Older Acura TLs

uncledavid · October 2003

In the G35, if you order the full size spare, it raises the floor and cuts like 2 cubic feet from the trunk.

I agree that the small size is disappointing, but I don't think it will eat away at sales too much.

midnightcowboy · October 2003

It was awesome, even though it was a slush box. The drive by wire throttle is so smooth you don't realize how fast you are going. Quieter than previous Acuras closer to RL; handles nice. The blue lights are cool and the side bins in the front expand. The gauges are very easy to read kind of white with black background. Trip computer on all cars. shows average miles per gallon, miles to empty, oil life, average miles per gallon.
Stereo seemed very good liked the demo DVD 5.1 Ii has 8 speakers with a sub woofer and a front center channel , but i haven't heard the wattage ( remember watts and sound is a logarithmic scale; people seem to forget. I have a feeling the rating is low about 200 watts PTP)

6-speed wont be in for awhile price was $33,100 auto and 6-speed the same price. NAV will be another $2,000 going to sell at MSRP initially ( they way he said it I would wait!) Pick up a brochure and another on the options. Normal options but you can add a back up sensors different noise for sid as opposed to directly back. Already mention two types of spoilers

By the way trunk space of 12.5 cubic foot looks very useable with a lockable pass through. If you gripe about the trunk space remember the BMW 3 series and 5 series are less!

The car was silver no va auto with black interior. I personally don't like the black carbon fiber look but like the black interior. Fit and finish was very good. Engine is all covered up like Lexus IS300.

I asked salesman about 11:1 compression ratio and if that meant you had to use premium unleaded. He didn't know ( I think I overwhelmed him with what I knew) Anyway the brochure says you can use less than 91 octane at reduce performance.

I'll give better judgment after i drive the 6-speed

Optional literature refers to a SPORT model option on 6-speed ( official name for HPT ?)

SORRY FOR THE LONG POST.

jboucheb · October 2003

where did you test drive the car? What state are you in?

uncledavid · October 2003

In the G35, if you order the full size spare, it raises the floor and cuts like 2 cubic feet from the trunk.

I agree that the small size is disappointing, but I don't think it will eat away at sales too much.

skip30 · October 2003

I drove one too. It was at Santa Monica Acura, in California. Pretty nice ride. Trunk does not look that small to me. The black one looks great! Skip

ruski · October 2003

many cars nowadays are designed to specifically operate like this - turn off headlights automatically soon after the car is shut off.

fwatson · October 2003

Quote: "many cars nowadays are designed to specifically operate like this - turn off headlights automatically soon after the car is shut off."

-------------------------------------------

I am well aware of that, because mine is, as was my T-Bird. But that is to help protect you from running down the battery in the case you DO leave the lights on. They are also sometimes pushed as a handy way to light your path into the house if you get home in the dark.

Nevertheless, if you leave that feature on as a convenient way to avoid turning the lights on manually, you are wearing the battery out at an accellerated rate. Whether you end up getting stranded with a dead battery for that convenience or not, it does weaken the battery. And if you leave them on at the end of the battery's life it can be just enough extra drain on the battery to not leave you enough capacity to crank your engine.

Do as you wish. I am only pointing out one problem with doing it.

scott31 · October 2003

By your arguement, my Onstar (which stays powered up to two days after you shut off the car) is killing my battery. My clock (which stays powered for as long as the battery is working) is killing my battery. My radio presets (which stays powered for as long as the battery is working) is killing my battery). My alarm system (which stays powered for as long as the battery is working) is killing my battery. Guess all those engineers should have talked with you first before putting in these features.

crome10 · October 2003

There are 7 new TL's in my area. I went to drive one last night, and they weren't ready yet. Going back today to drive. Looked great, and the price was about what I expected: $33,150 without NAV & $35,150 with. I'll wait a couple months for them to deal though.

midnightcowboy · October 2003

Sterling McCall Acura, Houston , Texas

I agree with waiting a couple of months, just from the salesmans initla comment we are pricing them at MSRP now and then well see ...

