wanchu83

I am going to be future 2009 TL owner.
I drove g35c and tsx before.

Now my choices are Benz C300 sport sedan or 2009 TL.
Let me know

platinum1

If I were you, I would choose 09 TL. The reasons are simple enough: I can do the regular maintenance myself and the general reliability is already known to be good.

TLorNotTL

Okay - just for kicks I went to mbusa.com and configured a C300 like a TL.

$33,775 Base MSRP (no AWD)
$720 Palladium silver color
$1570 interior leather
$2150 Premium 1 package (heated seats, etc...)
$2980 Multimedia package (nav, etc...)
$1460 Automatic transmission
$1050 Sunroof
$375 iPod integration kit
MB C300 TOTAL MSRP = $44,080

vs.

Acura TL w/ Tech MSRP = $38,685

That's over a $5k difference. Plus the TL is arguably better compared to the larger and more expensive Mercedes E-class (for a true apples-to-apples). If you compare the Acura TSX to the MB C300 the price difference is even more significant.

For a mid-size sport/luxury sedan, the 2009 TL is probably the best value-for-the-money right now, as long as you can handle the looks.

wanchu83

Yeah Thank you for u guys input. I think that c300 is to small for me.
I like to have a bigger sedan that can bring some good comment.
Price wise and technology wise, I think 2009 TL wins hand down.
I actually like the TL looks since it's bold change and stands out.
Well, I guess I will be buying another Acura car..

Just one more question to ACURA 2009TL OWNERS.
When you accelerate do you feel difference in FWD and RWD? I used to drive G35(RWD) and currently driving TSX(FWD), and when i push gas, l miss the feeling of car pushing rather than pulling(FWD). Is this improved in 2009 TL?
Do you think FWD TL will be handle ok on light snow?(For a ski trips, but I don't want to pay more for SH-AWD)

thank you guys.

metalblaze

If handling in snow is one of your major concern, I'd rather buy a FWD '09 TL, put in snow tires, and save $$$. Now, if you are more of an enthusiast (since you owned G35), I'd give a close look to the SH-AWD (specially, 6 MT).

metalblaze

Did you consider the '09 Audi A4..? Its grown quite a bit, and might I add, pretty close to the A6 w.r.t. size.

PetesTL

Well, being that the '09 TL is a FWD car, you will still feel the car being "pulled" rather than "pushed" when you hit the gas. This is just the nature of FWD. If this bothers you, wait for the SH-AWD version to come out and test-drive it to see if it's better. However, neither version of the TL will exactly replicate the driving behavior of a true RWD car. As far as snow traction, FWD is more than adequate. AWD is over-rated sometimes when it comes to snow traction. All you need is a good set of snow tires and learn how to properly drive in the snow. I've seen so many trucks and SUV's in the winter-time that have skidded off the road because these drivers think AWD makes their vehicles "invincible" in the snow. My brother-in-law owns a Mustang GT with snow tires and he has never had a problem in the snow for the past several years.

1075

Acura consistantly earns MUCH higher reliability ratings in Consumer Reports than Mercedes Benz. Most Benz models are rated worse than average or much worse than average.

4 good winter tires will get you anywhere you need to go in the snow.

ostrich

To me, it's a no brainer - 2009 TL all the way! I think that the current C-Class has a profile that reminds me of the last generation Civic!!! Also, the reliability of MB scares the heck out of me...!

shooter

TL all the way ... performance & luxury & reliability ....

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

wanchu, I think you've got it yourself. You'll find the Benz smaller and the 2009 TL has got alot of room.....go Acura!

Rafiton

Well my input is that When i went to buy my TL-S 08 i looked the c300. When I went to get on the back seat i had to put my feet sideways because it wouldn't fit thruogh the back seat and the door panel. Beside the Tl has more stock features than the BENZ and it cheaper.

pokes717

That's what I miss from my lexus GS 400

KeithL

I'm no fan of the 09 TL styling, but based on your 2 choices I woudl do TL hands down. And as to FWD vs. RWD. honestly I don't think many people can tell the difference, I woudl bet if they took a sample of testers that did not know and had them drive FWD vs. RWD then asked which is which most woudl not know nor care.

