am i the only one feels like TL suffer from lack of low-end power??? I have Sh-awd but every time I drive the car, it kinna hesitate at low rpms.

 

Too much weight, too much drive train loss. That's why the FWD car beats it to 60.

 

 

The 5AT sux, get the 6MT and you won't think that the low end sucks... it's actually rather responsive for weighing nearly 4k lbs. But the MT is also a couple hundred lbs lighter than the normal SHAWD.

I'd be curious to see the improvement when they put the 6AT in the TL.

 

That is how most awd feels when engine rpm is low.

 

Not so much a lack of low end power, more a lack of gearing in the 5AT to take advantage of that power in those type of situations. The 6MT is better but even so the car generally lacks the thrust feel you would expect at low rpms for a car that is as fast as it is but that doesn't mean it isn't accelerating well. I have been in a few significantly slower cars at all speeds that have felt faster but are not. Regardless of feel most cars ( at least ones I have owned or driven) can not match the drivability in high gears at low rpms.

I think it feels worse than it really is. Sure the weight and AWD are the biggest part of that but the smoothness of the engine and tranny combined with a flat gradual power band, not to mention very fluid like and variable power delivery of the AWD system can also be very deceiving.

 

I think for the auto SHAWD model, it's mainly the transmission that doesn't fit the car.

My base model, at low speeds, easily out-accelerates cars in traffic, by 3k rpm, i'm usually already blowing past cars. For the shawd, i had to push it to 4k+ to really get it moving.

The Audi A5 has more than enough low end torque and the transmission shifts much more aggressively than the auto shawd, in "s" or "m" mode whichever it was.

Acura needs to work on this.

 

The FWD car beats the AWD car to 60? I'd have to see that.

 

My Porsche 911 had no low end also my old Ferrari 308 unless u had the rpm up.

 

3800+ pounds and AWD power loss = low end loss!!!

I have also noticed on very rare occasion especially as slowing to an almost stop and then acceleerating that the AWD sometimes has a very slight hesitations, sometime scary, not sure if it is electronics, power train slack or what, has only happened maybe 8-10 times in 15 months.

 

Install a Takeda short ram air intake and it will help. After the install, I definately feel more thrust during takeoffs and esp. passing. A lot of bang for the $$.

It's too bad Acura doesn't have something like the Ford Eco-Boost engine like the one in the Taurus SHO. The SHO is an extrememly large and heavy car but does 0-60 in 5.2 sec! The Eco-Boost V6 delivers over 360+hp while delivering better mpg than the SH-AWD!

 

Nah i don't think that's the case. Go drive an Audi A5 tiptronic (3900lb), in S mode though (D mode upshifts to 2nd gear right away) It's quick, peppy, smooth (not as smooth at the TL), tons of low end. At 2.5k rpm, it feels as fast as my Base TL at 3.5k rpm. I don't have a way to guage this, just the rate I drive with/faster than traffic.

 

fusiongt - In city driving with stop and go traffic I used to have the same issue, I would suggest driving in S mode in city - ever since I started using S mode the power loss issue is kind of disappeared.

 

SH-AWD has a loss of nearly 30% of power! Much more than Audi's AWD system! The only thing you can do to help "fix" it is to just to some mod's like the cold air intake, maybe something with the exhaust and some always welcome weight reduction!

 

You're right !
Since I discovered the S mode , this is the only way to drive it in the city. The car is LIVE ! . Even embarking on highway I'm on S mode and then I switch to D mode.
I'm sure that's the reason my mealage is around 15 l/100km (about 16 mile/gallon) in the city ..

 

We can never have enough torque.

 

Meh... "Eco-Boost" is just marketing term for twin turbo... The 6MT can make 60 in the same amount of time by changing the gearing and reducing about 150lbs of weight. That's all they need is to bring the 6AT from the ZDX and drop about 100-200lbs of weight. Gearing for sporty in the city with high MPG on the highway.

 

It's inevitable that the 6AT will eventually find its way into the TL but losing 100-200 lbs?.....no way, if anything cars get heavier not lighter in subsequent years.....esp. if Acura starts adding features from the Advance Package. Let's face it, Acura has been lagging behind compared to its competitors for quite a while now when it comes to engine and drivetrain technology. The 6AT will help a bit but Acura needs to really go beyond its antiquated V-Tec technology to catch-up. Direct injection, supercharging and advanced hybrid technology are ways to go. Even "lowly" Ford is able to come up with an advanced 5.0L 420hp+ V8 with CVVT for the new Mustang GT that gets better mpg than the SH-AWD!