clpurnell · October 2003

that is right down the street from me. I will probably drive it and the new Pathfinder Armada this weekend. Two very different vehicles but two I have been waiting to check out.

tyresmoker · October 2003

Not sure that they are apples to apples..the G35 is a smaller vehicle with rear wheel drive (available awd coming). As a result of the rwd, there is interior space lost due to driveline intrusion. Also, the emergency brake and seat adjustment placement are not ideal for drivers over six feet tall.
I considered the G but walked away with a final impression of lack of room. I hope this is not true with the new TL, on paper, it seems like quite a package.

fwatson · October 2003

You are correct to all the above draining your battery. However, none of these draw the amount of current your headlights do by a long way. Even at that, they have been enough of a battery drain to kill a weak battery overnight and cause a no start condition the next morning.

I was an electrician and electronics technician for about 40 years. I believe I am sufficiently qualified to deal with a basic electical issue such as a battery being drained by leaving your headlights on.

kyfdx · October 2003

Ask any Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercury Marquis owner. They all leave them on all the time. My aunt's '86 Lincoln even had this feature. They are designed to turn them off automatically, so old people don't have to think about it. If the performance of the battery were an issue, then I doubt they would offer it as an option. 30 seconds of your headlights being on? Its not worth even thinking about.

tedescm1 · October 2003

Does it have a comfortable or stiff ride?

midnightcowboy · October 2003

_ My intial impression was taunt but very comfortable. Drove very smooth on highway, really didn't try on any rough roads. It felt pretty close to the IS300 Manual.

varmint · October 2003

In a situation like this, the volume of the trunk is less important than the shape. Here's an example from another segment. The Subaru Forester has about 63 cu ft of cargo space. Yet, when CR measured the largest box that would fit inside, they found it bigger than any that would fit into the CR-V (72 cu. ft.) or the Santa Fe (78 cu.ft.). Despite the 10-15 cu.ft. handicap, the shape of the Forester's cargo area is more regular than the others, so it fits a larger single object.

In this discussion, we're talking about differences of less than one or two cubic feet. If you removed the carpet from the trunk, you'd probably gain back the difference between the TL and TSX. I expect the reason why the TSX and TL both have low volume figures is because of the housing they use to protect items from the gooseneck hinges. If you want to bash the TL's trunk, talk about why they use those hinges and not struts.

Midcow - Thanks for the report and confirming that the 6MT and 5AT are priced the same. Most of the drives I've read have been very enthusiastic about the interior. It appears to be a big step forward in many ways.

tyresmoker · October 2003

..look, if you want trunk space, go find a '74 deVille. Someone above said it best, this is a sport sedan. The bigger the trunk, the more stuff some dolt will try to load in it and then post on this same board how unhappy the car handles under full load. Not really that hard to figure out.

fwatson · October 2003

The chances are low, but do exist. You might do it for 10 years with no problem. It only takes getting stranded once to convince you though. And I am well aware of the feature being in most newer cars, and why it was put there.

I don't know what is stirring the anger in scott31 and kyfdx. That was sure not my intention, which was to point out a possible problem with the idea of leaving the lights on all the time. Go ahead and do whatever you want, but don't throw mud at me for pointing out something that might go wrong.

I'm going to end my participation in the lights on all the time argument, because it isn't worth a mud slinging contest to me.

bodble2 · October 2003

no one is asking Honda to tack on the trunk from a '74 deVille. But 14 - 15 cu.ft. wouldn't be asking too much, would it? Yes, it is a sport sedan, but "sedan" is part of the equation. So who buys sedans? Families, or people who carry rear passengers on a regular basis. So it would make sense that the trunk should facilitate a trip farther than down to the corner grocery. BUT, I will keep an open mind until I have had a chance to see one in the flesh. What varmint said about the shape v. numerical measurement may be valid.

kyfdx · October 2003

Just my opinion... I think if you re-read my post, you'll see no harm intended. And no mud.

