Acura TL vs Honda Accord

dampfnudel · February 2006

It will be getting a model refresh next year. The redesign is due in 2009.

I would still buy the TL over the Accord. I could have, now I have some regret.

I am still very happy with my Accord

I thought the 07 TL will be the refresh and the redesign will come out in 2008 with the 09 TL (about 1 year after the 8th-gen Accord's intro). I also read on another forum that the 07 TL may be introduced at the NY Auto Show in April. Of course, I'll believe it when I see it at the show.

jiminthehills · March 2006

I'm coming from an older Accord w/ manual seats and need help choosing between the 06 Acura TL 6MT Navi and the new 06 Accord Sedan 6MT Navi that has electric seats (but no memory function).

I will be sharing this car w/ my wife a couple times a week and if there is no memory function in the Accord, is this going to drive us completely insane or take up valuable time and frustration in trying to get the seat set properly each time? The seats have 8 way adjustment and I can't imagine having to adjust this all the time.

When driving an MT, the seat adjustment for proper clutch takeup is really important, and on our other car, there was only two adjustments (Seat travel and seat back angle). Is it really not that big a deal for those of you that have the V6 EX Accords or it a pain in the neck?

I can't believe it has all come down to this in choosing between the cars, but this is a real issue right now.....PLEASE HELP!

goodegg · March 2006

Not a necessity, but ceratinly a great luxury. My wife adjusts my TL's seat totally different than me. If not for the memory function I'm not sure I could readjust the seat to where I've had it to my liking. The memory feature also adjusts the mirrors and the HVAC.

taxesquire · March 2006

I guess you could try going to inside the dealership, go to 2 separate TLs, adjust the seats and mirrors, and then swap to see how different you prefer the seats?

midnightcowboy · March 2006

I have a 2005 6-speed Accord Coupe that my wife drives occasionally. Adjusting the seat back is no big deal.

Either car with a 6-speed is a great choice!

Double sixes,

MidCow

bplayer · March 2006

If the adjustments between the both of you is minor then changing it when you enter is not a problem. However, anything greater will also affect the position of the side mirrors, and the setting on the TL is very important as poor alignment will seriously affect your rear visibility.

This feature alone is a tie breaker when the car is shared.

billyperks1 · March 2006

I second that.
My wife and I share three cars Camry, Accord and a TL.

Guess which one is a breeze to adjust back the seat positions? THE ACURA-those memory seats are a plus when cars are been shared.

The worst is the Camry, its seats are manual-what a pain.

midnightcowboy · March 2006

Okay Okay!

We share four cars:

Avalon with memory (her car).- easy to adjust wait for motors to whirl, no miror memeory.

IS300(son's car) adjust seat back-forth mirrors - Minor pain

Accord ( my road car)- wife drives occassionally - seat back forth minor

S2000 - (my sport car) -manual lever slide back easy adjust most fun to drive

Cheer,
MidCow

The ideal solution is to get your own car and not share

billyperks1 · March 2006

"The ideal solution is to get your own car and not share "

True True- but when you have a one car garage, you tend to drive the car that is easliy accessible.

bodble2 · March 2006

Well then, the obviously solution is to get a house with a 2-car garage!

:P (Unless you meant the car parked outside is the one easily accessible!)

midnightcowboy · March 2006

Okay I just picked up two pecan trees, put them inside my Accord Coupe and brought them home.

Let's see you do that in a TL :P

Double sixes :shades: ,

MidCow

billyperks1 · March 2006

That's what I meant-usually my wife and I tend to drive any car that is in the driveway (especially on the weekends.)

The scenario is- one is parked in the garage, the other angled in the driveway and the third is facing the street in the driveway.

PS- I am working on that two to three garage house.

laurasdada · March 2006

That's easy: Skip the trees and just buy some pecans! :shades:

taxesquire · March 2006

More structural rigidity - no fold down seats in the TL :P

goodegg · March 2006

Open up the moon roof.

jiminthehills · March 2006

Sorry for the late response....was out of internet range for a bit....

I appreciate all the thoughtful and insightful comments from all of you on the seat issue and it mirrors my sentiments.

Regarding regularly scheduled maintenance, has anyone racked up enough miles yet to comment on major service prices for 30K and timing belt for the 03-06 Accord vs 04-06 TL? I drive about 33K miles/year and this will also play into the equation in making a decision.

