Acura TL 2006+

anythngbutgm

Actually I would have it pegged for an upscale Altima more than an Accord... Nice car none the less though. The TL still has it in the looks dept. at Acura. I'd have to upgrade the rims to the A-spec or aftermarket though...

Oh, another suggestion albeit a very small one: Would love to see some nice Quad pipes a la AMG Benz/M3 instead of the molded oblong rectangle ones. I know very minor, but there's not much to nitpick with the TL IMO. BTW, all keyfobs wear out pretty quickly, my wifes integrated key on her old Benz was pretty worn down when we traded the car. One thing I find that helps is not to leave your keys in your pockets, I leave mine on my desk here at work.

dalls223

I think that Acura would have to convert the A-spec into an AMG or M equivalent if they are going to go to quad exhaust. If they were going to do it Acura would need in the neighborhood of 340 horsepower and AWD to go with it, which would probably not happen for any Acura vehicle in the forseeable future. However, I agree. Those do look a lot nicer than dual exhaust. I don't want to see them attempt quad exhaust like the Nissan did with the Maxima. The diameter of the actual exhaust pipe itself is like an inch, if that. What a joke. If they are going to do that they need to make the pipes at least two inches in diameter, for it to look right. Another exhaust that I like, strangely enough the same company, Nissan, is the Infiniti G35 coupe. Dual exhaust, but thick looking pipes.

ljwalters1

If a 2-door Accord would work with your lifestyle, you should know that the 2-door is the only way to get the Accord 6 cylinder engine with a manual tranny.

ljwalters1

My '04 sunshade works fine, though it feels a little flimsy. Wholeheartedly agree with the key fob comment. I moved "up" to a TL from a Passat, but 2 things on the Passat were much "classier":

1. the key fob is integrated into the key with is more convenient and (more importantly!) looks cooler
2. Also, the Passat trunk had strong hinges that really held the trunk open for you. The TL has a much simpler design.

I'd also like to see the TL get rain-sensing wipers like my old Passat. They worked great!

frisconick

I am in the market more for a TL, G35 coupe, or BMW 330ci. They are all great cars, but the Honda Accord coupe is an interesting, and cheaper alternative.

bodble2

You just got the TL. You're buying another car? :confuse:

frisconick

LOL

The TL is for my wife. The next car is for me. However, I love the TL more than I expected :shades: .

jkgreer2

I can highly suggest the Honda Accord coupe, 6 cylinder, since we have a coupe, 6 cylinder, 6 sp manual, and also an 04 TL 6 speed manual. In the Accord coupe, the driver sits lower, and you have only 2 doors (obviously, since it is a coupe). In the TL, you have a higher seating position as the driver. Both engines are strong. With the upcoming 'end of season' deals for the 2005 TL, and the 2005 Accord coupe, you should be able to negotiate at Invoice for either car. I prefer to drive the TL. The Accord coupe appeals to a young person. Both are great cars and are very well priced. We have had no maintentance problems with either car. Make sure that you have Michelins or buy your own preferred tires and switch out, if you choose the 2005 TL. The 6 cylinder Accord comes with Michelins. Good luck with your decision.

delmar1

dalls223 in post 148 wrote: "what is the big deal about having blinkers on the side mirrors?"

What is good about blinkers on the side mirror is that it acts very similar to the 'cyclops' red stop light which all cars now have situated in the rear window.

The blinkers in the mirror sit higher and more in line with other driver's sight of vision. It also is on the extreme perimeter of the car which helps other drivers become aware of the intended turn compared to the traditional rear turn signals which may be obscured.

Either way...it is not a top priority and would not make anyone lose sleep when deciding over two vehicles. A personal preference with clear benefits similar to the 'cyclops' stop light, but also personal observation of other cars with blinkers. Personal preference.

frisconick

Thanks so much for the information! I test drove the Accord coupe today and was a little disappointed, but was surprised at the quality and power. I was disappointed only in comparing it to a TL, and most cars are disappointing compared to a TL.

djocks

I am leaning towards a new Acura. I lease most of my automobiles.

My question for the board is; the numbers I have fully equiped are between $200 and $300 dollars different a month. The dealers have been a little more flexible with the RL's but it is still a lot of money.

