Advice - From 2006 Acura TL to ????
 

It's time to part with my 2006 TL 6-speed. The kids are growing up and I need more room in the backseat. Also the wife is tired of driving a manual when she borrows the car. It only has 80,000 miles on it and it is in great shape and I bought it new so I hate to part with it.

The biggest struggle is finding something to replace it with.

- The TLX has less rear leg room so that is out. The RLX did not impress me.
- I drove a 2017 Accord V6 and while the engine was great the seats and interior were not. The 2018 Accord, in my opinion, has a truly horrible exterior design but the interior looks great and the rear leg room would be perfect.
- I had a 2017 Charger Scat Pack as a rental a few months ago and it was a blast to drive but the interior felt a little lackluster. Also we get snow here in Wisconsin so while I could pickup a set of snow tires (had them for my TL) it isn't my first choice.
- I drove a Chevy SS and really liked it but can't find a decent one in my area for under $35k. Given that new 2017s were going for high $30k's during the 20% off sale I refuse to pay that much for a used one.
- 2018 Camry V6 the steering feel was a little numb the rest of it was nice but again $37k or more for a Camry is not something I will pay.
- Drove a 2017 Mazda 6 and enjoyed that other than what I felt was an under powered engine and that annoying heads up display on the plastic screen.
- 2015+ GS350 F-sport was nice but just barely enough rear leg room and they seem to be overpriced here in WI.

I have considered a used Cadillac XTS V-sport, new Buick TourX (I get the employee discount), a Ridgeline (again too pricey).

What am I missing? There are no perfect cars, I get that but all I really want is my 2006 TL with more rear leg room.

The only absolute no on my list is a CVT. Any thoughts are welcome...

Charger Scat Pack with snow tires would get my vote from that list unless you go GS350 F-Sport.

+2 gs 350

These are just test drive suggestions:

Q50
Fusion Sport
Legacy 3.6R

All your options don't have much of an upgrade in terms of room inside. Get some minivan or SUV and pick up a cheap fun car for yourself.

2015+ 3.8L Hyundai Genesis sedan AWD?
I've heard they handle very well in the snow.
A shame you can't get the 5.0L AWD in the US.
Plenty of rear seatroom.
Interior is beautiful.

Audi A4 all road or A5 Sportback?

Q Fiddy

or GS 3Fiddy

Or get an SUV, but if you buy new most are close to 40k.

I went from an '06 TL to an '07 BMW M5...kind of ruined me. :toocool:

Another vote for the Scat Pack.

FWIW, you should be able to peddle our 2006 6MT for a good price; I just bought a nice clean one with 114,000 miles on the clock and paid $10,000 for it, I suspect you can get at least that for yours.

Two of my neighbors just bought a new Genesis. Holy cow, they're jaw droppers.

Is the coupe getting discontinued or are they releasing a new generation with the new branding?

As much as I hate to recommend an ES350 over a LS460, you need the ES for the legroom in the rear.

2005 TL = 34.9 inches

ES350 = 40 inches.

GS350= 36.8 inches

LS460 = 35.8 inches

It isn't quite that simple; while the ES still has the greatest overall legroom, you need to factor in front legroom as well (some cars you might need the front seat pegged all of the way back, others you won't).

• 2006 TL: 42.8" + 34.9" = 77.7"
• 2017 ES: 41.9" + 40.0" = 81.9"
• 2017 GS: 42.3" + 36.8" = 79.1"
• 2017 LS: 43.7" + 35.8" = 79.5"

FWIW, when my kids were small I had a 1995 Passat GLX with a stunning amount of legroom for the size of the car:

• 1995 Passat: 45.1" + 37.0" = 82.1"

Or you can just get a Vagon. :bitelip:

The new Camry is $37k?! Wait a few months and you'll be able to get one for far under invoice. No one is going to spend $37k on that thing.

I'd recommend a SUV though. Mazda CX-5 is actually quite good in the new redesigned form.

IMHO this is the best suggestion on the thread so far. The genesis has a ridiculous amount of rear seat leg room. The interior quality is at least equivalent to that of an RLX or even Audi A7/Lexus GS. Extremely comfortable, and you will not have to deal with ridiculous repair costs. It truly does feel like a very expensive car and the features are truly next level. I have a lot of experience with the 3.8 AWD, the one thing I will tell you is that it is not the best handling car in the class (that is due to weighing 4700 pounds). It can handle acceptably though, but it is not the most nimble car in the world. Like you won't be disappointed coming from the TL. But it won't blow you away either.

Neighbors friend just bout the new CX-5.... Looks really good.

You must have missed my suggestion of CTS-V..... :O

EcoBoost F150? Could probably find a 2016 302A XLT with either EcoBoost in your budget. 2015 for Lariat & up.

Fusion Sport, the back seat is likely about the same as the TL.

Genesis is definitely a looker, but haven't been inside one.

EcoBoost Explorer/Flex

This one and Maxima crossed my mind but ... CVT I don't think that they are what they used to be, though. Unsure of the chic factor, but because of size and your discount, I'll put an Impala LTZ right here.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3f10befa33.jpg

Being RWD based, I really doubt rear seat room would be any good for kids. But in all other contexts, I absolutely LOVE the CTS-V.

35.0 inches. Essentially same as his current TL.

