So today the TL went on it's first spin. We went into Boston cruised around stopping here and there and then had dinner in Harvard Sq. And I'm not exaggerating when I tell you how much positive feedback we got. I felt like I was in an exotic or something. I had a few BMW's, a G35, and every other racer trying to run with me. She had 70 miles on her so I'm not racing anything quite yet. People were following, pointing, beeping, waving, yelling.. They came up when we would get out and ask questions and say words such as, nice, beautiful, hot, crazy. I'm not going to lie it was cool and all but I sorta was like hasn't anyone seen one of these yet? And I thought it was supposed to be butt ugly. But we were out all day and night and I didn't see one 2009 TL. And these weren't all young kids, they were of all ages.

So it makes me wonder. Is it just that the forums are filled with a certain type of crowd and we're not getting the right sample here?? It seems the majority of people in the forums are putting it down etc.. Because if I went by what happened to me today, I'd bet some serious dough that this car is going to do just fine. Let's face it the economy is in the crapper, so a 39-43k car may not be selling like hotcakes no matter what it looks like. That fact may just make it a slow starter. Time will tell.

 

Time will tell. My bet is that the '10's come out with a new grille, then all will be right with the world.

 

Of course then he woke up and realized he was not in OZ anymore...

 

 

No need for time to tell. This car is getting positive reviews across the board. The people on forums like this are extremely critical of cars, especially if they own the previous generation. Keep in mind we make up less than 10% of their sales. Every single person I talk to says the car is well worth the money, even at 43k fully loaded w/ AWD, everyone agrees it can't be beat. And in person it is very much impressive. Again, people on these forums are critical, but car companies sell the masses. Everyone here apparently thinks their better than one of the largest car companies in the world. Look at Honda's track record since 2000... aside from the CL, they really haven't gone wrong. Nor would they let their TL go down the drains. This car will be all over the road.

 

LMAO, Keith L, you stole my thunder, about the dream, anyhow Wave, maybe, maybe, just maybe, but doubtfully, the G35 was trying to keep up (unless it was driver error), but just like the TL is in it's 4th generation, NEWSFLASH, the 2009 G37 has arrived, my God I cannot wait until they start selling the sh awd around here so I can see who is keeping up with who. I am trying to set up a test this week with my buddy test driving the TL, i'll be waiting for him around the corner. I'll let you know how it works out

 

Wave,

FWIW, I have gotten lots of thumbs up and double takes from people of all shapes and sizes.

What surprises me even more is that my wife took the car on a road trip and had someone stop her at a gas station and ask her about the car all giddy.

I think the honest truth is that with this economy, cars are simply not selling. The few of us that have bought them have somewhat of an "exotic" in that no one has seen these outside of a few commercials, and the feedback has been pretty positive so far...

I love your color combo, btw, that was my first choice if I could have waited for the AWD to arrive!

 

Apples to Oranges again.. Both are better at different things. So have fun pretending to be Road & track and let us know all the specs. God, do people here read these threads..

 

Thanks TlDeac, Glad to hear you are also getting positive feedback. It will just be a slower launch, but it will, and it does!

 

Wave, I am not surprised by all these positive reactions you have had! First, the new TL does look very different.... then your beautiful Mayan Bronze color and the amazing umber interior combo just makes it look rather exotic!!!

Congrats again and have fun!

P.S. Would you mind posting more pics please? I would love to see various angles of the car from a distance. Thanks!

 

Thank you Ostrich, Yeah I think that color is different so it does get a reaction from that first. I plan to take some after after I clean it up a little. For everyone else, I'm putting them all at this link which I posted in another thread, http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/65402...15911964_EN4Df

 

Nice color on the exterior, the interior color is not my favorite, maybe when you actually buy it instead of taking pics at the dealer, then you will know how it really drives, Pic#4 brought back test drive bad memories 43K for a car and I have to manually adjust the steering wheel

 

It's so funny how people are such haters, LOL. The TL looks amazing on the road. There'll be no need to defend this car in 2 years cuz everyone will be saying "Oh yeah, I guess it's grown on me"

 

Thanks, i think.. So if I did actually own it I don't think I would care about the manual column, I don't need to keep moving it around. Though it's what Infiniti does to make you think you didn't waste all that money. Maybe if you're a big person and getting in and out is an issue. But I weigh a whooping 130lbs so I fit in those nicely bolstered seats purrrfectly. Well, I would if I actually owned it.