I have never driven an acura but I want to know the boards opinion on how much better they feel the RL's are?

Thanks,
djocks

ljwalters1

I haven't driven the RL, but most posters don't think the RL is worth the difference in purchase price over the TL. Whether it's worth it based on your lease options is another story.

From what I understand, if you're considering the RL, you're forgoing a manual tranny. That being the case, I think the main differences are that the RL has a nav system that gets real time traffic, but is not touch-screen capable (so it's harder to enter info); has AWD, so torque steer isn't an issue; has handling geared more for comfort than the sport-oriented TL; and has lights that help light your way during turns. If you're in Canada, I think you'll have cooled seats, but I don't think the US model has them.

I heard is also has keyless entry, but this could be a negative b/c I heard it's possible to exit the vehicle w/i turning the car all the way off, leading to a dead battery.

frisconick

I test drove an RL (just for the fun of it) and I thought it had a lot of power, and was very nice. But the interior isn't superior to the TL and I think the RL looks just like an Accord. For that kind of money, the Lexus LS is a nicer car, and the TL is a far better value.

lf05tl

Have not driven rl. What i can tell you is i have a tl and its a blast to drive. Great sporty looks, love the interrior, good power, fun to drive. I cant wait to get in the tl and drive.

frisconick

I bought my wife a TL and I drive her all over the place. Its an awesome car, in fact I think I will drive her somewhere tonight. :P

bodble2

I think you may be driving her nuts by hogging her car! :P

bodble2

I don't think you can get Lexus LS for RL money. However, I think the new Lexus GS AWD may look like a classier ride than the RL, although not as much power.

frisconick

I think the LS is only about 4k more than the RL. Once you get over 50k for a car, what's a 4k difference mean?

Yeah, I am driving my wife nuts. :P

laurasdada

"what's a 4k difference mean? "

A new Breitling for Daddy...!

bodble2

You're kidding! 4K. That's all? :surprise:

Up here it's a $16K jump from RL to LS430! Something's not right!! :mad:

frisconick

MSRP for the LS is 56,225, for the RL 49,100. US dollars.

bodble2

Umm...er...isn't that like over $7K difference?

Well, regardless, it appears cars are a BARGAIN down there compared to here.

Rl is $10K more in Canada, and LS is approx. $15K more!! :mad:

frisconick

Yes the difference was bigger than I thought. But if you do a Canadian dollar conversion, to an American dollar conversion is there a difference? Simply put, is the Canadian dollar less than the American dollar? No offense please, just economics.

kyfdx

I see a lot of LS that MSRP for $68K and up... The RL has no more options available at $49K..

You won't see many LS for under $60K.

frisconick

2005 LS430 MSRP is 56,225, Invoice is 49,915.

kyfdx

What is your point? Go to a Lexus dealer... you will be hard-pressed to find an LS with a sticker under $60K, or selling at invoice for that matter..

Oops... I think that is what I just posted previously..

bodble2

Definitely there is still a difference. The exchange factor is only about 1.25 US to Cdn, but the difference in base MSRP is more than double. (Mind you, I have not checked to see if base equipment is comparable between US and Canadian models)

frisconick

You are correct, as usual. :P

dalls223

I go away for a four day vacation and the regular topic changes to comparing the LS430 and the RL. There is no comparison, regardless of the difference of money in whatever currency tickles your fancy. Lexus has that extra size that Acura lacks, like I was saying earlier. People shopping for an LS430 type car are usually not going to test drive an RL. It's too small. So who cares if the price difference is only $5-10K. The only reason the two cars are so close in price is because the LS is going to be in its sixth model year in 2006, and there are so many more LS430's than there are new RL's, which forces dealers to only charge invoice, or barely above invoice. This won't even be a topic for discussion in a year or so from now when the redesigned 2007 LS comes, and the RL is in its second or third model year. Then it will be like comparing a $40-45K car with a $65-70K car, because paying invoice on the new RL's will become common as time goes on. Especially if the 2006 TL gets upgraded the way that it should.(which was the original topic that we should be discussing) But for now, if you are one of those few people that have always wanted a fully loaded full-size luxury car, and couldn't afford much more than an RL, well now is your time to take advantage. There are a couple of outgoing big luxury land yachts that are going to be redesigned. The two that come to mind are the LS from Lexus and the S-Class from Mercedes. Happy shopping!

