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I agree, and this is coming from an owner who was appalled when I saw the first photos of the 4G. I have gone from loving it because of its quality and driving dynamics despite its appearance, to loving it, including its interior and exterior styling.
I was shopping for a new tl, g or is 2.5 years ago. I was sold on tl for its awd and appearance. Is back seat is really tight. G has a brutal engine but the interior is less premium than tl, which is all around a nicer car. 2.5 years later, I'm still a happy owner of tl shawd. The only thing I regret now is had I waited for 1 or 2 more years, I'd be driving a sport hybrid. The tl is paid off at purchase and my wife and I are not a fan of car payment. I can only wait patiently for my time in a sport hybrid...maybe a couple of years later.
The 4g TL interior has a VERY premium feel to it. The interior, sound system, and SH-AWD is the reason I bought the TL..
I was also considering a G. Don't get me wrong, the G is an amazing car, but comparing both stock cars, the TL is ahead of the pack. What the G does have in advantage, is a powerful engine with a lot of potential from bolt-ons/tune. There is much more aftermarket support for the infiniti than for the 4g TL.
The new IS looks great, but it's small. I'd take a 2013+ GS350 fsport awd over all of these cars if it wasn't so damn expensive.. Lol
I always hated the G interior. I do like the Lexus interior but I have never driven one. Looks good in pix. The TL interior is a big reason I bought the car. I really like the exterior but I LOVE the interior. I don't care how good a car looks on the outside, I NEEDto have a nice interior and the TL's fit the bill times 10.
I do agree the 4G TL ages well and still looks fresh. I still love the interior every time I get in the car and it's been almost 3 years.
The G sill looks good but it doesn't age as well as the TL. The interior is dated. I had a G37 before so I am not really biased
The IS, IMO, still looks very good for a design of 2006. If the IS had more interior space, I'd be driving it right now. And the 2013+ GS is too expensive for me.
Wouldn't the Lexus ES be comparable to the TL? The IS would be more comparable to the TSX?
I don't think your comparison is very fair.
The overlap (09-12) of the Lexus and Acura (for the ES) where the Acura TL was the brand new model, however the Lexus ES had been out since 2006 - of course it looks "older" than the TL. 5th Gen Lexus ES Info
Even if we look at the IS, the IS got it's refresh in 2008 it doesn't look bad, in fact I'd very much rather have the IS or ES if it were lined up against the "beak" (09-11 TL)
Even if we look at the IS, the IS got it's refresh in 2008 it doesn't look bad, in fact I'd very much rather have the IS or ES if it were lined up against the "beak" (09-11 TL)
Interestingly enough, I test drove the ES before I purchased the TL.
I almost fell asleep and felt like I was closer to collecting pension, made a beeline for the Acura dealership and purchased the TL, beak and all .
The 4G has aged well,interior and exterior,not being brand loyal or biased but my car gets a fair bit of attention wherever I go. I wish some things about it were better but the same can probably be said for any car.
My car gets a fair amount of attention as well. Most people are shocked when they find out it's five years old. I'd say it's aged very well, both inside and out.
Just about any generation TL looks great to me. They carry a lot of road presence. Usually easy for me to spot them as they don't look like anything else. I'm not sure I'd say they've aged any better than the competition. When I see an older Lexus or Infiniti if its in good shape I appreciate it. But, I like lots of cars. Where I live trucks dominate the road so its pretty rare to see any *luxury* sedans so they tend to stick out
The ES rides like an Avalon or Camry soft and floaty. So for me, I considered g and is as tl competitors when I purchased it.
Originally Posted by KarKraze
Interestingly enough, I test drove the ES before I purchased the TL.
I almost fell asleep and felt like I was closer to collecting pension, made a beeline for the Acura dealership and purchased the TL, beak and all .
The 4G has aged well,interior and exterior,not being brand loyal or biased but my car gets a fair bit of attention wherever I go. I wish some things about it were better but the same can probably be said for any car.
