2007 Acura TL

bartalk3

My personal preference would be for a softer ride, if handling remains about the same. To me the ride is marginally too harsh, especially on broken pavement. On bad roads, the TL ride is not too good. On good roads, it's perfect. Also, they claim to have improved road noise, which is a problem on the TL. Too much tire slap, tire thump. You hear it.

habitat1

I have to agree with taxesquire. If you want a "softer" ride, try a Lexus ES. Part of good handling and performance is the crispness and road feel that, unfortunately, allows you to also feel road imperfections. I'd rather it be that way, than an isolated feel that has the driving dynamics of a Buick.

I have the TL 6-speed which has a stiffer suspension than the automatic. I do not find it unacceptably harsh. In line with the BMW 330i sport and G35. But if you want a Camry/ES feel, that's certainly your perogative.

bartalk3

I never said I wanted an ES ride. You imply that anything less firm than the TL is an ES. That's rather extreme, isn't it? There are a huge number of gradations between the TL ride and the ES. In fact--though this is heresy here--I wouldn't mind the ride and handling combination of the BMW 3 series. Acura hasn't quite mastered it. Maybe the '07s will come closer. (Please don't get mad and tell me to get a BMW. I bought the TL because it had a combination of features and a price BMW couldn't match. But BMW still beats it in ride and handling, in my view.)

habitat1

"But BMW still beats it in ride and handling, in my view."

I won't argue that the perfectly balanced RWD 330i sport beats the TL in handling. But I don't think the ride is noticably softer than the TL 6-speed. I still feel road imperfections on the BMW more than the ES/Camry type cars. Maybe it's just a matter of degree and sensitivity.

taxesquire

I have the TL 6 spd with summer tires option, so my rides "harsher" than with the automatics. Just want to coment that my ride got noticabley harsher at one point - it turned out my tire tread was low, so the tire had less "give" than intended. I replaced it with Eagle F-1s - handling is maximized in these, not comfort. Still, with the new tires, my ride was much more comfortable.

If you find that your ride has gotten harsher, check your tires. Are they overinflated? Worn out? If it's time for a replacement, choosing a tire that provides more comfort will help a great deal.

Other comments - I think the TL is a very quiet vehicle. Other than this e-mail stream, I've only heard praise on this topic.

Also, you mention a softer ride without handling loss. Is that possible? I guess there can be different levels of compromise, but I always thought the softness of the ride and the handling pulled at each other from opposite ends? :confuse:

ggesq

TL 5AT 33,625
TL w/ Navigation 5AT 36,125

Info found on hondanews.com

eseir

worth it. I just bought a base Tl a few days ago and I have to be honest with you guys I AM IMPRESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!! Coming from an Audi A6, I did not give anything up buy trading into this Acura. Perhaps I should give it a little time, but I ma very impressed by the car. The interior materials of the Acura might not be up there with my older Audi, then again the price differential is huge. I drove all the usual suspects and all of them had THEIR PLUSES AND MINUSES. As far as I am concerned the Lexus IS and the BMW 3 series are not even a fair comparison to the Acura. those two cars are TOO SMALL, especially the Lexus. If I am buying a nice entry level luxury car, which I think is what the TL is going after, the LExus ES330 (At the time they released it), and the now LExus ES350, the G35, and all the etc. The G35 is a much sportier ride, but the interior leaves a lot to be desired. Enter the new TL-S and I thnk that Acura indeed is trying to market a car that can play the horse power game with those all those new entries. I spent $30K (plus the TTL) and not a penny more and I think that I got an icredible value (MSRP 34K) in comparison to the others. THe car has pretty much any gadget you would want. Plenty of romm for my family of four. Plenty of Power for my 42 year old personality. TI think is actually faster than my 1980 College TRans Am. It is hard to justify spending the extra $6,000 to $10 just to get an extra 10% more power and an extra gadget or two. at $40K, it is opening the doors into a whole new world of cars that I probably did not drive because price alone was the main consideration. Yet again my 30K TL has everything that a lot of those $45K cars. As a matter of fact, I feel like the Camrys of the world and moving more upscale into the $30K price range, which makes the TL a steal when you consider the car itself, the premium service, and perhaps a little more cache. I know the comparison for the TL has always been that it is a FWD instead of the RWD, but as far as I am concerned, they always intended to compete with the LExus ES. At $40K, the customer base completely changes. YOu get a different customer who is perhaps looking for more and I do not think the TL-S offers more, especially when you can get a similar driving experience for $30K with their base Tl. In two more years, acura will be introding their new version of the Tl and It is hard to see how the car can be better, BUT IT WILL. It will smoke their compettion, especially if they keep their current lower pricing. Although their new MDX is coming out at about $40K vs the $34 that it currently offers. THe interior of the The new little SUV is amazing, I think the quality of the materials are better than the TL. I bet the new 07 Accord becomes the current TL and the 09 TL becames the new RL

