Walhaddi

Can you please tell me what are the bad things or flaws in the new TL if there are any?

What about road noise, wind noise on streets and highways?

Brakes or any things that you wish Acura did a better job on?

N7Titan

well the interface for the ipod could scroll through things a little faster
i have a LOT of music and it would be cool if i can scroll quickly (maybe show the names by alphabet like the ipod itself does when you scroll quickly)

road noise is pretty low, i'd say quieter than my 2001 TL and on par with my mom's Benz E-320
and i really can't imagine wind noise to be much quieter

the rear window is on the small side, making it easy for any passengers to obstruct a portion of your rear-view
not a big deal for me but just pointing it out

that's really all it was for me, and mind you, those were minor complaints imho

for anything major i suggest browsing the problems and fixes page

https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-problems-fixes-297/

Walhaddi

thanx

PetesTL

You need to go for a test-drive and all your questions will be answered.

pacboy

my TL does this jerking thing in the mornings,at a red light. the dealer told me it's caused by the ac cycling on and off causing the idle to fluctuate.it feels like i just got rear ended or somthing.they say there's a bulletin and it's nomal.other than that i love my TL.

Walhaddi

I did drive it and it was nice, but sometimes a 5 minute test drive doesn't give you all the answers.

PetesTL

Why only 5 minutes?.....that's ridiculous.

danimal1968

Mine has almost 4000 miles on it and it has never done that. If its bad enough to feel like you got rear ended, its not normal.

Olu

Mine does this too. It's very subtle. I thought it was a late downshift from 2 to 1.

I agree with the iPod interface. They need to use the same interface as the Hard Drive which allows you to skip to a letter. That or introduce accelerated scrolling like the iPod.

NYSH-AWD

If you're using an iphone, the new Bluetooth audio feature fixed this issue as you're now able to control the music directly from the device. I agree with the comment if you're playing music from an ipod, it's annoying to have to scroll through all those songs and or artists.

I believe there should be an upgrade to the TL's software to fix a few glitches and add missing features.

KeithL

Look at my signature, I have owned numerous TL cars. As for the 09 AWD, I must say I am extremely impressed with the build quailty. Way better than the 3G TL, especially in year 1. Year 1 3G TLs were notorious for numerous squeaks and rattles, some leather issues and early build had tranny TSB. My AWD 09 is extremely solid, 1 random squeak on rare occasions and the back deck buzzes a little (find me a TL that don't they don't know how to afix back decks across the Honda lines)

DLeeWebb

I am extremely pleased with my TL, which I have had since February. The only thing that annoys me is the automatic transmission "shifting points." (I'm not technically inclined, excuse me) I have a long history with manual transmissions. (1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass, 1980 Mazda RX-7, 1986 Toyota Celica, 1992 Toyota Celica, 1998 Audi A4/2001 Nissan Maxima, 2003 Nissan 350Z, 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara) I haven't had an automatic transmission since I owned a 1967 Buick Special (and that has been awhile...). The TL seems to shift at "weird" times. I have read many posts on the TL transmission and the shifting when in "D," the shifting in "S" (with paddles/without paddles...). I'm sure it's a problem with me and not the car. I'm adapting, I'll get there...

hydr0

Mine jerks too, when hitting the gas from a dead stop. I thought it was a result of a decently powerful engine paired with FWD, rather than the more appropriate RWD or AWD.

Olu

I've used the iPhone bluetooth control, pretty cool, but doesn't allow me to control playback other then play and pause. I like the ability to see the track name and artist, and search for music. I have a dedicated 120gb iPod which allows me to have all my music and playlists in the car.

Xpditor

Moved to Problems and Fixes. More topical.

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

2003 CL-S
2004 TSX
2006 TL
2008 TL-S
2009 TL-SHAWD

I've (and gf) owned a fair share of the recent acura line up... all the cars did the "jerking" thing with the AC on (very, very very subtle) except for the TSX.. maybe J-Series related issue with the AC...

Eli

I'm pretty sure all cars do this, the exception being hybrids with electric AC compressors.

I really like this car (FWD w/Tech) but I did notice a few other minor quirks after living with it for 9 months. BTW, this is my first Acura, in the past I drove Toyotas.

1. There is slight vibration at around 1000 rpm, but no where else in the rev range. I don't know if this is normal.
2. The road noise is louder than I'd like, although Seattle highways seem to have particularly noisy surfaces.
3. The grade logic on the transmission tries to be too smart. If you brake going down a hill, it will often shift down. This is annoying in certain situations.
4. I really liked the light steering effort at idle speeds while test driving, but after living with it I wish it had more feedback. It's hard to park since it's difficult to sense where the steering limits are.

bmode

I love how the iPod is a major topic of flaws of the TL. That should tell you a lot of how solid this car is. One flaw that's starting to annoy me is the window pocket, it streaks dry clean windows. Maybe the felt is bad, I don't know but I'm constantly cleaning them. Also the paint finish on the Crystal Black Pearl is hyper sensitive and very difficult to keep clean and free of swirl marks. This is the statement from my professional detailer as well. It's not a good paint finish in his opinion.

Another flaw would be not getting the Tech package! You might as well get another ride if you don't get the tech package because it really makes the car for me, and is a serious step up from 05 TL sound quality and interactive wise!

venom550pm

with bmode 100%

victorber

Hi,
My wife and I just returned from a 3K roundtrip which ended in St Augustine, FL.
Some points I'd like to make:
1. Use of the Nav Sys was spot-on, all addresses found and all roads ID'd.
2. Braking is supurb, even in an emergency, without activating the ABS.
3. Fuel mileage is a little less than my previous 07 TL Tech, 35 vs 31.5, but then with the increase in eng size and HP that could be the cause.
4. Road Noise is very minimal, even crusing at higher speeds (80+) it realy depends on what type of surface your driving on, concreate vs Blacktop and also the road crown.

