Older Acura TLs

markian · January 2005

Does anyone know when the TL will have a Type S version with all wheel Drive. Hopefully, there will be reduced torque still with this future model.

ktnr · January 2005

I think they call it the 2005 RL, no?

If not, then how do you figure an AWD version of the TL that can pay for it's development and tooling costs and also not cannibalize sales from the RL?

bodble2 · January 2005

Yeah, I agree, if they offer the TL in AWD, they may as well discontinue the RL right now, given that there is only a 30 hp difference, that the TL has about 85% of the creature comfort, plus the sizeable price difference.

bodble2 · January 2005

FWIW, I have the Abyss Blue with Camel interior, and I love it more and more everytime I look at it, plood and all. I had reservations initially about the Camel being too yellow, and now I think it just goes spectacularly with the Abyss Blue.

laurasdada · January 2005

Initial impressions of my TL as compared to my beloved Chrysler 300M (one last moment of silence, please). Thank you, let us begin:

I do miss the driver's seat ingress/egress feature that my M had, but that's about it so far! TL build quality (panel gaps and consistancy)is quite superior to my M. The TL ride is much quieter, engine, road and especially wind noise. Note however that I'm in the break-in period so I haven't topped 70mph....yet. The ride is a bit smoother and handling crisper, but again I'm comparing a brand new car to a 6 year old...

Styling in and out is at least, IMHO, equal to that of the M. The TL is a very handsome beast and, especially for a Honda product, distinctive. The interior is cool, functional and well laid out. The blue instruments are lovely although with sunglasses on a bit harder to read. Maybe I just have to adjust the brightness a bit. And the DVD-A sound is too cool. I'm just listenting to the DVD-A supplied with the car, but WOW!!! With AM/FM/XM (for now)/casetter/6 CD there is an overabundance of listening pleasure available. I'll use XM till the 3 month period is over and probably not sign up.

The tranny is better in the use of power than the M (4 speed vs. 5 speed may account for some of that?). Not a lot off the line immediately but once you get going, it pulls nicely and continuously. Haven't played with the manumatic yet, though.

In a nutshell, the TL is making the transition from the M pretty easy.

And Abyss Blue is a rockin' color, especially all clean and shiny as it is now. Rain/snow/sleet coming the next few days, so goodbye to clean and shiny! Quartz is a good interior, not too bright or subdued. While I didn't like the shading of the plood (nothing against good plood, just the color choice) in the Camel, the dark faux carbon fiber doesn't thrill me either. Take the (real) wood from the E class Mercedes, throw it in the TL and I'm happy. Actually, I'm pretty happy now!

indydriver · January 2005

Congrats, LD. Thanks for the comparo, its in language I understand. I'll look forward to your ongoing impressions as you get it broken in and exercise it a little bit. Initial questions from an M owner still on the outside looking in:

1. Why no re-up on XM? Its one of the features I'm looking forward to. 2. I had tan leather in my M and now have black in my ES. Talk to me about quartz. Isn't the dash still black? Doesn't the contrast bug you? Both of the above were monochromatic throughout the cars.3. As far as clean, weren't you one of the Zaino maniacs on the M board? 4. What the hell is "plood"?

pat · January 2005

plood = plastic "wood"

igiban · January 2005

Ah.

BTW, I thought most wood in cars are plood, unless it's in steering wheel or shift knob. No?

Even for plood, some look better than the others. TL's looks fine I think.

indydriver · January 2005

Guess I would have thought in a car the level of the TL it would be real wood.

laurasdada · January 2005

Thanks, Indy.

Re: Xm. I just don't feel the need for the service. I'm an inveterate channel hopper, so if one station isn't what I want, on to the next. Plus, some commercials are actually useful! I'm old, so I've got quite the collection of casettes (hey, at least they're not 8-tracks!). And enough CDs... As I said, an abundance of listening choices.

Re: Quartz. Gee, I'll have to remind myself! But I believe the top of the dash is black, which is actually quite a startling contrast to the Camel (the Camel seems very "bright"). Quartz/Aluminum/faux carbon fiber is more muted and elegant to my eyes. My M interior was Ebony, a dark but stylish interior. Good AC in the M!

