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2012 Acura TL
hpmctorque
Member Posts: 4,600
hpmctorque
Member Posts: 4,600
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Comments
The only regret is not having the blind spot warning-love that feature.
Maybe they will be able to swap out my mirrors-I will inquire in the fall.
I'm disappointed. The styling still doesn't look coherant to me. Part of the problem, in my eyes, is that I see too many conflicting styling cues. For me, Acura lost its way in '09, and the '12 refresh demonstrates that Acura is still struggling to regain its mojo. That said, the '12 is a slight improvement over its predecessor, and I like the fact that they've shortened the front by 1 1/2", making this big car a little trimmer. Overall, however, it's too little, too late. I'll wait for the next generation, which will probably be the '14, or buy another brand.
The TL is not really on my hot list but is I were looking for a roomy, high tech luxury car with good power and MPG it would be.
I have not sat in the S4 but I am hoping it is a step up from the A4 2.0.
I actually rode in the 2.0 (co-worker) and I was not impressed, the car is very cramped and the inside framework did not wow me as did the old 1.8T.
I have the 2009 TL SH-AWD and I absolutely love this car, no complaints for almost 2 years of ownership in addition, all I get is compliments. Maybe in about 2 years I will upgrade to the RL (If they give it the V8 and AWD). If not I will probably get the E550 or E63 AMG.
In any event good luck with the S4 and I agree with you on the TSX. I had one for a loaner and I could not wait to get out of work that day to get back in TL.
My 2009 AWD is a joy to drive-talk about grip and cornering,this car holds it own. I had your car for a loaner and I was not impressed with the handling, straight line pick -yeah but the handling is not up to par with the 4G AWD. I just dont see myself owning another FWD with all that power or just FWD.
I went to the local dealership on Saturday to take a look and a slight possibility of trading in my 2009-not because of the grill but because of the added bells and whistle (ventilated seats, blind spot warning etc etc). Frankly, I was not only disappointed but disgusted. The new grill looks like it does not belong on the car-it looks after market and the added softness to style makes the car blend in the general popuplist like the Camrys, Accord and Altima. Botton line, I will hold on to 2009 gem untill the 2014 model comes out or possible if the RL gets the V8 and AWD.
Almost forgot, they should have stuck to the split quad pipes on the AWD models, the regular twin pipes they brought over from the FWD drive is so common these days.
I have the 2009 AWD Tech with only 9k miles on it and I am loving it.
Diamond White Pearl
35% Tint
Back up sensors
Wood Wheel and Shift Knob
All weather mats
Door Edge Guards
Rear floor liner
LED whites for rear plates
Next project-LED for DRL.
As for the '12, I haven't seen it yet.
I don't have any kids and little overhead so I can easily plunk down $2K a month....or invest it in Double Long Gold and Silver ETFs!
So what do you think...oh yeah...my girl wants me to get a SUV...maybe a MDX...but who cares!
The cars are well-made, have a great reputation for both reliability and durability, hold their value equal to or better than the class they are most often compared to, and they perform well -- especially if you are coming from a lesser class of automobile. However, if Acura is not your first Premium Class love, you may find yourself noticing perhaps a bit too much Honda in them.
Acura today reminds me of Audi several years ago -- and I say that mostly in a good way -- in that Audi shared a lot with its more plebeian cousin, VW. Acura must think that sharing AND showing its Honda DNA is a good thing, given the stellar reputation Honda enjoys for reliability, durability, affordability and customer loyalty. I, on the other hand, think Acura should slowly (but not too slowly) and steadily differentiate and distance itself from the Honda brand. I opened my welcome packet from "Acura" financial, and the text in the cover letter indicated that the data base from which the form letter was clearly created did not "know" if I was a Honda or Acura customer since the letter was worded to welcome me as either a Honda customer or an Acura customer to either Honda Financial or Acura Financial. Doesn't that make the customer feel special? :confuse:
The Acura dealerships I have visited (four of them) all seem neat, tidy and clean -- and they also seem as if they follow no visual or brand identification pattern from dealer to dealer; each dealership seems to have been built sometime in the late 1980's according to the decor. The service departments, too, eschew the 21st century look, yet they are clean and neat, but they appear dull and dark compared to say a BMW or Audi dealership service area -- where terracotta tile floors, indirect "pure white" lighting and cool tool racks dominate and fascinate the eye with their rows of gleaming instruments; and, at the German (and Infiniti and Lexus dealers) the service advisers are often dressed in white lab coats. Nice touch.
