I miss my 4th gen TL bad...and I am now in a position that I could either pick up a 5th gen TLX AWD Advance with every option and A-Spec Package, or go get a F-Sport GS350 new. I live in Abilene, so there is not a dealer near me other than in Fort Worth and thats 140 miles away. What do you guys think of the new 5th gen? Thoughts from 4th gen owners about it?

Is the trunk smaller even though the interior is the same size?

 

IMO the TLX is an upgrade for Tsx owners, nor for the 4gen TL ones. The interior and exterior are smaller in the TLX, trunk space is about the same. I had both 4cyl and v6 as loaners and I missed my 4gen so bad that I couldn't wait to have my car back. This is just my opinion, but if you are really in the market for a TLX go test drive one.

 

From what I've read, the transmission is the biggest drawback of the 5th gen. Big enough of a drawback (imo) to counter pretty much anything else it has going for it. The 4G already has a slow transmission (6AT), so backstepping into something that gear hunts all the time sounds plain wrong.

I agree with LostProphet, it seems like Acura kept more of the TSX than the TL with the 5G. The RL is just too much of a step up in price for what you get; the 4G filled that gap perfectly.

 

I had a TLX on loaner while my 4G was in for service, couldn't wait to get back in my 4G after only one day, get the 350.

 

Your comparing the TLX AWD to the GS350 FSport??

Get the Lexus already lol

 

The TLX wouldn't be on my shopping list simply because it is simply too small. The RL is overpriced and doesn't impress me. I love my '13 AWD TL. It'll be in the stable awhile.

 

Seems Acura made the replacement worse. I loved my TL but with a job loss I had to sell it. Yea, the Lexus is looking more appealing even though my heart is with Acura.

 

I agree here. F Sport all day.

 

Yeah.. I'd get the Lexus, the TLX wouldn't even be in the running to be honest.

 

Forget the TLX, get the Lexus or something else. I wouldn't buy any Acura sedan at this point, they have a lot to improve

 

i agree with everyone here. get the lexus.
i had the awd elite for a week while my car was in the shop. the lack of leg room in the rear seats was very noticeable, the seats were flat (no buckets)
while the ride was softer (suspension felt exactly like the accord) the car had a lot of body roll which doesnt give you any confidence when taking an onramp to use the shawd feature.
the transmission is defenetly laggy and when cruising on the highway, it took 2 full sec's to downshift when trying to overtake. either that or you stump your foot to the floor which is not ideal for daily driving.
on the plus side, i loved all the tech on it. with adaptive cruise and lane keep assist, this thing can practically drive itself.
at the end of it all, i liked the car but not enough to trade my 4g in. its a great cruiser and thats about it

 

I've been in a V6 TLX FWD loaner for almost a month waiting for my 4G engine replacement to be finished (short block assy is on back order), and i'm not a fan.

I can't really compare the driveability apples to apples since I'm in an auto fwd TLX coming from a 6-mt sh-awd TL, but the 9 speed auto transmission always feels confused and sometimes has clunky shifts as it tries to figure out what gear to be in. Even trying to manually shift with the paddles, everything was delayed. Suspension does feel softer too.

The touch screen setup is unreadable in direct sunlight, and i'll sometimes have to close the moonroof and moonroof cover just to see the screen on a sunny day... which is ridiculous when you have to go through multiple screen presses to adjust almost anything (which is why I love the 4G buttons for everything useful).

To answer your trunk question, the TLX trunk is definitely larger than in the 4G sh-awd, and the rear seats fold down in the TLX.

The only benefit I've found so far is I'm getting 30mpg from a 3.5L V6 since I stopped trying to enjoy it lol.

The TLX definitely feels like a downgrade from a 4G TL.

 

Thanks for the responses everyone. Looks like I will axe it off my list then. I do miss Acura but not enough to get in something that is worse than my 4th Gen. I have several other cars to look at before deciding on the Lexus. Like a new Genesis sedan, new Maxima. Also a used Ls460 is possible.

