Acura TL 2009

ajcohen

Caught filming a commercial in Tacoma and giving out more information on what to expect.
http://jalopnik.com/398513/2009-acura-tl-type+s-shows-us-all-four-pipes-in-tacom- a
Put me in line because I am taking this over the G35 and the ES350. Love it and will buy it. I have been jumping around between the ES350, the G35 and praying that I would love the TL. Do not get me wrong the G35 is awesome, fast and sporty especially with the nav, premium, sport package but it is a little tight and I never quite fell in love with the body style that is now a few years old. The ES350 lacks the juice of the G35 and sportiness but it had a solid finish unfortunately I can not shake buying a facelifted camry that tried to raise its backside but just fell short. Both G35 and ES350 have been around a while and I am ready for something new. I love the raked feel of this car, it looks solid meaty and moving when standing still. It took almost 2-3 years for me to start liking the current TL but this one has a more rich GS feel but refreshed. Awesome rims, flared wheel wells and the best new grill of any of the other Acura's. Get me my black with tan interior tint it all out and I will be a very happy man. Most powerful ever and I am sure the inside bells and whistles will be great. So funny I went to Lexus and Infiniti just today and left more confused than ever. I got home found the first official pic and finally smiled. This car is going to sell well and top consumer reports, I promise!

slim83

http://www.leftlanenews.com/acura-tl-2009.html

Here you can see a small glimpse of the interior pics. It appears the instruments are curved in a little which seems weird. You can also see this photo does not contain the keyless feature. There is no button on the door and you can clearly see the key fob.

bodble2

I think someone had said earlier that the keyless ignition is part of an optional "tech package".

I wonder if they have retained the hand-operated parking brake, or have they gone to a foot brake, or even an electronic parking brake.

bodble2

By the way, the guy in the dark blue t-shirt must be one tall dude, as he towers over the TL!

praz

I also have read about the keyless ignition comes with tech package than the center of the dash console in the picture is for sure information display. If it is for navigation than the car would have had keyless ignition. My 2 cents...

bodble2

Good point.

alexnyc8888

Just returned my 05 TL. Long time Honda/Acura fan.
Dont like how the new TL looks on the picture at all. Will take a look at the real car when it comes out, but i am pretty much set on the Audi A4 3.0 TDI when it comes out in December. If Acura would introduce diesel TL in the states, i would possibly overlook the ugly looks.

autoboy16

Hey you're right... He does look tall! He towers over the pther people too...

Hey glad the new model is coming out! All the 04 TL have recently dropped into my price range ! I have my eye on this red/tan(not beige) with 65k miles for $14k and a green on beige one for $500 more but with $5k less... Both 5AT -nav. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL OCTOBER 1, 2008!!

I thought about the TSX too... But oddly, the car with 58 less horses is more expensive to insure... I'll gladly sacrfice my 2mpg for those 58 horses! Besides, its still better than my current car. :sick:

-Cj

bodble2

You should go try the new TSX if you have not already done so. It's a nice ride, sort of like a baby TL, and not that small of a baby! Around town, the difference in hp is not that perceptible. It's lighter so it feels a bit more nimble. Other than the V6, it's got almost all the amenities that the TL has. I think the mpg difference may be more than 2 mpg. Overall, I think it is a worthwhile consideration.....until they come out with the diesel TSX!

laurasdada

If you can, you might want to look for '05s. Avoid the first model year ('04) pitfalls...

And, yeah, check out the TSX. I've had it as a loaner. Noticeably lighter, more agile than the TL... TL is prettier, of course... Didn't realize it was more expensive to insure, though.

autoboy16

I like both TL and TSX and whichever is available during my time of purchase is my choice! Its too hard to pick. No 2009 as they are about $15k out of my range... Oddly, they are everywhere already!!

270hp (258SAE) vs 200hp (204SAE)
20/29/23mpg (17/26/21mpg Revised) vs 23/32/26 (20/28/23mpg Revised)

TL Pros:
V6 power
Mem Seats
DVD-Audio
Cassette Player (Connect to Zune)

TL Cons
Rare Torque Steer
Rattle Prone
Non Durable Leather
Non Folding Rear Seats
Turning Circle

TSX Pros
MPG
Tighter Handling
Split folding rear seats

TSX Cons
Smaller Interior
Firmer Ride (ok as I've gone for 12hour drives in a Z4 sport package & Runflats)
Power/Torque/Gutless down low
Insurance
No MP3 Cds

Both are great but hard choice...