 

it's the convenience and comfort of getting in/out of the vehicle, since i prefer my steering wheel at the lowest position and the farthest out, just a comfort level for driving, wow 130 lbs, make sure you drive with your window up, i wouldn't want to fly by in my G37 and have you sucked out the window

 

I wouldn't have minded the automatic wheel for sure but I'm glad Acura put the money into more important things. And that's how I like the wheel too, but it doesn't affect me at all and my weight has always given me an edge, bring it!

 

Let us know when you need a lift to the service department to fix your G37 every couple of months.

 

Your only 9 posts in to your Acurazine membership and almost everyone of them has been knocking on the TL. It's one thing to have your opinion, but it's another when your attacking other members.

Clearly, your insecurity with the TL is what has attracted you here. Keep this up and you won't be around here for much longer.

Go outside and race your G35 from 0-60.

 

X2... Granted, I don't have many posts..but I noticed he's 45 years old. More like a 45 year old man who has nothing better to do than start a fight online...

 

TL SH-AWD > G37. Come back to us when Infiniti offers a G37 with a good interior.

 

^^^ Come back when Infinit offers a decent interior period LOL

 

Make sure to let everyone know how your craptastic leather and other interior material in your G is peeling in a few months

Oh and also you have me laughing at your " Fly by " comments and your testing of the cars like your a magazine road tester , get a grip your still in mid 300hp car . At best these cars are fast for daily driving comparisons , so yes as someone else said , go outside and time your 60's or go corner in and out of walmart parking .

You sure don't act your age . Even more sad when a 21 year old has to tell you that .

 

What's so funny?

Are you telling us that the RDX has a better interior than the EX35?

Clearly, you haven't been in the new FX50S or EX35.

 

Infiniti will come out with a new interior for their 2010 models. Though I agree with the previous comments stating that the TL interior is actually better then the G37 (sedan).

Even with SH-AWD the TL is under powered compared to the G37... plus the transmission difference is annoying.

TL vs. G37 (Sedan)
305hp (SOHC) - 328hp (DOHC)
5 speed AT - 7 speed AT/ 6 speed MT

When is acura going to update their transmission? Even Lexus offers a 6speed AT...

 

I would by lying if I didnt say the 4G is growing on me. sure the beak is still hard to not notice, but everything technical about the car (except the 5AT) looks good on paper.

the front fascia (lights over the fogs) is surely giving me an idea.

 

I don't much/any different from G35 to G37 design. Same old design... WOW G37 two number above 35!!

To OP, I love the interior...Its hot!

 

Umm yeah... it's basically the same as comparing the 3G TL to the 3G TL-S. I'm not sure what your point is? It's not like Infiniti put out a press release stating that they were putting out a newly redesigned model.

 

When I was out looking to buy my first car (i knew nothing about cars so only thing i was looked for was how reliable and how it looks from interior to exterior) I did a lot of research for a month comparing all the cars inside and out and guess what? I sealed the deal with 3G TL because it was the best value and perfect fit while I hated to look in Infinity X exterior and interior. So my point is, this is the same old design that I hated, G35 now aka G37 with HP advantage.

Only Infinity looks good to me is the G35/37 'Coupe' but when you add sedan in it, it is just look ugly.

Now when I looked at 4G TL I think it is an improvement from 3g TL with all the goody's that it comes with..

 

Let them knock the 4G all they want (haters), but all I know is that when I am in my car and drive from point A to point B, I can tell you that there are alot of drivers who speed up to take a look at what it is, and the ones that slow down to see what it is. I am certain 100% sure that they do not say what an ugly thing that is.

This car is amazing on the drive and on the look. I personally as mentioned many times before, would not paint the beak and I think a painted beak makes it close to an ordinary looking car. Yes it stands out, but what do you want, its a TL, its supposed to stand out in the crowd. From 97 to 2009, all my TL's stood out in the crowd.

So knock it all you want,

 

Painting the grill looks too cheesy and cheap. I love the original looks for what it is.

 

I have seen the AWD model at the Acura dealer. The rear I have grown to like, but I would paint that front beak asap! I have only seen one 2009 TL, base or SH-AWD on the road around here.

 

1thing is right about flying in your g37 0-60 5flat. But the 4G tl doesnt look that bad. But i would take a 2003 G35 over it lol.