starman98

The G35 is being redesigned for the 2007 model year so the interior is much improved.

richey02hg

www.acura.com

2007 Acura TL and TL-S are both up there. Im not digging the TL's rear lights too much, wish they had the TL-S ones, but oh well.

ggesq

Wow! I just spent about 15 minutes in the interactive showrooms for the TL & TL-S.

ggesq

I'm glad to see that Acura finally decided to provide TL owners with a functional Key FOB.

Additionally glad to see that they incorporated climate control into the steering wheel mounted controls.

Both of which I wish my 05 had

starman98

Acura's site is now fully updated with pictures and specs of the 2007 TL.

starman98

Looks like the prices are higher for 2007. Now there is a $2,500 difference btwn navigation and non navigation models.

Prices include destination charge taken from acura.com

TL-Type S- $38,795
TL with Navigation- $36,795
TL- $34,295

richey02hg

I believe the difference is due to the backup camera that is now included with the navigation (something I think should be optional)

navboy

The nav system in the 2007 TL seems to be greatly improved over the 2006 model TL. Is the nav system in the 2007 TL the same as the nav system in the 2006 RL (except for the TL's touch screen interface)? Can street names be entered via voice recognition, as the can be through the RL and RDX nav systems?

kennyg8

I don't know the specifics of the 07 nav, but I believe touch screen is better and faster than voice recognition, unless you are driving alone and don't want to stop the car to enter queries by touch screen. If you have a front passenger, touch screen beats voice recog, which is only about 75% correct most of the time. Not that I don't pronounce correctly, it is the inherent flaw in the VR system.

laurasdada

Back from a family vacation in Tampa. Rented a Ford Taurus. Anybody who thinks the TL is not a quiet vehicle, try a Taurus. Wind, road and engine (and not the good kind) noise at any speed! Luckily it's also slow...

I chose the TL over the G because (among other reasons) I found it to be significantly quieter. No noise complaints here.

bartalk3

Dealer in Chicagoland has 3 '07s now being prepped. First one to drive the '07, please give your impressions here, especially comparisons between the '07s and previous years.

starman98

The voice this is mostly always incorrect. I never use it as I gave up on it always getting the commands incorrect.

ggesq

Have you been able to get into one yet?

bartalk3

No, may not be able to get over there for a week or so.

starman98

I got my hands on the 2007 TL brochure.

Many complaints I had on the 06 have been added. Nice.

If Acura were to add a fold down back seat, improve the turning radius, make it RWD or AWD, add Knee Airbag, and add a push button start inside, it would be almost perfect.

bartalk3

Starman: You say many of your complaints about the '06 have been corrected. Which, for example?

billyperks1

Have some patience and wait for the model year change (2009).

dilbertic

I so agree with starman98, the rear seats folding down while a minor item, is a big deal to me for larger items. One of the reason I won't buy a RL is the body style, I think the TL looks 10 times better, but then you give up AWD. I think RWD would handle much better then FWD..

Anyways, really doesn't matter cuase Acura won't do anything about it, well atleast not for the next few years or until they start to lose market share. I was just about to buy a 06 this weekend, but I need the rear folding seats.

Dil

pat

This is the main complaint of many since the '99 major redesign (at least). Why is Acura not listening?

newcarman

Can i get the type S wheels on the regular TL??

Do you think the TL wheels non type S look better than last years?? Looks like they are now double spoke.