In other TL notes:
Good fuel economy on my vacation. 82MPH avg. driving on mostly I-5 down to the Los Angeles area from San Francisco. :shades: Hey, many others were going way faster. About 406 miles on the odometer before the fuel light came on. I filled up before leaving in San Francisco and didn't have to refuel until Hollywood. About 27 MPG. Could have been better if I drove 65MPH but then big rigs would be passing me. Not bad for a car with such performance. All hail to the TL.

frisconick

Great post!!! Consumer Reports call the Lexus LS the best luxery sedan in the world. They also hint that the interior of the TL has as much luxery as an RL. Yes, all hail to the TL. :shades:

tod2

Any word yet?

More HP?

Blinker lights on the mirrors?

AWD??

I'm afraid to purchase and 05 if the 06 will have more H/P or very different design.

bodble2

I doubt more HP, unless they bundle it with AWD, but that combo could kill whatever sales momemtum the RL has. Blinker lights on the mirror could be an easy upgrade/tweak so that's would be entirely possible.

If I were you, since it's already mid-June, I would wait a couple more months for news on the '06, rather than buy an '05. I'm assuming your current ride can hold on for a couple or 3 more months!

frisconick

I thought of waiting for an 06, but the 05's are so tricked out, and the 06 will just be more expensive.

dalls223

Well that is the beauty of it all for the dealers. They can still get top dollar for all of the 2005 model TL's until the 2006 comes out, and then the discounts begin for the 2005 model. If the new model gets a boost in horsepower, which I certainly hope it does, then it might be worth spending $5-7K more than the 2005 model because the driving enhancement, especally if SH-AWD is applied to the 2006 version of the TL. If I was you, I would wait until the fall because it is not a buyers' market for new cars in mid-June. Why pay $35K+ now for an 05' when you can have the same thing in September for low $30's? At that point the 2006's will be marked up to probably around the mid to upper $30's (A-specs over $40K), so the decision will come at that point. That way you will know definite information about the 2006 model and know if it is worth spending the extra money to have. I would imagine that in the next few months there will be a leakage of info on the 2006 TL. We will probably know by August, when the word leaks out. Until then, lets keep on dreaming of ways to improve the already stellar TL.

Ooooh. I thought of something. How about speakers at the top of the seats, like the Infiniti M does? No seriously, is that really necessary? Isn't that automobile audio overload? :confuse:

bodble2

I seriously doubt you will see that kind of discount on the TL, or any Honda/Acura model (except the old RL).

frisconick

I anticipate that the 2006 TL will be able to fly, and tread water. That way I can cross San Francisco bay without using the clogged Bay Bridge. :P

bodble2

Don't know about flying, but treading water is not new. The Cubans already have taxi cabs that can do that apparently.

frisconick

Really, tread water, how cool. Americans are not supposed to go to Cuba, but we do. I really should become a Canadian, the country has so much to offer. I have a PhD so Canada would welcome me. Don't mean to brag, but it's true.

bodble2

No no, it' s the Cubans that are going to America using taxicabs converted to barges. It was in the news. I'm pretty sure it was Cubans.

frisconick

LOL

Kirstie_H

and now, back to our regularly scheduled program

dalls223

Honestly, I think that the discounting all depends on what changes they make to the 2006 TL, especially when you look under the hood and at the drive wheels. I hate to continue comparing Infiniti with Acura but look at the 2005 G35 sedan with 280/298 horsepower (20/38 more than the 2004 version) and the option of AWD. I don't think that anyone, if given the choice between the 2004 and 2005 G35 sedan, would choose the 2004 if there was a small difference in price. And when the demand drops, the price drops too.