regards,
kyfdx

varmint · October 2003

If you really need extra space, get a hitch-mounted cargo carrier. I just bought one for my CR-V for about $150 (far less than a roof-mounted box, and less wind noise). Hitches can be had for less than $100. Of course that's not a great solution if you need extra space every day.

kyfdx · October 2003

Its a valid point... Its even mentioned when people buy 2-seat convertibles. One of the pros of the Porsche Boxster is the storage space compared to an S2000. Probably not the main point for most people, but we all have different needs. Just because the marketing people call it a sports sedan, doesn't mean you can't use it for a family car.

regards,
kyfdx

s852 · October 2003

You should replace your battery when it starts to get weak. If the car was sitting overnight, it is actually more likely to start than if you tried to start the car 10 minutes later. The lights are not draining the battery overnight since they are only on 30 seconds.
Often the charge comes back enough to restart the car after it has been sitting for a while. Many people have called tow trucks for dead batteries, but by the time the tow truck arrives, the car is able to start without jumper cables.
If the battery is so weak that leaving the lights on for 30 seconds kills it, it was time for a new battery months ago.

tyresmoker · October 2003

Bottom line, it is a give and take. Also known as a compromise. To me, as long as a set of sticks will fit back there, I am fine with it. If that drivers seat does not go back far enough...that is a different story.
(Of course having a full-size SUV in the other bay of the garage solves most space issues that come up!)

king_george · October 2003

i'll take more handling vs. trunk space any day...i'm glad Acura is taking a more sporty philosophy with their new TL. In my opinion their are a lot of luxury sedans with tons of space out their like the es 330. I'm glad acura went in the direction they did...i'll deal with the lack of trunk space. BTW...i've read that they've confirmed that the new TL has a lockable pass through & the rear seats can also fold down!

uncledavid · October 2003

Yeah, the trunk space should be greater. It would be nice if the car had more like 14 or 15 cu. ft. But, I can live with 12.5 and doubt trunk space will be a deal breaker for anybody.

varmint · October 2003

KingGeorge - Thanks. I was looking at pics of the TL's trunk (the back wall) and noted that there is a V-shaped section around the pass-through. Is that the part that is left open when you fold the seats forward?

tyresmoker · October 2003

We should rename this discussion group "obsession with '04 TL trunk"

s852 · October 2003

The seats do not fold forward.

uncledavid · October 2003

No, but there is a trunk pass through.

jchan2 · October 2003

that yes, having a Odyssey, Pilot, MDX, Expedition or Excursion would solve most trunk problems. After all, the Odyssey does have a fold-down third row!!!!

gouldn · October 2003

To me, I can deal with a smaller trunk if the seats fold-down. I rarely carry passengers, but prefer a 4-dr for the times when I do. I occasionally carry larger items (R/C planes), and having a fold-down seat allows me to use a sedan almost as a wagon. I wonder why more cars do not have this feature ... is it expensive to add, or considered an 'anti-luxury' feature?

bodble2 · October 2003

I think a fold-down seat has a negative effect on the structural rigidity of the car, the same way a sunroof also weakens the structure. And there's the anti-luxury thing too. Rich folks don't need to haul bulky items with their own cars, or at least would have another vehicle more suited to such peasant labour!

skip30 · October 2003

You should look at the trunk before you knock it. Looks plenty big to me. Skip

mckennamd · October 2003

Flat out gorgeous. I live in Ft. Myers, FL. Scanlon Acura had two AT's in. They are not allowed to sell them until the 6th. The salesman said they are going to Miami next week for a big intro show. Its funny how everyone on these boards knows 10X more than the dealers about these cars.

They had one white, one black, both with camel leather. With that color interior, you get wood inlays (I think they are fake, but look great) instead of the carbon-fiber trim. The cabin is beautifully layed out. Seats are comfortable. My quick impression was that they could have a little more lateral support, but that is nit-picking. I really like the look and feel of the steering wheel. Plenty of room in the back seat. I put the drivers seat all the way back and then sat in the back. I had no trouble fitting comfortably (I am 6 feet tall). Very comfortable back seat as well. BTW, the trunk is plenty big enough. You may not get the fourth golf bag in, but 3 easy.