I heard scare stories of $400 for the timing belt/waterpump replacement for the Accord vs about $800 for the TL....are you all finding out that prices for Acura service to be about twice that of owning an Accord?

bodble2 · March 2006

"the other angled in the driveway and the third is facing the street in the driveway."

Why is it angled? So you can fit the 3rd one in the driveway?

booyahcramer · March 2006

There's a long list of features/benefits the TL has over the Accord. If not folks would just buy the loaded Accord. I bought the 06TL. Couldn't see paying $27K for an Accord. The extra $4K was worth it in my book.

qbrozen · March 2006

For $4k difference, you aren't comparing the correct vehicles.

An Accord with Nav can be bought for $27k, while a TL with Nav can be bought for $33k. That's $6k difference.

Take Nav away from both and the price drops about $2k on both. Still $6k difference.

I'm not criticizing your decision. I think either car is a great choice. Just pointing out what I believe is an error.

thegraduate · March 2006

Yes, Accords can be had for $1,500-$2,500 off of sticker. The EX-V6 lists for $27,300, but many are getting them for less than $26,000.

zombieman · March 2006

gbrozen, you're absolutely correct. The difference is $6000. On a TL with nav vs. an Accord EX-V6 with nav the difference is $6090.00 ($35940 MSRP vs. $29850 MSRP). Without nav it is still over a $6K difference, just $2K less in price.

I must say that as much as I prefer the TL over the Accord, I just don't know if the TL is worth the extra $6K. Don't get me wrong, the TL looks better and has features you just can't get on the Accord (memory seats, bluetooth phone connectivity, manual sportshift on automatic transmission, a better stereo, sports suspension & tires, etc. But IMO all of that for a whopping $6K seems a bit much since without all of those extras, the cars are almost identical.

For me, the difference is price is further widened by the fact that I'm looking to lease and Honda Financial uses a lower interest rate (i.e. money factor) on the Accord than it does on the TL (.00079 vs. .00235) And the Accord has a slightly higher residual value over the TL. This means that with everything being realtively the same, a loaded out Accord EX-V6 with nav, can be leased out for $100-$200 less per month than a TL without nav. I can buy a bluetooth kit to put into the Accord for the saving on one month's payment.

Now if Honda only offered those memory seats on the Accord EX-V6 as an ad-on option.....

igiban · March 2006

No TL is not worth that much more than Accord EX6V, intrinsically, but I went with TL anyway. I got to let up value lock a few times in my life. Just a little bit tho.... why I did not go all the way to a bimmer or MB.

goodegg · March 2006

I think the TL IS worth the extra money. Lots more here than the EXV6, from engine, transmission, electronics, seats, warranty, roadside assistance, tires, etc. Plus....so much nicer styling. The styling of the Accord is so plain ole. Nothing there to pull at your emotions like the TL, or even the new Civic does.

The Accord is begging for a new look. New tailights don't cut it. C'mon Honda. You aced the Civic.

ggesq · March 2006

I agree with you that Honda did a really good job in re-styling the Civic. I was driving next to one today on my ride home and I swear, it resembled a "baby" TL. Similar body lines, front styling and rear end. Agree or am I just crazy?

jiminthehills · March 2006

...agree about the Accord's looks....I really hated the 03-04 split-color tail lights w/ the droopy shape. However, the new tailights don't do it for me either...they don't flow w/ the lines of the car, sorta tacked on there.

That's reason enough to go w/ the TL and the memory seats!

jiminthehills · March 2006

No, not crazy, I agree that the civic looks much better than the Accord.

twmark · March 2006

Also every other car on the road is a Accord. Too commonplace.

qbrozen · March 2006

i dig it with the new taillights. I really didn't like the last rendition ... looked too much like the Accord of old for me. And now add in the 6-speed to the 4-door. Nice.

ezshift5 · March 2006

...And now add in the 6-speed to the 4-door. Nice.

....and speaking of sixes (coupe 6M in my garage).....

...that 6 grand Accord - Acura differential will easily:

- - - get me a whole house fan + a new water heater..