 

Just curious, what is wrong with the G35/37 interior? I have a preference for it over the 4G, I hate the clutter and in the center button and the cheap ass looking -drive wannabe knob.

 

Glad to hear you're getting positive reactions from the general public.

We are critical here because we are TL owners and we have a passion for our current models/looks. When something crazy comes to replace us, we are going to judge the living hell out of it.

I didn't like the spy shots I saw. The artsy fartsy Acura released picture didn't do it for me. What ultimately sold me to starting to accept it was actually seeing the car in person and sitting in it. The looks are still hard to get past, the base model wheels don't fit the car at all, and the price tag is steep. I don't like the direction most car manufactures are taking now -- making tall, sharp, big body lines and bizarre grilles, headlights, and tailights. Think Acura TSX/TL, Nissan Maxima, Mazda 6.

Enjoy your new car -- no matter what others think!

 

Beautiful car wave, I think this is going to be a great car for Acura. Even though the TL sales have always been pretty good this kind of puts them in a different class going bigger on the Vehicle size imo!! Thanks for the review. This car grows on me everyday

 

Boy oh Boy, how sensitive you guys are, I am not trying to pick a fight, I was just trying to express my opinions as everyone else does on here. For the umpteenth time, I only was on this site because I was actually considering buying the SH AWD, This is my 3rd G, and except for scheduled service, my G's have never been in the for problems, my interior and leather has never faded or peeled.
I test drove the base model back in September and liked it, but not better than my 07 G35x, but I knew I was never going to buy that model, I wanted the sh awd, even though the G was adding 22 more ponies, I thought that the TL would be a nice change, but honestly, when the sh awd was delayed was dissapointment #1, then when the dealer called and said he had one in for test drive only, I test drove it and I thought the handling was very nice, but I was very dissapointed in the power I really didn't notice any difference from the base model, so much so, that when I returned to the dealer, I asked to take the base model out again and powerwise felt no real difference, so 2 days later my Infiniti dealer emailed me and told me the new G37x sedan was in, so I went and test drove it and loved it, the handling was the same as my 07, which I never really had a problem with, I will, if I can be honest give the handling edge to the TL only so slightly though, the Ride on rough surfaces go to TL, and on smooth surfaces felt no difference, but what won me over, was the power on the 37, it feels a whole lot more than the 22 they said they added, so I guess I m a bad person because I LIKE SPEED, and tomorrow will be 1 week since I bought my G37XS, and the weather has been nice and rainy with wet leaves on the ground and all and I have been very happy in all aspects, and the SH AWD is still not for sale around here. And the only reason I was staying on this site was because I wanted to see peoples input into how they liked the new SH AWD, and I took exception to being called a "Idiot Racing from light to light in their G", and finally I don't consider myself a road and track testing expert, its just that I have had over 30 cars in my 30 years of driving, from older muscle cars to luxury cars to SUV's and Pickups

 

ks you're funny, whining about how sensitive we are but you couldn't take my joke about racing light to light. I already said I enjoy that too but I think there is more to buying a 40k+ car than just that, and we all have our criteria list for what we want in that car and what needs to be on top of that list. You have SPEED at the top and you love your G, and I'm happy for you, really I am. So be happy for us current and future 4G TL owners. Or don't, but expect us to rip on you over and over till you go crawling back to the G forums where you all can make each other feel warm and fuzzy.

 

Personally, I don't really care for the interior of the G either. Pre- 2007, I couldn't stand the exterior/interior. The 07+ years (exterior) looks great and the interior has definately improved or at least I could live with it. The interior just doesn't scream luxury to me. It looks stark just like the 3'er's dash.

I have yet to drive a G37S (the only model that interests me) but before I get my next car I am waiting for the MT SHAWD before making a decision.

 

I knew it TBS has been running Wizard of Oz last few days so he got caught up in the moment and was clicking his ruby slippers, there's no car like a 4G, there's no car like a 4G..... and presto there he was in a 4G being envied by us Wicked Witches... Now does the Wizard have a Brain for those Acura Execs that approved that damn Grill across the entire line....

 

Hmm, interesting, I agree some of the G materals could be better and I'm not sure they wanted it to scream luxury, I think consdering how God awful the 1G G35 interior was the 2G G35 interior is like night and day, I do think they have room for improvment, but they are at least in the bal park now, vs. being long gone.