For 1900$ more you could get the chrome look aluminum wheels which in my estimation look sharp but they are too much $$$

In addition, i hope that they arent using those same Bridgestone tires from last year, i heard those tires are bad in the snow.

Anyone know what tires the TL non type S will have on them?? If Bridgestone what model?

scottm123

I have looked at a couple of 07 Type-S TLs in the past 2 weeks.
Both had Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires on them
The optional performance tire is the Bridgestone Potenza RE030.

I'm thinking about the Type-S in the Spring, and I'll be going with the Michelins.

Yes, the Bridgestone is a High-Perf rated tire, but it's not comparable to the Michelin when it comes to longevity, and only offers slightly better traction....on dry roads only.

Also, the Michelin is a more expensive tire.
Why pay more for the lesser Bridgestone? :confuse:

kat101

Does anyone have a link to a 07 TL interior without Nav? I don't really need nav, but I have found that some interiors look much better with Nav. It's a bit of a drive to the closest dealer, so it would be nice to take a look at pic.

Thanks.

starman98

Here are a list of changes for the 07 TL you can decide if its worth it:

1. redesigned alloy wheels
2. Fog lights placed at bottom
3. Day time running lights
4. Corner blinkers on side mirrors
5. redesigned rear tail lights
6. 3 spoke steerting wheel
7. climate controls on wheel
8. Auto on headlights
9. redesigned instrument cluster
10. slightly better surround sound when playing CD's. Now has simulated dolby digital on CD's
11. IPOD connectability
12. Auto start on remote
13. Redesigned Key one folb instead of two.
14. Some minor interior light brightness changes

With Navigation:
12. Real time Traffic Display
13. Back up Camera
14. Zagget reviews for locations
15. slightly redesigned Nav for better use
16. More voice commands

Did I forget anything?

keitha3

Weren't the seats supposed to be different, softer with perhaps a better quality of leather used?

ggesq

The 07 also has a brand new automatic transmission and has MID controls on the "new" steering wheel. Some new colors are available on the 07 e.g. Carbon Bronze Pearl which is nice IMHO. The "base" TL also has a "softer" suspension compared to the new TL-S.

scottm123

12. Auto start on remote ????

I've looked at the 07 Type-S 3 times already and I'm not aware of this, and neither is the dealer.
Any more details on this?

We heard earlier from someone here that there may be a "One Touch" ignition, but I have personally confirmed this to not be true. You still need to turn the key until the car turns over and starts...no change there.

I see nothing on the key Fob for starting, and saw nothing about this in the 07 brochure.

Oh, and about the new colors... I'm liking the new Red
The color swatch in the brochure does nothing for it, but in person, in the sunlight, it's actually quite nice.
It's a toss up between that and the Carbon Bronze Pearl, which I have seen on an RDX, but not yet on the TL.

Any more details on this Start Option?

bartalk3

The '07 brochure claims that you turn the key and release immediately and the starter keeps cranking the engine for up to 10 seconds or so or until it starts. Not a major inmprovement, in my view. In some cases, you wouldn't want to crank the engine for 10 seconds.

scottm123

"The '07 brochure claims that you turn the key and release immediately and the starter keeps cranking the engine for up to 10 seconds or so or until it starts. Not a major inmprovement, in my view. In some cases, you wouldn't want to crank the engine for 10 seconds."

What page do you see this on?
I have the brochure in front of me, and I swear, I don't see it.
I've read this silly thing front to back multiple times... :confuse:

Does anyone know if they have more than one brochure?
Mine has a Silver Type-S on the cover, the top right reads "2007 Acura TL" and the brochure covers both the base and Type-S models.

Do you have the same brochure?

Also note that I tried this on an 07 Type-S and quickly turning and releasing the key caused me to have to turn it a second time, waiting for it to start before releasing.
The sales guy also knew nothing about the option.

Thoughts?

bartalk3

Ok, here's the scoop on the auto start. I got the info a few weeks ago, not from the brochure after all (I had forgotten just where I read it), but from the technical bulletin on the '07 TL on www.hondanews.com.