- - - a 400 square foot redwood deck,

plus all the Crown Royal I need for a long, long time!!

best, ez..

goodegg · March 2006

Yea....but you won't have a TL

jiminthehills · March 2006

Even though I agree that the Accord sedan lacks the emotion of the TL, it is still in the hunt, because of the new 6MT.

My present 91 Accord gets about 80K on a set of tires. The MXV4's run about $500 a set installed. I know it's a stretch, but I will assume the 06 6MT Accord's 50 series tires would last similarly to the 60 series on the 91.

The new TL gets about 20K on a set of tires (from what I have read here), and at about $125/tire, that's about $600 a set.

Looking back at my previous post of my 33K annual mileage, it would cost me over $900/year just in tire expenses going w/ the TL, vs about $200 going w/ the new Accord's 50 series tires.

Add to that the other services that Acura charges more for to own the TL over time, and you get an idea that it is quite a bit more than the original $6K difference in price to make this step-up to the TL.

...however, that TL does look good.....!

Any comments on the assumptions here?

thegraduate · March 2006

Actually, $125 a tire would be EXACTLY $500, right? What am I missing?

jiminthehills · March 2006

...taxes, mounting, balancing, valve stems, etc, etc.

I've also heard that $125 is on the low end of the price scale for TL tires.

Have you heard anything on the tire mileage that people are getting on their V6 Accords w/ the 50 series tires?

thegraduate · March 2006

Sorry, no I have no idea. My car (and my father's) both have 4-cylinder EXes with 16" tires/wheels. He has 42,000 miles on them, and can go another 10k or so probably.

Sorry, I wasn't thinking too clearly on my last post. I realize that there are extra costs above the tire. Here's what went through my mind's eye: $500 for tires on my Accord...$125 a tire for my TL. My mind (i always liked math) did the math quickly in my head, and automatically I assumed "same price".

"Duh" on my part.

goodegg · March 2006

If you're gonna put 33K miles a year on the car you could probably replace the EL42s (when they wear out which should be at least 25K miles) with a tire that has a lower speed rating without sacrificing very much performance and handling, but add more durability.

But you gotta pay to play.

midnightcowboy · March 2006

Jiminthe hills,

You need to specifcy what model and what year of Accord you are talking about. I am running 50s, but then that is what came standard with my car (215/50-17). I have a 2005 6-speed Accord Coupe.

The Tirerack is very good about showing different wheel/tire size combinations. You typically go to a lower profile tire when you increase the wheel diameter.

Good Luck Double Sixes :shades: ,

MidCow

jiminthehills · March 2006

Thanks, Midcow, Graduate, and Leadfoot.....

Midcow - I'm talking the same tire size as on your coupe, as my proposed new car would either be the 06 TL 6MT or the Accord Sedan 6MT. I'll check replacements on the Tire Rack in the respective sizes....how are your tires for wear, how many miles are on them now, and what brand & model came as OEM's?

midnightcowboy · March 2006

Jiminthehills,

I have a 2005 Black Accord EX V6 6-speed with NAV that has about 20K miles. I also have whell locks, spoiler, (remounted the roof rack to carry a Kayak), splash guards, Borla exhaust, Syvania Super Whites ( still toying with the idea of installing HID), and K&N air filter. Absolutely no problems, great power and great mileage on regular. On long trips ( without roof rack) going 75 mph I get around 30 mpg.

The OEM tires are Michelin (not sure which model I think Pilot will check later)and show very littel signs of wear if any. I would guess they would be good for at least 50K if not more. I am running about 36 PSI. THe OEM tires squeal and spin easily if you get on it in first or second. And front drive really accentuates the spin. Under normal driving they are great; maybe a little bit excessive tires noise. I din't realize the squaleing and traction problem until I got a S2000 a couple of months ago; outstanding traction even in the rain, but with softer ,stickier Bridgestone S02 tires and RWD.

If you really want good traction on a TL or 6sp Accord, you will probably need to replace the OEM tires.

Good Luck,

MidCow

P.S.- Both are great cars you can't go wrong with either, but you can fold down the seats in the Accord and carry pecan trees :P and as TheGraduate said there is a $6-8K differential initially plus lower gas and maintenace costs in the Accord. My total maintenace cost on the Accord for owning a little over a year is $24.95

thegraduate · March 2006

Edmunds cites the TL's (w/o NAVI, Auto) true cost to own at $47,421, or $0.63 per mile for 75,000 miles and 5 years (Assuming the True Market Value price of $33,051)

The Accord EXV6 Navi is listed true cost to own at $40,815, or $0.54 per mile for 75,000 miles and 5 years (Assuming the True Market Value price of $27,786).

