Lotik

After driving Acura TL 08 for more than 8 years and with more than 241k miles on it. It still drives I gave it to a friend who needed 2nd car in a family, and with my long commute atm, I don't think it would last.

Here is my opinion comparing it to ES350 15 which I drove for 2 weeks and 1.5k miles.

Handling, driving in general – Lexx Is very soft in comparison to TL and may be less accurate but stays on a road solid. Acura has a tendency to wiggle a bit. it’s just my personal feeling.

Power – both have more than enough power for me with Acura being a little bit more aggressive.

Interior – Lexx is much higher quality and nothing makes a squishy interior sound.

Noise, sounds, Navigation, and entertainment – Lexx wins hands down, I like the sound way more though navigating not intuitive at all.

Reliability – I hope Lexx will be on par with Acura – I had a generator, wheel steering pump, belts, and wheel bearings replaced, changed timing belt 3 times. ... Bluetooth is gone and some other minor stuff. But powertrain is still solid.

One more note: I really like Acura's armrest with the ability to extend. I wish Lexx would have something similar

Eslader

I went from an '07 TL to a '16 ES. I agree with most of what you said. The TL was definitely a more fun to drive old-man-sedan than the ES, but it wasn't as comfortable and the noise isolation wasn't nearly as good. I never experienced any wiggling in the Acura, but then I only got it over 100mph once, and that was on a race track. Reliability was superb. I spent less than $700 in repairs the whole time I had it. I'm anticipating a similar story with the ES.

Kijug

I went from an Acura 2003 TL-S to a ‘14 ES/UL. After the 2003 TL, the new TL’s had issues, I really enjoyed mine and now my son drives it...17 years later. The ES simply has more tech being much newer. The TL drove more aggressively, which I liked, but I thought I should calm down and go “pure luxury”. However, the ES has the power I want to help pass and get going decently. I enjoyed the 2003 TL for the time I had it, but I’m really enjoying my 2014 ES/UL.

Eslader

If you're talking about the transmissions, that was only the '04-'06 cars. In '07 they switched to the RL tranny and the pressure switch problem went away.

Littleguy

I once heard a mechanic say that a Honda is 90% as reliable as a Toyota, which I have found to be true.

Fillykonk

I owned 4 different TL's between 2000-2010. In 2014 I switched to Lexus due to the introduction of the TLX not offering any purchase or lease incentives at the time. While I enjoyed all interations of the TL I owned (2000, 04, 08 and 2010) and they served me trouble-free, I have not regretted my switch to Lexus. My original purchase was a 2014 ES since upgraded to a 2017. In addition to the higher quality, greater comfort and smoother ride offered, the fact that they run on regular gas as opposed to the premium is also a huge plus. One of my daughters now owns a 2016 TLX and while a nice car, I wouldn't trade my Lexus for it ever.

TheRas900

I came from an '07 Acura TSX 6MT to my 2016 ES350. I love the Acuras from 2004 - 2008 but the newer ones always feel like a downgrade when I had them as loaners.

I love my TSX so much I kept it for a weekend driver.

My Acura definitely handles better, and my Lexus does everything else better!

Eslader

Yeah. And some Hondas are better than others. Back in the old days, they were about equal in reliability. I'd put my old CRX up against any Toyota of that generation for reliability. That thing just doesn't break, which is why I still own it even though it's almost 30 years old.

Same. I test drove TLX's when I was shopping. And even though a TLX-Advance package was cheaper than the UL package ES I got (and had a heads-up display!), the choice was pretty easy. The TLX is noisier and has a harsher ride than the ES, much like my old TL.

And while that's fun when you're flogging it through the twisties, I already have 2 cars that are much better than either the Acura or the Lexus at that mission. Plus, Honda reliability has gotten considerably more shaky of late, which made me a bit nervous. I'm not interested in the Jag style of luxury car, where the old joke was that you drove it in the summer and then spent all winter fixing it to be ready for summer again.

One make I kinda wish I'd cross-shopped though is Genesis. I most likely would still have ended up in the Lexus, but those things are going to give the Japanimport cars a real run for their money, I think. About 15 years ago Hyundai decided to get serous about being globally competitive, and it really shows. They're putting out some really good stuff these days.

abrown0809

I have never had a chance to own an Acura. I was cross shoping the TLX with the ES. I chose the ES because of reliability and regular gas. Currently the Acura TLX is reliability nightmare. Just head over to acurazine forums and have a quick read. Nightmares all over the place. The ES was more expensive but I don't regret the purchase.

BradTank

I think those days are long gone.

Honda/Acura definitely used to go toe to toe with Toyota/Lexus, but I think their quality has slipped quite a bit over the years. Probably still better than most brands though.

abrown0809

What brand would you put right under Toyota/Lexus when it comes to reliability? Definitely not Nissan. Hyundai/Kia maybe?

Lotik

You are right it seems: Hyundai / Kia / Genesis / somewhat Mazda / Subaru (CTV transmission very problematic) and Ford

Eslader

We have a fleet of Ford Escapes at work. Based purely on that, I would definitely not put Ford anywhere near the top of the reliability chart. The number of ridiculous problems we've had with those things over the years...

And then there's the whole DCT lawsuit thing.