Here's the passage:

"A new feature for automatic-equipped TL & TL-S models is One Touch Start. The driver simply twists the key in the ignition to the 'start' position and releases it, and the car will continue cranking until the engine has started. In the event of a problem, the One Touch Start system will stop after 8 to 10 seconds of starting and display a warning on the MID system."

If the salesman hasn't heard anything about it and it hasn't worked that way on early '07 TLs, maybe Acura has dropped it altogether or put it off until later in the model year. As I said earlier, I don't think it's any big deal, in fact, I prefer it the "old" way so I have control over how long the starter cranks the engine.

Comments?

starman98

Next time I go to the dealer I will see of the key has that start option on it. Its not a huge feature more of a gimmick than anything.

Maybe for the 09 TL Acura will offer push start inside as featured in some Infiniti and Lexus models?

scottm123

Totally agreed... I also consider it nothing more than a gimmick and is completely not needed.

I'd love to see a push button start, so I can just walk up to the car, get in, and not touch anything but a button and go... Love that about the IS and new G.

I'm going there tonight to drop off the MDX and I'll play with it again.
Didn't work before, but who knows....

My concern was more based on mixed-info.

Why is it that we, the general public, know more about these cars than the people paid to sell them to us ?!?

Crazy...

laurasdada

"Why is it that we, the general public, know more about these cars than the people paid to sell them to us ?!? "

I'll theorize that because most of the denizens of these forums are at some level auto enthusiasts. And a new car is a rather large purchase, so we research. And enjoy researching and discussing.

Car salespeople (and I'm generalizing, I know that there are knowledgeable auto salespeople out there. Somewhere. Probably. Really...) are selling Toyotas this month. Next month, Nissans. Next month, Sears appliances... And apologies to the auto sales pros, but this has been my experience.

I've dealt with salespeople who knew their product, but that truly has been the exception. Most of the time after buying a car, I'm offered a job as I appear to know more about the product than the salesman!

autoboy16

There is a "New" Steering wheel. Also the Tl offers the nav with the Zagat reviews. I'm kinda upset that Acura took off my favorite TL color... The light light green one... Also upset by the "Listening" Audio system... I said "Find nearest restaurant" the system responded by turning the climate control off. Kinda of weird that Acura only offers the manual on the type-S.



-Cj

ggesq

Yeah too bad, the green color was discontinued I believe for MY 06. There are ALOT of Navi upgrades for the 07 MY. I only hope they don't discontinue the manual tranny altogether for MY 09.

ajmtbm

just a couple omments:

finally acura added auto headlughts to the TL. what took my opinion is that acura is way behind in not offering a keyless start. you could get one in a nissan versa!

but then again, just this year they added auto headlights to the TL.what took them so long?

pat

And where is the 60/40 fold-down back seat that people have been yelling for for years?

ajmtbm

well, i'll give them a bye on that because making the 60/40 probably requres a significant amount of changes in the car, and i cant blame them for that.

pat

Okay, but my point is that people have been fussing for some kind of fold-down back seat in the TL for as long as I can remember - which goes back to prior to the major 99 redesign. I'm just wondering why they are not listening.

I guess because their cars sell without it, huh?

kennyg8

For me, the fold down back seat is good, but not necessary to have. My other car, an 03 Max GLE, has fold down seats, but in the past 3 years, I only used the feature once. I really did not need to use it even then, as my young son (who must sit in the back) was only curious to find out how it felt with the other seat folded down. If the car without the fold down seat is more rigid structurally and provides better protection in the event of a rear end crash, IMO, not having the feature is better.

ajmtbm

it wont sell more cars, i agree.

in addition, we are also coming off the SUV crazy years, so who the heck needs the utility of fold down seats in a sedan? seems like everyone's other car is an SUV or minivan, and the extra storage doesnt matter i guess

laurasdada

At least the TL has a pass through for my skis, which in the past is usually the only reason I'd fold the seats in my car.

cadreamn

Are you saying that the 2007 TL base has a softer suspension than the 2006 TL base? I just drove the 2006 base and the 2007 TL-S and found the 2006 to have enough sportiness for my needs. I'm interested in a 2007 - but if it was made softer, will need to drive 2007 to be sure.

ggesq

Yes, that is what all the literature says. I have not test driven any of the 07 TL models.