insanik

I recently bought a fathom blue on ebony i4 tech here in Toronto Canada. here are my initial impressions from everything ive experienced so far in 200 kms

I have come from 04 TL > 11 MDX > 08 TL-S > 13 TSX in that order to now a 15 tlx



Interior Quality / Layout
I am comparing it to the recent 13 TSX Premium model. Material quality seems to be a big step up. Dash materials are much softer and "squish" in much easier. The wood grain is top quality and doesn't look cheap even when nothing else in the car has brown on it. Would have loved a black wood or carbon fibre appearance option.

The steering wheel is different on the i4 tech in canada due to heated steering wheel. But it feels very soft and smooth. The roll buttons are super nice and provide an easier navigation and volume control. The left and right wheel controls to control the radio station seem awkward at first and take some getting used to rather then the previous up/down buttons.

The heated steering wheel is a simply on/off without heat levels. It warms up quite quickly without getting uncomfortable. Super nice feature to have in Canada.

The seat quality seems just as good leather wise. I would say a tad rougher than my tsx but that may be a simple "break in the leather" issue. Snug wise... not as snug as the 13 TSX seats. But feel similiar to the 3G TL positioning.

The dual screen takes some getting used too. options are all over the place and can get a little wonky. But once you get used to it, it functions well and everything is quite clear. The screen DOES have a small input delay, not nearly as fast/responsive as my 13 OPTIMA SX. So it may be a "spoiled" issue personally.

The center arm rest has a nicer layout. Not as deep, but much longer so everything is easier to access. No USB input which is kind of lame as I enjoyed it in the TSX so the wire for my phone isnt all around the shifter/cup holder.

The "push to open" cup holder is gone in this gen, which i loved. It was less busy. but a small gripe / nit picky thing.



Drive quality
How smooth of a ride this TLX is, is unreal. It's SUPER soft in comparison to my 13 TSX. Like night and day difference. Bumps are less jarring. The drive is QUIETTTT. Almost too quiet in some cases! Excellent over all.

Shifting is an interesting one. It feels less responsive on low gas pedal pressure and more responsive at higher pressure on the pedal. Which is nice? Im undecided on this one. The jerkiness everyone has talked about is simply the 1-3 gears finding it's use given the speed so you'll see revs jump around a bit.


Lighting
The TLX is missing the floor/foot lighting which i find incredibly lame as it was a nice premium touch. the door handle illumination is super nice touch. The LED overhead lights are nice and bright.

The headlights.... just wow lol. Unreal illumination. Nothing compares. Destroys HID illumination. Everything appears more brighter and better coloration and less washed out.

Random Stuff
The sun roof on the tilt open position seems to have a bigger air gap for more flow which I found very nice.
The TLX gauges are incredibly boring in comparison to the 13 TSX. Less sporty and more simple. But work effectively.

The power folding side mirrors are super nice addition. Although its unfortunate that their is no setting for them to fold in on power off and fold out on power on.

Blind spot warning is spot on and a great addition. The blinking doesn't take away from the driving experience which is just great.

The chrome reflection in the side mirrors is very apparent... and is just awful. Cannot be unseen

9SpeedTran

I recall reading that the power folding mirrors is not available in the US. Why the hell is that? Seems like an incredibly useful feature.

insanik

it is ya. I love the feature but it sucks its simply a button and not a power on/off setting

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Are you sure? On the RLX, they can be configured to folk upon locking and unfold when the car is unlocked. There is no option to fold on power off though.

insanik

if there is, I did not find anything in the settings

Jmark

Congrats on the new ride and thanks for your write up.
A question from a fellow Canadian.
Does the following feature work in our country?

AcuraLink Real-Time Traffic™ with freeway traffic and surface street .

Quandry

Yes, but it is a subscription service. The first year is complimentary.

BandwidthExceeded

Wow really, you only get that for a year? I am pretty sure Audi gives the Sirius Traffic for the first 36 months regardless of your Sirius subscription...

Colin

^^In the US it's complimentary for 3 years.

BandwidthExceeded

Oh thank god i was gonna say lol

KeithL

You actually get traffic for 4 years with Audi. That said in every car that had it I am less than impressed, the info lags substantially.

9SpeedTran

Yup been caught by that plenty of times. I have learned to crosscheck with Google Maps which updates much more in "real time" :-)

Stew4HD

Even Google Maps can be behind. I visit new homes a lot in my side business and the housing growth here is so much that many times, the streets are not on Google yet. There is no perfect system out there though Google Maps is the best so far.