I would go with a crossover. Really there is no reason for a sedan anymore except for the better driving experience. Crossovers get as good mileage as sedans and have a lot more passenger and cargo space. They also usually have a teeny bit more ground clearance and many come in AWD.

Civic Type R
42.3 in / 35.9 in

pretty good for a civic haha

I'm 6'1, I have sat behind myself with plenty of room and had much more room than I did sitting in the back of my friends 2006 TL behind a 5'3 passenger who had her seat adjusted forward. So no I disagree that they are the same even if the numbers say so.

​​​I'm sure it's possible with a good set of snow tires but I wouldn't do it. One of the only reasons I didn't dump my 99 TL. My RWD 2013 Genesis RSpec sedan is just awful in the snow (yes Kris I did drive it in the Winter) :grinfawk:

This is funny because I have this very same dilemma....but I might soon be going in the complete opposite direction of you. haha

Anyways, I looked into the '17 Accord...affordable, very nice looking, great on gas, more spacious. The GS350 AWD F-Sport and the Q50 were always contenders for me if I went for another sedan. No SUV's in your list...so I'm assuming you don't want to go that route? Otherwise I'd say, Explorer Sport, MDX, Durango, Grand Cherokee, Pilot just to name a few.

Accord is a good, affordable, and great on gas. It's not much more spacious though then a 3G TL, a little but not a lot. Explorer Sport would be good. Pick up a used one though. (I'm not biased on either of those. :wink:)

If I was going to go Durango or JGC, I would go SRT.

I probably should have mentioned this in my original post but our other vehicle is a 2012 Odyssey. That being said I looked into a 2015 MDX CPO but after driving it I found it completely boring. It was comfortable, spacious, quiet, drove competently, good build quality but I got out and it just felt like our Odyssey. I love the idea of an SUV and AWD but that one was completely uninspiring...or put another way, it wasn't that kind of thrill. I see why people buy them instead of a minivan but I already have one and don't want 2.

At this point the only reasonable SUV that has my attention is the Mazda CX-9. I was only able to do a very short (around the block literally) test drive but it handled better than the MDX and I really liked the interior. Second row room was good. The overall cargo room is low and third row space is not great. I had no issues with the power of the Turbo 4 but the one I drove was running on 93 octane and I literally only drove around the block. It will never handle like a TL, Chevy SS, Lexus GS, etc so the power output only needs to be adequate for that kind of vehicle in my opinion. Overall I think its a niche vehicle for a family of 4 who values driving dynamics which is accurate for my current situation. I have been looking for a used one but there are not many to be found as they just don't sell in volume compared to Pilots and MDX.

I like the look of the Jeep GC but I don't trust their quality for long-term ownership. The diesel option would be my preference but again its a unicorn on the used market.

If you get the CX9 make sure you get the newest one

they just released info where they are changing how much the second row move and changed the seat back angles to make it more like cx5. totally worth looking at the newest one as it makes ease of entry to third row etc extremely useful. almost 5 more inches of seat movement, plus some standard equipment on the base models.

New CX-5 and CX-9 are MUCH different from the used ones and are worth every penny in extra cost to get the newer one.

Oh you do have an Odyssey. Then it makes sense now. The new CX9 is amazing. Looks incredible, the interior is insane. The only thing I didn't like about it was the cargo room in the back.

Since you have a minivan already, then anything makes sense haha

Get something more fun. Wouldn't do Lexus line in this case.

I'm selling both of my cars and getting a new Odyssey and Civic Type R next year. We have almost 1 year old and have another on the way.

Twenty years ago when my wife and I were at the same point you are now the conversation went something like this...

Me: "Dear, I'm thinking it's time we considered buying a minivan."

Wifey: "Probably a good idea; can we get one with a stick?"

Me: "Nope, pretty much automatic only in the full-sized minivan world."

Wifey: "Well then I'm not driving it, you're driving it."

The conversation ended there and we didn't pick it up again for another year; we ended up with a (then) brand spankin' new 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport with a 3.8 liter engine. The van went a very reliable 200,000+ miles with us; had to trade the old girl in because my mom had an accident in it and where the body work had been done it was rusting like crazy.

Funny thing, even though we're "empty nesters" and we both still enjoy driving sporty cars, we miss having a van around from time to time.

since you already have a van, what about an Q50 red sport?

great car

but at 35.1 inch rear legroom, doesn't give him the space he requires

That's a great story haha my wife and I are pretty much set on a minivan, it's just 100 times more convenient than anything else out there with kids and dogs. Hopefully it will last a long time for our family like yours sir!

Congrats..... It will be tough. I was just like you. my first two are 20 months apart and I had just had another 3 months ago. So I have a 3 year old, 2 year old and 3 month old.

We bought the Explorer, a couple days after our 2nd, and now we are buying a van next year. It just makes way more sense.

How about this?

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3f0e68c3c5.jpg

RWD/AWD and as much room as a GS, much more bang for your buck. And from my personal experience of Kia and Lexus interiors, it's going to feel more premium inside.
I have three kids and I'd replace my UA7 with it :wish:

Yeah, the Stinger is definitely on my list after reading the article posted yesterday (Motor Trend I think). Probably wouldn't spring for the 6 cylinder but the I like the looks and the sounds like the suspension is tuned for what I need. Now I just need to be patient...not my strongest attribute.