I have an '09 TL Tech that I love, but I got t-boned yesterday and it's likely a total loss (fortunately I don't think I was hurt- chalk another one up for Acura safety). I was hoping to run it into the ground for another 3-4 years, but assuming worst case scenario, I will need to decide between a 13 or 14 TL or used 15 TLX V6 (4 cyl is just too slow for me).

If I go TL, I can probably get a Tech with SH-AWD in my price range. If I go TLX, I'll likely have to forego the Tech and I'll definitely have to forego the SH-AWD.

A bit of background: my wife has an 07 RDX With the tech and SH-AWD. I live in Baltimore but grew up in Western NY. I had no problem driving in front wheel drive in the snow in NY. It snows a lot less around here but they can't plow for shit, so the AWD is a plus.

As much as I love my TL, there are 3 things I don't like: lack of folding rear seat, terrible turning radius, and terrible XM radio reception. Did the TLX fix any of these, or would I be better off sticking with the TL for the AWD?

I'm very early in this process and haven't done much research yet, and I'm really hoping I can keep my TL. But I'm interested in the opinions of people who know these cars, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

TLXs have folding rear seats. As for the turning radius and XM reception, I cannot comment on it. When I still have my free trial on XM, I never lost my reception.

 

I don't know the TL's turning radius but I don't consider my TLX's to be stellar compared to the competition. XM reception and folding seats are fine but you'll find across threads here that most TL owners are disappointed by the TLX's driving dynamics (with SHAWD even). I hope you can salvage the TL but otherwise might start looking at the RLX or the MDX instead.

 

The FWD TLX has 4 wheel steering which improves the turning radius. No problem with XM in my area except when I go into underground parking, which is to be expected.

As you are going the used route I would suggest you focus on a lightly used TL, if you can find one. The XM radio may have improved in a more recent TL (test drive it in a known bad area). The TLX will have some advantages but you would be giving up the Tech features and AWD. Go for the TL.

 

I could be wrong but honestly, I think it's the stock tires that are limiting the performance somewhat. Members that have AWD (or even base) and upgraded their tires have commented that it transforms the car.

 

i agree that the tires suck and i'm looking forward to replacing mine at some point. quite possibly after we get a second car and the TLX becomes solely mine

 

Going from Goodyear LS2's to Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's did improve the ride characteristics and handling.

 

I own both a TL AWD and a V6 TLX. I'd buy the TL if I had a choice between the two. My TLX is nice, but it's very average and boring. Aside from the headlights, the car doesn't really stick out to me. Wait until you drive the 9spd transmission in the 2015, too. It's awful; easily confused, limits power, and the 2-3 gear jerk sucks. 2 features I would miss most from my TLX are the headlights and blind spot monitor. Other than that I think the TL is a better car.

 

My dad owns an 09 TL tech that I helped him pick out and planed to inherit that when he turned 100K because thats when he gets a new car (currently at 90k so almost time). I ended up getting a 15 TLX last July (V6 Advance SH-AWD). Here is my opinion between the 2:

The TLX is new stuff, the TL, well, would be the same you just came from (maybe different color or whatever), do you really want to spend your money "upgrading" to the same product? The TLX offers lots of intuitive technology, most of which included in the base package. Not sure how much you already know. There is Brake Hold for example. At red lights you take your foot off the brake and it holds there for you. I LOVE my adaptive cruise control (advance package only) with Lane Keep Assist (Available in Tech package). As far as pricing goes I have seen V6 tech pkg go for about 35ish, plus you get the CPO 100K mile warranty which is great. Oh, and MPG is great! (Your 09 is 19/29mpg and the new v6 2wd is 21/34) so thats 5 mpg better on the highway

Some negatives to going from TL>TLX is here: Size. Its a tad smaller (think bmw 3 series vs 5 series (ish) ). My dad is a 57 year old doctor and he doesnt really notice the size difference. Also the rear camera is crap compared to the 09 TL. I get in his sometimes and backup and think its significantly better.

Positives: Newer everything (except camera). Turning radius is better in 2wd because as mentioned the rear wheels turn opposite direction which helps. Seats fold down. SO much smoother and quieter. Tons of new tech. A TLX is whats new, they dont make TLs anymore youll be driving a previous model. You get IDS settings (econ, normal, sport, sport +) which makes it fun, list goes on and on

Personally, I wouldnt go into an Apple store and buy an iPhone 4 when there is an iPhone 6 out if you get what Im saying. Its worth the few extra $$$ and in the long run will make you happy. BTW my insurance is CHEAPER on my $45,000 sedan with awd then my brothers 2010 Acura TSX 2wd (currently worth about 15K) because I have all these active safety features (blind spot warning, collision mitigation braking, lane departure, etc etc)

 

The TLX 9AT problems appear to have been largely resolved with the 2016. I have an early SH-AWD (11/14) and my issues with it have been negligible. Once you upgrade the tires, the handling is superb, and it is eerily quiet. We love it.

 

One other factor to consider is that with the current airbag recall on the '09 - '14 TLs, there's a stop sale order from Acura dealers. You may still be able to find one and buy one but only from a non-Acura dealership or an individual. That means you're highly unlikely to get a CPO warranty buying a used TL. If you go TLX, I would definitely skip the '15 model year and only consider the '16s.

 

To the OP:

What will be your budget in case of replacement??

 

2 things i like on the tlx is the smooth ride and very low road noise. Things i hated on the tl. But the tranny is shitty. Id swap to the tl 6spd in a heartbeat if possible.

 

I would avoid a used 15TLX as the tranny will be a crap shoot. Since you may bypass SH-AWD why not look at a new Accord Touring?

 

My max would be 28k. Less would be preferable, but with my down payment and monthly, I'd be comfortable with that as my max.