The black was gorgeous. The car is simply striking in that color. I will test drive one next week. I probably will wait for a 6-speed to come in for that, though.

BTW, they were $33,150, I believe. No Nav. They are MSRP, but no mark-up. (Down the street, Nissan is trying to sell a Maxima 3.5SE for $40K!!! That's more than $6K in rediculous add-ons and straight mark-up. I laughed at that guy.)

I asked the Acura dealer about A-SPEC versions, but he had never heard of them. We will see when he returns from Miami.

s852 · October 2003

It should have been real wood for $32K, but hopefully it is not so obviously fake and cheap-looking as the current TL.
$32K is not that that bad when you consider that you can probably almost spend $32K on a fully loaded V6 VW Passat GLX.

The Passat has real wood though.

soulunder · October 2003

What color 04 TL's come with fake wood? I thought most had the dark carbon fiber stuff?

s852 · October 2003

The black/gray interiors get something else (likely aluminum trim like the TSX).

jmess · October 2003

One of the reason I passed on the previous TL was due to the rear seat(s) not folding down. Looks like Acura didn't figured out that even folks that can afford to UPS bulky items between Costco and home still want some basic utility. It was really a dumb move not to fix this in the new car.

zhangqj · October 2003

While waiting for service of my TL, I test-drove a TSX 6MT, nice little dressed up Accord, but not impressed. I did see the new 2004 TL in the lot. They look ok, not as bad as BMW E60. It has a few more features but costs more. Dealer told me that the 2004 TL with 6MT will come in Nov. I will definitely want to test that one. However I am kinda disappointed when told that there is no plan Acura will put that 270 horses to the rear axles! I dont understand why. Honda certainly knows how to do it. The NSX in the dealer lot is awesome (except the price)!

s852 · October 2003

You already commented that it cost more as it is. It would have added even more to development costs and the price to switch the design to rear wheel drive.
It is more likely that the new RL might be rear wheel drive to make it stand out more as the flagship so there will be fewer people saying "why should I pay so much more for an RL when I can just get a rear wheel drive TL?"
It would not be surprising if in a year or two a AWD version of the TL came out with over 270HP.
If the new TL is handling the current 270HP well, then making it rear wheel drive would have been a wasted added cost just to say it had rear wheel drive plus you would get more people complaining about handling in snow etc..

tturedraider · October 2003

It is true that fold down seats compromise structural integrity. The way Nissan mitigated this was by making the opening smaller. When you fold the seat down you don't get an opening as big in area as the seatbacks. Instead you get a fairly good size "hole" probably half the area of the seatbacks.

uncledavid · October 2003

My TSX has fold down seats, and it handles great. Same was true of the old Honda Prelude.

mckennamd · October 2003

It is correct that the brown-toned interiors get wood trim. The gray/black interiors get carbon-fiber. All have aluminum trim.. It is in a different place than the other trim.

Kirstie_H · October 2003

b4z, a word to the wise - after you've received the e-mail, delete your post. Spammers often "mine" for posted e-mail addresses.

buffs94 · October 2003

I just bought a new 04 TL yesterday. It is such a sweet car! They were not supposed to go on sale until the 6th, but dealers were received authorization to sell them early. I bought a blue automatic without the navigation system. Nothing else in this class even comes close to this car.

jchan2 · October 2003

Congrats on an Abyss Blue TL! Did you get the Camel interior or the Quartz?

buffs94 · October 2003

I got the Quartz interior. The aluminum/carbon fiber look is awsome. very modern looking.

kennyg5 · October 2003

I also have that feature in my car, which I think is quite nice, especially when you have to go through several dark tunnels during the daytime. The only problem with this feature is that it turns the xenon HIDs on and off repeatedly, which I do not believe is good for the expensive HIDs. Perhaps by giving you this convenient feature, the automakers think you will have to buy more replacement headlights from them in the long run. Am I being cynical?

Older Acura TLs

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