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Acura TL 2009

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Comments

  • ajcohenajcohen Member Posts: 16
    Try this. Only video 1 of 2 is back up though.
    Enjoy viewing my next car!
    AJ :shades:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWUMcJ69hcA
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Thanks for posting this video.

    I'll reserve final judgment on the styling until I see it in person, but based on the video, the '09 TL looks bulky and not too attractive. It doesn't look very elegant to me. I'm disappointed, but, I want to see the car not only in the showroom, but on the road, before deciding.

    It's also my impression that the advantage of SH-AWD over FWD is probably only evident during very aggressive driving, or on very slippery surfaces. I'm thinking that, for the vast majority of driving and drivers, SH-AWD sounds better than it actually is, and isn't worth the extra cost, weight and complexity, and loss of fuel economy. Every drive configuration has tradeoffs, so it boils down to choosing among the tradeoffs.
  • slim83slim83 Member Posts: 25
    http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=130468#3
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    Hmm....it looks like a bit of current TL, mixed with a bit of Camry, and a bit of Lexus GS. Kind of like a bigger TSX, but with birth defects! Overall, I think it is over-styled. :cry:
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,724
    Over-styled. Well put. Just look at the simple elegance of the current version. No bulges, flares, "flame surfacing." Just a well-proportioned wedge with nicely integrated details.

    Again, maybe in the flesh it tastes better... :confuse:

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • sekitorisekitori Member Posts: 9
    I was looking forward to and expecting a really nice looking 2009 TL. I'm extremely disappointed with the result. Instead of improving on a nice design, I believe they came up with a mess. It may be a mechanically superior and well made automobile, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Design is also important and the appearance of the new TL ruins the car for me. Pictures may not always show everything, but they also don't lie very often. Unless newer photos look completely different (and I doubt very much if they will), I have absolutely no desire to see the car in person. I'm so upset with what Acura did to the design of what should have been a great looking car, I don't think I even want to get near to that thing. :mad:
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    As I said in my message #660, while the pictures and video are disappointing, I'll reserve my final judgment after I've seen the '09 TL on the road. Why? Because you buy the car, not the photo. Sometimes cars, like people, look better in the flesh than they do in photos. Sometimes. Let's see.
  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,014
    I owned a 2005 TL, and boy I'm not sure I could ever get use to that grill !!! :surprise:

    -Rocky
  • slim83slim83 Member Posts: 25
    http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=qnu1a9&s=4
  • slim83slim83 Member Posts: 25
    The video explains the message behind the exterior design for the car. Pictures are up close and personal. I like the angles in the video much better than before.
  • srvlonghornsrvlonghorn Member Posts: 15
    No wonder the 09 TL design is poor. This poor guy who designed it doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about:

    “The design philosophy is key edge dynamic. What is key edge dynamic? It’s technology which is precise machine building and sheer high tech…. on the other hand we have emotion; human dynamic sensual… flowing character lines gives sensual surfaces, you get an emotional sensual quality… all this creates the key edge dynamic for an overall emotional and dynamic design… make it more dynamic… on road dynamic… this strong centerline break front and rear; this is the language we’re strengthening with Acura… negative break on the trunk; it’s new it’s innovative…a little more fluid more modern and new…a little more dynamic shape to give it a more general dynamic.”

    Okay Art, we get it. It’s dynamic. It’s also hideous. Sorry for mocking the TL, it’s just that I can’t stand people who use the word they are defining in the definition.

    I’ve officially scratched the TL off my list.
  • vibsrvibsr Member Posts: 47
    I agree. The new TL's styling is overdone. While the hardware is first-rate, the current styling for 2009 Acura TL and TSX models will keep me out of their showrooms. They don't have that "clever owner" look anymore. :(
  • sekitorisekitori Member Posts: 9
    Acura calls the design concept behind both the 2009 TSX and TL "Keen Edge Dynamic". It has two components--technology (which they don't go into in the TL video) and the emotional, sensual impact of the car, which is mentioned throughout the video. The "flowing and sensual" side body is combined with the sharper angular graphics of the front and rear. The designer said that the combination of the two concepts makes the car much more dynamic and that's the reason the front and rear of the have been changed so much. Acura must really believe that because the designer uses the word "dynamic" nine times in the 4 1/2 minute video.