Re: Zaino. I kept meaning to order Zaino, never did. While I do hand wash my ride weekly in the summer (and do the best I can at no-touch washes in winter) and wax (Nu Finish) 2X/year, I never got quite Zaino-psychotic! Plus, I'm lucky enough to have a garage. But, with the rich Abyss Blue color (vs. the cool Platinum Metallic) maybe I'll start drinking the Zaino Kool-Aid!

Driving home tonight, I did feel there was more road/tire noise than earlier but that could be the road surface. I've got the Potenza's. Are they the evil tires oft written about here? I'll have to search.

Also, so far, I liked the 300M trip computer more. No compass in the TL, not that that's a big deal. TL does have tilt down side mirrors when you back up though, useful. Gave it a little more gas on the way home, tranny was quick to kick down. That's good...

And, hey, my salesman just called to see how I like the car/any questions! Nice, if the other salesman had been more proactive...?

wisngamecock · January 2005

Hey Laurasdada, I was told there is no such thing as 'break in' on the TL. Salesman told me to 'drive the car' during the initial period because that conditions (my word choice) the engine for how it will be driven. He cautioned against babying it during the initial miles and then driving hard. Only limitation was to avoid prolonged driving at constant RPM.

Sooo...I gleefully drove out of the lot and hit the interstate for my drive back to Iowa. Took it to about 80 a few times and was very pleased. I'm curious if anyone else got a similar message re: engine break-in.

Also, I am one of those 'swear by the manual' drivers who also happens to be married to a woman of the same ilk...that is a real good thing when it means you can get the 6 sp TL. This car isn't quick off the line but really flies in 2nd and 3rd gear.

Also, today had the first chance to drive in snow and the car handled great. Very solid and sure on the road. Traction control (can't remember Acura's acronym for this system) kicked in a few times and worked. Good, if not great traction when leaving an intersection.

So far, after exactly one week, I couldn't be more pleased with my TL.

igiban · January 2005

Isn't the level of TL still 'near' luxury?

Which car's wood on dash/console and doors are real wood?

highender · January 2005

my old Jaguar XJ-12 had real Peruvian boxwood inlaid into birchwood...

of course, that is in a luxury car....

but of course, it made no difference in enjoyment in the vehicle...

the TL handles the corners better, less roll, more electronics, conveniences, etc.

Jag had wool carpets, alpine stereo, conolly leather with piping, picnic tables, 12 cylinder engine, reading lights, etc...

but my wife and I prefer the TL any day of the week... :-)

indydriver · January 2005

What exactly does the owners manual say?

caidw · January 2005

This topic has been talked many times, here is excellent article from USA today.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-07-30-premiumgas_x.htm.

bottom line, you can use regular even manual recommended for premium without any problem for most cars.

Caidw

kyfdx · January 2005

BMWs use real wood...

akirby · January 2005

Lincoln LS (03+) has real wood. But on most cars they have to add so much protective finish it ends up looking like plastic anyway.

highender · January 2005

yeah...unfortunately wood cracks when exposed to dryness and heat....

I have real wood added by the prev owner on my suburban....looks nice...but not practical use .

igiban · January 2005

I was told that my ES (post 02), and all Lexuses, uses real wood. I have no doubt the wheel and shift knob are real solid wood (Cal walnut or something like that). But I always wonder how do you tell if the 'panels' on dash or the doors are real. The ones in Lexus look real for sure, but they are thin (they have to) and sound different when you knock on it. I mean is there some proof or document that says this is real wood?

Cosmetically real wood does not always look better tho. I happen to like shiny ones, and that's some coating on wood, or not.

akirby · January 2005

The only way to tell other than breaking it is to note what the mfr calls it. If it says wood grain or wood finish rather than real wood or solid wood you know it's fake. But I have fake wood (we call it WUD) in my 2000 LS and think it looks just fine.

igiban · January 2005

BMW's 5 calls it "Dark Poplar grain wood trim". Do you think that's real? Note BMW does not use wood wheel or shift knob; it's just those trims on doors and around dash. At the same time, 3 spells only "Myrtle wood trim".

Lexus ES says "Red walnut or golden bird's-eye maple trim". Sounds real I guess? They do have wood wheel and shift knob, in additions to trims.

Of course TL simply mentions "Wood-patterned trim", leaving little confusion there.

Now E class wants you to think REAL: "Hand-polished Burl Walnut wood trim on dash, console, doors, shift gate and shift knob." But C class only notes "Hand-polished Laurel wood trim". Mmmm?

