KeithL

Not sure about pleasantly surprising to ones eyes....

The RLX and MDX and to some extent the RDX pretty much show us where Acura styling is headed for their fascias and interiors.

leefarber

Does ELS Studio still play DVD-A? I'm hearing it may not...

KeithL

Hmm that would be a sad mistake since I have some DVD-A, although I guess I am willing to give that up for Krell.

Stew4HD

I would be very disappointed because I have a lot of DVD-A. I am sure Krell will sound good but ... why loose the the channel audio? I hope Acura keeps that capability. It would not hurt them to leave it in place, even if very few people use it.

Ruby

I sure hope the 5G is good. I love my Acuras, I'm sorry but the 4G just didn't do it for me. Loved how it drove and the features but I don't "love" it. So hopefully a few years down the line when my car is approaching 300k I'll snag a certified 5G SH-AWD.

TheAspec

The DVD-A comments remind me of the 3G TL still having a cassette deck. Countless people that would get in my 3G TL would ask me why in world does Acura still install a factory deck -- it's 2007 -- who uses cassettes! I could not argue that point.

DVD-A while it does sound amazing has such a limited library and I assume an even more limited audience. Not a deal breaker for me if it get kicked to the curb. I would trade DVD-A for HD radio in a heartbeat.

Stew4HD

DVD-A >>>> HD Radio

H_CAR

Found this on TOV. The TLX will likely receive a ZF sourced 9 speed automatic! At this point, I'm 100% sure Acura will get everything right with the TLX, they just need to design a great looking car. I'm confident they will because word on the street is the TLX is being designed by John Ikeda, the guy who did the 3rd generation TL, new Accord and NSX

http://vtec.net/forums/one-message?message_id=1149050

Stew4HD

It keeps sounding better all the time!

docboy

9-speed automatic? Good news for the auto bunch and Acura in general, if true... but I would guess this might mean the demise of the 6MT?

DefkevsAU7

I would be more pissed off if they took away the 6spd than seeing the 4G's front end...that's how much I love my 6spd!

docboy

Agreed.

The 4G TL 6MT is a unique product, and a marketing niche in its own right; the 6MT is the only reason I bought my TL. If it didn't have the 6MT I would probably have a S4 or 335xi.

If Acura knows what's good for them, Acura should build upon the TL 6MT w/SH-AWD, not take it away. We'll find out soon enough.

KeithL

Hmm, some how I am doubting that. 9 speed auto?

Edward'TLS

Believe it only after we see it.

We've heard far too many rumors for Acura that didn't materialize.

weather

Same here....It just seems to be overdone to have so many additional cogs over the flagship. Stranger things have happened and Acura has done so many strange things as of late that maybe this is plausible after all For me, I am more excited at the prospect of have John Ikeda behind the design of the 5G. As much as I want a car with decent tech in it, I find the 6 speed tranny in my 2012 TL is more than adequate and don't need 3 extra gears. I cannot recall pulling into a parking lot and saying to someone...."Man that is an ass ugly looking car but I am so envious because you have 8 speeds" ... Bottom line, I car about what the car looks like and I want to be able to walk to my car and just have that excitement every time I look at it.

If I was shallow enough to base exterior looks only to pick my g/f, I would be called a pig. Surely I can let my physical desires transfer to my vehicles....

KeithL

I am going to be a bit pessimistic on the TLX, Acura has given no hint in their recent styling that they are going to do anything other than a mostly conservative sedan. I think the IS, CTS, Q50 will all be far better styled cars. I only hope the TLX will be able to recapture some of the 3G magic, but even with the subdued shield that seems hard.

weather

Keith...I agree with you that I am not 100% convinced it will be a home run but I think there is potential. If you recall, someone had posted a photoshop of the RLX with different wheels and that drastically change the stance of the vehicle.

There is no doubt that the styling will have the design language of the RLX, ILX, MDX and RDX which is not all bad. Give it decent wheels and a good looking aerokit and this TLX can be really sexy. I emphasize the word CAN.....Acura must want to make this an exciting car again if it wants my money.