    I wonder how many people and how many hours it took to come up with the term "Keen Edge Dynamic". I think it may have come from a new language-- "Acura-ese".
  • hap35hap35 Member Posts: 2
    Acura has made a giant mistake with the design of the front grill, a mistake of Edsel proportions. My prediction: this will be a watermark car for Acura, and not in a good way. I finally figured it out: the front end of the 2009 TL looks like a jack-o-lantern with the curving mouth under the fat lip "power plenum" grill. The spy photos I have seen of the rear are also a mess, the V shape wedge look does not translate well to the rear of a car. The 2004-20008 TL was a classy looking car. What were they thinking? I've seen this grill on the 2009 TSX and it looks awful there too.

    The Subaru Tribeca had a really ugly grill when it was introduced a few years ago (resembled a toilet seat), and public reaction was so bad it was changed after a year to something more reasonable. Good for Subaru, bad for the people who bought the first-year car with the original ugly grill - their resale value tanked.

    Look for Acura's sale on the TL to drop like a stone. And, as pointed out above, the designer's discussion of "key edge dynamic" just illustrates they picked a moron to design this car. Talk about pretentious and just plain nonsense - he should get a new job writing regulations for the federal government, his mindless style of discussion is alive and well there. I understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but they ought to make an exception to that rule for the 2009 TL.

    Hap
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    The description is offensive, in a way, in that the speaker comes across as one who uses vague mumble jumble words to hype a design, which, quite frankly, looks mediocre. It seems to me that those same words could be applied to any number of cars, including, perhaps, Detroit iron from the '50s and '60s, making the description meaningless. You can't compensate for unattractive design with fancy, contrived wording.
  • mikey38mikey38 Member Posts: 141
    I get an emotional response when I look at the 09 alright, but I dont think getting sick to my stomach was the response Acura was looking for. I'll be keeping my 06 for a while.
  • fxguyfxguy Member Posts: 132
    Acura should send that idiot designer to a public speaking class or keep him locked up in the basement designing future ugly Acuras. He kept on repeating the same "dynamic" nonsense over and over again! :mad:
  • sbtattersbtatter Member Posts: 47
    Since when did dynamic become code for "butt ugly"?!! I think the value of my 07 TL type S just went up, thanks to the awful styling of this 09 TL....What is with that ugly nose, honestly, what were they thinking? Had Acura's for 11 years, now I'm going to have to leave the marque, it may perform well but anyone riding around in that styling job's going to be a laughing stock..."You paid how much to drive the ugliest car on the street?"
  • slim83slim83 Member Posts: 25
    http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=130526?tid=edm- unds.il.home.photopanel..1.*
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    Sounds like it's a competent performer, with some serious hardware, but boy, it ain't pretty! The interior's alright, but there is simply no cohesion to the exterior design. It is a collection of styling cliches. When the Maxima actually looks better, you know it's in trouble! That, plus the added bulk, would likely discourage me from considering it. I would have to either buck up for a BMW 3-series, or wait for the diesel or V6 TSX.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    I wouldn't call the '09 TL ugly, but it lacks the "wow" and "gotta have it" factors of the '99-'03 and '04-'08 generations. The '09 doesn't look better than its Accord counterpart, as the two previous generations did. As a premium car, it should be more aesthetically appealing - sleeker and more elegant - than the Accord, but it doesn't seem to be. This TL doesn't move me to want to pay the premium required over the Accord. And, yes, the overall look lacks cohesiveness.

    In conclusion, it's not ugly, but it's styling doesn't inspire or excite, either. The '09 Audi A4 looks more elegant and coordinated, for example. I'm not comparing reliability here, just exterior and interior styling.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    I'll wager he's a defected Arts and Science guy from Caddy! Gotta be!