Anywho Acura shouldn't release all their models near the same time! Do the TSX and MDX, RDX and TL then the RL! It hurts their sales!

The shield grille is growing onto me. Acura needs other styling cues too... Led Turn Signals up front? Corona Rings like BMW?

laurasdada

Well, can't speak to the TSX, but for my '05 TL:

TL Cons
Rare Torque Steer: Not an issue for me
Rattle Prone: I"ve had two rattles (sunroof, driver-side sun visor) fixed under warranty.
Non Durable Leather: No issues, leather looks fairly new after 3.5+ years. Course, I do maintain it a bit...
Non Folding Rear Seats: My skis fit through the pass through. But fold 'ems would be nice, too.
Turning Circle: Yeah, kinda Titanic-ish! But, not a big bother.

Can't say I like the Shield of Acura. Don't know if it'll grow on me, but it'll become common I suppose.

And, I still play casettes in my casette player! Sounds like you're doing a good job of comparing/contrasting. You'll make the right decision...

bodble2

Is your comparison of pros and cons between the TL and the previous generation TSX? Some of the cons you listed on the TSX have been addressed with the new one. Also, I think the new TSX, despite being bigger and heavier, is rated at higher mpg.

bodble2

What's a cassette? :P

bvdj84

I think the issue with the new model design, is that it looks very futuristic, and seems that Acura is taking that approach. I like it! I think its about time that designers really think outside the box, but still using a design that still looks pleasing to the eye. They are running out of ideas anyway. Company's feel they take a huge risk in doing so, but most of the time, I feel it pays off in the end. Just like the new Accord, looks great, but its like they went a bit further on design, but not quite enough.

upstatedoc

LD-

Torque steer on my '05 non-existant until I put the Blizzaks on it, then watch out!

Cassettes- LD....you really need to make the switch to CD, the sound is so much better especially in the TL's sound system

P.S. I still have a cardboard box in the back of my MDX with some of my favorite cassettes. Somewhere in my house I have an original '82 VH cassette. :shades:

abanner

sbtatter

From one of the best looking cars on the road to this?? God I hope it looks better "in the flesh" than these 2 pictures portray...I've been an Acura owner since 2000 but I don't think I'm going to be able to continue once it's time to trade my 07 type S!!!!

upstatedoc

I believe the bottom pic was photo-shopped to remove the camo...........

bvdj84

I am not sure what to think of the pics. Looks okay, but like you said, I want to see it in person

bodble2

I actually don't think the new TL looks all that bad. Does it look as stunning out of the box as the '04 did? No, but it also isn't like some of the disasters from Nissan, Toyota or Subaru. However, what I don't like is the trend to supersize these so-called sports sedans. Are these car companies not aware of gas prices? I thought the current TL is just about as big as you would want. Actually something more the dimensions of the BMW 3-series is even better.

billyperks2

I like what I see so far- I just need to see it from every angle and the inside as well.

jrm462

I have been watching this blog for a year. Your photoshop is so obvious. Look at this link picture and then at his. The passanger in the car is in the exact same position. Go back to your job at Lexus you TL hater. Was this a free photo shop program or did you waste $100 bucks. http://www.motortrend.com/future/spied_vehicles/112_0805_2009_acura_tl_spied/pho- to_04.html

jchan2

That trunk opening looks mighty small..

laurasdada

Much cooler than an 8-Track...

laurasdada

Hi, Doc:

Yeah, what a different feeling when I go to the 16" WinterSports... yuck.

