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I just picked up my SSM/Ebony V6 Tech today! My salesman spent over an hour going over the new features and my head was spinning. I have a lot of reading to do! It was very sad saying good-bye to my TL, what a great car that was.
I drove 160 miles today. Here are my first impressions:
The seats are very comfy and the leather is a big upgrade from the 3G, but who designed the head bolster? It's positioned at such a weird angle and pushes my head down. I was able to compensate by tilting my seat back a little more so the bolster doesn't hit the back of my head.
I love the blind spot info system! I turn my head before I switch lanes, but even so I've had some close calls in my TL. This is a great feature.
I immediately turned off the lane keeping assist feature, I found it annoying and inaccurate. I need to turn off / adjust the adaptive cruise control, the BRAKE sign was flashing even when I wasn't really that close to the car in front of me.
I really like the touch screen, and I'm glad the heated seat controls are on the screen. I always used to hit the heater buttons by mistake.
The navi is a big improvement from my 3G. The picture quality is much better, and I like that the map lists the neighborhoods you drive through.
The cabin is super quiet. The sound system is a nice upgrade too. I used to keep the volume on 18 - 20 on XM, and today I had it on 10 - 12 and Pearl Jam was still blasting!
I didn't think I'd like the wood trim but it's minimal, and what there is actually looks very nice with the ebony interior. I don't find the cabin cheap and plastic-y, I think it's tasteful.
I don't like the fun-house effect of the side mirror. The chrome vent reflection was very noticeable, and it also reflects onto the windshield as well. So far it doesn't bother me.
I played around with the IDS, and I will probably always drive in Sport mode. The car shifted very smoothly, and I didn't feel any rocking when I braked.
There's a lot of road noise from the tires. I drive 30K miles a year, so I'll swap them out for something better before long.
I know it's only Day 1, but I'm very happy with my purchase! This car is loaded with bells and whistles, and I have a lot to learn!
Here are some pics, and will post two more. I love the slight blue tinge in the SSM. It's more noticeable on an overcast day vs. bright sunlight:
More pics:
Last edited by Steven Bell; 10-10-2014 at 08:05 PM.
Reason: Merged Posts
^^ Congrats and looks GREAT!! Curious why you said the cabin was super quiet then said there was lots of road noise. Isn't that a little contradictory? Just curious.....
Delighted to see your TLX is now in your driveway and wishing you lots of enjoyment
^^ Congrats and looks GREAT!! Curious why you said the cabin was super quiet then said there was lots of road noise. Isn't that a little contradictory? Just curious.....
Delighted to see your TLX is now in your driveway and wishing you lots of enjoyment
Cabine is quiet but his complaining about the tires. I think thats what he means. He wants to change the tires.
btw congrats! nice car.
Last edited by Steven Bell; 10-10-2014 at 08:06 PM.
Reason: Merged Posts
Narnia...I guess....for me, I always describe cabin noise by wind and road noise. But I can see your point or explanation.
Regardless....your TLX looks amazing and that is my second favorite color after white.
Maybe there's a better way to explain it, but I'm not very coherent tonight, it's been a long day, LOL!
Thanks Weather, I actually fell in love with the white TLX when I took my test drive. I think that color really shows the car off best. But I could never have one here in NYC, esp. in the winter. SSM should camouflage the dirt somewhat.
Thanks guys!
Tony Pac, FYI I'm a she.
Last edited by Steven Bell; 10-10-2014 at 08:07 PM.
Reason: Merged Posts
Maybe there's a better way to explain it, but I'm not very coherent tonight, it's been a long day, LOL!
Thanks Weather, I actually fell in love with the white TLX when I took my test drive. I think that color really shows the car off best. But I could never have one here in NYC, esp. in the winter. SSM should camouflage the dirt somewhat.
No worries about the explanation....Listen, I am a french speaking guy so I am far from being being perfect when it comes to things like this and that is why I was asking....I am sometime unsure whether its my language barrier or else. I got your point though, I just wanted to get a little clarification.
BTW....white is indeed a nice color but that is why I have my little daily driver in brown and not white. It is super easy to maintain a white car that has never seen a drop of rain or a flake of snow....
All hail the queen... but you need to change your profile now... "Team Anthracite"?
I'm actually somewhat surprised you said the tires were noisy. I came from a 3G, too, and we both owned ours about the same time. The tires on my 3G while driving on the road sounded like a freight train compared to the TLX. But then that could just be because I was driving on those Pilot Sports on the 3G.
Welcome to the club and enjoy the ride for another decade.
All hail the queen... but you need to change your profile now... "Team Anthracite"?
I was just doing that while you were posting. I coronated myself as the new Team SSM Queen.
I'm actually somewhat surprised you said the tires were noisy. I came from a 3G, too, and we both owned ours about the same time. The tires on my 3G while driving on the road sounded like a freight train compared to the TLX. But then that could just be because I was driving on those Pilot Sports on the 3G.
Welcome to the club and enjoy the ride for another decade.