Here are a few of the big differences:

Initial Price Difference: The Non-Navi TL costs $5,265 more than the NAVI-equipped Accord

Maintenance costs: Accord--$3,271 ..... TL--$4,441

Fuel costs: Accord--$6,700 ..... TL--$7,516

Depreciation losses: $15,414 ..... TL--$17,658

Just a thought to those who are cross-shopping the two of these right now.

**NOTE: Make sure you notice that the Accord I listed HAS the NAVI, the TL listed here DOESN'T.

booyahcramer · March 2006

They're different cars. Different appeal. Different specs. Different discounts to MSRP. Of course the comparisons will be different. Who's cross shopping these two and why?

thegraduate · March 2006

Well, with 913 posts made, it apparently IS a good discussion. It could be similar with Camry vs. Avalon. Many loyal Honda buyers may be earning more money now, and may want to get more car for more money. Honda's Acura brand is a natural progression up the income scale for middle-class to upper-class people.

laurasdada · March 2006

It is a legitiamte discussion. You really can compare any car to any car based on any number of criteria. Bottom line: buy the car you want for the reasons you want! Your money, your life. Does it matter what others say?

glennglenn · March 2006

Yeah BUt he wont have the deck, the water heater and the Crown Royal to forget about why he didn't buy the TL??

tnmg1 · March 2006

Well just drove the EX-V6 6 spd today. We had driven the TL 6 spd a few weeks back and loved it. Figured the EX would be just the same except 6k cheaper. Other than the noticable difference in shifter, both cars were extremely nice. The EX shifter was much more "mechanical". Longer shift and a noticable "chunk" noise every shift whereas the TL was smooth as butter with very short throws. And I didn't expect much difference from 14 hp (258 vs 244) but it was very noticable. I was hoping I wouldn't notice little things and could save myself 6k plus premium gas premiums plus property taxes plus etc. Either way, both are outstanding vehicles. If anyone is interested both, make sure you drive both. We drove an hour today to be sure.

thegraduate · March 2006

The horsepower difference is less of the issue; the TL has a good bit more torque than the Accord.

midnightcowboy · March 2006

tnmg1-

Your choice of the TL is great. Just for the heck of it go by a Honda dealer and drive a S2000. It will put a whole new perspective on your opinion of the TL's "smooth as butter with very short throws." Believe it or not the S2000 is even smoother and has even shorter shifts. Then when you install Rick's Voodoo Chrome shift knob it lowers the shifter almost another inch and the shifts are so so short in fluid liquid buttery smooth.

Enjoy your TL, let us know when you get it.

And TheGraduate is right the .2 additional liters increases the TL's torque over the Accord's.

I like 6-speed Hondas X two,

MidCow

jiminthehills · March 2006

Thanks for the info on your coupe...sounds like you really enjoy it....lots of upgrades, great gas mileage, and your minimal tire wear and other maintenance expenses seem outstanding so far.

How is the shifter in your EX compared to your S2000?

Also, any comments on the clutch take-up between the EX, S2000, and the TL?

jiminthehills · March 2006

....that was an excellent help - Tahnk-you!

jiminthehills · March 2006

Veeery Interesting!

These 6MT's are also my two choices....I wonder if the mechanical notchiness of the Accord's shifter is an aberration to that particular car or maybe out of adjustment, as I would assume the transmissions are identical between the two cars. The shift linkage may be different, but I haven't heard of any complaints on the coupe EX's. BTW, did you try driving another sedan 6MT as a comparison?

Hmmm....sounds like I need to get out there and test the darn thing, (too much research, not enough hands-on at this stage).

I liked the TL's 6MT, which I drove a couple of times last year, but the 04-05's didn't have the new torque suppression software to limit torque steer.

What did you think of that on the 06 TL that you drove? Could you tell any difference?

meateater · March 2006

The torque steer issue is only an issue (of course) when you're 'steering' and pressing the car hard. Otherwise you'll never notice this 'issue'.

Acura TL vs Honda Accord

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