Now to the cars themselves.
Even many Korean cars now are virtually 100% push-button start and an increasing number of cars from every country offer up tach and speedo needle sweeps upon pressing their start buttons -- virtually all of the Premium cars provide this entertaining reminder that you are about to engage in piloting something special despite the fact that even some Kia's show off their instruments with a needle-sweep salute upon start up.
Start up even a $46,000 Acura TL and, well, nothing happens on the two main gauges except the tach needle rises to idle. Such a small touch (the needle sweep) -- and probably one that would be virtually free to include -- may not convince you to buy an Acura, but when you are testing both an Acura and an Infiniti, well, every little bit of sizzle may help sell the steak, so to speak.
Glance out to the mirrors -- now it is true that many, if not all, Acuras do provide turn signal indicator repeaters on the front-facing side, there is no indication on the mirror or the mirror housing that the signal is on. Again, another little thing much of the competition offers.
More on the interior: there is an information display between the tach and speedo which can be set to show a variety of informational bits, but, alas, it cannot be set to show your speed digitally, why not? There is no lane change feature on the turn signal stalk, if you want the signal to blink three or four times, you have to hold the stalk down to the first resistance manually, another demerit and again another item I would assume to be virtually free to include. How about a digital compass in the rear view mirror? How about an analog or digital clock other than the somewhat crude white on black rendering on a thin strip in the middle of the console -- another cheap to include oversight, I think.
OK, the Acura TL Advance (and I would assume any Acura equipped with at least with the tech package, which they all seem to be) does have automatic headlights -- but not rain sensing wipers, again many in this class would not eschew this feature either. Why does Acura? Next up, on the "needs improvement" punch list, the backup camera. Why do the guidelines that show up on the backup camera screen not articulate with the movement of the steering wheel, thereby showing the driver the result of the move he or she is about to make? Why bother to have the lines in the first place if they are fixed? Also, what is up with having a backup camera but not include (or offer as a factory option) backup (and perhaps front) sensors? I had to have my dealer add them to my TL SH-AWD Advance for a cost of $715 -- as a factory option they certainly would not command more than $500, and there would be no drilling required by the dealer.
Speaking of headlights, I flicked on my high beams the other night only to find that the top of the line TL does not come with bi-xenon lights, bummer. When your competition (and even the class a rung or two down from where you advertise you are) is using brilliant white LED daytime running lights and you use the dull yellow (dim-bulb effect) halogen beam approach, your car's front profile seems somewhat behind the times. With a somewhat futuristic name like Acura, wouldn't you want to make sure you used some LEDs on the front and/or rear of your car -- or at least offer it as an option?
If you can't offer bi-xenons, how about at least having the low-beams track with the turn of the steering wheel -- at least offer this as an option if your wish is to be able to market your cars with "lower prices than the competition." Most people seem to buy Acuras with the Technology package, well, how about offering Technology I and Technology II packages for those who want Premium features on their Premium cars?
Why no power operated rear window shade option? Why do the rear seats NOT fold down for more cargo space?
From a decorative perspective, why is it that Acura does not offer many of its interiors with or without wood trim (extra cost, of course)? Why can't the customer order virtually any combination of exterior color and interior color, even if doing so would require some extra cost -- that is, why won't Honda er, Acura, allow the customization options expected from the Premium class of cars? Why not offer performance options (factory or dealer installed), a variety of wheel choices (both fee and free), steering wheel choices (some extra cost) and additional trim choices, e.g., "Advance+" or "Tech II Type S" and so on?
Acura needs to differentiate itself in other ways: how about taking the excellent 3.7L and 3.5L engines to the next level with direct injection (more power and efficiency), super or turbo-charging and even more smooth running enhancements (like were done to the 3.5L in the 2012 TL)?
Of course there are multiple other features and functions Acura cars could include or offer -- and before I finish, it should be noted that nothing I have said above makes me regret the acquisition of my new 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD Advance -- it is a very nice car, it is a fun car, it feels, overall, good -- however, it doesn't quite feel like it knows if it is simply an upscale Honda, or if it is really something special, belonging in the Premium class. Right now, I would say I am driving a real sleeper of a car -- it can perform somewhat like an 8.5/10ths Audi S4 -- but it sorta looks like someone "morphed" an Accord more than a little, less than a lot.
