OK, I'll Say It, The '09 Acura TL Is As Good Or Better Than The 5, E-Class, A6
02-28-09, 08:40 PM
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OK, I'll Say It, The '09 Acura TL Is As Good Or Better Than The 5, E-Class, A6
Yup, it really is. And at a price that's easily $12-20k less. This car competes directly with the mid-sized iconic sports sedans mentioned in the title and betters them in some important respects. It's ride and handling characteristics are easily on a par with these cars and the list of standard equipment to be had with the tech package (the only option offered) is astonishing, and a techno-freak's dream. For $36k for the fwd model (~$40k for the SH-AWD model with a 305hp engine....but this rides too hard for me living in NYC), you get a 280 hp V-6 that may not break any 0-60 records but scoots the car along plenty fast (~6.0 seconds). Roadholding is awesome with it's standard 245/50-17 v-rated tires and the steering is razor sharp with just the right amount of weighting. The car is larger inside than a 5 series and has a bigger and better designed rear seat. The included tech features are a geeks dream. Full ipod integration, a built in hard drive to rip CD's onto, real time traffic and weather, Zagat restaurant ratings and descriptions, xenon headlights, keyless entry and start, bluetooth, dual climate control, a 440 watt 10 speaker audio system that's capable of playing DVD-Audio, the list just goes on and on.
Couple all this with Acura's Consumer Reports top honors in reliability and customer satisfaction and you have a runaway winner. For anyone who can do without the snooty appeal of a German logo, this thing is a ridiculous steal at the asking price.
And no, I'm not an Acura salesman, just a very happy and satisfied customer wishing to pass along what to some may still be a secret.
Couple all this with Acura's Consumer Reports top honors in reliability and customer satisfaction and you have a runaway winner. For anyone who can do without the snooty appeal of a German logo, this thing is a ridiculous steal at the asking price.
And no, I'm not an Acura salesman, just a very happy and satisfied customer wishing to pass along what to some may still be a secret.
02-28-09, 08:50 PM
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customer as in you've bought it?
sure, it may be better than those cars in those regards that you've mentioned, but i dont think many people can get over how 'ugly' it is. lol
sure, it may be better than those cars in those regards that you've mentioned, but i dont think many people can get over how 'ugly' it is. lol
02-28-09, 08:56 PM
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As to the appearance, yes, it's polarizing but I'd suggest you see one in person before you make your mind up. Pictures just don't do it justice. In person it's purposeful and very masculine looking. And while I know that such things are very subjective, you really have to see it to arrive at a decision about it's looks.
The other thing that I think needs to be mentioned is that the #1 objective of a car manufacturer is to get it's vehicles noticed. Do you recall the hue and cry that Chris Bangle's design aesthetic were met with? People were positively outraged and appalled. And I think we all know how that turned out. BMW's sales more than doubled under his design stewardship. And Cadillac with the CTS? Same thing. That one car essentially reinvented Cadillac as a relevannt car company to buyers under 80 years old.
02-28-09, 09:06 PM
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I've ordered it. I'll be picking it up in about a month and a half when my lease on my ES350 is up.
As to the appearance, yes, it's polarizing but I'd suggest you see one in person before you make your mind up. Pictures just don't do it justice. In person it's purposeful and very masculine looking. And while I know that such things are very subjective, you really have to see it to arrive at a decision about it's looks.
The other thing that I think needs to be mentioned is that the #1 objective of a car manufacturer is to get it's vehicles noticed. Do you recall the hue and cry that Chris Bangle's design aesthetic were met with? People were positively outraged and appalled. And I think we all know how that turned out. BMW's sales more than doubled under his design stewardship. And Cadillac with the CTS? Same thing. That one car essentially reinvented Cadillac as a relevannt car company to buyers under 80 years old.
As to the appearance, yes, it's polarizing but I'd suggest you see one in person before you make your mind up. Pictures just don't do it justice. In person it's purposeful and very masculine looking. And while I know that such things are very subjective, you really have to see it to arrive at a decision about it's looks.
The other thing that I think needs to be mentioned is that the #1 objective of a car manufacturer is to get it's vehicles noticed. Do you recall the hue and cry that Chris Bangle's design aesthetic were met with? People were positively outraged and appalled. And I think we all know how that turned out. BMW's sales more than doubled under his design stewardship. And Cadillac with the CTS? Same thing. That one car essentially reinvented Cadillac as a relevannt car company to buyers under 80 years old.
Most guys here will agree that the 09 TL is Acura's second biggest failure right behind the RL.
02-28-09, 09:15 PM
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Drive one and let me know what you think.
I drove a friend's 535xi and I can honestly tell you the TL has nothing to be embarrased about. Straight ahead it won't keep up with the 300hp twin turbo engine, but it'll handle almost as well and it blows it away in the tech department.
And the 535xi, equipped with the same equipment as the TL comes it at ~$58k.
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02-28-09, 09:30 PM
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Not only is this an ugly car but the power you quoted is incorrect. You say, on a 280hp FWD version (Automatic-Only), gets you 0-60 in "~6.0 seconds"?? unless you are going down hill at 45 degree slope. This is a 7-second car.
Trust me, just because it's an Acura TL doesn't mean it will go automatically go fast. It depends on the weight of the car, hp and torque, weight of the car, and the number of gears and ratios...... Not that I'm trying to make a big deal with a 7 seconds is slow turtle for today's standard.
Hey Mike where are you? I would like your response please!
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Trust me, just because it's an Acura TL doesn't mean it will go automatically go fast. It depends on the weight of the car, hp and torque, weight of the car, and the number of gears and ratios...... Not that I'm trying to make a big deal with a 7 seconds is slow turtle for today's standard.
Hey Mike where are you? I would like your response please!
.
Last edited by PsychDoc; 03-01-09 at 04:53 AM.
02-28-09, 10:11 PM
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I'm sorry...
the TL isn't even a car of the same class as the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes E-Class, let alone the Audi A6.
I recall driving the previous generation TL against the BMW 530i back-to-back and came away impressed by the TL--for what it was--a well-sorted FWD car. You can't be serious about comparing a FWD entry-level, second tier sedan to first-tier RWD sedans a CLASS ABOVE.
the TL isn't even a car of the same class as the BMW 5 Series and the Mercedes E-Class, let alone the Audi A6.
I recall driving the previous generation TL against the BMW 530i back-to-back and came away impressed by the TL--for what it was--a well-sorted FWD car. You can't be serious about comparing a FWD entry-level, second tier sedan to first-tier RWD sedans a CLASS ABOVE.
02-28-09, 10:28 PM
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02-28-09, 10:41 PM
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Yea the TL has some great tech but next time Acura needs to allocate a bigger budget on a better front end design. Ive seen the car on the street and I just cant get over the front end.
