shappy

During my test drive in a TL, I noticed that the side view mirrors seemed a bit small. Do they contribute to blind spots, or has it not been an issue for most owners?

Also, for those with the 6MT, how has your fuel economy been?

Thanks!

potmilkz

imho, they are big, are you getting the advance model? has blind spot warning lights for you lol

mpg on a MT is always better than auto. unless you are heavy footed.

awz05TL

I just got 3rd gen MT TL and i am loving it man. It is my daily drive car and will highly recomend it.

ESHBG

I had an '09 as a loaner and being used to the huge side mirrors on my '09 TSX, I found the TL's to be quite small as well. No real issues (and I am sure the blind spot monitoring system helps as well), but definitely small.

This is not the case anymore, and today's autos are usually the same/more efficient. In Acura's case, the AT in the TSX and TL is more efficient than the MT when going by the official numbers.

potmilkz

take it from a guy that drove both 2010 TL's MT and AUTO, trust me i know..

in fact, my tl is a FWD 3.5 and i got a AWD MT 3.7 liter as a loaner for a week, and believe me, the AWD got more miles out of a tank than i did with my FWD.. and its .2 liters more..

i do mostly conservative driving, letting it roll when it needs to on the MT, and i got about 60 more miles off the AWD than in my FWD

JM2010 SH-AWD

The small mirrors are my only real design complaint with the car. You do get used to them, but there is a fairly sizable blind spot on the left side if a car is right along but just slightly behind you. An over-the-shoulder look is mandatory when changing lanes to the left. I suppose this may depend on how far back your seat is adjusted, etc., but it is an issue. I've adapted to it

After 12,500 miles, I'm averaging 25.3 mpg with my 6MT in a 50/50 mix of suburban/city vs highway driving. A better sense of my traffic mix might be the recorded average speed, which varies between 35 and 39 mph. Some have recorded as high as 30 mpg on the highway with the 6MT, and I now think that's readily attainable after break-in, with no A/C, and speeds not exceeding 65 mph.

I'm pleasantly surprised by the gas mileage this large, AWD vehicle delivers.

shappy

One thing I seem to have noticed about Honda/Acura is that they seem to under-promise and over-deliver when it comes to fuel economy, unlike most GM products (for example).

winstrolvtec

I don't really know if the mirrors are small or not, it's never been an issue, never really thought about it. Blind spots have never been a problem for me because I position my side mirrors far out enough to eliminate them. I can see behind me from the main rear view mirror and can see the cars approach from the sides as well as when they are directly next to me in the side mirrors.
My 6MT's gas mileage overall has been slightly better than advertised and I have a pretty heavy foot. When I want to, I can consistently get signifcantly better gas mileage even in city driving than the rated 17 mpg by shifting appropriately and allowing the car to roll in neutral when and as much as possible.

With the shorter gearing, I imagine that it would use more gas than the 6AT for regular driving and when it was EPA tested, especially when on it but IMO, it also has the potential to be the same or better when driven in a very conservative manner that an AT doesn't allow as much of, at the same time. The shift points are less flexible, and it's not likely that many use neutral as often, or if it is advisable (or even necessary) to frequently shift in and out of neutral, in an AT.

aweedman

Agreed. Most people do not know how to set their mirrors correctly. If you position the mirrors so you can see the side of your car you will have blind spots. Listen to the author of the previous post or look up on the internet on how to set side mirrors.

Edward'TLS

The 6MT on the 2012 TL is geared for performance, not fuel economy. Thus the worse fuel mileage for the 6MT compared to the 6AT.

This makes sense, because those buyers, if worrying about gas mileage, should never ever consider a sedan this big and this heavy, and also those manual transmission buyers, who opt for MT in this size class of sedans, are all looking for better performance.

halls120

I agree that the mirrors are on the small side, but it didn't take long to get used to them and modify my lane changing behavior.

As far as fuel economy goes, I'm getting about 1.5mpg less than my 2004 TL MT, but I expected that, given the SHAWD and bigger car, bigger engine. That said, I'm getting better than what Acura advertised for the car, which was my experience with my 2004 as well.