At this price point and for the "deal" I got on the car, I am a highly satisfied customer. I'm just not blown away.
Virtually all of the features and tweaks suggested above are included or available (either as stand alone or bundled in packages options) on Acura's targeted competition: Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Infiniti, Lexus and Volvo. Most of those cars, "nicely equipped" will blow you away. Oh well, only 34 more months to go -- I am rooting for Acura to not let very good get in the way of great!
Drive it like you live!
:shades:
I have said this before, my co-worker has a 2009 A4 and we venture out for lunch now and then. Honestly, the TSX blows the A4 interior away, it just does not say, hey, you are sittting in an Audi-to me that is.
Rain Sensing wipers- I dont care for- can become annoying.
Alert on turn signal mirrors- glare is very annoying at nights
LED DRL- Agree-installing them momentarily, had the rear plates done. Go to the VLEDS web site, reasonable price.
8spd tranny- REALLY, does it make a difference?? another friend has the 7 speed G37X-did not notice any diffrence in driving experience from my five speed. Maybe- more gear hunting.
Rain sensing wipers do require a bit of hardware, but once spread out over the thousands of vehicles becomes a very low cost; and, for those who do not want them or like them, they could be made optional. If you don't like them and their cost would be so low as to make them standard equipment, well, they can be turned off.
I have no idea what glare you are referring to with the eye level turn signal repeaters that are on many car's sill level mirrors, so I can't comment other than to say I have never experienced the glare you refer to, especially since most of the mirrors, these days, are electrochromic. The repeater on the mirror housing (or on the surface of the mirror itself) is generally at a very low light output at night, hardly rising to the standard of "glare."
The transmission makes a huge difference. Note the articles about the switch from 5 speed to 6 speed autos and the increase in MPG and the decrease in 0-60MPH. The jump to 8 speeds in a new TL would be yet another boost to both these "M's."
Indeed some of the 5 speeds tend to hunt more, not less -- and the change is typically more noticable. In an 8-speed it certainly seems that the car with the exact same engine feels more powerful and that it is always in the right gear. I am assuming that we will be going to more than 8 speeds in the not too distant future, in fact.
A TL with an 8-speed would, without any other engine tweaks, accelerate more quickly and return better fuel milage. According to some of the press on these transmissions, they can be lighter than their 6 speed cousins, too. Less weight, always a good thing.
I would want the LED's to be factory units, part of an overall styling upgrade.
My point in my "fine" posts is that Acura, perhaps more than any of the ELLPS crowd (and some that aren't on the masthead) needs an upgrade, an overhaul, a tune-up if you will, to identify itself as a real member of the ELLPS and Premium car market. It needs to adopt and adapt. This isn't exactly about personal likes and dislikes.
I don't care -- and I do think you shouldn't either -- if one poster here doesn't like automatic windshield wipers or LED DRL's or fold-down rear seats or front and rear parktronic. I don't care if you think Blind Spot Warning Systems are just another way to bilk dollars out of customers or not -- all of the Acuras need them AHEAD of the guys downstream. OOOPS, the new Camry has BSI and only the top of the line Acuras (which make you buy everything even if all you wanted was the BSI) offer them.
The idea here is not that a certain feature or feature set catapults a car into a different class per se, but certain classes of cars, these days, need to have certain features if they expect to remain in the class for long.
Adding LED DRL's to a KIA does not mean that the KIA is now comparable to an Audi or a BMW or Mercedes or Acura or Infiniti or Lexus. Yet, these LPS cars are often looked upon as the showcase for the leading edge technologies and features -- and Acura in some respect has become a laggard (god help us if top management at Acura have also become luddites.)
Acura has one vehicle that -- recently -- has kept the dealerships more or less flush: the MDX. The styling of the pre 2012 TL's was widely panned by "everyone" with a keyboard (and I am speaking about those folks who get paid to write this, not you and me), and even if that weren't the case, well sales suffered once the TL with the big schnoz hit the showrooms.
Who in the wide wide world of sports authorized the ZDX for pete's sake? And, after a reasonably warm welcome just a short few years back, who killed the RL?