Well ok, now we're comparing different things. Performance vs Looks.
OP explicitly says "aged better" and what looks older/outdated. If we're going strictly by looks, I don't think the Lexus models have aged any worse than the Acura models have. And like I noted, the generations of Lexus to Acura don't line up, so it's somewhat unfair to compare a car that's on it's last year (or near last) to one that was just released.
I'm not really surprised the Acura is more 'sporty', Lexus, especially their big-boat sedans are geared at comfort rather than sport. The exception (kinda) being the F sport models but except the ISF it's mostly appearance packages. Did Lexus even offer any of their boats in manual transmission?
My car gets a fair amount of attention as well. Most people are shocked when they find out it's five years old. I'd say it's aged very well, both inside and out.
Well ok, now we're comparing different things. Performance vs Looks.
OP explicitly says "aged better" and what looks older/outdated. If we're going strictly by looks, I don't think the Lexus models have aged any worse than the Acura models have. And like I noted, the generations of Lexus to Acura don't line up, so it's somewhat unfair to compare a car that's on it's last year (or near last) to one that was just released.
I'm not really surprised the Acura is more 'sporty', Lexus, especially their big-boat sedans are geared at comfort rather than sport. The exception (kinda) being the F sport models but except the ISF it's mostly appearance packages. Did Lexus even offer any of their boats in manual transmission?
Fair point Mr. Muffin. I did however compare appearance as well as performance in my first post. The comment related to ES being soft and floaty was in response to your note of ES being TLs competitor and simply offer my own decision making logic...
Who agrees that Acura TL looks much better than G37 and IS 5year later?
I think interior and exterior still look fresh comparing to G and IS. The 4th Gen was ahead of its time in 2009.
When I see a TL on the road, it looks sharp and without any bashing G or IS, they look very outdated.
100% agree.
I have to tell you, I get furious hearing automotive news stories, blogs, articles, etc refer to the 4G as the wart in the TL lineage.
The 4G LOOKS BETTER than all the TL's before it. Maybe I am gonna get flamed for this but its true.
Yes, the 09-11 grill was not done right (MEANING- Ought to have been mono-chrome or a bit more detail work) but thats a miniscule proportion of the overall design.
I love the 4G. I have since the day it came out and here we are 6 years later and I still feel the same way.
I mean just look at it.
It is one of Honda's greatest designs of all time. I truly feel this way.
I am a car nut and appreciate designs from all makes from all years.
They give the 4G blistered fenders and an art-deco them that they abandoned. I was so curious to see where Keen-Edge Dynamic would go but I think the beating they took over the "beak" made them back off....
Last edited by suspekt360; 09-20-2015 at 01:02 PM.
Personally, the thing I love about the TL is that the look is unique. It's very rare you will accidentally mistake it for another car. I don't know how the TL manages to not be confused to the TLX and ILX (size and something else? Perhaps headlights?) but when I see one, I know I saw one.
IMO, the G and IS look way dated because of the way its style was implemented into the newer (and other) models. You see the edgy style and appearance so often, it cheapens it. Somehow the TL is unique among its peers and unique within the brand (bigger/better than an Accord maybe?). It still feels fresh even after all these years.
I test drove the ILX and TSX to the TL prior to making my purchase. The ILX and TSX seemed more young and sporty/raw, but under powered. The TL seemed more old man and refined to those two in comparison, even down to the curves, layout of buttons, textures and smell. Details such as the sound system and headlight color just set it a distinct tier above the rest of Acura's sedans offerings.
100% agree.
I have to tell you, I get furious hearing automotive news stories, blogs, articles, etc refer to the 4G as the wart in the TL lineage.
The 4G LOOKS BETTER than all the TL's before it. Maybe I am gonna get flamed for this but its true.
Yes, the 09-11 grill was not done right (MEANING- Ought to have been mono-chrome or a bit more detail work) but thats a miniscule proportion of the overall design.
