Entry Level Luxury Performance Sedans

flightnurse

It is not the fact that the cup holders don't do their job, it where they are placed, suspended in air is not the best place for a cup holder, the proper place is in the middle consul where it would bounce around.

renssils

My 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD is almost 11 months old, has been driven almost 14,000 miles, and has 410 days to go till the lease expires. I can't wait.

First the good. The engine and transmission are superb. The all-wheel-drive performs well. The sound system is first-class. The seats are comfortable. Roadholding and handling can be so good, if the car has high-performance summer tires, as my TL once had. Properly shod, the TL SH-AWD with Advance Package is fun to drive. The folks at the huge Acura dealer are unfailingly polite. Reliability has good other than a failed battery and a failed air-conditioning system.

Now the bad. The TL places form, that is, styling, before function and that includes safety. The outward visibility is dangerously limited. I have had three near accidents because the blind spots are huge, not to mention the long, wide hood and the front's low ground clearance. The trunk is small, hard to load, has a high lift-over, and is awkwardly proportioned, not to mention that the rear deck lid has a nasty point at its center. Be sure to raise the deck lid to its maximum height! Entry and exit to the rear passenger compartment isn't easy for many folks. The air-conditioning system failed due to lack of refrigerant and because the dealer couldn't find anything wrong, he charged me $151.33 and said that there was no warranty coverage as the car has more than 12,000 miles. (I will pursue this issue with the dealer's management and Acura.) The battery has been replaced under warranty. An irksome rattle was allegedly cured under warranty by adding insulation to the trunk. On the 19-inch Goodyear Eagle tires road noise is excessive and grip is low. The instrument panels are highly styled to a fare-thee-well at the expense of ease of use; try to find the clock.

I drove a 2012 Acura TX sportswagon and found it nimble and pleasing to drive. It made the TL seem clumsy by contrast.

I had considered and drove several new cars, including an Audi A6, Infinite M37 and M56, BMW 535ix and Volvo S80 and S60 T6, before I chose the Acura TL because of its reputation for reliability, good performance, and price.

I won't miss the 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD.
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2012 TL SH-AWD with Tech and Advance Packages. Bellanova white pearl paint and taupe interior.

qbrozen

but they aren't suspended in air on my 1. Only if I had gotten the iDrive do they then move to those lousy flipout ones. How is it in the 3? Are they flip out either way?

flightnurse

my 2005 330 has one cup holder and I have never used it, my 2011 has two in the dash (both on the pax side), and one in the console (it is in the way of shifting) and one under the arm rest in the center console (really stupid place for it).

qbrozen

I mostly use it to hold my phone.

flightnurse

Stick I hear yeah, recently I drove from Bayside NY to Lake Hopatcong NJ and was amazed on the amount of time sitting going no where. BTW, yes I had a drink in the rental...

stickguy

just curious, are this big rebates just on the xi? I did check my local dealer, and they list 34! 2011 3 series still in stock, and it looks like of the 328s only a couple are RWD. Not much difference in price however.

Seems you can get one pretty well loaded (well, everything I would want) at right around 41K MSRP. Even had a RWD for 39.somethingK

5 grand off is a nice start, especially when you add in another grand for the 1st 2 payments! When they get to 10K off, maybe I'll get one.

kyfdx

I think the deals are only on the 328xi..

kdshapiro

I rented a 2011 CTS for a week. While it was nice I was glad to get back to my car. So I can't say for me it was better than my g.

mkahn21

I bought the G37x today and grinned all the way home. Great to be out of a boat crossover and into a fun car. Looking forward to years of enthusiastic driving.

I posted the details of the deal in the G37 Prices Paid forum.

sweendogy

Welcome back and you went with the best "value" in the group. Congrats

nyccarguy

Congrats on the new ride! Enjoy your new G!

nyccarguy

Received a call from my BMW salesman late this afternoon. My new 3 should be arriving at the dealership sometime Monday. I'll most likely pick it up on Thursday.

stickguy

that I couldn't do. If it came in monday, I would be there monday night. Tuesday morning at the latest if they needed time to prep!

kdshapiro

Good luck, you posted on acurazine?

kdshapiro

Good luck, the g is a great car. Not as refined as the bimmer, but a lot of fun never the less.

fedlawman

Well NYC, I guess we're in a race to see who takes delivery first. I just put down a deposit on a 3-series too! It's not as well equipped as yours though...

nyccarguy

I hear ya stick. We are supposed to bring the Pilot in for service Monday night for Tuesday. My wife does not want to drive my new BMW to work on the 1st or 2nd day I own it.

nyccarguy

Get out! Details dude!

If we race, you'll win. You are a much better driver;)

fedlawman

Not with 134 HP (hint, hint)

It's a 2-door so I can't say more without offending some people here.

kyfdx

E30 318iS?

fedlawman

You're very warm... :blush:

kyfdx

E36 318ti?

fedlawman

Oh, getting colder...

fedlawman

1992 318ic

Pictures of the car taken by the current owner. I'm hoping to pick it up next week.

nyccarguy

'92 iC? No Air Bag? Did they swap out the steering wheel? Is it a grey market euro car?

sweendogy

Hyundai become a sudo lux sedan brand? Is It a better lux sedan brand then Buick, caddy, Acura, Infiniti.

Jd power and consumer reports love the brand - pricing in line or better then group- strong engine choices and a range of cars not matched by most. Sonata, azera, genesis, Equus. Thoughts?

kyfdx

Looks nice.... that isn't going to scratch that M3 itch, though..

kdshapiro

Looks very, very nice.

fedlawman

"'92 iC? No Air Bag?"

You know, I was trying to remember what year airbags / roller coaster seatbelts were mandated. You're right, of course - I didn't even notice.

Yes, I rechecked his spec sheet and it has an MTech 1 steering wheel listed.

It's a US car. One enthusiast owner, fanatically maintained. Only significant mods are 15" BBS RZ rims, E30 M3 springs/Bilstein struts, and the radio (which I'll ditch).