Who killed the idea of offering up performance versions of these cars -- c'mon even Volvo VOLVO offers up a type - R for its widely praised S60.
I used to (still do, somewhat) think of Acura as the Japanese Answer to Audi, just as I still think of Infiniti as the Japanese Answer to BMW.
Where is the leadership? SH-AWD was great, still is, but WHAT'S NEW!?!
A mild refresh of the TL is all well and good, hell, I bought one of them because I was so impressed with the TL. But I am only impressed with the TL in SH-AWD Advance form. Lesser versions of the TL, are, IMHO, well, lesser.
Many claim that the Audi A4 is an FWD car -- well, that may be true somewhere, but hardly in North America. Our two Audi dealers here in Cincinnapolis ONLY stock quattro versions of the cars they sell (the A3 being the exception due to god knows what marketing reason). I have never seen an FWD A6 perhaps in this century. Acura should get the FWD cars off the books if you asked me -- they don't fit the LPS (or ELLPS) mold.
Offer some Acura S or Acura R or Acura Performance Line or Type-R or Type-S cars to the buying public. If you must follow to lead, follow the divergence of Audi from VW (and I know it will take years to get it done, but at least show us you believe there is room in the Premium class -- room at the top -- for at least one more true believer.)
BMW's bread and butter is the 3 series, but at least there IS a 7 series. Audi's mainline (by 4x) is the A4, but at least there is an A5, A6, A7, A8 and R8 available to aspire to.
I bought my first Acura, a 2012 TL SH-AWD Advance -- what next is there, in the line, to aspire to? One and done?
Acura seems like it remains, like Audi used to be, in the shadow of the parent (Honda and VW respectively.) Audi after its flame was nearly extinguished due to the unintended acceleration nightmare, has come back -- big time. It has passed the parent in terms of being the sizzle car line, the premium car line. VW couldn't save (in the US) the Pheaton even with its considerably deep pockets. Meanwhile Audi brings out cars with V10 engines, S8's and now mid-engined super-cars. . .all to help sell more A4's, after all.
Acura needs to "man-up" and either be in the Premium class or stay as a super nice version of the Honda family. It seems, to me -- among others -- that Acura is sort of betwixt and between: not quite a member of the Premium class, but too expensive to remain a class or two lower.
Acura, IMOH, was a solid member of the Premium class in this century; now, some years have passed and it seems to be enlarging its orbit around that Premium sun, taking longer and longer to get back to its perihelion. Pretty soon, at this point, inertia will overtake gravity and Acura will spin out of the Premium solar system.
It is not too late -- and Acura (shhhhh Honda) has the engineering chutzpah to fix this somewhat frustrating state of affairs.
I, for one, am pulling for them.
Step one -- buy an example of every one of the competition's offerings and examine and drive them.
Step two -- see what happens next. :surprise:
Let us know.
Fast forward to today and I get in my car after it sitting for the whole weekend and I get the same alert "battery is low and should be charged. Take it back to the dealer". It started with no problems and I got to work with no problems. After the initial alert it went off.
I get to work and I call the dealership where I purchased the car. I informed them of my issue and they tell me that it seems to be due to the type of electronics put in the newly redesigned engine in the 2012. The mechanic also informed me that if I received the alert and it stayed on than that would be a problem but since it came on and went off after a minute than I just need to run the car and it will just recharge the battery.
My concern is what if I go out of town for an extended period of time and the car sits idle for the whole time. I come back, get into the car and it is DEAD AS A DOORKNOB!!! What then??
Has anyone else out there had this same problem> If so, what did you do, if anything? :mad:
So I wouldn't worry about it. If it still bothers you put a set of jumper cables in the back, until your comfortable that they won't be needed.
Let us know.
Honda has more than one car that stands the trial of time.
NSX basically redefined what a every day super car should be.
S2000 was one heck of the high rev sports car that matches the fun factor of even mighty Porsche for a lot less.
Not sure what car does Toyota have except Supra...............
By the way, there is one guy who drove a 1990 Honda Accord to 1,000,000 miles. He bought the car used 15 years ago with 74,000 miles on it.
http://automobiles.honda.com/mile-makers/
http://automobiles.honda.com/mile-makers/story.aspx?Story=783
How many Toyota made cars even reach 1,000,000 miles? Or any car by other manufacturers?
That is what is so sepcial about cars from Honda