jeowen

A quick observation, or dare I say....confession-
I come from many long lines of the Honda products- the latest few being a 08 NBP TL-S (5AT), and now onto the 08 NBP RL Full A-SPEC. I never in my wildest imagination even questioning the idea of getting into a 4th G TL when they arrived. Absolutely hated the car and dissapointment was heavy...

That being said I had to take my RL into service(due to the most annoying Rattle yo u can ever imagine..and being CPO, it wasnt to be dealt with any longer. So I take it in on Tuesday morning and he had a '11 WDP TL-SHAWD waiting for me as my loaner... oh, what to expect.. I will keep this short in respects to your time and mine, thus briefly stating a few defining differences imo in this TL and the "others"-

- The cars build quality is second to none, doors sound like a vault, absolutely in love with the steering wheel, the ride is that is could easily rival my RL road noise, and the sound is system is excellent, the interior is well refined and I could go on about how impressed I was with the "drivers position" (layout, controls, nav, seat comfort, did I mention how perfect the steering wheel fits, and how FAT it is)-

- The car drives like a dream- perfectly responsive, SHAWD = FTW (need I say more)-

- My garage now has a 4G WDP- and I am finding myself taking that second look, and dare I say, admiring her, yet on a different level, not so much aesthetically, but more of a manner of "damn what a machine"-
- Going to go ahead and close this up, but i will conclude with today the Service Manager called me and said that he is going to need another day with my RL, and I told him to take his time....

Dymondawg

You are not alone... I felt the same way after driving a black, 6MT SH-AWD. Alas, I remain loyal to my NBP '08 Type S.

Aman

I don't think anyone ever doubted the new TL's performance. SH-AWD and 305 horsepower is always a winning combination, and the base model is no slouch either. The big issue was the grille.

FWIW, I hated the grille when the 09 was revealed. Thought it was as ugly as ugly could get. But now, I think it's kinda cool. Certainly not beautiful, but aggressive, in the same way a GT-R is.

I've started to appreciate the aesthetics of the 2009-2011 TL, just in time for a refreshed model to come out. Now we gotta do the ugly thing all over again

crxb

maybe you should add your post to here

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/new-tl-vs-my-05-rl-806119/

here's a sample

1

"NEW TL vs. my '05 RL
So brought my RL in for a few Warranty things and they gave me a new TL. Man this things sucks. As we all know the exterior is hideous, and the interior feels cheap and busy. Of course this is just an opinion but honestly feel that my 5 year old RL is a much better car then the new TL. You can almost immediately tell the superior build quality of the RL vs. the TL. /rant."



2 and for balance:

"But I LOVE the power and handling of the new TL!"


we are all entitled to our opinions

I hated the 4G's looks when I 1st saw it

until I drove the SH-AWD

did you see this photo of the 2012?

With Body kit from the acura site:
http://www.acura.com/FutureVehiclesTL12.aspx#/Gallery_6

Dymondawg

Saw the 2012 SH-AWD 6MT at the Chicago Auto Show... they had it closed, sitting under a canopy-like thing with it's own spotlights. Had a new kind of 5-spoke Acura wheel on it too. The new grill looks great. Still sits a little too high for me, but it looked great and couple that with the way it drives... becoming a nice all-around player imo.

Stew4HD

Great review! Thanks! Like you, I hated the look of the 4G at first but the more I see them on the road, the more I like the way they stand out with their aggressive look.

When I get back the states, I am going to go take a look at a SH-AWD WDP.. will have to add the RJ grill though and an A-spec kit though cuz I gotta be different!

Mr Marco

???

Bearcat94

We both know where this is going to end up.


You got that RL, like, 2 weeks ago, and now you're going to trade it in for a 4G SH-AWD.


:wink:

jeowen

i dont think so boss- not yet..

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

i told you so!! (not you in particular, but all 3G owners)

i got flamed when i switched over like 2 years ago from my 08 Type-S... I never regretted it or looked back... the only thing i missed about my 3G Type-S was the $15k+ in custom parts i had on it.... i since bought a home, and havent really put much $$ into either of my 4Gs..

i love the 4G so much, that i traded my 09 in for 10

23109VC

I also have a 2G RL... and I think the new 4G TL is the car that will get me to trade/upgrade.

i can see a WDP 2012 SH-AWD 6speed auto inmy future...

i'm very curious to see how the new six speed auto does vs the manual.... i have usually always had sticks... i used to have an S60R 6 speed...loved it... now i have an RL..auto... i do enjoy the relaxing nature of an auto.. the older I get ht elss I "have" to have a stick... and an auto is more user friendly for 90% of my driving... but most of the auto manuals are just pitiful in cmoparison to a true manual... on cars like porsche the PDK auto is actually as fast or faster than a manual....

the auto feature on my RL lets me hold gears, but the shifting is still auto in nature. slow.

is the new 6pseed auto going to have faster shifts vs my RL? that might be good enough to let me kep auto but get a manumatic shifting that is "good enough" for my needs...

i'm with you - the new 4G is a neat car and I think I too may get one...

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

^ so from what i've read, the new 6AT will shift incredibly fast

also, i know a lot of folks are "gun-shy" to get the 6AT, because of Acura/Honda's extreme fail with releasing the 5AT transmission in 6G Accord 2G CL/TL

The amount of money and R&D put into the 6AT is out of control. Everybody bitched and moaned about Acura still have a 5AT.. the reason is... well.. perfection takes time

lets see if the results are as good as the hype!

