FR4NCH1SE

I didnt test drive the 09 at my Acura dealer in Chantilly, VA, Pohanka. But boy it is a very good looking car inside and out, other than the grill that is liveable. The car sort of looks like the 09 RL from the back the TSX in the front. And has an interior like a RL now. Same plastics inside same alluminum. I wish they redesigned the interior alot more. yea the buttons are great and not cheap feeling, but I wish they went for something totally new. The Great is better than expected from the exterior point. I would say the 4G is a better car then the 3G, but 3G is still a better looking car. I would trade for a 4G in a heartbeat thou.

biggygo

aftermarket has new grills in the works, so don't let that stop you - in a year or two when you get used to the new look, you might say that the new car looks better than the 3rd Gen (some might not, but most will come around)
when Audi came out with their new front end, the Audi community decried it as hideous - now it's readily accepted and some are even modifying their older generation Audi's with the new front end. I expect the same acceptance to happen here over time

And go test drive the new TL!! It's a great riding car!

timmahh

The interior is completely different from the 3G.. It does look similar to the other Acura's, but that's their design right now.. I guess there are some similar materials but it looks completely different to me!

1075

I didn't drive one yet, the local dealership has two, a black one with the tech package and a white base model. They were both PULLED into the curb all day yesterday and when I got off work this morning they were still pulled into the parking spaces in front of the dealer. IMO they are trying to hide that grille. I don't mind the car from the sides or rear at all, IMO it definitely looked better in black.

Other than the front, I think that the 4th Gen TL is a good looking car. I arrived this morning before the sales staff, but both cars were unlocked since the service department was open so I got inside and checked them out. I really have no major complaints with the interior, there is more front legroom and the materials are of comparable quality to the 3rd generation. Some of the plastic does not convey a feel of quality especially on the door sills and the lower part of the door, kind of reminded me of a GM quality plastic. The grab handle on the front doors also felt cheap to me as did the plastic surrounding the steering column. The interior is not up to par with a Lexus IMO, but it is generally pleasing, well laid out and not gawdy.

Visibility out of the car seemed worse than the 3rd generation, the glass surface of the outside mirrors seemed smaller and the view out of the rear seemed worse to me than the 3rd gen. The trunk also seemed smaller, more irregularly shaped and the floor is not flat.

I'll have to hold my final verdict until after I actually drive one, but so far I see nothing compelling me to leave the 3rd generation. I will admit that I am very biased because I've only had my '08 for a month. I think that if Acura does something to tone down that hideous grille, they will have a decent car assuming that the quality, ride and handling are up to par.

Now if Acura would go to work bringing the dealership customer service experience up to Lexus standards, they would be on to something.