Jmark

Heading to Edmonton to test drive the TLX AWD and Gs350 back to back.

My wife and I plan to take each vehicle for a 1 hr. ride, main criteria are seating comfort, handling and ride of each vehicle.

Wondering if someone from the area can suggest a good route to take, leaving the south end of the city? My ideal route would have all the following attributes in various sections.
- Curvy sections that a person could take at higher than posted speed ( not that I would)
- Slightly rough sections, such as some of those roads with all the crack repairs
- Rough section
- Noisy pavement like most Alberta highways, sealed with tar and small gravel
- Section where a person could speed and less likely to get a ticket ( not that I would )
- Can take the route and be back at the dealer in around an hour.

Or just give me any route at all

TIA

weather

^^ and please put in Sport + mode and hold a gear and test the throttle response for me...I am still in disbelief on bad it was on teh car I test drove but I am sure it had to be a bad unit....it can't be this laggy/unresponsive

rbownes

I live in Athabasca. Edmonton would be the closest dealership for me. I am considering a new purchase maybe in the springtime. I was want an Infiniti Q50 but now with the Acura TLX I am really switching my decision. I have owned a Honda since 2002 and it has been an awesome vehicle, so I would love to stick with the brand.
I have been researching and trying to decide between the 4 cylinder or 6. I have not test driven anything yet but would love to hear your opinion and your feedback of the the dealer and their service.

BookemDanole

An hour test drive? Hope your salesperson agrees!

mogriff1

It depends on the dealership/dealer relationship. I test drove the TLX on 3 seperate occasions. 2 times was about an hour each, the third about 45 minutes...alone everytime with no salesman.

Jmark

Ok will do. What gear/speed are you most interested in? Going out today with the Acura AWD.

Jmark

Neither dealer had ANY Issue with a long test drive. Both said take it for as long as you want!
I'm not tire kicking tires here, I'm pulling a big wad of cash out of the bank to make a purchase and any dealership that wouldn't let me really test drive a $50-$70k car is foolish. As I would be if I didn't make absolutely sure this is the right vehicle for us.
I'm really hoping the seats and handling of the TLX are going to impress as I really like all the features of the TLX, and the value is compelling!

thebigos1

Jmark, I'm from Edmonton and drove the AWD on Wednesday. Drove it on the west side of the Henday so got to take some off ramps quickly.

I drove the I4 a month ago and this thing was much quicker. 1st gear was actually pretty damn fast. There is a weird 2000 rpm wait once you launch before it goes all out. Wasn't too bad. The AWD on off ramps was FUN! Under power it just pulls you around the corner. Off throttle there was a bit of understeer but nothing some better tires can't fit. Now for something that can't really be fixed... the seats! It was funny watching the sales guy in the passenger seat while going around corners him falling out of his seat. Same with me, I wanted to push the car harder around corners but I was falling out of my seat. Why can't you do some bolsters Acura like Lexus does???? The transmission was the other somewhat low part. For everyday driving it's great but when you want to use the manual feature and really push it, it is slow to respond and double downshifting sucks. You can double click the paddle and it has to go through both gears and it takes a long time! The 8 sp DTC in the I4 is just so much better. I really want a manual and the 8 sp made me rethink that but the 9 sp makes me want a manual. I am waiting to try the new Lexus RC. I think that might be the RSX replacement for me.

Momyc

They shouldn't look it further... They had it right on 4G !!!

Jmark

Just called our local Acura dealer and found out they do in fact have a Demo AWD Not too impressed with the salesman I WAS dealing with that never called back to tell me this. Taking my wife for a test drive today and hope I see the other salesperson so I can tell him what I think of him!

Sorry to hear the seats didn't hold you in, and I kind of expected that from my previous test drives. As they are wide and little to no bolstering
But I'm willing to overlook that aspect as long as my wife finds them comfortable for general driving.
If you've read my first Impression post you know one of the things I didn't like was how the car responded in a curve that had a large dip in it. I'm hoping the AWD will react as I would expect. That is at least as good as my 3G takes that curve.
I'm thinking that a drive through Devon should be a good test drive, especially in the river valley. But after driving a 435i in Cowtown around a number of high speed on/off ramps it will be cool to see how the Gs350 compares! The BMW handled like it was on rails! Will the GS350 compare?

I'm pumped as this is my final testing before I pull the trigger!

Which will it be a TLX AWD Elite or the Lexus GS350 AWD Tech? Both are nice cars and I'm hoping the TLX will surprise and be more comfortable for my wife as I'd like to pocket the $18k difference in price. But I'm keeping this vehicle for 10 years so spending the extra $$ if need be will Still be worth it.

a77

Bolstering versus comfort is always a tricky compromise - without powered bolsters anyway. So much also depends on occupant size. Cloth always grips better! My TSX is very nicely bolstered but the TLX seats are definttely more comfortable.

You could always ask tis guy

Calgary man arrested after driving over 190 km/hr on QEII near Leduc | Metro

He used to work in our sales department - he got fired before this happened. I drove his speed3 - very quick but monster torque steer and some lag.

Jmark

I hear you! And I don't usually drive that fast; anymore Got lucky once so I'm in no hurry to test my luck again. Doing about 220km/hr. on #21 having a great time carving up the curves, in my Stang. Had the radar detector on and she went off nearing the #1. Slammed on the brakes while the RCMP reset his radar gun, filling the car with brake smoke. By the time he hit me the second time I was doing 110 and I thought for sure I was off to visit the jail house, my weekend ruined. As we passed each other he starred at me like no tomorrow and kept on going!! That's the day I thanked my lucky stars and have never driven like that since!

