...it's a new magazine by Road and Track. (No, I don't work for them.) Fall 2004 issue has a head to head with a 2004 Acura TL ASpec and a Volvo S60 R. I won't tell you which one they pick. Also, they have an excellent review on the TL's DVD-A ELS system.

Also, a friend of mine parked his brand new black 5-series next to my car. When he was leaving he tried getting in my TL thinking it was his 5-series.

 

Why won't you tell us which one they choose?

Many of us probably won't rush out to get the magazine (or even go to a store just to find it) so it'd be great if you could share some more information from the magazine.

 

What an insult!

j/k - I'm one of the few who actually likes the new 5 series.

 

They're pretty sweet.

 

Is there an online version of the magazine?

 

the 5 series' are "pretty sweet". nice.

 

www.roadandtrack.com/speed

 

Great...only a table of contents!

 

Anyone have the actual link, I'd love to read the review. Thanks.

 

If he won't say, it's prolly the Volvo

New 5-series is eeww..

Tracer

 

One look at that Volvo interior and I could care less about what the review says.

 

 

I don't like the interior for the most part, but I do like that their are a lot of buttons. IMO

 

Actually, I like the interior just fine, but when I price out the Volvo, it's about 42k comparably equipped, unless I made a mistake somewhere. I did NOT want to hit the 40k mark on a car.

 

I do think the exterior of the volvo is plain UGLY!

 

The TL beat out the Volvo. Not by much.

 

Also, a friend of mine parked his brand new black 5-series next to my car. When he was leaving he tried getting in my TL thinking it was his 5-series.[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't be suprised b/c I parked next to an 2004-5series and the length is almost identical.

 

Is the magazine on the newsstands? I can find it anywhere What does the cover look lilke?

 

I think it look cool!

 

It's on newsstands. A white Mazda RX8 is on the cover.

 

The Acura wins, but just by a hair. The article was very interesting. Barnes and Noble is your best bet in getting the magazine. Obviously the Volvo is faster, but it has AWD and thirty more horsepower. They gave the Acura the nod in the tranny dept. The cars are neck and neck in most categories. I think the fact that no car Magazines give Volvo credit for anything but safety, and there addiction with Acuras dependability, swayed there decision. I've driven both and the Volvo is more solid, better interior, better MPG, much better sound system, and much more unique. The Acura is cheaper and more reliable.

 

Better interior? Look at that ugly ass dash! I have to admit, I haven't driven it, but that thing looks like it belongs in an airplane.

 

The interior design is pretty nice.. on the photo it looks VERY plastic tho.. as if it comes right out of Shell's plastic factory. The leather color is just plain ugly.

Of course, the Volvo, in a similar equiped form as the TL, is MUCH more expensive.. And the outside just screams "look, i am 82 years old!"..

Tracer

 

Cheaper ??? I don't see that in my TL, I don't know about others. My TL is built real well and far from CHEAP!

 

I meant cheaper as in less expensive. Its like three thousand dollars on average cheaper.

 

Isnt the comparison with an Aspec though?

 

Sorry Rodney, I misread your post. In that case. I fully agree .

 

I have a V70R. Previously, I had an MDX and TL-S. I've had the Volvo for sixteen months now and it went through a pretty bad winter last year. The fit, finish, build quality, and materials used are light years ahead of either Acura I owned. The leather shown is the natural analine leather and is untreated. It's beautiful in person. Also, there's no vinyl anywhere in the Volvo. The door panels, backs of the seats, and inside the armrests are all leather with contrasting stitching. The ergonomics are Scandanavian modern. From a usability perspective, every control's easy to understand and in the right place. As for appearance, you either like the look or you don't. There's a big difference between driving or testing a car and living with. I loved my Acura's from test drives but less so having lived with them. The Volvo's been an absolutely great car and still makes me smile every time I drive it - even after sixteen months.

 

Here's the last paragraph of the article.

"Because these two cars work so well, yet are so different, it makes it really difficult to pick a winnner. But we're picking one anyway, and it's the Acura. While we're not thrilled when the steering wheel tries to jerk out of our hands powering out of tight, bumpy corners, we'll deal with that to get it's smoother, more lusty engine, better gearbox and more responsive handling. That it costs less and looks better makes it that much more appealing." -Speed

The quoted pricing for the Acura between $34,650/$40,630 and the Volvo between $37,250/$44,605

 

It's a Ford.

 

Some pictures, in case you didn't know. In the bottom picture, you can see the top of the Navi screen on the top of the dashboard. It pops up out of the dash, then sets down when not in use.

 

In the article they mention that the A Spec is not different than other TL's except for the body kit and springs.

 

From looking at the last picture, there's not much actual space in it is there?

Tracer

 

AWESOME! ORANGE SEATS! I LOVE ORANGE SEATS!

 

I think the second interior pictures are a lot better. I think he was asking about the A-Spec because the A-Spec costs a lot more. The exterior is still on my con list.

 

These don't look too bad?

 

Boxy but safe

 

Those gauges look pretty damn cool, but doesn't it seem like it'd be a bit too bright for night time driving? I think the interior as a whole has a nice look to it (looks a lot better in black, I guess?), but that center console is just 'bleh' to me. Those shots of the front of the car look pretty nice, too. I'm not a big fan of it's rear profile though.

Definitely a nice car.

 

The Volvo needs to lose those thick black rubber moldings that surround the car. Dated.

 

one of my best firends has an S60R. i was very impressed with the car to be honest. It doesnt have all the toys the TL has, but for a volvo its a great step toward performance. The sound system is much better then expected too.. as for the driving part, once it winds up its creates a tremendous amount of hp and torque in the 6mt. the all wheel drive is smooth and seamless. the interesting thing is that the turbo spools up at 1900 rpm. with out the turbo this engine would be terrible. one thing that i found annoying is that when crusing or from a start there is a very notice able lag in the power delivery. the build quality of this car is amazing tho. the varaible suspension is crazy too. the difference between advanced and comfort is amazing to be honest. for an everyday car, i still like the tl better, and my buddy was actually gonna get a tl but the dealer screwed him and he needed a car. ill post a pic to for the hell of it. i have driven it a few times, very hard and it is fun when that power gets put down

-j