    Regards,
    OW
  • mquillenmquillen Member Posts: 71
    Acura's used to be tastefully designed cars. It seems that now everything in their lineup is going to the "cow catcher" front end. Chris Bangle is no longer the worst automotive designer.
  • upstatedocupstatedoc Member Posts: 710
    .....and no cassette player. :cry: :P
  • dtd1dtd1 Member Posts: 10
    I completely disagree. This car has a huge "wow" factor . . . as in "wow, how could they design such an ugly car." I hand wash my cars and would be afraid that front end would take off a few fingers. As for the rear end, what can you say aside from "yikes!"

    I've been eyeing a TL Type S for a while and fearful the new TL would trump it. The new one makes the old look so much better. While likely a step up from a technology perspective, the design is a huge step backwards.
  • chiu0nthlschiu0nthls Member Posts: 2
    looks like there is push button start...
  • billyperks2billyperks2 Member Posts: 378
    Have you ever seen the movie the Incredibles? The scene where the fashion designer was explaining to Mr.Incredible that she never looks back-on her older designs.I think thats what Acura is doing here, they are looking ahead and quiet frankly, I think I like the car.Someting different, a new spice to the streets.
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    Art sounds like a total idiot in that video. If I hear "key edge dynamic" one more time, I think I will hang myself. I think "techno robotic" is a better description of the TL, or better yet "razor edge vomit" How about a big "WTF" for Acura's design team!!
  • ingvaringvar Member Posts: 205
    Car looks ugly. 5 speed AT? Honda, it's 2008 already:-)
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    the size...5 inches longer, and 2 inches wider than the current model, with no real significant increase in passenger and cargo space. That, for me, is as much a downer as the styling. :cry:
  • rkurlanderrkurlander Member Posts: 58
    The new Maxima wins this race hands down. Nicer exterior and interior for $thousands less.
  • shaymasdaddyshaymasdaddy Member Posts: 16
    Are we sure the Max is thousands less seeing that we only know the range will be from 34K to 42K for TL pricing? I know that the Max SV with premium package and Nav is easily $38K. We'll see for sure in the next few weeks......
  • slim83slim83 Member Posts: 25
    http://jalopnik.com/400172/2009-acura-tl-revealed-sh+awd-is-the-new-type+s

    Does anyone know when Acura will release additional information on its website?
  • rkurlanderrkurlander Member Posts: 58
    Yes, MSRP for Maxima SV with premium and tech package is $38k. BUT - the purchase price is around $35.5k. I doubt the comparable TL purchase price will be below $38.5k. It's a lot easier to play off multiple Nissan dealers vs. one or two Acura dealers in a market.
  • hap35hap35 Member Posts: 2
    http://s3.amazonaws.com/curbly_uploads_production/photos/0000/0004/1304/image002- - _large.jpg

    At least that's how it looks to me!

    Hap
  • rv65rv65 Member Posts: 1,076
    The embargo is August 17th. Some sites are adhering to the embargo. Those sites probably have more honor and integrity.
  • alko1alko1 Member Posts: 9
    The Pontiac Aztec has returned from the grave! Run for your lives!
  • sbtattersbtatter Member Posts: 47
    I wonder if any of them are on here to see the negative comments regarding design? How did the design get past the focus groups, let alone off the drawing board? Being different is a laudable goal, being different by taking a beautiful, understated design (current TL) and changing it onto a crass, ugly, look at me Aztec/tribeca way is unforgiveable....
    On the bright side the exhaust tips look good, the interior is alright (but also a tad overstyled), why did you do this to me Acura?
  • 604doc604doc Member Posts: 182
    Sorry if this has been asked and answered, but what is the "embargo" all about? :confuse:
    Thanks,

    Nelson
  • billyperks2billyperks2 Member Posts: 378
    Looks are subjective- I did a poll here in my office with around seven people and 4 out the bunch liked the car.
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,724
    The same questions could be posed to BMW re: The Bangled 7, 5, 3, Z4 etc. Some of these sell/sold well. I suppose some people can look beyond what they perceive to be an unattractive face to enjoy a sparkling personality!