The last tires I had on the 3G were Cooper Zeons and they were awful. The new tires are a much smoother ride, but I still found them noisy. In all fairness, we have really bad roads around here.
Very pretty - congrats. I found the tires pretty quiet compared to the TLs I have driven and the TSX I have, - but maybe the 17s on the 2.4 are quieter.
It was very sad saying good-bye to my TL, what a great car that was.
Congrats on the new car. Many of us felt the same about parting with the TL, but it passes reasonably quickly.
The seats are very comfy and the leather is a big upgrade from the 3G, but who designed the head bolster? It's positioned at such a weird angle and pushes my head down. I was able to compensate by tilting my seat back a little more so the bolster doesn't hit the back of my head.
I have always driven with my seat tilted slightly back and the head restraint is perfect for me. I think you will adjust and find it comfortable.
I love the blind spot info system! I turn my head before I switch lanes, but even so I've had some close calls in my TL. This is a great feature.
Same here. Adjust the mirrors properly and with the blind sport indicators there is no more looking over your shoulder (which was a bad trait to start with). I have no problem with the "fun-house" side mirror and actually have to look carefully to notice the difference. The reflection is a non issue for me.
Narnia, your car looks great! You're right on the blue hue. Hadn't seen that before, and it looks pretty cool. One thing you said caught my attention:
Originally Posted by narnia
I need to turn off / adjust the adaptive cruise control, the BRAKE sign was flashing even when I wasn't really that close to the car in front of me.
If you have the Tech, you don't have adaptive cruise control, you have regular old standard cruise. The ACC only comes on the Advance. The BRAKE sign was the "forward collision warning." I thought this might be important info if you were expecting the cruise to brake for you!
^^ Sure is....I think she is a horse lady too. Nothing beats country living and away from the husstle and bussle. That is what I love about where I live...2 acres of land and lots of trees, no street lights in my subdivision and super quiet
Add me to the list of people puzzled over the quiet cabin/road noise comment.
I've driven 3 TLX's now, and all seemed to be exceptionally quiet - road noise included. Maybe the roads I drove on are better, or maybe Narnia was driving with the side window down.
^^ Sure is....I think she is a horse lady too. Nothing beats country living and away from the husstle and bussle. That is what I love about where I live...2 acres of land and lots of trees, no street lights in my subdivision and super quiet
So jealous. I want to get out of the city so bad, but I'm tied to my job. There's nothing more I'd like to do than move out somewhere more rural and buy 2-10 acres instead of living in a McMansion. lol. Not to mention buy a couple of classic cars and drive some country roads instead of being stuck in traffic all day. Ah well, in a few years ... in a few years ...
Thanks for the review and the beautiful pics!!! What a beautiful choice of colour!!! :-)
Now, you have got me in trouble - I may want to add the spoiler now.... hmm....
ostrich I got the spoiler with my $500 accessories credit. I was going to be practical and get the floor mats and trunk tray. I put my TL trunk tray in the TLX and the fit isn't perfect but it's workable, and the dealer gave me mats. I was also able to use my TL wheel locks on the TLX if anyone is thinking of doing that.
Originally Posted by JetDriver
Narnia, your car looks great! You're right on the blue hue. Hadn't seen that before, and it looks pretty cool. One thing you said caught my attention:
If you have the Tech, you don't have adaptive cruise control, you have regular old standard cruise. The ACC only comes on the Advance. The BRAKE sign was the "forward collision warning." I thought this might be important info if you were expecting the cruise to brake for you!
Oops I hadn't read the booklet yet. Thanks, I did mean the FCW.
Originally Posted by weather
^^ Sure is....I think she is a horse lady too. Nothing beats country living and away from the husstle and bussle. That is what I love about where I live...2 acres of land and lots of trees, no street lights in my subdivision and super quiet
You're right weather, the pics were taken in front of my horse's home, not mine. I live in the city, he lives in the country, which is why I drive so much. Here's my other ride!
Originally Posted by miner
Narnia,
Enjoy your beautiful TLX. Are you satisfied with the fitment of your rear deck spoiler?
Narnia, your car looks great! You're right on the blue hue. Hadn't seen that before, and it looks pretty cool. One thing you said caught my attention:
If you have the Tech, you don't have adaptive cruise control, you have regular old standard cruise. The ACC only comes on the Advance. The BRAKE sign was the "forward collision warning." I thought this might be important info if you were expecting the cruise to brake for you!
I was going to comment on that as well but congrats Narnia! Welcome to the SSM club. And yes, I know what you mean about the FCW system, I hate to say it but it is crap. I tried all three modes which I think were Long, Normal, and Short. Long and Normal are unbearable while short has less false alarms it will go off often especially when speeding up to pass a car in your lane. The ONE time this could have saved me from rear ending somebody and it didn't even go off. It was at a very low speed though, around 5 mph so maybe it is disabled at that speed. I was pretty close to kissing somebody's bumper but I caught it soon enough and was so surprised I didn't get a brake warning.
10-10-2014, 05:15 PM
I have a lot of reading to do! It was very sad saying good-bye to my TL, what a great car that was. 