 

If 28K is your limit, get a very nice used top optioned TL SH-AWD (preferably 6 speed manual) and forget the TLX.

 

^^ I would agree with you. A 6-speed TL with the SH-AWD is a GREAT vehicle!

 

How much down are we talking about? Ever consider a cpo gs350? If i could do it all over again, i would go for that instead of the tlx

 

Lexus is a good company but I just don't personally like them. If I was going to leave Honda/Acura, I'd look at Infiniti first.

 

Well, this made the decision for me. There are no CPO TL's available right now and won't be until late summer. I can't wait that long.

The 16 TLX is outside my budget. I'm going to see if I can find a 15 within my budget but that's a long shot.

It's probably going to be a G37x if I have to replace it.

 

^^ Avoid a 2015 given all the transmission problem....If you can't get a 2016 or a CPO TL, then personally, I would look at other brands.

 

The salesman told me that they fixed the transmission issues with a software update. But he's a salesman so I don't necessarily believe him.

 

I agree with Weather (for the V6). Even though Acura/Honda seems to be fixing/replacing more and more 9spd transmissions, it sounds like one has to really go through a hassle to make it happen. Not worth it.

Now if the 4 cylinder weren't too slow for you, buying a used 2015 4 cyl significantly lowers the risk of transmission problems.

 

^^ Yep....I agree. I was referring to the 2015 V6, the I4 have been much better with the 8 DCT.

OpIv37....Many have had software update and the problem still persist, what is needed is a hardware change to make this issue totally repaired.

 

I think there are enough people in the problems thread that may disagree with that. My late 15 TLX has all the latest software and while I don't have horrible tranny issues, the thing is a piece of crap.i have driven a 7 speed Infinity for 44K miles and my 8 speed ZF in my A6 for 20K miles and this 9 speed is junk in the TLX is just bad design, the software is awful. I wish they would have offers AWD in the I4. I hope their own 10 speed is better when they release it.

 

Totally agree, I would go G37 for sure before picking a TLX....look for some crazy deal about Infiniti Q40s (basically a rebadged G37) coming off lease.
They depreciate very quickly (because basically, as I said before, it is nothing more than an old G37 with a different name badge) and they even come standard with navigation.....a well proven car, reliable and very fun to drive.

 

saturno_v actually had a good suggestion with a CPO Q40. Those things prices have dropped like rocks and they are a good car.

Your only good Acura option would be a 2015 I4 TLX Tech, but the I4 might be too slow for you (although you should test drive one, it does feel faster than most I4's thanks to the gearing in the 8DCT). Fuel economy is also outrageously good (some forum members here have been beating the ratings by 30%-ish. Someone got 44 MPG on a highway trip with one).

 

Sad to leave the TL family but my car was totaled and I got a better settlement than I thought so I was able to go a little above the 28K I stated above. I got a hell of a deal on a CPO 2014 Infiniti Q50 Premium AWD with Nav. I did consider the Q40 but there weren't many available around here and the price difference wasn't that great.

The warranty is spectacular and the features are amazing. I loved my TL and I likely wouldn't have even looked at Infiniti if I could have gotten a 13 or 14 TL Tech SH-AWD CPO. So Takata cost Acura a sale. But my wife still has her RDX so I can still get my Acura fix. Hopefully the Q50 will get me 7-8 years, then I'll see what Acura has going.

 

One more thing: I went to the Infiniti dealer to see a TLX V6 Base. Ironically, as we were looking at it, the sales manager came out to say it had been sold and they were processing the paperwork. I believe him cuz it was off the lot when we left. Since we were there, we asked about the Q50's.

I will miss my TL but I got an AWD Infiniti with Nav and a crazy warranty for maybe 1k more than I would have paid for the FWD TLX with original warranty.

 

and happy motoring.

 

You will be very happy with the Q50, make sure your car got the 2 recalls done for the infotainment system (faster boot time and way less sluggish), the improvement was massive.

 

I noticed it boots slow so I will definitely look into that.

 

Congrats on the new ride - as is the case with most 4G owners the TLX underwhelmed you. Its not that its a bad car, it just falls short of what it should have been

 

congrats. either choice is a good choice

 

Thanks for the advice and opinions everyone. I'm planning on keeping the Q50 for a very long time, so hopefully there will be a vastly improved 5G or 6G by then and I can come back to Acura.

I'll still be lurking around the RDX forum cuz of my wife's car.

 

That a little bit of a reach isn't it when looking at what the OP stated in this thread? Price was a determining factor for the OP and he got a great deal on a '14 Q50. He was a 4G owner considering getting another 4GTL or the TLX but numbers wise, it seems to me- didn't make sense for him to get the TLX. He even went to the Infiniti dealer to look at a TLX but it was sold but found himself a nice CPO Q50

 

Id be very hard pressed to pic a car.

For me it comes down to what would I rather mod. The TL would be a lot more fun to mod as there are a lot more available parts. But the TLX IMO is an all around nicer car. I dont know what I would choose if I had to choose right now.

I think I would go TLX assuming the TL will need typical maintenance work while the TLX wouldnt.

If bother ran 100% and would continue to for the next 3 years then damn I may go TL at that point.

 

As much as I hate the looks of the 4G TL, I'd likely go with one of those. You pay less, you can get a 6MT mated to an AWD system and you can get a car with essentially all the bugs worked out, or well known solutions for them.

My biggest reason for going with the 4G simply comes down to the transmission, and yes, I know it is personal preference. If you don't care for a 6mt car, get a TLX.

 

To be fair, I test drove a '16 w/ Nav and I did like it, but it was out of my price range. Since there are no CPO TL's right now, I could have gotten a '15 TLX without nav or AWD for around the same price as the loaded Q50. It didn't seem worth it to give up those features plus have to deal with those transmission issues.