I had a 99TL for 10 years, and besides the tranny dying a couple of years into my ownership (and replaced under warranty), I had no complaints about the shifting.

Fast forward to my 4G TL and I'm not a very happy camper. I have two issues which aren't terrible, but detract from the otherwise awesome handling of AWD.

I have two main issues. Firstly, if I'm driving in the 20 to 25 MPH range and take my foot completely off the gas after 1/2 second there's a disctictive engine braking effect like I had put on the brakes. It's not subtle. Over 25 MPH or under 15 and I don't feel it. Related to this issue, if after I feel the engine braking effect I *lightly* touch the gas then there's another 1/2 second delay and then there's a jolt of acceleration. If I take my foot immediately off the gas, and I'm in the 20-25 MPH range I'm back to the very noticable engine braking effect, and it feels like the nose of the car dips a bit during this phantom braking. During rush hour when traffic is slow and in the 20 MPH range, this jolt of power and braking results in a very tiresome and non-luxury ride. Never once had a similar issue with my 2G TL.

The second issue is rough tranny shifting in lower gears at low speeds when accelerating. I haven't been able to repro the issue as easily as the above problem, but several times a week when trying to accelerate from lowish speeds there's a hesitation then a jolt of power and what seems like a bit of a forced shift. I'm not talking about a typical smooth down shift to get more power..it's a rough and jarring shift and sometimes it feels like the car lurches forward. Again, I never had this problem with my 2G.

Are these issues 'normal' for a 4G? Otherwise I love the car, but my tranny just does not give me the feeling of a 42K car and feels worse than my 32K 2G.

 

The first issue you describe is the car's motor lugging, it tries to stay in to high of a gear (probably 2nd or 3rd) to keep the RPM's down, however you slow down too much and then get the jolt (shifting into 2nd or 1st) to accelerate.

the seconds issue you describe is related to the first, the car is keeping to low of a gear and the input shaft isn't moving fast enough for the car to slowly engage. If it slowly engages it will most likely damage something, so it shifts faster but hasher. this same issue has been around with the 3G TL, best thing to do is drive slower or faster...

 

Thanks for the info, but I'm unhappy to hear this seems normal for 3G/4G models. Like I said, this never happened with my 2G and it cost a hell of a lot less.

 

3G/4G has a drive by wire design while the 2G have the traditional drive by throttle design. There is a slight delay when pressing the acceleration. I know how you feel because I had a 2G TL before as well. There is a thread about Sprint Booster, no sure they made one for the 4G yet.

 

Under those driving conditions, you could try driving in "S" mode. It changes the shift points fairly dramatically.

 

I hate to dig this thread up, but I have been having these exact same issues, and wanted to know if everyone else was really experiencing the same behavior.

I do remember driving a loaner (2010 FWD) before, and it seemed smoother, although that could be my mind playing tricks on me.

It was particularly bothersome today when I was driving around today with some friends and it surged twice in a short period of time. I have a 2010 TL FWD and in general, shifting from 1>2>3 feel very rough and abrupt. Is this something everyone lives with?

 

I think it's a characteristic of the shift points.

For example, lets say you're in traffic, and the 5spd is in 1st gear. According to the pressure you're putting on the pedal, it stays in 1st until (just for example) 10mph. As it gets there, the transmission can work in 2 different ways. Either it #1 upshifts to the next gear if you continue to apply the same pressure on the pedal, or #2 engine brake/lug if its about to shift and you let off the gas. It happens with many auto transmissions, some just display the symptoms more because either the drive-by-wire is too sensitive, or the car itself is smooth and quiet so things like this become apparent.

The best way to avoid this would be to either use "S" mode, release the pedal more slowly (and earlier) if you know you're coming to a stop, or let it upshift then brake later. If you ease the pedal in instead of releasing it abruptly (not saying you do), it may shift smoother or have an easier time figuring out what you want it to do next.

It's usually most apparenty in bumper-to-bumper traffic because the transmission is constantly having "brain farts" since the pedal pressure is unsteady/uneven, and it has a bit of trouble deciding whether or upshift to the next gear, or coast in the current gear.

I think this was the worst in my 06 civic, which had DBW and a soft pedal. It was so sensitive that despite the relatively low 140hp, it would produce near neck snapping starts if the conditions were right (or in this case, wrong). When in traffic or slowing for parking bumps/stops, I'd hear the transmission snap into the next gear only to need to downshift again because i slowed down abruptly. My friends 07 civic had a noticeably smoother dbw experience. I guess it was fixed the year after.

I guess this can always be improved and probably will continue to be refined in future years.

 

At this point I'm pretty turned off by Acura trannies/DBW. My 2G, except for having to be replaced once, was so much smoother. Nearly every day there are situations where it jerks and jolts....most certainly NOT a luxury car feeling. Hell the cheapo rental cars I've driven are way smoother. I'll be looking at other car manufacturers when I buy my next car. I didn't spend 42K to be jolted and jerked.

 

Diego have you taken it to the dealer and mentioned this trouble, if so what did they say? I also wonder if this problem you're having is specific to your vehicle; as I also have a 2009 AWD TL and in NYC bumper to bumper traffic don't experience this.

 

he notices it mostly because he came from a 2G

my 3G UA6 wasn't too bad. then my 3G Type-S, it was very noticeable. especially the engine braking.... both my 4Gs have the same characteristics, so I am very used to it... but i also have a 2G CL-S, and when i drive that, then get into the 4G... its noticeable again

nothings wrong with your car. dont worry.

 

I know there's nothing wrong, it's just piss poor engineering and something I should not have to experience on a 42K car.

 

^ i wouldnt call it "piss poor engineering"

in fact, ever since the massive 2G Tranny failures, and honda's notorious rep from the last 2 decades about transmissions, they've put countless hours in R&D to all the newer cars transmissions, to ensure that they are practically bullet-proof!!

its a characteristic of the car.... have you ever driven a 1G Lexus IS? The gas pedal is so sensitive, that if you apply the slightest pressure, the car lunges forward. Most Benz 550's and AMGs are the opposite, and take a lot of force to get the throttle going

 

You've mentioned the 42k now like 4 times. If you think that's a lot of money to spend on a car then maybe the TL isn't the right car for you

I also think some buy these cars thinking they are something else. These cars are meant to be driven, not ridden. You have to take control. In sluggish traffic put it in S mode and use those paddle shifters. Engine braking is your friend in these conditions anyway. The automatic isn't able to see the road ahead that's your job.

 

All 3 of the AWD TL's I've been in/driven act in this fashion; it takes some getting used to. I would speculate that the requirements of the electronic AWD probably have a sweet spot in the rotational speed for responsiveness and reliability during power transfer....keeping the driveline 'primed' if you will.

Anyone want to neutral drop it from 8k a few times while rolling at 20mph and find out how strong it is?

 

Is there any way to minimize the surging? It tends to happen when rolling to a stop on a red that turns green, or coming out of a low on-ramp. While gradually depressing the pedal, about 20-30mph it seems to lose power, then surges forward.

 

pedal modulation, it really works for me. I'm somewhat used to the soft pedal and the sensitive DBW since I came from a civic. Other people that drive my car (esp people that own european cars) find that they always give it too much gas. People that usually drive japanese cars usually are able to drive it more smoothly. Just go easy on the pedal, step on and release it slowly and it will be much smoother.

 

Trust me, it's much better off to have a car (4G) that you can feel the gear shifts, rather than to have one (2G) that has a crappy tranny which can suddenly fail at any given moment.