KeithL

I still think they have gone too conservative when everyone else is going more stylish and bold, let's face it, Lexus was the king of bland and now has a very bold styling design that they have quickly spread through the line. Love or hate the Infiniti style, but again a bold design language. The new CTS is. Rey impressive looking. The only borderline conservative left is Hyundai, but who knows what the new Genesis will look like , the camo shots seems to indicate a conservative yet bold shape.

Even MB which for a while was rather bland is really stepping it up. One could argue that Audi is still a bit conservative, but it is an elegant conservative with subtle lines that really are highlighted with sexy headlights and tail lights.

Stew4HD

After reading many of these comments, it seems that Acura should just close their doors and call it a day.. throw in the ole towel, as it were....

KeithL

A little bit of an exaggeration ;-)

What you have with these comments is die hard Acura fans that feel let down the last few years as Acura has veered off the rails. If you look at my tag I have owned more than my fair share of TLs and loved them all, until the 4G which was a nice ride, but I never dug it like my 3G cars. I really want to come back, but also value my money and want to be extremely happy with my purchase. Regardless what Acura does they will sell enough cars to "keep the doors open" as the RDX and MDX alone will keep them profitable. If the TLX is a miss or near hit they will do fine, but never regain the respect that had in the 3G days.

Stew4HD

*shrug* Not an exaggeration at all. I wanted to slit my wrist after reading some of the posts (note exaggeration)

I happen to find the 4G a superior car to the 3G in every way. I didn't like the nose or tail of the '09 thru '11 but a homerun with the mid-model. I, for one, think they will put out a car I will want to trade up to with the 5G.

KeithL

I agree mostly on the 4G. It was built so much better and rode much better. The only thing that bothered me was the beak. I think it was too buck tooth looking, I did not mind the sharp lines I just wanted less chrome nose and I wanted a real silver. If the beak were less chrome and silver moon were out initially then I doubt I ever would have gone to Infiniti, I would have stayed with Acura. Now that I have been gone, it is hard to come back as the choices are many.

Stew4HD

There has always been a lot of choices and even more so now with the Koreans in the fray. Most all manufacturers have a car that competes in one way or another with the TL. Chevy is about the only one without a car that I consider somewhat viable. The IMpala doesn't come close. Fords' Taurus has come a long way and is a pretty nice car. I guess the Charger/300M could also be close to the level in certain trim levels.

Several things that seem to be ongoing attributes with Acura is quality, reliability and safety over most other vehicles in its class(es). For me, it feels good knowing I am driving a car that has a much higher than average ability to save my arse. The fact that the looks seperate it from every other car out there is appealing as well.

If Acura had not changed the beak and rear, I can't say that I would have stuck with them. MB and BMW was in my sights.. but not my price range because if I was going that direction, I would go with AMG or M3/M5... why settle, right?

KeithL

Agreed, but I think the thing right now is the competition has been raising the bar and the competition is getting more fierce. Hyundai/Kia are going to do to the Japanese what their did to the Germans. Look at the new Kia Cadenza, LCD gauge cluster, all the safety features and a decent head unit for around $42K. The 14 Genesis is sure to raise the bar higher, it looks like it will have LED headlights and a lot of what they showed for the 14 Equus.


True, but even the safety reliability gap is closing quickly. They still do lead the pack, but the real gap is over the 3-5 year mark. Most new cars even the Germans are not bad for owning 3-4 years.

Oswald Vater

Here's some additional information from the TOV site FWIW: "UPDATE: we received a tip late Friday night from reader and Acura salesman "Colin" that order sheets are listing a new "SE" model for the 2013 TL. The Special Edition package adds to a base TL: - Keyless access with push button start - 18 inch wheels - A rear lip spoiler - Special edition badge. Colin thinks that it's possible that Acura may just skip the 2014 model year TL altogether, much like how they did by skipping the 2013 model year when transitioning from the RL to RLX. His team also thinks the TLX will launch earlier than fall of 2014. Summary: 2013 SE model, possibly no 2014 model. Watch For: All new 2015 TLX coming next year. Available: 2013 SE: Summer, 2015 TLX - Spring 2014(?)"