I gather TL is very frank upfront: my wood is not real. The others at least lead you think they are some real wood. Who knows. If it feels good and looks good, and is durable, it may not matter much. Frankly only wood wheel and shift knob give me solid wood feeling. The trims/panels, kind of hard to tell/feel.

kyfdx · January 2005

Trim.. thats what the panels are called... if they use aluminum, it is aluminum "trim".. BMW uses real wood... maple, walnut, sometimes birch, maybe some others.... it is all real..

Lexus.. if they say maple trim.. that is wood..

TL.. wood-patterned... that would be plastic.

But, it really wouldn't matter to me if it was or wasn't.... As long as it looks good... I'm not sure I could tell, unless it is really crappy.

cartalk · January 2005

The current 3-Series BMW models do have a wood shift knob.

highender · January 2005

it wood be nice to have wood, but wood you even know the difference if it wood not wood ?

sgsunny · January 2005

What a useful board!!...I am new to this venue, but not to Acura. This week, I am finalizing a

deal for my third TL. I live in South Florida, I

am in sales, and have been very pleased w/my pre-

vious 2 TLs: They have endured well the drivERS,

hyway and local driving. First was the dk blue; most recent the pearl white/parchment interior

(w/"plood" kit---loved it-tons of compliments!)

Now, in the spirit of chg, have been looking at the black pearl/camel inerior (I know it's a bit "gold," but find it to be somewhat aristo-

cratic looking,) but have become uncertain b/c of the Florida thing...and maintaining its nice-

looking way; which leads me to my next consider-

ation: anthrocite w/camel..

I appreciate any input!!!

Must be firm w/my decision OH...by TOMORROW!!!!!

(this should be our biggest problem in LIFE!!)

bodble2 · January 2005

I would go with anthrocite w/camel, or quartz.

1violinist · January 2005

Color is a subjective issue, but with Anthracite I'd go with quartz or ebony as they go well with the gray exterior. Also the aluminum trim + the carbon fiber accents blend better with these 2 interior colors. Good luck!

sgsunny · January 2005

Thanks for the input...much appreciated - - NOW,

if only this Dealer/Broker can FIND a TL...I can

begin to look forward to getting a new car, in-

stead of comparing this car-shopping ordeal to

the likes of a root canal!!!!!

mth2 · January 2005

I, too, am in the market for a new TL after my 02 was totalled (after the new transmission was put in from the recall).

I'm wondering if I should jump in and buy an 05TL 6 speed manual, and put up with the torque steer that the car magazines grump about, or wait for the 06 model which is rumored to get the SH-AWD. I wonder if that would even make a difference.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

kyfdx · January 2005

Don't wait.... SH-AWD will not happen for the TL.. So far, just a rumor... If your car is totaled, what will you drive in the meantime?

mth2 · January 2005

Well, I was just going to get something used and cheap for one year, if the 06TL was worth waiting for. I'm sure something on it will change, since to my knowledge nothing really changed between 04 and 05 models. But if I hear enough replies saying don't wait, I'll just go get an 05.

brew99 · January 2005

Hello All,

With some more bad weather making the rounds thought I would just pass on a tip regarding the side view mirrors. It may be a good idea to keep the side view mirror selection button in the middle position during the winter months so that it does not automatically tilt down everytime you go in reverse. Mine were frozen in the other morning with ice, snow, freezing rain etc. Luckily the motor mechanism was not damaged but I could see how this could easily happen. Happy sledding!

tayl0rd · January 2005

I thought the TL had heated mirrors?

bodble2 · January 2005

That's a good tip. Luckily I park in a garage both at home and at the office!

bodble2 · January 2005

It does have heated mirrors, but that only defogs the glass area. I think brew was cautioning about the mirror icing up between the glass and the outer casing, which would prevent the mirror from tilting down, and potentially burning out the motor.