 

100-200 pounds can easily be done by changing some materials and as well reducing some parts of the car! Perfect example would be the RL, Acura used Carbon Fiber for the drive-shaft to save weight, they used aluminum for the fenders, hood and trunk to save weight! If acura wanted to it could easily cut that weight! Even by switching the type (cast to forged) of rims they can save nearly 40 pounds!

Acura has been lagging behind with new technology, the most recent development has been altering timing on the exhaust side with an SOHC motor along with on the Intake side. Acura needs to step up it's came and introduce a successor to the J series motor, a more potent V6 with DOHC and maybe even a FI option! All we can do is wait and see!

 

+ 1 miilionteen

 

I beg to differ...on some points

From an environemental perspective, I think the hybrid systems are crap...over the long term. They are beneficial for pieces factories and that's it. Full electric cars and diesel engines are the most likely replacements.

As for the so-called performance hybrids...Yeah...Lexus has a GS 450 hybrid and it gets the same or slower acceleration times than the 6MT TL (and probably a well geared 6AT TL) with worse highway MPG and a much bigger price tag...Adding 300-400 lbs of weight for all the components isn't that cool for driving dynamics, cargo and passenger space and fuel economy.

For me, performance hybrids = fail. Get a FI V6 car if you want a v8 replacement or buy a V8 and live with the bigger gas bill. For example, the new M56 and a 420hp/417lbs v8 engine that returns 16/23(20 combined), roughtly the same as any big V6.

Lastly, for me, innovation isn't "better", it just means "new". THe innovation might be worse and I think it's the case with performance hybrids. If we want to save gas, we should stop raging stop-light wars in our minds during each commute. And for god sake, reduce the weight and size of the cars, that'll help in all aspects of the machine. A 195 inches long/ 3950 lbs mid-size sedan? What's a full-size? A school bus?

Btw, I didn't mean to attack you, I'm just stating my opinion.

As for the hybrids, I got quite a few contacts in environnemental circles and they aren't too fond of the hybrids either...not that it means I'm right or anything though...

 

Hybrids are the HD-DVD of automotive engineering; they look pretty on the surface, but will quickly fall quickly by the wayside once someone builds something worth supporting.

 

I have the 6MT and have griped a bit about the low end. It's not powerless, but the real power is at the top end, and therefore in a rather short burst during play-time.

Still, it's a pretty good engine.

 

Doesn't matter whether you like hybrids or not, it's here to stay. It's an ever-evolving technology. Every year, they get better and better. With CAFE standards right around the corner, hybrids will be the driving force for years to come. Pretty much every automaker right now is heavily invested it it. Top tier luxury automakers like BMW and Mercedes are coming out with hybrid versions of their flagship sedans. Even Porsche is coming with a hybrid GT3 911! It won't be long before Acura comes out with a hybrid TL. Bank on it.

 

Well they are a temporary solution to a long term problem so in that sence, yeah, they are here to stay...a little while...

And automakers will do what it takes to make money, if it means making hybrids, that's what they'll build. Even if it's a temporary solution.

Of course they'll get better and better...that's the purpose of R&D. I hope they get better and better since right now and within the next year, buying a performance hybrid is more a leap of faith that anything. Time will play in automotive enthusiasts' favor and we will probably get great performance hybrids sooner than we think...maybe within the next 5 years or so...

 

correct me if im wrong but hesitation has to do with the transmission and not the engine. so your solution would be a 6MT TL instead. I actually feel the Acura's SH-AWD drivetrain is very efficient and doesnt have much drivetrain loss. Consider the RDX, a 4000lbs suv that can do 0-60 in just a bit over 6 seconds and thats with the crappy gear ratio of a 5sp automatic. when you ask some one how much brake horsepower a 4000lbs car needs to get to 60 in 6s, they will tell you something about 270-280hp or 240hp at the wheels.

anyway my point is that acuras awd system is not the problem here, its the transmission that has been used in the past decade. seriously Acura needs a 6AT transmission.