Stew4HD

^ Juicy rumors.... tis fun to watch and see!

Oswald Vater

Exactly! The closer we get to a release the juicier the rumors are going to get! We won't know the true story until corporate gives it credibility.

docboy

^Totally agree.

Before the 4G TL 6MT came out, mags had already tested it against the S4, 335, G37, etc... It generated a lot of "wow" and raised a few eyebrows (in a good way). Other than the 6MT, the 4G TL didn't really raise the bar IMHO.

The TLX definitely needs to bring out the wow factor, be it through marketing or some performance variable. The S4/S5 has it; the new GS had it as well BEFORE it was released.

Compare that to the ILX and RLX. The ILX drew comparisons to the Civic; the RLX brought out "meh" and "boring." See the difference Acura?

weather

I agree with you...Acura really needs to listen up and start delivering as you stated quite nicely. That being said, Acura has another problem which is partly the result of them screwing up over the past few years...and that is, they have lost their credibility and has become somewhat of the joke on the street with their front shield. We all know that once you have a bad reputation, its pretty hard to overcome the stigma and right now, Acura is in the tank.

The same these car reviewers are raving about BMW regardless of how unreliable they have been because the car reviews only measure 2 things....how the car drives, and how it looks, and in that respect, the Germans have it figured out. Acura on the other hand is more worried about long term reliability and that is now what people get passionate about, at least not when they go shopping.

So Acura needs to deliver some exciting designs and not lose their reliability.....

KeithL

It is funny how they released more info n the NSX today, but still not a peep on the TLX, and the NSX will be a lw volume halo car.

Stew4HD

The NSX is a high profile car though. Getting that out in the world will be a boost for Acura, IMO.

I expect that the public at large has little interest in the TLX since the TL is currently being sold.

SeismicGuy

Yeah--I am not sure why all of the excitement about more and more gears. Four speed automatic seemed fine, 5 speed was better, 6 seems ideal. If you need more gears than that you might as well go to the continuously variable type of transmission.

Edward'TLS

It's a Honda's trait to add a special edition (SE) model trim to the very last year of a model cycle for some of it's vehicles, in order to create some "excitement" in the otherwise stagnant and fading vehicle model.

The SE is nothing special, with only value-added hardware coming out of the existing model parts bin. All new additions are basically cosmetic add ons, and never with any engine tweaking for more hp, nor any suspension tweaking for more handling performance.

Booya4139

Marketing the NSX sells TLs and everything else.

Booya4139

Honda has the Si which is well received, Acura had type S which was well received, i don't get why they abandon it. Like having a halo car, having performance variants give the lower models more appeal

KeithL

Except the NSX is more than a year away.

KeithL

The other thing I feel sad about is they just released the 2014 ILX with no engine improvement. They have got to be kidding. I'd love to know how many ILX sales are lost due to the under powered engine.

weather

^^ I agree 150%!! The ILX with the 2.4L across the board would have sold like crazy I am sure! Its a shame....I know that there is more than just HP (such as weight of the car) but with the Verano coming out with a turbo engine producing 250+ HP and tons of features (such as a heated steering wheel), I think the ILX looks bad on paper...and we all know that perception is everything.

If Acura is serious about wanting to distance itself from the Honda comparo, then it needs to make the Acura something to speak for itself.

docboy

Yup, not sure why Acura abanded the type S. I guess the SH-AWD variant is the new "type S."

The so-called Special Edition (ie. on the TSX, the so-called California Edition on the 4G TL) is nothing "special" but rather mere useless minor cosmetic crap. I wouldn't pay anything more for a SE/CE than a non SE/CE model.

Audi has the S4/S5, which is a true notch higher than the A4/A5 counterparts (bigger engine). Then there's the RS5, which is just a monster and a true special edition!

Glashub

Oh please no 9 speed. I have an 8 speed and although smooth it does not cut it for performance needs. Read its true with the Germans too. The more gears the more confused the tranny becomes with anything but normal acceleration.