My wife has a back condition called scoliosis, the spine develops an "s" shape so bolstering for her may not even be comfortable! Having some side to side movement may prove to be more comfortable.

After a lot of test drives she found the Honda CRV with leather ( didn't find cloth seats in the CRV to be comfortable) to be the most comfortable seats of all. They have little bolstering and allow side to side movement. So maybe the TLX with leather will be the ticket? She certainly doesn't find the seats in my 3G TL to be comfortable where I find them to be quite nice.

Quandry

I am wondering if the TLX sans bolstering is designed for the, how do I say this delicately, modern sized adult. But I suppose adjustable bolstering would be solution but at an additional cost. The question that the accountants would have asked is what would the sales figures be without bolstering vs have that feature with an additional $500 sticker price.

My wife has double scoliosis and finds the passenger seat of the TLX very comfortable, and likes the ability to raise height of the seat. She did not like the seating of the 3G TL and usually complained of pain after just a 1 hour drive.

weather

Jmark...if you haven't been for the test drive yet, try the sport + mode and see if there is a lag in the paddle shifting...I noticed that when shifting into the 2 and 3, there was a noticeable lag.

Furthermore, having the tranny in manual mode and holding the 3 or 4th gear with the rpm in the 4k range, playing with the pedal yielded no forward thrust....RPM would change but it seems the the throttle response was none to laggy at best. My TL would just surge forward, just eager to play

Jmark

Just got back from a 75 min. TLX AWD test drive.
The wife says the seats are OK a little hard on the bottom, but liked that she could raise it for easier access/egress. Also found better lumbar support than the 3G TL. I like the 3G seats better as they hold me in the seat better when cornering. But overall they aren't too bad at all.

Found the car seemed to handle better in the corners with power on. When off the throttle into the corner, found it became slightly unsettled for a second or two.
It took the corner with the large dip in it a little better than PAWS but still felt unsettled and didn't handle as well as expected. My 3G absorbs the dip and doesn't pop the car out of it like the TLX seems to do.
Does not seem to have the same torque as the TL, but that could be due to the tranny shifting frequently. But even in sport+ didn't feel like it has the same zip as my TL. Having said that the motor is not broken in yet and the feel may change.

Tried the various IDS modes at different speeds and throttle positions. For the most part it was good. However there are many spots that the car seems to have to think before anything happens. Usually when in a higher gear and throttle to the floor. I figured sport and sport+ would not have this sensation however both those modes left me wanting power NOW and I didn't necessary get what I expected. In sport+ there where occasions where it took a second or two for the car to giddy up and go. But most of the time reacted as expected, so I'm not sure what that's about. There is a display that shows the amount of power going to the individual wheels and noticed this dispaly would change even before the cars engine responded to the throttle request??
Didn't drive much in sport+ mode as I didn't find it did anything for me. Too much playing around with the paddles, and the gear ratios seem so close to each other that it didn't seem to make the car feel any sportier. Maybe it's just a matter of learning which gear to be in at a certain speed in order to get the response I was looking for. I think if one knew which gear you were in and could drop it 2 or 3 gears at once, it would be a little more fun.

The car made a strange higher pitch clunking sound at times that sounded like it was coming from under the middle of the car. Don't know what that was about, but didn't like it!

All in all it was a good test drive and I could see myself owning the vehicle. But it didn't say you just gotta have this car now, like my 3G did. You can't beat the bang for your buck though!

weather

^^ I agree that bang for the buck, its a great car but delighted to see that you also didn't get that adrenaline rush and that it didn't feel as responsive (or torqu'y) as the TL....for me, I felt that something was just missing and came back underwhelmed.

I am delighted that I had a chance to test drive it and I am not committed to buying one because as much as the car is good and all, its not for me.

thebigos1

Jmark and weather you both have it right. When I test drove a 3G Type S 6sp I looked for every option to trade in my 05 RSX to get one. This new TLX doesn't give me that rush that makes me have to have it. Cross our fingers for a Type S!


Jmark, I also did notice a weird hum coming from the car during the test drive.

Jmark

Ya weather, I can't put my finger on exactly why I didn't get that feel of excitment? I bellieve it may be due to the Acura trying to appeal to a larger group. Hence making a good all around car, but nothing stands out, other than the overall value. So when I got back into my TL that is low milage and in good shape even the value proposition became questionable for me. Keep the darn TL as that's the best value of any choice!
Even the trunk disappointed me as its smaller than my 3G. I brought out regular travel luggage and it barely fit with NO extra room. Why did they narrow it down in the back?

The klunking sounds I heard sounded like aluminum on aluminum and there was no specific condition that brought it on? Even my wife asked me what "that was". The car may have issues from the factory as she smelled like something was too hot when we stopped a few times to check out how to operate various controls.

Today we are off to the city to test out the GS350 and am conflicted as I really wanted the TLX AWD to impress me, basically so I could have a nice new car and pocket some cash.

I may still buy the TLX due to the fact it is a good all around vehicle, but it's not a good replacement in kind for the TL. Just like I didn't find the RLX to be a good upgrade to the TL.
When I bought the 3G I somewhat figured my next vehicle would be an RL as I would be ready for an upgrade in luxury it provided at the time. But it didn't take more than about 15 min. In the RLX to say, nope!