True that. As a former MB driver, it's kind of hard to articulate but the car felt "heavier" and more solid, and that it would go forever in the direction I pointed it. Also the ride was firm but not harsh.

In comparison my TSX feels much lighter and zippier. In that sense it definitely does not feel German, it feels Japanese!

My all-time favorite car was my 2007 3G TL. And my last several cars have been a 2012 TSX, a 2009 C300, a 2004 Mazda RX-8 (a love/hate car if there ever was one), a 2000 TL, and a 1998 CL.

 

Agreed! Although, I had an 07 type S which was really stiff and bone jarring and it ate through tires like no ones business. I have a friend that has a 05 TL base. I also had a 09 SH-AWD and a now currently in a 2013. There is NO comparison of the 3G and 4G. I hated the 4G initially but after driving it, the ride and build quality was enough to pull me over. The look grew on me the day I bought the 09.

 

Got Nuluxe on my IS. No choice. I really hated the thought of it. Thought it was "down market". But it's the only way Lexus could pull off their foam injection method for the seats and surprise -- it looks like new at 10K miles whereas my Acura's seats -- nice as they were -- looked pretty bad pretty quickly.


Now I feel like I'm helping the planet a little bit and again the Nuluxe looks great.

 

Agreed! Although, I had an 07 type S which was really stiff and bone jarring and it ate through tires like no ones business. I have a friend that has a 05 TL base. I also had a 09 SH-AWD and a now currently in a 2013. There is NO comparison of the 3G and 4G. I hated the 4G initially but after driving it, the ride and build quality was enough to pull me over. The look grew on me the day I bought the 09.

 

Wow! No way! Everyone loves the car they currently own? Say it isn't so!

 

What makes you think that? Sure, there are a lot of us and its by far the most active section on azine. Have you seen a 3G owner post about how their car is more advanced or sophisticated then the TLX, or any other modern luxury sport sedan for that matter?

 

It seems to me that he's saying that it's the 3G owners that are complaining about the TLX not looking/being sporty enough and that the 3G was the last sporty looking TL...

 

not only that, the majority of the 3g owners think theyre car is far superior to the 4g. the 4g is all around a much better car than the 3g. looks aside, which is subjective. im sure the tlx is improvement on the 4g when it comes to drive quality, acceleration and handling. so if the 4g is better driving car than the 3g and the tlx is better than the 4g, how can a 3g driver honestly say the tlx does nothing for them? its a superior car period. its called denial which is very common amongst enthusiasts. I for one am very open to change if its better. I don't live in my little box thinking whatever I own is better. its quite annoying just like 350z owners were when the 370 came out. everyone was bashing it. the 370 is every bit the car the 350z and does everything better. I still own a built and boosted 350z which I would trade straight in a heart beat for a nice stock 370z.

 

We are in the minority here, for sure.

 

There's a nuance here that should be pointed out: He likes his current car more than the ones he previously owned. That's not true to everyone.

 

You're an idiot. There are tons of superior cars on the road...and I don't like a ton of them. That's not the point.

It's not denial it's preference.

There is a reason the 3G was such a success.

 

As a 3G owner I disagree. When the 3G came out I thought it was hands down the best option for style(especially interior), performance(270hp) and refinement. It outclassed everyone in its category including BMW's highest trims(330i at the time) not named m3. Exterior aesthetics aside the 4G is clearly an upgrade in every way over the 3G and I expect the same for the 5G.

The problem is that acura shouldn't try to compete with itself but rather the other brands that have advanced considerably since 2003. When I bought my 3G, the only other car that came close IMO was the bimmer. G35 was underpowered and unrefined, audi was non existent unless you bought the s4, cadillac was a joke, lexus IS/altezza was a ricer mobile. Now all those cars may have surpassed acura. I get that some people will hate on the next because they have the current, but some of us are frustrated that we can't drive our car(in this case 5G) and feel like we have the best car on the road. Most of us haven't felt that way since the 3G and are hoping acura will step there game up like everyone else did.

 

Just to comment on the leather vs leatherette debate, I feel like the fake leather seats definitely do hold up better over time with less care, but I've had my tsx for just over a year and a half, and with periodic cleaning with wipes, the leather has kept in really great condition and still smells new.

When I think of luxury, especially old school Rolls and Bentley, I always equate them with the scent of really nice leather. I just feel like a luxury/premium car should have leather seats. I also think people should take care of these cars to maintain said luxury ha.

 

I had my M37S for 39 months and 45K miles and the leather looked as goos as day one. No wrinkles no worn spots or sags. I treated it with LeatherCPR every couple of months. Also tinted windows helps as UV is one of the biggest factors in material aging.

 

I can agree with your point of view when it comes to other manufacturers vehicles. I'm commenting on the OP's post about he got "nothing" out of the TLX. he wasn't comparing to bmw, lexus or audi, it was compared this 3G. most 3G owners are blinded to the fact that the looks aside the 4g and 5g are just better cars.

 

I just bought a 3G TL V6 with SH-AWD.

 

You can't say looks aside when the Acura guy said the styling killed sales. I expect they spent a lot of money to find out that gem from surveys & focus groups.