 

For anyone following along, I got a chance to drive a friend's IS F Sport back to back with my TL. Technology of course goes to the Lexus, but to be honest it's too much like the CUE system in the Caddy for my liking. From the driver's seat, it is quicker and more nimble but I honestly don't know if it would be any faster in real world driving, the TL AWD would just be more work. As for the driving experience, anyone who is seriously considering making the jump from the 4th generation TL to the F Sport should spend some real time in it. I drove it for awhile today, probably an hour or so. It is louder on the highway and it isn't nearly as comfortable at the driver's seat in my TL. Subjective I know, as I'm used to the TL now so maybe it is just a familiarity thing. The biggest drawback for me is, again, the size of the thing. The back seats blow and if your ride has to double up as the family hauler from time to time as mine does, the F Sport is off the list for the same reason the TLX is: not enough space for the kids and all their gear. Having had the TL back now for awhile after 2 months in the Caddy XTS rental , it's a great car. Strikes a very nice balance between playful sporty stiffness and highway cruiser loaded to the gills with kids and their baseball gear. Note to self: never have white leather again. Lol

 

Uhmm, the OP is talking about the GS, not the IS.

But good comparison on the IS though.

 

The GS is in a different league vs the IS. It's a much better car over the IS or TL.

 

I agree, I have been saying this since the first time I saw the TLX in person and have mentioned it several times on the forum. It's a nice upgrade for previous TSX owners, but IMO for someone coming from a 4G not so much. People can knock the looks of the 4G all they want, but IMO I will take it over the TLX any day, even my 2011 with it's "ugly beak". While TLX isn't a bad looking car, IMO it has no road presence and blends in with everything else on the road.

Even with that said, back in Nov I test drove one with my oldest son who was in the market for a new car. And while it is much more refined and quieter than the 4G and the ride was good, the trans shifting was as bad as a lot of owners here on the forum had reported. And even though he would have bought a 2016 with the updated trans/software, he didn't want to take any chances and also felt the TLX wasn't sporty enough for him.

 

GS is on a different level to the TL or TLX.

Have you driven both OP?

 

I haven't yet because its a 150 mile drive to look at them. Was just curious at everyones opinions from owning a 4th gen.

 

You can always look for a used GS at any non-Lexus dealership to try it out.

 

Oops. Sorry. I thought the GS F Sport like $75K?

 

The GSF is.

The GS350 F Sport is around mid 50s.

 

Only ES and IS I have found locally.

 

I've driven all three of the vehicles in this conversation. I still own a 4g. I bought my wife a '13 GS350. I have a 5g as a loaner. Here is my take:

5G TL) The vehicle rides ok. The interior, in my opinion, is not up to par with the 4 gs. It seem like Acrua used cheaper materials in the 5g. The cockpit and seats seem to have decreased in quality: more plastics, and less leather quality (hardly any leather smell compared to the 4g)
4g TL) Yeah some people hate the beak, but I don't know why this car gets such a bad rap. the SH-AWD handles like nobody's business on the road. It's a well made car and the interior is well done in my opinion. The leather smells good too (where there is leather).
GS350) Lexus designs very nice vehicles. Their latest grilles look like Predator's mouth to me. Other than that the cars are very nice. Better technology, in my opinion, than the acuras. The side mirrors are tinted to match the color of the interior (very nice).

However, I still find the 4g to be THE car for a spirited driver. Plenty of power. Hugs the road tight. The seats are most comfortable. I wish I can take my seat out the car and use it for my work chair. That's how ergonomic and comfortable it is. I can sit in it for hours.

I came very close to trading my 4g in for the lexus GS350 but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I love the 4g. It's a well made car and looks bad ass.

 

No way I would live with an IS. Front ugly design, horrible dash design... not a chance. I wouldn't have said that with a 2001 IS300... I wasn't interested in TL gen 4 either. No idea what they were thinking, a design mess.

Coming from two Bimmers, TLX is a proper successor the TL 2004. I don't regret getting a 3rd one, namely the F30. That says a lot about how great the TLX is.

 

I had a TLX AWD 6 cylinder as a loaner when it first came out. The trans was awful and felt unsafe to me. I didnt like the touch screen o the flat seats. NOT an upgrade to the 4th Gen.
Outside of the airbag inflator issues with the 4th gen,and that is a BIG issue until they all get fixed, it is the best car I've owned to date.
My next car will probably be a 2015 MDX. Liked that a lot as a rental.