Also, when I say low $30's, I mean like $31-33K, not barely over 30K. Remember, Acura has to protect the TSX. Since most 05 TL's are going for about $35-37K, then there will be a savings in the $5,000 neighborhood. It always comes down to demand when the vehicles are priced, and if there are significant improvements, then the 04' and 05' models will lose value, even the ones that are still deemed as new. I believe that if the changes are minor, then I would agree with you bodble2. Maybe the TL will have two engine choices? Maybe the TL will have a FWD version and an SH-AWD alternative? Who really knows at this point? We can only hypothesize. However in my last post, I am speaking with the anticipation that the 06' version of the TL is going to be significantly refreshed, with many of the enhancements that we have been salivating over on this message board.

bodble2

If something as significant as AWD is added, the price increase will be significant enough not to instantly drop the value of an '05.

frisconick

I have know idea why 270 hp is not enough. The TL is one quick car! But if they upped the hp, the 06 would not be more appealing to me if the cost was a few grand. AWD would make a differernce, but then the TL would be far more attractive than the RL. You don't want your cars competing with each other.

sun207fl

Does Acura typically release information on the new model year? I have driven the TL, the Lexus ES330 and the G35x. So far I'm leaning toward the TL, however, this is a tough one and might just wait to see what happens in the fall.

dalls223

Well, 270 hp is enough for about 90% of the public, maybe even 95%. But then you get 5-10% of us insaniacs that want to flat out fly. Personally, if I was Acura, I would do what AMG-Mercedes, M-BMW, S/RS-Audi, V-Cadillac, R-Jaguar and Volvo have done. Super car status is something that would take Acura as a brand to the next level. We have already seen hints of this in the Type-S designations that the RSX still uses. The "S" stands for higher performance. I think that Acura should make it a reality with a few "limited production" supercars for both the TL and RL.

Let's solve this mettling that has been going back and forth between the people in this forum by allowing customers to spend $35K for a fully loaded 270hp TL, with or without SH-AWD, and then offer its customers a supercharged V6 capable of 350+ horsepower that would sell for $45-50K. If the TL is going to undergo such an enhancement, then, to protect its performance minded, larger car wanting customers, so should the RL. $60K for a supercar RL. Then Acura could say that it has a hands-down sportiness advantage over Lexus. Acura models have always been barely sportier than Lexus anyway, so why not get serious? If you match up the V-6 RL and the V6 GS300, the RL wins by a little. Supercharge the V6 in the RL to make it oust the GS430. Lexus would be caught with their pants down.

All I have to say in conclusion is that the RL is a far different car than the TL. Some may like the styling some may not. The RL is more mellow than the TL, but that is because it is larger. Let's not forget some real differences between the TL and RL. Real wood is used in the RL and not the TL. The navi has the knob that functions with more sophistication than the TL. The RL has adaptive headlights. It has sun sensors for climate control. It is a more well equipped automobile. AWD will just make the TL what it should be. However I think that Acura didn't have to raise the price on the new RL to $49K. Towards the end of the previous RL's time, I saw carsdirect.com selling new 2004 RL's for $37K ($9,000 off MSRP). Being so close in size as it is to the TL, $47K would have been enough for the 2005 model. Bottom line is that there will always be a market for the RL. Remember the larger the car, the less emphasis there is on sportiness. However for the sports junkies that like to drive the larger cars, (i.e. your E55's, M5's of the world) then the RL would have to develop a sportier version of itself, and I think Acura would do well if they adopted such an idea. I mean, why not?

frisconick

Excellent points! But the RL looks way too much like an accord. Also I have talked to several dealers that claim the RL is doing very poorly. If the 06 TL improves luxery and performance the RL can be discontinued. I think the RL is trying to compete with Lexus, and it just can't.

rsetlur

There will not be any significant changes to the TL.
If you follow Honda model year philosophy, the only changes will be tail lights, new color and a couple minor tweaks. 2007 might be adifferent story

mth2

I don't think there will be a significant price increase on the 06 TL. Acura (Honda) has never, from my experience, radically increased the price on a model out of the normal year to year increases. Otherwise they would be deserting the target market that brought them the bulk of their sales.

Acura is not going to make a car in the middle of their lineup that most current TL owners/potential owners could not/would not want to afford. Among many other reasons, one reason TL owners don't buy RL's is because they are almost $15,000 more expensive. That's almost half the price of a TL!!!

I expect the 06 to be marginally higher than the current TL. Maybe like the 02 and 03 models, there could be a Type S version (or something similar) that could cost a few thousand above the base model.

delmar1

While I agree that there will not be a significant price increase to the TL's MSRP...what matters most is the ability to negotiate and final paid pricing. Discounts will not be available early in the year....then you might wait until spring/summer 2006...then wonder when the 2007's are coming out.