I love the 4G. I have since the day it came out and here we are 6 years later and I still feel the same way.
After initially hating the 4G in 09, I have really grown to appreciate it.
Looks are subjective, I think overall looks wise I liked the 07-08 TL-S best, but its close. The 4G is such a superior car overall though it doesn't matter if the TL-S looks better( a little better, not a lot IMO). I go back and forth on whether or not I like the 09-11 TL or the 12-14 TL better. I definitely prefer the 09-11 wheels. One thing I will say is the 3G, even the type S, looks dated now. The 4G looks current.
100% agree.
I have to tell you, I get furious hearing automotive news stories, blogs, articles, etc refer to the 4G as the wart in the TL lineage.
The 4G LOOKS BETTER than all the TL's before it. Maybe I am gonna get flamed for this but its true.
Yes, the 09-11 grill was not done right (MEANING- Ought to have been mono-chrome or a bit more detail work) but thats a miniscule proportion of the overall design.
I love the 4G. I have since the day it came out and here we are 6 years later and I still feel the same way.
Mark my words, the 4G will be remembered as the last great Acura (if the current mediocre product line continues)
It's aging beautifully.....few days ago I was driving behind one (a black 2009-2011 SH-AWD) in the freeway for few miles and admired how still bad ass the rear of the car look....(a bad ass ass )
I get furious hearing automotive news stories, blogs, articles, etc refer to the 4G as the wart in the TL lineage.
The funny thing is that initially some publications loved the design....C&D 180 degree change of heart was epic and sadly funny at the same time....
Mark my words, the 4G will be remembered as the last great Acura (if the current mediocre product line continues)
It's aging beautifully.....few days ago I was driving behind one (a black 2009-2011 SH-AWD) in the freeway for few miles and admired how still bad ass the rear of the car look....(a bad ass ass )
The funny thing is that initially some publications loved the design....C&D 180 degree change of heart was epic and sadly funny at the same time....
The 4g TL > 3G TL in every way except for shape and form.
It's a damn shame that one "unique" design feature (or flaw, however you see it) ruined this car in the eyes of so many people. Especially one that's so easily fixed! The lines on this car are ridiculously sexy and a 'larger than life' grille shouldn't ruin all of the other appealing aspects.
Another thing that gets me is the complaints about so many buttons on the dash. Spend a day or two in the car and you're familiar with them! I'd much rather have a plethora of buttons than have to navigate through menus and sub-menus and more sub-menus. Hell, if you're a bit slow and can't seem to figure out all those buttons then use the voice commands!
Don't even get me started on the performance of the 6MT!
There is just nothing else at this price point (or even close) that offers all that the 4G TL does. A 6MT (semi) luxury sedan with 300+ HP and torque vectoring AWD where you can comfortably fit four 6' adults.
I mean just look at it.
It is one of Honda's greatest designs of all time. I truly feel this way.
I am a car nut and appreciate designs from all makes from all years.
They give the 4G blistered fenders and an art-deco them that they abandoned. I was so curious to see where Keen-Edge Dynamic would go but I think the beating they took over the "beak" made them back off....
Totally agree with you man...the TLX reminds me of a bland Toyota design for some reason...Keen-Edge Dynamic was going somewhere!
And you captured one of my favorite angles of the 4G
4G TL is just super sexy and no one can that. TLX is an amazing car and i really glad they are selling well but it's conservative, it' in the same line as Lexus (previous Generation IS). But again, Acura cars age very well....even the 3rd Gen TL Type S looks super sexy till this date.
Just compare a 2004 G35 vs TL....TL wins without any doubt.
The interior is much nicer on the 4G, but just about everything else I missed from my 3G TL. Just my opinion, but the 3G TL is the best looking of the TL lineage. Six-speed with Brembo option is the way to go for sure. I've since left the Acura family for another awd car but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the TL (interior and sound on the 4G and everything else on the 3G).
09-13-2015, 10:54 AM
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