 

As it sounds like you have already decided, stay away from the TLX. I own a 4G and 5G and I love both for different reasons, but this transmission is garbage in the TLX. On the contrary the 9spd in my MDX rocks. They just did a horrible job with this tranny in the TLX. Even with the '16 TLX which is claimed to have the cured transmission, throttle response is still terrible even in sport mode. Go with the GS, it'll totally stand out on the road with the edgy design. The TLX is a great value with good looks, and aside from the bad transmission it rides well. But the likeliness of me buying another Acura sedan is slim, as I won't buy another TLX with this 9spd and I'm skeptical of this 10spd from Honda.

 

Test drove a 2015 TLX SH-AWD Tech today, and it was okay I guess. The salesperson kept blabbering about all the new tech features, most of which are gimmicky to me. I drove it in Sport+ the entire time, and it was alright. It doesn't appear to auto shift into 2nd anymore, but it also seems like the last 3 gears are only for high speed cruising. Shifting seemed pretty smooth, but that was probably because I was flooring it the entire time lol.

Interior space is definitely lacking, and I much prefer the dash layout of the 4G. The touch screen was a bit cumbersome to use. My knees felt more cramped up against the dash and door as well.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no compelling reason for me to go from no car payments into something with a $40k asking price where the only difference is a bunch of lazy person assist "features".

 

As a 4 Gen TL owner looking to upgrade is really tough. I don't thing there is anything better in the market, most of us agree the 5 gen is not comparable. If money is not a problem for you I will probably get an Audi and get rid of it after the warranty finish, but if you want a reliable car that last long I will go with the GS350. However I think Lexus are overpriced vehicles with inferior interior quality compared to Acura and every time I see a Lexus on the road it is being driven by an older person, no disrespect.

 

To the OP...from the 4G to the TLX?? Very short answer, Don't do it....

The GS 350 is on an entirely different level, the few negatives are: 1) Power is not exactly earth shattering and 2) Hard (well pretty much impossible when I did look at it) to get an F-Sport with active cruise control (unless you order it), Lexus has a weird packaging policy for cars on dealer lots.

Best bang for the buck comparable to what the 4G was in its time?? Chevrolet SS or Dodge Charger, if you want to go a bit more classy, Chrysler 300 or Hyundai Genesis....all of them fantastic machines for the money and head and shoulder ahead of the TLX

 

I guess I'm the minority here, but I had a series of TLX loaners for close to 20 or so days over the course of 2-3 months when my ILX was being stupid. The first few times (maybe first week or so) I really didn't like the TLX - I even preferred the 2016 ILX over it, but as I drove it more and more, something about it just clicked with me. The 2nd screen was a lot easier to use than the interface in the TL/ILX and the driving just felt right. The TLX was an acquired taste for me and I'll likely buy or lease one in the next month.

 

Depends on the perspective..coming from an ILX you may like the TLX, from the 4G TL, IMHO, less chances of that....

 

^^
In CTNYC's sig. He's coming from a '10 TL.

2010 Acura TL 3.5 Tech (Grigio/Ebony) - Current
2013 Acura ILX Hybrid Tech (Bellanova/Ebony) - Gone
2008 Honda Accord LX-P (Royal/Gray) - Gone

You might be in the minority here in 4G, but there are plenty of 4G owners that have upgraded to the TLX in the TLX forum or just plain moved on to Lexus, Dodge, Ford....whatever.

 

Nobody said no 4G owners would do it, especially the ones that maybe do not care much about a sporty driving experience.....the fact that the TLX is a tough sale to 4G owners has been confirmed to me by a senior Acura salesman (25 years with Acura) when I test drove the TLX V6 SH-AWD

 

 

Amen brother!!!
The 4G is such a good car. I wish they weren't depreciating like they are now given that they are now a 7 year-old car.
People just dont realize how solidly engineered this car really is.

 

I always say that if Acura keeps going in this direction, the 4G will be remembered as the last great sport sedan ever made by Acura...it is already the best TL ever.

 

Don't agree on the interior quality part. Lexus blows Acura out of the water these days with that. If I do a CPO on a 2014-2016 model I will save good amounts of money so it won't be overpriced. Now getting the F-Sport, I don't see too many old people driving those...

 

lol does every one have saturno on block???? sorry for disrupting the classroom...carry on

 

...you mean when almost everybody on this thread agrees with me??