1violinist · January 2005

Most probably the changes in 06 TL would be cosmetic, i.e. changing the look of the lights, wheels, etc., maybe intergraing turn signals into side mirrors, and perhaps introducing some new colors. As many stated on this forum, adding SH-AWD to the TL would cost Acura a lot, and would harm the sales of the new RL.

bodble2 · January 2005

I think it would more than harm sales of RL. I think it could cause an early demise of the RL (unless they shoehorn a V8 into the RL).

brew99 · January 2005

Exactly - as snow or ice builds up around the mirror or if moisture even gets in behind and the temp drops below freezing the whole unit can freeze solid. If you have the tilt feature on you could potentially seize up the motor and cause some damage. The heated mirror feature won't do anything to help this unfortunately.

tayl0rd · January 2005

Exactly - as snow or ice builds up around the mirror or if moisture even gets in behind and the temp drops below freezing the whole unit can freeze solid. If you have the tilt feature on you could potentially seize up the motor and cause some damage. The heated mirror feature won't do anything to help this unfortunately.

That's too bad for you guys. I remember the one and only time I left my car out in the freezing rain, the mirrors were frozen over. I turned on the heaters and it melted the ice off. It created a water layer between the glass and the ice and the ice just fell off. I thought all heated mirrors were strong enough to do the same, especially on a luxury marque.

At any rate, you won't cause any damage to the motor if the motor moves while the mirror is frozen. The mirrors work with two screw type gears. If the mirror is frozen when the motor activates, the gears will simply skip. This won't cause any immediate damage but will obviously wear out the gears over time if you keep doing it. There's no real threat to the motor as the gears are lubed with gear grease which freezes at temperatures far below anything any car is likely to ever endure.

So, if your reverse tilt-down activates while your mirrors are frozen, the biggest thing you'll have to worry about is reprogramming the mirrors' position in memory, if equipped.

aaargh · January 2005

>>I thought all heated mirrors were strong enough to do the same, especially on a luxury marque.

Again, the issue isn't about melting the ice on the mirror. That works fine on the TL. It's the ice build-up around the mirror.

tayl0rd · January 2005

Which is what I was talking about as well. How would ice build up on the mirror without building up around the mirror? I'm talking ice, not frost. If it can melt the ice off the mirror, the ice surrounding the glass should fall away as well. That has been my case, but I guess your case varies. Sorry for the confusion.

igiban · January 2005

Well the ice won't melt in a second right? I think what they are saying is that you start the car, and drive-reverse right away when mirror would try to tilt, before heater gets a chance to really melt the ice. Of course you can also wait a few more seconds for the heated mirror to melt the ice b4 you move reverse.

uglydog · January 2005

Is it just me, or does the recently unveiled 2006 Passat look alot like a TL (rather than the aborted bubble that it was before)?

wisngamecock · January 2005

Where did you see it? Please post the url. Thanks!

uglydog · January 2005

I stumbled across a picture of it on the cars!cars!cars! blog page:

http://carscarscars.blogs.com/index/2004/12/2006_volkswagen.html

highender · January 2005

you are right, it does look like an elongated TL.....but TL proportions are just right....

wisngamecock · January 2005

Agreed, the side view of back end looks similar. But, the new Passat still has a bit of that bubble look, just more subdued in the 2006. Also, the edges (ala TL and BMW) take your eyes off that bubble-shaped top.

wisngamecock · January 2005

The owners manual says "during the first 600 miles, *avoid full throttle starts and rapid acceleration, *avoid hard breaking for first 200 miles, *do not change the oil until the multi-information display indicates it is needed"

I'm at 800 miles, but have way too much snow on the roads to push this car.

upndwn · January 2005

I continue to read these discussions trying to carefully vet each choice I might make. If not for the frequent vibration posts, I would be finished. Because of them, I am still in the process. Other choices, "old style" A4, TSX and way behind, 9-3.

It does seem that the vibration posts seem to be from a few irate owners, but I would be that irate were I in their position and received the responses they report from Honda. It seems implied that the 2005s have some chages aimed at fixing, but have not echangested the vibration problem, or characteristic in Honda speak. It also seems that the 6 speed reduces the incidence of the problem, but again, does not eliminate it. So, since I want a 2005 6 sp. am I safe? Can a thorough test drive further reduce/eliminate the chances of owning a TL with this characteristic?

On a more simple level, are the heated front seats

bottoms and backs or just bottoms. Someone told me that the TSX has bottoms only, another said TSX driver gets bottom and back, but front passenger

gets bottoms only. What is the situation in the TL?

Thanks for your help.

P.S. Anyone think there are people spreading any misinformation pro or con about the TL via these boards?

phkck · January 2005

So how much is it going to cost me for a new remote and key?

Still looking around the house so still hoping to find them.

Older Acura TLs

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