All in all, Acura has done a very nice job with this generation.....

Hope this helps someone...
victorb

venom550pm

I'm going on a road trip end of August, can't wait to stretch her legs!

HPfreak89

I have the 09 TL FWD for 7 months already and so far I havent had any problems with it...

gecopen

Recently in some very heavy rain - wish the high speed on the wipers was a bit faster, but had the same problem on 04 TL. Otherwise, great car, no issues yet (3 months).

jammitch

Just took a road trip to KC and wow! The 09's are so much smoother and quieter than the 07 TL's. Other than an unusually thick steering wheel and lack of road feel overall with the steering, this car is light years ahead of the 07 in terms of driving experience. And yeah, he iPod interface kind of sucks -- I've got 15.5K songs on my iPod and it's darn near impossible to quickly find the song/artist I want.

danimal1968

On iTunes, create a smart playlist for each letter of the alphabet and then put songs in each playlist alphabetically by artist. I have 30 gigs of music and that makes finding stuff a lot easier. Sync it up with your ipod and you're good to go.

jammitch

I've done that and it helps a little, but with 130GB+ of music, I've still got over 1000 songs in some of the playlists.....

kami_sn

Ask your dealer for extended test drive or if you can take the car home for overnight, thats what I did and if they care about your business they will give you some options, I had mine for one night before buying it and actually I did extended test drive on five more other cars (A4 3.2, C350, Passat CC 3.6, Audi Q5 and GLK350) before buying TL and no way that you can find things about the car in 5 mins even one hour, Good luck.

oa47

I don't believe that this is just isolated to the 2009 TL. My 2006 4-Cyl Manual Accord did this as well, and even when the AC wasn't on. I don't see it as a major problem.

rubined

I just bought the 2010 TL awd w/ tech package. This car is ridiculous! It is easily the best car I ever owned. I have zero issues! I read through some of the problems on other posts but I have not had 1 issue with the car.

NOX 3.2

More praises than complaints for sure...
no noises at all for me, the nav buttons are a little more complicated than Gen 3, and the car feels heavier than the previous body style, because it's bigger and heavier... but overall it's a joy to drive and very stable, specially the SH-AWD

venom550pm

i don't think the nav buttons are all that bad, but that could be because my wife has an 07 RDX with tech and the nav (at least the buttons) are similar.

jshoe

I don't like the the floor to the left of the brake pedel. I can't stretch out my left foot. The biggest complaint I have!!

Skywalker23

Well, road noise is non-existing. Engine noise is very subtle, i think Acura really did an awsome job with this vehicle. I work for Honda and have always driven Hondas and just now I've crossed over..and the difference in craftsmanship is amazing. Even though I like the amount of features this car has, I still think it should come equipped with more. Keyless ignition/entry on base models; better designed/looking wheel (the tl base got the Honda Insight's wheel); cooling seats, heated steering wheel as accessories; power adjusted steering wheel, power folding mirrors; a Bose sound system would be nice!; 6 or 7spd. auto; blind spot detection; TL base should've had 300hp and 330hp for AWD...and how about a high-performance 400hp+ TL beast to compete with the M3, C AMG, CTS-V...they have the capacity and the technology so why not? just my 2cents.

Kingmeow

I like your thinking!

NOX 3.2

I have a 10 TL SH-AWD 6MT, and from the 07 Type-S I lost...

- The DVD-A disc changer, I can't believe I now have to keep my DVD-A in the visor!
because there is only room for 1. DVD-A cannot be recorded to HD, because it's too small.
- The metal pedals that looked so good
- BI-ZENON lights! the new high beams illuminate less than the low beams !
- Two tone seats, it should be offered on the SH-AWD
- My nice BREMBO brake calipers !
- Black chrome wheels, the current ones are too standard
- Touch screen navigation screen, buttons are much slower to operate
- Cassette tape drive, I'm glad I lost this one. should have been replaced by a media slot
- Ashtray in the back seat, I used to use it to store coins, etc
- Flexible Storage in the front doors, the new ones are fixed and smaller.
- Storage in the mid console, less space to store items.
- Coin holder, new model doesn't have removable coin storage like Gen 3.
- wheel feel of the road, the new Gen 4 isolates driver too much from the road
- Lighter weight and nimble handling, improved only by the AWD.
- Big round sub-woffer in the back. New models have an elongated grid, same size ?

Olu

Did you test drive the car? Everything you listed could have been detected in less then 5 minutes in the car. (except the bi-xenon, but that would require.....gasp! research)

03bl AC k CL

my 02 type s did the same thing! it almost felt like the car lunged forward even while the brake is applied.

bagbklyn

That is one of the things that pissed me off also, no place to hold coins at all, yeah you have the little pocket by the gear shifter. They could have made that into a change holder somehow. I have my change in there now and it makes noise. I guess since we are all big ballers Acura thinks we just throw change way and use big bills, well note to acura if I had change in the car then I can pay with exact change and only carry bills.

NOX 3.2

Yes, I test drove it in sept 2008 when it came out, and I am ok with the new model.
The items listed are more for ACURA to read... we need to voice our feelings about the car so they take note and improve... overall I still think Gen4 is better than the previous ones.

6spd10

I had a 2009 automatic fwd TL and loved it. After 6 months I traded it in for a 2010 6 speed. Best move I ever made. The 6 spd has a much better feel and the power is there when you want it-- no waiting for the transmission to change or to decide where it needs to be. The TL is such a joy to drive and the quality is remarkable.
I have had no problems with either car. Go for the 6 speed and Tech package if possible, you won't regret it. (unless you drive in city traffic)