and....

It was much better than I expected!

I test drove the 5AT twice over the past month, and was enthused by the interior, but felt a bit disconnected from the car. I was concerned that the car was too big, bulky, and unwieldy. Very concerned. Started thinking about settling for the TSX.

To my utter surprise, the 6MT connected me directly to the car. I felt like I was driving something that was attached to me. It responded to just about everything I asked it to do. I was VERY enthused by the powertrain's ability! Rowing from 1st to 4th was oh-so-much fun.

The VSA was definitely helping out... no squeals at all.

The 5AT felt heavy and luxury sedan-ish to me. The 6MT felt light and nimble. It reminded me of my Integra more than an ES330. Was it as fun as the G35? I don't think so. But it's very close. And the interior and technology of the TL more than make up for the small differential in sportiness between the two.

I did stall just once... thanks to that sensitive clutch in 1st gear. NOTE: It's not as bad as people have been saying. It truly is just something that I need to get used to (probably a bit more acceleration prior to release).

It tooks turns compliantly and predicably. Again, turning at high speeds was fun.

I did, however, find myself dealing with torque steer for the first time in my driving career. I didn't know what it was until the salesguy (a really good salesguy) pointed it out to me.

Torque steer is a bit unnerving, and now I understand why it's mentioned so much in reviews. I keep hearing how it's mild on the TL. I'd hate to see it not mild. I wonder aloud if there's a way to best handle that phenomenon. Is there something that I can do to mitigate it? (other than slowing down, that is)

Anyway, the torque steer isn't going to stop me from buying this baby. I'm thouroughly impressed.

The 04TL 6MT is a TRUE SPORTS SEDAN.

Not a doubt about it.

Wow.

Jon

 

great review

better tires and a lowered suspenion may help ease torque steer, but i cant guarantee it will go away entirealy w/these mods

 

Finally going to test drive a 6MT tonight!

Jon, I hope my experience is like yours. I drove the 5AT and felt disconnected and a little let down. I hope the 6MT will be significantly better. As a long time (40 years) stick driver, I will be very critically looking for any torque steer, the clutch sensitivity and steering response. It would take a major problem for me to cancel on this car, but I would if it fails to live up to my expecations.

One comment regarding driving stick shifts, there is a learning curve on the shifting process and it takes awhile to get it smooth. Some cars - like the TSX - are quick to learn, and some are more tricky and take longer. It sounds like the 04 TL 6MT is like this, but really sweet when mastered.



Impressions later

 

Lakeman,

Looking forward to your take on the 6MT. And, if you've had prior torque steer experience, commenting on how the TL compares to other powerful FWD cars.

Jon

 

I just got my ssm/eb 6mt last week and while it is a little tricky to get the hang of in the beginning, it is by NO means as hard as the old Cl-S 6mt was. Now that car was a tough one to master.

 

Jon, Most of my FWD experience has been with Audis. I had a 1980 Turbo 5000 Automatic with a whopping 150 HP. It had some torque steer especially when putting power in a turn, but not bad. One of the best cars I have ever owned was a 86 Audi 5000 Turbo 5 SPEED. It had - I think - 170 or 180 HP and was a fun car. It too had some torque steer at times, but very manageable. (You might ask why I didn't get an Audi since I liked them so much. 1. maintainence is high and 2 the new TL blows away the A4 and the other Audis are out of my price range.) Recently, I had some time behind the wheel of my wife's 98 Saab Turbo Conv 5 speed. That had about 200 HP and was a real handful to drive hard. I just hope the 6MT does not have that level of torque steer.

Report later tonight. (I will be looking to see the effect of the Helical LSD which is supposed to reduce torque steer.)

 

Why is this a surprise?

Great review, though. I feel the same way.

 

Thanks! Why was it a surprise? Because the 5AT was so sedany. It was just a mid-sized car with some pep (from a performance perspective).

Maybe I'm just smokin' something, but the 6MT felt smaller, nimbler, and much faster than the 5AT. Granted, it was 3 weeks between test drives.

After the 5AT test drive, I was just about ready to keep my Integra for a few more years. But, after the 6MT test drive, I'm ready to make a deal with the dealer for a Black/Ebony 6MT.

Jon

 

Jon, DITTO

Don't want to write another 6MT test, but your writeups matched my impression of the 6MT versus the 5AT to a T. I was blown away by the better power delivery and overall quicker, lighter feel of the 6MT. Unfortunatly, I was time constrained in my test drive and did not get to fully put it through it's paces. IMHO, this car has little or no torque steer. In all normal power applications - and does this car have power - I could not even tell it was a FWD. I was not able to break traction, but I would expect a spinning tire would induce a momentary jerk on the wheel that would be disconcerting but should not put you in harms way. The LSD should quickly mitigate the unbalance and send you on you merry way. My wife's Saab could put you in the ditch if you weren't holding on tight. In short Acura has done a superb job at producing a very powerful and suprisingly unFWD FWD car. Also I was concerned about ride quality, but the ride was great, not too harsh or rough, even with the 6MT tuning. My final comment is - yes the clutch is a quick acting one and easy to stall. As I said earlier, I just need to learn the right technique.

(BTW my build date is Dec7-11) CAN'T WAIT

 

Two more comments after waking up this a.m. and reflecting on my test of the 6MT.

1 WOW - I still can't believe this car

2 My wife -who is somewhat of a car nut herself - said after driving it . " It is way better than your 911 ever was." ( I had a 1988 Carrera) She's right.

Speaking of Porsches, I found this and thought it interesting to note our experiences with the 6MT. This is a quote from the latest C and D test of the Porsche Carrera GT:
"The downside to this is that you will stall the car from a standstill. Everyone who sat in the driver's seat did. " They even had a suggestion as to how to engage the clutch. Wonder if it would work on the 6MT. "Your best bet is to gingerly ease out the clutch pedal and keep your foot off the hair-trigger throttle. As the clutch hooks up, the idle automatically rises to about 1800 rpm, and you inch away—slowly, but with your dignity intact."

Can't wait

 

Sweet!

I'm loving all these Porche comparisons!!

On Motorweek, they compared the 6MT TL's breaking ability to recent Porches they've tested!

I really, really can't wait to read C&D's review of the TL (hopefully next month!!).

Jon

 

Just had my 6M TL test drive today. Leith in Raleigh had several TLs, even one 6M Navi in white. Compared to my TSX, the TL has a lighter clutch, feels almost as nimble, and lots of power. The one I drove had performance tires, but still had a smig of torque steer. I don't mind it a bit. It makes for a more interesting drive.
Although only a little bigger, it seems like a lot more car. Just my $.02