If a car is not attractive 9:10 they are not going to go for a test drive. Most people, not everyone, will not spend $40K while holding their nose over a cars looks. The car had good technology in a not so good wrapper.

Looks like they got the wrapper right in the 5G, question remains will it be enough to bring back the customers who went elsewhere & the ones sitting on their 3G's.

Acura has always sold well to the Honda family & people moving up from base transportation. That said it has had a harder time with conquest sales in the lower premium class, which it needs to turn around to get back to 3G sales levels.

 

Another gripe is the lack of a center pass-through for skis. I'd happily pay for this feature. AWD cars often go to the mountains in the winter. And this is not just TLX, it's missing on all Acura vehicles.

I don't quite understand the thinking at Honda/Acura. They used to offer it.

 

Is the folding rear seat not good for that?

 

I think the poster wants to be able to have people sit in the car (?) while he has his skis in there. It's a niche usage that most of the competitors don't have.

 

Maybe loving the car they own is the reason why they bought the car!

I bought my 4G TL in 2013, years after it came out and was criticized by OTHERS for its styling, because ** I** loved the way it looks and voted with my wallet

To be fair, I really liked the 3G, as well, but I simply wasn't in the market for a sedan at that time (was enjoying my 2005 Subaru Outback XT).

 

To me luxury is about lazy car ownership!

 

That's what I'm talking about. Taking my kids to ski, I'd rather have my stuff in the car. As far as I know, Porsche, BMW, Audi, Volvo, VW, Lexus, and Mazda all offer the center pass through or 40/20/40 split rear seat.

Honda used to offer the pass-through - it's a simple cut out. Nothing more practical than this feature. Now they have the nerve to not even offer 40/60 split folding seat in the Accord.

 

Had the TLX been out a year ago, I'm really not sure which I would've leased. I prefer the Fusion's interior/exterior styling and technology (MyFordTouch > the crunchy AcuraLink UI and gimmicky dual screens), but I feel that the interior would be more refined and of higher quality materials in the TLX. Tough decision. I'm eager to test drive the TLX to compare. If its important to you, resale on the TLX would most certainly be higher.

 

I had the same experience. Titanium is a nice car, but "Germanic" is not an adjective I would use either.

 

I don't recall any HondAcura ever offering a pass through, but I agree it is very useful feature.

 

My RL has a ski pass through.

 

I also agree. The 4G was much more luxurious, powerful, refined, sporty, menacing, although the ride was a little too harsh (sh-awd tech package and HP wheel package).

 

Acura definitely needs to step up. You are absolutely correct about the 3G when it launched. The car really felt like it was at the top of the sports sedan crowd. I had a 2005 and loved it. I also love my 2009 shawd tech with aero kit and HP wheel and tire package. It could use a little more power (330 would have been sweet) but the handling was ridiculous and I loved the anime Gundam robot look. Yes the over hangs were too long. Yes I know many panned it but worked for me. Seeing my car still makes me smile after all these years. But with 290 HP and 225 tires. The v6 shawd TLX looks like it will be behind the market. I hate the fact that Acura wend down on HP and tires for the highest trim level. It makes the car subjectively seem less special. The reviews on the V6 seem to agree that it's under tired. Not cool. When was the last time anyone saw the horse power on the top trim go down? Why not give us a performance hybrid TLX with less powerful version of the RLX hybrid power train. Yes I agree with many that will launch with the MCR but this launch just does not feel complete or special. I was so sure this would be my next car. I am still waiting to drive a top trim V6 Sh-awd Advanced to finalize my decision but for now I'm just underwhelmed.

 

My 07 TL hase a pass through...or am I missing something?

 

My 2013 TL has a pass-through, too. Of course, no folding rear seatback, though.

 

I guess, typically, it's pass-through or folding rear seatbacks, not both? Any cars with both?

Anyway, just fold one seatback and have one kid sit in the center. Want more comfort? Time to buy an SUV.

 

3g sh-awd?

 

I saw that and laughed too

 

No current Acura or Honda SUVs offer center pass through or 40/20/40 split.

The 3rd gen CR-V has 40/20/40 split, and Accord had center pass through before.

If you enjoy 4-5 hr trek with 2 kids sitting really close to each other, more power to you.

I'm now looking at GTI, which has 40/60 split with center pass through, and heated cloth seats.

 

+1 on the 3G being loud with a floppy suspension.

 

I was leaning towards a good quality "leatherette" in my next car for this very reason. I usually only keep a car for about 3 years so durability was never a concern. My next vehicle purchase I plan on keeping for some time and most older cars that I do see with leather, doesn't seem to have help up very well. Being that I do plan on keeping my next car for some time, I am having a hard time deciding knowing that I will have to live with my decision for some time.

 

I thought the the Fusion was a nice looking car when it first came out. Now I have come to a realization the Honda/Toyota go with conservative styling. The designs tend to be timeless. The Fusion already looks dated.

 

Niche? Just about every European car has this - regardless of whether the rear has fold-down seats.

I was pissed when my 2004 TL and 2006 RL lacked both.

 

I was thinking you should be able to store the skis vertically in the trunk of an SUV, without the need for pass-through or folding seatbacks. And it should still work fine if ever the kids decide they want to snowboard instead.