sorry, I meant to quote GM... but I didn't:

...there we go.

Drivetrain wise, yes, pretty much. But driving an 07 Camry rental and my sister's 08 ES350 is a world of difference. Even when the ES350's sunroof closes and seals shut, you can barely hear it. The motor is pretty quiet too. Drive or ride in an ES350 windows down, then roll them all up.... exterior sound magically appears to almost disappear. Still not my kind of car but I can see why someone would love it.

 

You're a mod too now?!

 

The funny thing is here in Japan, the TL is no longer sold. That stopped in the 04 timeframe with the 3G TL. So, over here the lineup from Honda is in this order

1) Honda Legend (RL) - $60,000 (approx.)
2) Honda Inspire (Accord) - $36,000 (approx.)
3) Honda Accord (TSX / European Accord) - $22,000 - $30,000 (base 4 banger to the Euro R)
4) Honda Civic - $18,000 - $29,000 (base to Type R)

Very funny strategy that they are playing in the US with the Acura brand by not having much to differentiate the cars.

Here, the Inspire (Accord)plays as a "I'm not quite ready for the big buck Legend" car. The 2 door is not sold here, so the choices are as above. with no car to fill in the large price gap. But there is good distinction between the cars. They are different cars for different people. The TL and Accord should be differentiated by more than the front grill and some interior features.

And of course price.