Hey all-

I've been thinking about trading my 2013 MB C250 for a TLX (V6, Advance, no AWD). I've spent years on MBWorld.org and I know the best info comes from forums like these. I've scoured this forum for a while and found valuable info and I'm hoping to get responses to my remaining questions/concerns:
1) Is it true there's no electric/memory tilt/telo steering wheel on any package? Not to be a diva, but I hate when I can't get things set back to normal after taking the car in for service.
2) I've read the ACC is flaky. Was this ever fixed by Acura?
3) How are the brakes? My wife's TSX brakes kinda suck and I don't remember how the brakes felt during my TLX test drive.
4) I think FWD w/ PAWS is good enough, but there are a lot of you who appear to be big fans of SH-AWD. Notwithstanding driving through snow and stuff, why? Should I reconsider?
5) I love my C250's Harman Kardon sound system. How is the upgraded ELS sound system? (It's hard to determine this during a test drive.)

I've owned 2 C-classes and both have had major problems. My 2009 had struts replaced twice, motor mounts changed, pulley changed, and door lock actuator failed (all under 50k miles). I traded it in for a loaded 2013, hoping for better reliability, but the transmission valve body was replaced 2 weeks ago (under 20k miles). Also, my turn signal doesn't doesn't click back to off in hot weather. I'm fed-up and I want something reliable and nice that doesn't break all the time and doesn't cost $500 every year for scheduled maintenance. My wife's TSX has had no problems whatsoever -- 4yrs old and 60k miles -- so I know an Acura is a good bet.

 

1) True.
2) Don't have it on mine so I can't comment.
3) Mine are fine for normal usage - I've never tried a panic stop so can't report on that.
4) I've got PAWS (which handles quite nicely for me!) can't help you here.
5) It's all relative - for the type of music I like (Classic rock and Jazz/Smooth Jazz) the ELS system sounds very very good.

Good luck in your decision - car shopping is both fun and stressful!

 

^ Agree with McNut. Also:

1. I have never had to adjust my steering position in 12+ years after taking it to an Acura dealer. It is a non-issue for me as I am the primary driver.
2. I have not found it to be flaky. In fact with the Advance/Elite model you can just set it and forget it and let the Auto take over. This goes for winter or summer, with the heated/cooled seats it is perfect. Some complain about the Tech trim that does not have the Auto seat function.
4. FWD is good enough with winter tires for moderate conditions. If you are a skier and plan to hit the slopes even in a winter storm then SH-AWD may be best.
5. Only you can decide as it depend on your type of music and sound preferences. Make of list of test tracks from your most listened to source and go for another test drive. The sound will be different if the car is in AUX mode so listen while driving.

 

1. Non issue
2. Works 95% of time, but at 40k and brand new car must work 100 percent.
3. Brakes excellent
4. I don't have awd but fwd, works just fine
5. Els is very good

 

1) Yep, I myself am surprised that Acura does not have this.
2) Don't have on my car but there was a TSB recently issued for the RLX and MDX for this same feature
3) Breaks are adequate. If you plan on tracking the car you may want to upgrade.
4) I think the V6 is too much for the non-SHAWD version. I test drove one and it was too easy to light up the tires. The SHAWD is just plain fun! My only complaint is the stock goodyear eagle LS2's. They like to squeal in the corners if you push it.
5) ELS is great as long as you have a input source. I used a tiny flash drive and the sound quality is grate. Sound from a radio station is noticeably less good. Even if its an HD station.

 

As your questions have been well covered here, i'll stick to the PAWS vs -SH-AWD and ELS questions.

1. Regarding power train, it really depends upon the type of driving you want to do. I have the SH-AWD and love how it handles, especially during our long winters. I had also extensively tested the I4 with PAWS and found it also to be a a well planted drive. The only potential issue for the V6 PAWS would be your driving style. Overly quick off the line starts might create some torque steer, but that is balanced with paying less for an otherwise fully loaded vehicle.

2. The ELS is a tremendous system in my humble opinion. I use the HDD most often after downloading about 50 CDS, with a reasonably wide range of music styles (other than rap or heavy metal) and love the sound and the random play feature. The music search function works very well. I also listen to music from my iPhone and AHA from time to time. Many reviewers rank the ELS as good a system as there is for a car under 100k.

 

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

Do you think you'll buy one?

 

Eventually, yes. The wife gets her new RDX first, though.

 

Hey guys-

I have a 2012 TSX that i'd like to trade in to the dealer, and then lease a 2.4 TLX......would the dealer just cut me a check for the trade in value of my TSX ( I own it outright)

Also, I drive about 20K/mi a year....have any of you leased an Acura with a mileage limit of 20K/yr? What's the approx. monthly payment?

 

frak....There are different options but that could be one. Now taxes vary from places to places but here where I live, if you own the car outright and you buy a new one, you are better off using that amount toward the new purchase because you save the tax portion on the new one.

For example, if they gave you 9000$ for your old car, you would be able to you would be able to use 9000$ X 13% = 10 170$ on the new car. In other, they will credit you back the taxes already paid on the old car.

Of course, it may be totally different where you live....and yes, we pay 13% taxes on cars here!

 

Yes but you get universal healthcare we pay 7-8 percent and don't get jack shit

 

Weather - I hear you on saving the sales tax if the TSX is a trade, and then purchase a TLX instead of leasing. We do pay 8.125% tax here. Definitely will consider that!

Do you know how much Acura typically charges to "buy" extra miles on a lease ahead of time, for example, 20K/yr instead of the standard 12K/yr?
I know they whack you with $.20/mi if you go over at lease end....but isn't it usually lower per mile if you buy them ahead of time?

 

^^ Again, it will vary in the US versus Canada but here in Canada, buying extra mileage upfront will be around 0.1$/km rather than 0.15$/km after the fact....so yes, it cheaper to buy extra mileage upfront.

If you are going to exceed the mileage by 8k per year, I would consider buying the car instead of leasing but that is just me.

 

1. Not electric but I had this feature on my CTS and honestly I don't miss it.
2. LOVE it!!!! I have had no issues with mine and I set it whenever I can. It works amazingly well in hard driving rain when it's difficult to see the car ahead of me. I still keep my foot near the brake, but I would hate to lose this feature.
3. In my car the brakes are more than adequate. In fact, when using the ACC if a car in front of me makes a sudden move to turn, or a car pulls out in front of me the brakes will make you loose the contents of your stomach.
4. I have SH-AWD and I love the way it handles. Mainly wanted for winters, but I love the security it gives me in all conditions.
5. I had the Bose system in my CTS and I am very satisfied with how the ELS sounds. There's no doubt it could have more bass punch, but what factory audio system couldn't do with more.

Of course, these are all subjective opinions based on how I feel about the car. I'm glad you've test driven the car, and I think you should maybe do a few more tests to make sure about your concerns.

Good luck.