FlyinLowTL

Just picked up an '09 TL for a courtesy car while my '05 TL is in for maintenance...

A few Pros:
The back side of this car is just plain sexy.
The interior is pretty cool
The LED's for the reading lamps are awesome.
I dig the big knob thing used for scrolling - plus with the XM on, you can see a 'guide' like menu that allows you to see previous and next channels at the same time

Cons:
The paddle shifters are a nice touch, but I hate how it doesn't keep the car in manual mode. If you stop shifting, it just jumps back into auto.
Also, there is no more shifting with the actual gear shifter, which I don't like because it doesn't really feel natural.
The front end...well, it's ok, but it's just too high, and lacks the curvacious slope to the nose.

*Also, I have a 5AT NAVI TL, and this car just didn't seem to really have a lot of power. It felt heavy, and it just didn't want to jump up and go like mine. I'm really happy with my '05, and wouldn't waste the money on this car. If you need something brand new, I'd probably go with a 5 series BMW, or Lexus GS.

PetesTL

Well, I had a '04 TL Navi and my 4G feels significantly faster. You need to drive for at least several weeks for the engine to "break-in" and for the transmission to "learn" your driving habits. Also, during passing, my 4G delivers much more power than my 3G ever did. I don't know why you would mention people buying this car is money wasted. For the price, the 4G is one heck of a value. But if you feel you need to spend an additional $10K-15K more to be happy, go right ahead.

Mpunk

I'm curious to know if you've considered an '09 A4, IS350, or G37? The 4G definitely has more room than these.

If you can ignore the high price and questionable reliabilty of the C-class, they have a build quality like you've never seen in a Japanese car. I had a C-class when I was in Beverly Hills and took it up the twisties in Bel Air and could definitely feel the RWD driving dynamics!

Plus, I'm not a fan of the styling, but that said, ignoring the other 3 I mentioned above, the 4GTL represents a much better deal $ wise.

If I were you, I'd wait for the 6MT coming out in '10, if not then at least the SH-AWD. The 6MT garnered very positive reviews so I'd be inclined to test drive that. And I'd get the NAVI system if I were you.

PS - does anyone know if you can still program the NAVI while driving the 4G, as in the 3GTL? Or did they take that away too?

cjTL

iTrader: (2)

Not to mention that the current Civic sedans have more interior room than the new C-class. My mom has a C350...there is NO rear seat room whatsoever. There is also way to much plastic inside...it looks cheap. I will say that the navigation head unit is very nice, as is the sound system.
But to the OP, go with the TL...much bigger and better car all around.

cp3117

Actually i was just on mbusa.com and a comparable C300 is roughly 39K and the base TL is around 36K. The comparable C300 to the TL tech is roughly 41.5K to the TL tech at 39.5K.

Thats only a 2-3k difference between the two and each model has its pro's and cons (ie: TL more HP but the MB has a 7sp auto etc).

It looks like the OP is looking for a good daily driver thats reliable (gets him from point A to B), roomy and that would be good in winter driving conditions. If this is the case then the TL fits the need perfect and i would lean towards it. If you put on a good pair of winter tires it will be excellent in the winter (as any FWD would be).

My realtor has a C350 and personally i would spend the little extra and look at that as its a very nice car, but if room is a big concern you would be much happier with the TL.

The E-Class is out of the TL's league and is comparable to the RL. Although depending on what Acura does with the RL in the future i can see Acura is probably trying to lean the TL towards E-Class, 5series, A6 etc but it still has a long ways to go.

As others have said the New A4 is similar in interior room and would be very nice but you will have to pay more as it is more car.