    I'm not sure I'm that deep, though... ;)

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • kominskykominsky Member Posts: 850
    HAHAHA!!!
  • docrwdocrw Member Posts: 94
    Car manufacturers will allow magazines and internet sites access to their cars before they are officially announced so that the reviews can be completed and published to coincide with, or slightly precede, the official announcement. An embargo is the agreement signed by the magazines and internet sites not to publish their reviews before a specific date set forth by the manufacturer to prevent details from coming out too soon before the car is officially announced. That way the manufacturers can focus the press coverage of their car into a period of time around the announcement to maximize the effect.
  • 604doc604doc Member Posts: 182
    Thanks for clearing that up. It's funny, I've been "into" cars most of my life and read a bunch of different magazines, watch all the shows, etc., and never heard the term used before. Thanks again. :)

    Nelson
  • vaughn4vaughn4 Member Posts: 106
    The only (and I mean only) thing that may get their attention about this hideous design is if sales of the ghastly beast plummet and even that is debatable given the lack luster sales of their RL and their continued pursuit of the current version of that model; otherwise, they will consider it a success. Acura/Honda I find is an EXTREMELY stubborn manufacturer and only a dip in their pocket book will get their attention.
  • sekitorisekitori Member Posts: 9
    >Looks are subjective- I did a poll here in my office with around seven people and 4 out the bunch liked the car.

    To put it another way, it means that three out of the seven people didn't like the way it looks. That's over 40%. Of course, seven people is a very tiny sample and indicates nothing. But if a large a percentage of the public feels the same way, I believe that Acura can't be very encouraged. I'm sure they thought that the initial reaction to their "Keen Edge Dynamic" concept would be very positive. After reading the responses in this forum, that definitely doesn't appear to be the case.

    I've been looking forward to the 2009 TL as being the replacement for my 2003 3.2 TL. But after seeing the mess I think they've made with the design, I'm looking elsewhere. I'm sure that technically, the 2009 TL will be a wonderful automobile, but its appearance (especially its increase in size and that grotesque front end) absolutely ruins it for me.
  • bodble2bodble2 Member Posts: 4,514
    I don't why Acura even bother anymore with the RL. You see the (mostly cosmetic) changes they made to the RL for 2009? IMO, they just made an ambivalent automobile even more of a lame-duck. The '09 TL now almost completely overlaps the RL, to the point where one wonders who in his right mind would buy an '09 RL. Maybe they should have just saved money and left the RL unchanged so that customers who couldn't stomach the new grill can at least have the RL as a fall-back option.
  • sbtattersbtatter Member Posts: 47
    The new TL is zero for four so far (including me), so our combined numbers are 4 like it and 7 don't....
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    ...you pass on the '09 TL because you don't like the styling, or because it's grown too big, too heavy, and too balky, but you still like the Acura brand, you can simply buy a TSX, right? Not so fast. Before you buy a TSX, try out the back seat. Is it just me (and I'm not a big person), or is the leg room too tight for a mid size car? Also, access in and out of the back seat is difficult, if your shoe size is anything larger than, say, a (men's size) 8. So, as I see it, the '09 TSX isn't a good substitute for someone trading a TL.

    So, for '09 the TL overlaps with the RL dimensionally and functionally, and the TSX is cramped in the back. I suppose Acura will eventually sort it all out, in its move to compete more directly and effectively with the luxury German and Japanese brands, by converting the RL to RWD, and other changes. In the meantime, however, the line-up isn't very rational. For example, why would someone pay more for a RL than a SH-AWD TL?
  • billyperks2billyperks2 Member Posts: 378
    I did not say that they disliked the car, they said it was okay and I think I know why.These guys would not be caught dead in anything from Japan.
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