Hey, I've got a boatload of CDs, too. But all those mixtapes I made in the '70s & '80s, priceless! I even have an mp3 player, that's how hip I am!

lilaj

<img src="C:\Documents and Settings\Owner.YOUR-832B7BA73E\Desktop\2686927858_301d11dcaf.jpg

lilaj

<img src="C:\Documents and Settings\Owner.YOUR-832B7BA73E\Desktop\2686937180_d7555b627b.jpg

lilaj

<img src="C:\Documents and Settings\Owner.YOUR-832B7BA73E\Desktop\2686933220_9832ae34a0.jpg

lilaj

<img src="C:\Documents and Settings\Owner.YOUR-832B7BA73E\Desktop\2686930836_3166f4d321.jpg

slim83

http://jalopnik.com/398977/2009-acura-tl-caught-in-natural-habitat-the-golf-cour- se

ocim

The back end (especially the trunk lid) looks like the first generation CL except the car looks a lot more meatier. The side profile has styling from the current accord coupe. The front grill, however, does not look very appealing at all. Perhaps the car does not photograph well. I expect that it will be a lot of car for the money, though. It would be nice the the base price of the SH-AWD version starts at just under 40K.

bodble2

Yikes! Those photos are not flattering at all! The car looks BIG, and over-styled! In comparison, the grill on the TSX almost look elegant. And it looks like the C pillars will create a huge blind spot when changing lanes. :sick:

bt06

Just in case you haven't seen this....

http://www.acura.com/

go to future vehicles :confuse:

Not sure if I like it...

billyperks2

This is going to be the best selling TL ever.

upstatedoc

Definitely approaching Nissan Maxima size!

fozzyfoe

I wonder what they will do to get and additional 30-40 HP out of the 3.7 engine (310 hp)? Would they be contemplating a twin-turbo system?

upstatedoc

How on earth do you keep cassettes that are 30 years old in good playing condition? :P

I've got a studio recorded cassette (not one I made myself) that is 26 years old and I can barely read the lettering on it. It also sounds like it was recorded about 50 yards from the mic's.

pat

Hi lilaj. It looks to me like you are trying to display pictures from your desktop and that won't work for the rest of us. Go to your CarSpace page and upload them there. Then you can use the automatically generated code to display them here.

Hope this helps!

mikey38

Looks like a dang Saturn from the front and an old CL from the back. I'm highly dissappointed in the appearance.

bodble2

...and a bit of Infiniti M from the side, especially in the C pillar area. Yeah, somewhat of a downer. Unless it introduces some sort of out-of-this-world electronic gadget or device, I don't think I would be lining up for one.

laurasdada

Clean livin', Doc. Clean livin'...

Now playing, Jefferson Airplane: "Surrealistic Pillow" Up next, The Outlaws: "Bring 'em Back Alive."

Yes, this is your brain on cassettes.

upstatedoc

Well, the current 3.7L engine in the MDX and RL make 300hp. Now, Nissan (Infiniti) is managing to squeeze out 330hp from their naturally aspirated 3.5L engine. It seems to me that Acura could get similar numbers from the 3.7L without going to turbos (even though I love my GTI's turbo, its just so torquey!)

gundersen

That 330 Hp engine is a 3.7L. It's in the new G37 coupe only. The 3.5 only has 306 hp.

23109vc

I'm not so sure I like it......

my one BIG question is this - given how weak the car market is - when this NEW TL hits the dealerships - are they going to be cutting deals on them or not? or will they try to jack people and get full MSRP?

or will they be selling closer to invoice?

anyone have full specs on interior space, and curb weight? it the power is UP but the weight is up - then you have something with NO BETTER performance than the last gen TL.

the only upside could be the introduction of SH-AWD...which is VERY cool. My 2007 MDX takes corners better than some sedans!

willis3

I've now seen the pictures of the rear of the vehicle. Not liking it at all!

Too much chrome too. Not necessary on the rear.

billyperks2

Are you reffering to the pics posted here?

upstatedoc

Oops! My bad....
Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

vaughn4

The more they show of this mistake, the uglier it gets. It actually looks like there was some potential but then someone snapped. The front grille looks like a lion seal's snout. And what's with the chrome under the trunk lid? That'll get scuffed up and you won't be able to touch it up or paint it. Hideous indeed.

Given the most likely price increase on this hideous design - I don't think people will be lining up. In fact, they may have to offer dealer incentives to move them. Only time will tell I guess.

bodble2

I think they are doing it to boost sales of the TSX and RL.