IMO I would choose the Base TL over the C300 when it comes to a reliable, roomy, daily driver. As others have said though, if your more of an enthusiast you will be probably happier waiting for the 6MT SH-AWD or if room isnt of a huge concern look at the C350 if your stuck on MB as the only option (about 5.5k more though). The base TL (although a nice car) just doesnt cut it if your an enthusiast IMHO.

auto_freak

exactly, i agree with you 100%. to me buying a rwd vehicle is well worth it when its a monstrous v8 engine. to me v6 in fwd is good enough, maybe for the snow the tl-shawd would be a much better alternative. I would really go for the 09 tl over the merc c300, mercedes benz is very slow in refining their engines and updating them from time to time. I would go for a mercedes bluetec diesel engine over other luxury diesel cars anytime though. but to me, if I would ever buy a merc, I would be buying the Mercedes Benz S-Class(which quite simply is the best car in the world in terms of all aspects). In your case, I dont see much good rivals except the G37 or the BMW 335i.

Linnley

I just did the whole shopping for a new car thing....I have a 2000TL, a 1998BMW540i6sp, 1998 Pathfinder....so here are the options:

(with two kids, and the 00TL is traded-in)

1) MB, 300 or 350, nice car handles great, sporty enjoyable drive.
2) BMW, 328 or 335, great car.
3) G35, smooth, big, soft.
4) Passat CC, VW tight, quality of Audi interior.
5) Audi A4 - didnt drive it, the car didnt interest me.

I have test drove the first four and I can tell you, when I consider everything from performance, safety, interior quality, winter driving and finally price. My wife and I purchased a 09TL SH-awd (+tech package)

The ACURA people have done a great job - value, great safety, good performance, and reliable. The other interesting point is that they gave me 6Gs on the old TL, and took 1G off MSRP....not bad. They want my business. I can tell you MB and BMW dont work that way. ZEEE Germans count on the fact that you want them more than they want you.

my 2cents...later...LC

TLorNotTL

I'm intrigued by this comment. I just did an online comparison and these are very similarly sized vehicles, with similar features, and the TL appears to be more powerful - all at a lower price:







On what dimension is "The E-Class is out of the TL's league"?

Linnley

The prices should give you your answer....wow, and then some.

cheers

TLorNotTL

I totally agree. I was trying to point out that too often people fall into the trap of comparing the TL to the MB c-class, or to the BMW 3-series since that's what it's closest in price to. But the TL *is* Acura's mid-size sedan as the E-class and 5-series are to MB and BMW, respectively. cheers!

Brother Acura

I bought my 2005 TL after owning a 2004 E-Class. In my mind the TL was a superior car in every way except the prestige factor. The TL had a higher build qulaity, more powerful engine and more technology....that acutally worked. Don't get me wrong I really liked driving the E-Class but the TL is just better car. The only thing I don't know is how robust the TL would be in the long run. Those MB's seemed to be good for 300K miles.

cp3117

Luxury....(Dimensions of a vehicle doesnt exclusively define luxury)

This isnt just the TL but pretty much the whole Acura line. When you look at the materials used, available options, detail etc this is where the E-class pulls ahead of the TL. You then look at available drivetrains, V-8, AMG, 7sp auto etc etc. This is what always separates the tier one brands from Acura. This in turn is why the RL is always compared to the base models of the E-Class, A6, 5 Series because the material quality (among other things) picks up to this category.

In this case would i buy a E350 over a TL?? No....Mainly because i am not a huge fan of MB and there is more value in a A4 or a 3 Series compared to the TL...IMO....

If you base the class/luxury of a car based strictly on dimensions then the 09 TL is definitely going to be in the C-Class, 3 series, A4 category come next summer as the 09 A4 is already the same size as the TL and the redesigned 2010 A6, 5 series and E-class are all going to be released and bigger than the 2009 TL.

Like i stated in my original post i can see where Acura is trying to push the TL based on its size but it still lacks overall when trying to compete in those areas....Even the CEO for Honda recently stated that vehicles like the RL cant compete with other luxury brands and this is why the rush is on now for the V-8, etc

cp3117

Congrats on the purchase and you will have to post some pics....Werent the SH-AWD just released?? If so you must of purchased some of the first ones in Ontario.

I noticed you shopped the new CC compared to the TL. I havent seen one yet except for pictures but it matches up very well, looks awesome and price wise is equal to the TL with similar options plus a few other extras. The seating was probably a concern (seats only 4) when you have kids, but other than that what did you think of it???