By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
First of all, in the TL, you have volume and mode controls on the steering wheel and on the dash. You also have controls for the presets, seek and scan on the dash. I'm not sure if there are other controls on the dash (because I have the TSX, not the TL). All of the radio controls respond to verbal commands as well.
I get in the car in the morning and I turn on the radio with the dial on the dash. Usually, I switch channels primarily with the wheel control and a I also adjust the volume with the steering wheel controls (although both can be done on the dash). If I decide to listen to the cd player, I usually press the mode button on the wheel, or I give a verbal command.
Dealer told me some cars with my color combination went into production today and will be available in a month.
Anyone have any mileage stats yet? I never got very great mileage with my 2001 TL, usually around 20-22 mpg, when some were reporting close to 30 mpg. Maybe I have too much of a lead foot!
Step 1
Place yourself in your seat in a normal driving position.
Step 2
Set your rear view mirror the way you normally would.
Step 3
Lean your head all the way to the left so it touches the driver's window. From that position, set your left side-view mirror so you can see the back corner of your car.
Step 4
Lean the same distance the other way, and set your right side-view mirror the same way.
This method works quite well in eliminating the large blind spots.
Since this sound system only enhancements the play quality of DVD-As and not CDs or Radio seems one would have to have many DVD-A to take advantage.
Blind spots: before manuvering NOTHING beats turning your head both ways and making sure there isn't a suprise waiting for you.
Hope everybody is enjoying their TLs.
Anyway, I wish you luck with your purchase. Either way, you are getting a great car.
But, on the rearview mirror the area shown appears to be small and oval shaped. The area viewed appears alot smaller than what I am used to in my Diamante and with the oval shape the sides/ends viewing area is reduced since the mirror is oval shaped (tapered at each end - smaller area to view). The rear headrests can also get in the way. I lowered the rear headsets all the way to make it better.
Anyone else have a problem or concern with seeing/visibility with the rear view mirrow?
Hold on a second...you mean to tell me that the rear headrests move up and down? I've had my '04 TL for three weeks and did not realize this. Nor did the salesperson point this out to me. I'm just checking out the specs on line and there it is "Adjustable rear seat headrests"...cool.
I disagree with some about the CD sound. I think it's fantastic in the '04 TL. The DCD-A's do sound better and when one does a direct comparison one notice's the shortcomings of the CD more dramatically. The best way to hear for yourself is to bring some of your favorite CDs to the dealer and listen. XM doesn't sound as good as CDs, but it sounds better than FM. It's all a matter of degrees.
I do find that the rear headrests partially block the view of the rear window. My previous car had headrests that were movable downward by remote switch on the dashboard. At least one should be able to move them downwards manually enough to totally unblock the view of the rear window . Let's face it, most people are alone when driving and I agree that this is a minor design flaw. I sent a letter to Acura about this and the lack of storage space in the cabin. Anybody notice how few DVD-A jewel cases fit in the center arm rest? Because of their oversize very few fit.
I like the look of them. My wife and I are considering purchasing an anthracite one whenever we sell our 99 Accord.
The shoulder belt max. height adjustment on the 04 is too low (lower than previous TLs). I think this may be due to the deployment path of the side curtain air bags.
If that is true, people looking for a compliant ride like the base TL from last generartion need to look elsewhere.
Also, just because someone wants a comfortable ride, doesn't mean they want a Buick or Lincoln.
BMW and even last years TL manage good handling with good ride comfort at the same time.
Some guy commented that he bought the '04 TL for his wife and she was used to her Lexus's ride. She was very dissapointed and he was considering selling it.
My neighbor has a 911, talk about a firm ride! One person's fun to ride, great handling, feeling the road joy, is another's "harsh ride".
* Black (ebony). Best looking, in my opinion, with most colors that I like (Anthracite, Silver and Blue), BUT gets impossibly hot in the summer and requires a LOT of cleaning and maintenance. Every little mark or scratch or spec of dust stands out! That's the interior I have on my 2003 TL-S and I don't want to live with it any more.
* Quartz: too mousy looking for my taste, but it was my second choice. The leather color is Ok, but the carpeting just looks cheap in this color.
* Parchment: beautiful, but WAY too light. My wife's minivan has this color interior and you simply cannot keep it clean.
* Camel: camel with black dash looks amazing too me. I've seen it on several cars with different exterior colors and liked it every time. Not too light, not too dark. Just perfect. And I think it looks awesome with the wood.
I found that the rear headrests do block the view a bit, but also noticed that the side mirrors well cover the area blocked in the rear mirror when they are set correctly. Use them all AND turn your head is the best bet. I am coming from a 2-door car, and I am still getting used to having a big post right next to me when I turn to the left!
regarding the audio system - it is a very clean and accurate system, it will make any CD sound its best, even if not in full surround sound. There are audio processors that can derive surround from even standard CDs - too bad that Acura didn't include that as well since they set the car up for 5.1.
I have been out of town this week, it is killing me to know that the TL is sitting in my garage begging to be driven! Can't wait to get home. While travling, I have been reading the Quick Guides that came with the car and I am astounded at the wealth of features that are not apparent. This car needs a full training course to come with it!
Keep that in mind when you drive the TL. If you feel that the ride is taut but complaint, it should be comfortable over the longterm. If it is stiff, that might be another issue. Personally, I'm suspicious. With those low profile tires, the ride can't be great.
They have one hour chats for Mazda and Suburu every week. They would have one for Acura if there was enough interest. Maybe a Honda/Acura would have enough attendees to support it- 2 of the 8 tonight were Honda owners.
I realize this will be rudimentary for many of the car afficionados in these forum, but for all the rest I hope it's helpful.
