, never experienced that rapid a dropoff of rear-end grip (and the G37x is AWD, AWD for crying out loud!), but that snap oversteer could be forgivable if the VDC intervention was productive as opposed to horrible.

To some people, fun killing death-scare VDC is acceptable because they plan to turn off the VDC anytime they want to hustle, I would personally prefer to leave the VDC on unless I were making attempts at gloriously lurid sideways malarkey, which I wasn't and usually am not.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I still think that dollar for dollar, pound for pound, the TL is still the best buy for the money-on the road.

AGK

When I had the same dilemma..I went with a TL because TL is noticably bigger and the G37 4G is due for renewal. Otherwise, they are both great cars.

Acura2010

That poster was me! :-(

Acura2010

I have both cars, and can tell you that they are both incredible machines. I responded to a post similar to this one some time ago, but i'll just say that both cars serve different purposes. The TL in my opinion is larger, more comfortable car. Seats are nicer, and there is more than enough power. Interior is nicer also. But the G has a true "sports car" feeling. You get that "In your face" power when you hit that throttle. It's the type of power that pushes you back in your seat. But as for comfort, it's a little cramped, and the seats are not as nice as the TL. So....choosing one or the other is a toss up. It all depends on what type of driving you will be doing. If you like long road trips, and the occasional spirted run, i think the TL will serve you better. But if you do alot of short sprints, and like to drive aggresivly most of the time, than i think the G suits you better.

TSC17

Thanks to everybody for the informative responses...much appreciated!

CPR

My reasoning for the 2012 SH AWD TL/Tech was easy
ELS: Best stereo on the planet! I have a few dozen DVD/A's, & music to me is major
G37 does NOT play DVD/A; only DTS.

BEAR-AvHistory

How many miles do you have on your tires?

sarge_in

Went through the same dilemma a few months back:

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-2009-2014-123/tl-vs-g37-832842/

You are better off, of course, as you have been with an older version of the car for a while. Bottom line for me was, G37 is more sporty, and TL is decidedly more spacious and luxurious of the two. Interiors - TL wins hands down for me. Just the screen itself is a BIG difference (though G37 allows you to play videos from a USB stick). Another noticeable difference was the seats - the base seats in G37 were quite firm, while TL is much more comfortable.

Best of luck!

TSC17

I've pretty much decided on the '12 SH-AWD TL / Advanced in Graphite Luster Metallic...

white_sh

Good choice Todd!!

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

In 4 pics! I'm in a 12' G37x rental now, I like it but prefer my TL.

Edward'TLS

Good choice. You won't be disappointed.

Impetuous

Hi,

I'm a new member here that just bought an '12 Acura TL SH-AWD w/ Tech Package. The car is the Graphite Luster Metallic with Taupe interior. So to the OP, I think you made a good decision. I was thinking about getting a G37S too but couldn't bring myself to pay for it. The outside of the car is nice and althought I never drove one before I made my decision I rode in an earlier G35. They do have more power and feel closer to a sport car but IMO the TL is the better car. I LOVE the interior and when I went to get this car I decided that I was done buying cars based on how they look from the outside since I obviously drive inside. I came from being a mustang guy and had owned 4 mustangs before with the '11 5.0 being the latest. Sorry I don't mean to hijack this thread but just pointing out that performance is not all that matters. The TL is an amazing car and I'm completely impressed with the car as a whole.

Good luck with your purchase.

sarge_in

Excellent! Can't fault the choice - car or the color!

jmkenn0

I was in the same boat as you, eliminated everything but variants of these two cars (I was into both MTs)....

While the G sounds better, is faster in a straight line, and has 50+ more hp, once you learn to drive the TL, it's cornering is unprecedented (IMO) for a car that large. It truly feels like a "touring car" in every sense of the word and the ability to corner with the throttle while never being "on edge" is incredible.

Also, I hated the dash material on both cars.

weather

Congrats....never an easy decision but I feel confident you will not regret it! I love my TL SH-AWD Tech greatly and now have a 2013 RDX AWD tech on the way to supplement my driving experience...Bye bye Rav4

audi_to_TL

iTrader: (2)

Good choice!!

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

How much is a 2013 rdx tech/AWD going for?

AGK

acura.com has the rdx '13 on the front page, the price for an AWD Tech is ~$40k

HeartTLs

iTrader: (5)

I want to know what he's actually paying for it though, not the MSRP.



















Are you paying MSRP?




Edit: I've been in the g37x for a week now and would just like to mention how underwhelming the interior is; it's boring as F and doesn't convey a 40k+ sticker image. And although I am bias to my TL, the GS/ES also don't have as many buttons/cockpit feel as the TL but once you step in you feel like a king in a luxury automobile. The g37x... Not so much.

g37guy01

^^^^ IMO, the G37 with wood accents is head and shoulders above the Acura interior. All those buttons and stuff....yuch. I like the closeness and jet fighter cockpit feel. I do agree the aluminum does not belong in a $40K vehicle, but the wood accents give the G cockpit a classy look. Something the TL doesn't have.