Treblig

One would hope that Acura learned from their 5AT experience and does not want to live through that experience again. That being said, I too am considering trading my RL for the new TL.

blkaspec

so you have two 4Gs now, or did you get rid of your white one?

blackbr

I think this story is unique and common to 4G TL owners (I am not among them, but want to be!).

When it came time to trade in my 3G TL, I didn't seriously consider the 4G. I drove the 4G base model and found that it felt too much like the 3G and I wanted something different. Then again, I wasn't wild at all about the styling or the way the car grew by a few inches. I drove the TSX too but found it too unrefined (compared to the MB C-300 I ultimately ended up with).

At the Cleveland auto show a couple of years ago I was stopped in my tracks by a bronze SH-AWD with the umber interior. I was stunned by how good looking the car was. Sitting in the car too, I loved the seats, seating position, and steering wheel as well.

Had the chance to drive one a couple of weeks later and thought it was one of the most fun cars I've ever driven. The SH-AWD is truly a different car altogether than the base model.

dwest1023

I'm with you guys. Hated the grille on4g. I saw one painted and I thought it helped. When I had my pearl red painted and put the sport trim around it, it did the trick. What I MOST like about the 4g is it stands out from the crowd of boring. Maybe Acura knew something we didn't? I was happy with my red TSX with all the goodies including wood steering wheel. I HAD to take a test drive and next thing I knew I had a TL in my driveway. I think the audio system did it!

NwTSXmt

Converted haters...to late NO SHAWD for you...NEXT....Hey its a great car...PERIOD

Moneyman2011

Today I had some time to kill between client appointments and stopped by my local Acura dealer. I asked to drive the 2011 RL for purposes of wanting to see what the 6 speed is like. I asked if this 2011 RL 6 speed will be geared exactly the same as the 12 TL, and he said that it is the same without the software upgrade. The 12 RL however will have the same transmission as the 12 TL. In fact he said that the MDX and the Honda Odyssey Elite will have the same unit too. Very interesting on a lot of levels. Obviously Honda/Acura has a lot of confidence in this new transmission.

Here was my impression of the RL 6 speed: Silky smooth off the line, nice mid-range and a little weak on the top end through the rev range. It was fairly typical for the engine type. The most aggressive launch caused only a minor chirp of the front wheels. I properly calibrated my G-Tech Pro to get some measurements. My best of two 0-60 runs was 6.08 seconds. That was accomplished with a simple standing on the gas with the VSA. Now the RL is heavier by about 200 pounds over the 12 TL SH-AWD. If the gearing is the same and the shift action is the same, I think that 5.45 seconds to 60 seems unrealistic. My guess is the new 12 TL SH-AWD might post 5.9 or 5.8 to seconds to 60. What was interesting was jumping into a hard corner and hitting the gas in 2nd gear. The SH-AWD is simply awesome! You could really feel it engage and overdrive the outside drive wheel.

I then went back to the dealer and did the same with the 11 TL SH-AWD which has the 5 speed. It was slower off the line in a very obvious way. The handling was even better than the RL by a mile, and the RL was awesome! I recorded a 0-60 with the VSA on and off for sampling purposes. I recorded 6.21 and 6.33 respectively.

So here is my final assessment: The 12 TL is 200 lbs lighter than the RL, but when I consider the difference in weight and the addition of the 6 speed with the software and production improvements, I have more confidence that the numbers I was quoted previously seems very plausible.

· 0-60 5.45 with VSA engaged
· 0-60 5.59 with VSA off
· 1/4 mile 13.91 @ 103.4 mph

I only hope what I was told is true. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of my Blackbird.

Bearcat94

So you think 200 pounds and software are going to gain a half second in 0 - 60? In the 1/4 mile, "they" say 100 pounds = 0.1 sec; you've got 5 tenths to find in a much shorter distance.

I thought the 5.5 second 0 - 60 was "confirmed"? Money in the bank. Sounds like now it's "hope".


FWIW - I'd be highly suspicious of anyone in dealership sales or front end that claimed to know the gearing in '12 TL. I'd bet even money they're talking out of their ass.

Treblig

The TL may be geared differently as well. I would think the TL and RL have different missions is life.

Moneyman2011

Like I said, I do not work for Acura/Honda. One of my closest friends is on the design team and very close to the project. His information is not hearsay. What I shared about my test drive was a combination of technical measurements by the G-Tech Pro and my interpretations of the performance. I doubt anyone can tell by the seat of the pants measurements between 5.5 and 5.8 seconds to 60. I am not suggesting that I “know” how the 12 TL will drive. I am extrapolating and making a guess on what the 12 TL will be like. The information I reported is real based on what I was told. I can’t address those that doubt the legitimacy of my comments on this site.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Jeowen, nice story. I guess you really can't judge a book by it's cover....

acura_service

from end looks better from different angles but not all of them, back end looks good, i overlooked the looks of it, i liked my 08 but my 11 is a really nice car so far, its a little stiff around town, but on the highway rides very nice, smooth quiet nice power and it was a really good lease deal so i cant complain

a35tl

I'm a convert of the 4G TL also. Didn't like it at first but love it now and it will be my next car. Currently driving an '07 TL Nav.

halls120

Picked up my 2011 SH-AWD 6MT in Palladium Metallic today. Drove it home and parked it next to my 04 TL, and while I'll always be fond of the 04, for sheer driving enjoyment the 04 can't match the SH-AWD. And while in 2009 when the 4G was first revealed, I couldn't stomach the beak, I've become strangely enamored of it.