Some highlights:
Auto Select (page 119): "If you are traveling far from home and can no longer receive your preset stations, you can use the Auto Select feature to find stations in the local area." The beauty of this is after you get back close to home, you hit the button again and your original settings are restored.
Yes I know, many of us are using XM radio and listening to DVD-A and DTS to take full advantage of the great 5.1 surround system. It's still a great feature IMO, and variety is the spice of life. It gives one an opportunity to get a good flavor of one's new destination. I enjoy hearing the local news and other local programming. They play less commercials outside of the NYC area too, so "I've got that going for me" when I travel- any Caddyshack fans here?
Speaking of the sound system: 6 presets for AM, 12 for FM and 12 for XM. 30 of one's favorites at one's quick convenience. Add 6 discs and one tape and you've customized the sounds for 3 dozen plus 1 sources. BTW, my cassette tapes have never sound so good in a car.
If anyone figures out how the 2nd paragraph on page 131 makes any sense please advise. I just don't think the feature works.
Some people have had problems with the memory settings for side view mirrors and driver's seat. Some may need to read pages 93-95 and page 86 a bit more carefully. It's a combination of storing the settings on the driver's door and on the remote control.
Using the heat seat heater even in the low position for a long time when the engine is idling will drain the battery.
This reminds me that certain devices left on and connected to the accessory power sockets will severely drain the battery; i.e TV/VCR. A friend has gone through a couple of batterys due to leaving a power draining device connected and on while the car's engine was off.
page 165: "Do not try to 'top off' the tank" when adding fuel. "Leave some room for the fuel to expand with temperature chnages".
"Screw the fuel fill cap back on until it clicks at least three times. If you do not properly tighten the cap, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp may come on". Page 243: 'If you have recently refueled your vehicle, the indicator coming on could be loose or missing fuel fill cap. Tighten the cap at least three times. Tightening the cap will not turn the indicator turn off immediately; it takes at least three days of normal driving."
I had a car that had the Malfunction Indicator light on a great deal- it was a total headache. Sometimes the gas attendent made a mistake other times there was a problem with this indicator. In NJ one can't pump one's own gas- so I'm accustomed to watch the guy closely or put the cap back on myself.
Page 173 has instructions on hooking the cargo nets. This feature is more difficult than some of the audio features. :-)
Due to the tougher emmission standards the car meets,there may be occasions when the vehicle won't start on the first try. This has only happened to me on one occasion in 3 weeks. This may get worse in colder weather- every car is more difficult to start in colder weather has been my experience.
Features I haven't had in my previous vehicles that I find very useful:
Side mirrors that have a defrost feature.
Ability to open all windows and sun roof with remote.
Full features of the sound system.
Hands-free cell phone through sound system.
Homelink.
XM Radio.
5.1 surround (no one has had this from the factory).
Memory for seats AND side mirrors.
Fog lights in the headlights- more effective system.
Multi-Information Display- so many choices with timing features of lights and locks.
Ability to lock trunk from glove box and then give valet the key.
First tune-up at 105K miles
Features I've had on previous vehicles that I'm glad are available:
Sports Shift.
Valet key.
Automatically darkening rear view mirror.
Trunk pass-through.
Power everything.
Sun Roof.
Controls from steering wheel.
I went out and bought 6 DVD-Audio discs today. I bought 2 at Fry's, 2 and Circuit City, and 2 at Best Buy. I bought Faith Hill -- Cry, Frank Sinatra at the Sands, Diana Krall -- When I Look in Your Eyes, B.B. King & Eric Clapton -- Riding with the King, Vivaldi Four Seasons with soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter, and 38 Special -- "Live at Sturgis." They're all good. King/Clapton's Riding with the King and Krall's When I Look in Your Eyes are probably my favorite of those I bought today. They seem to make best use of the 5.1 mixing. The sound in the TL is fabulous! I did run into a little problem trying to store all of the DVD-Audio cases in the center console compartment. That compartment seems to have perhaps been designed with CD cases in mind. CD cases fit great but DVD-Audio cases are a little too big and therefore have to be angled a bit in order to fit 6.
Trip computer gives exact mileage in "A" and "B" modes- one can verify this if one look's at the odometer.
"Mileage to Empty" is an estimate; theres a 3-4 gallon reserve, so at "E" one will get only 14 gallons from the pump even though the tank holds 17.09. Every car I ever owned has been this way, I find it odd that people think this is a "problem". It's never good to drive a car until it almost runs out of gas- "running out of fuel could cause the engine to misfire, damaging the catalytic converter" (per manual).
"AVG MPG" is an estimate. The way to check one's gas mileage is to divide the miles driven by the amount of gallons put in the tank.
DVD: I'm sure you're asking if one can play a movie and listen to it on the sound system and watch it on the navigation system while the car is in park. Per navigation owners the answer is "no". I read a review that said the same thing.
Just wanted to say thanks for your instructions on rear view mirror settings (post #1880). It is a little strange at first to get used to, but the blind spots are gone!! Thanks!!
sftroy
A couple of hundred miles and I am finding the Turanza to be fine. Im sure that they won't last long but so far so good.
For all fellow TL owners in the NE, it's time to think about a coat coat of McGuires Medalion or any other really good quality wax before winter comes.
J
Go to hondacuraworld.com, and get the acura all season mats for the TL.
Or, go to Mats.com and get the weathertech all season mats.
How often do you wax your car? Didn't they just wax the car before we picked it up? Normally, I have my cars detailed once a year; the water seems to slide off nicely for an entire year.
greg
http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc
Apparently, they make superior cleaning and polishing products. If they ship to Canada, I may try some in the Spring.
Rule of thumb for wax is 2X a yr minimum of premium wax such as the McGuires. One time in the fall to protect for winter and once in the spring. That's it. No fancy detailing is needed as this will protect your paint as well as any product they will apply at a fraction of the cost.