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Comments
'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...)
Agreed, but you don't have to be Michael Schumacher and/or drive like him just to enjoy a "sporty" drive. In my opinion, the TL 6-speed is a very "sporty" FWD sedan. Great gearbox, tighter suspension, better (Brembo) brakes. The automatic transmission, in my opinion, has always been one of Acura's weak links. My wife would prefer to have a TL-like 6-speed manual in our MDX and, believe me, she's no hard core performance driver. She just dislikes the hesitation from a dead stop and mushy shifting feel of the automatic.
"If you think it's too plasticky, then why buy one?"
I wouldn't. I bought a 6-speed with the Black/aluminum interior. To me, it looks it looks "sporty" and reasonably attractive, without trying too hard to be something it isn't with Acura's rendition of fake wood. But I concede that looks are subjective.
I am not picking on the TL, I just think the automatic transmission and fake wood are it's weakest attributes. I was picking on the lip spoiler, but in good humor.
Say what? I know you are young, but you haven't grown a right arm or left leg yet??
There isn't much to learning, and there is no better time to do so than BEFORE you buy a car with an automatic when you might really rather have the manual. I learned on my first new car, a 1978 Datsun B210GX. Friends said they could smell me coming a mile away, suggesting my clutch was in for a short life. The car died at 99,200 miles, but it still had the original clutch.
For those that prefer to drive an automatic, fine. But the manual transmission in the TL is indeed one of the best in its class and it will greatly reward you for learning how to drive a stick. I never would have bought a TL in 2004 were it not for the 6-speed gearbox that felt nearly as crisp as the one in my former Honda S2000. As good as BMW is in driving dynamics, I rated the manual in the 2004 TL ahead of the 6-speed in the 330i ZHP.
Nothing compares to driving my sports car with a stick... but as my commute grew, I just wanted someone to shift for me once in awhile.
I'm loving the auto transmission in my G, since it does a little of both. (without traffic clutch cramp)
Once I convince the wife that I need yet another car just for weekends, I'll get my MT just for those weekend drives.
Your B210, was it a "Honey Bee!" My friend and I, as the original 240Z bloated into the not so spectacular 280ZX, derisively called it the B280ZX. No offense to your B210, of course.
I drove sticks (Saab 99, Renault Le Car!, VW Scirocco, Mitsu Mirage Turbo, Acura Integra, Nissan Sentra SE-R, Saab 900) for about 26 years (with 7 years of company cars, all autos mixed in). Now two autos in the garage. To be honest, I really don't miss rowin' my own. Not to say I won't go back to the future...
'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...)
I was SOOO much better than you... I had a 310 GX (same year)! We 310'ers look down upon you mere 210 people!
Yep, I remember scraping gears as I learned on the spot how to drive manual, coming home on the highway after having bought this car. I went through 2 clutches, but had fun. By the end of the car's life, it had merely a starter button as the ignition failed, the radio only worked if you turned the knob half-way, and the windows wouldn't shut unless you pushed them as you rolled them up. Those were the days...
All my cars since were manual until this last one. I was just fed up with bumper to bumper traffic and having to pump the clutch every few feet. It just got old.
I agree with some of the others that it would be fun to have a weekender sport car with manual to drive around, but for day to day driving, give me auto every day. I have absolutely no regrets in this regard.
I don't expect to convince anybody that's made that choice to change it. But now that I've hit that magic age of half century and have survived nearly 25 years with DC traffic (not to mention ACL surgery), I don't expect to switch to an automatic unless forced to. If our MDX gets stolen, a 6-speed Cayenne will definitely be on our test drive list, even if it does only hold 5 passengers.
Speaking of being "stolen", our TL almost was last week. Parked it in front of our house, fully locked. Woke up at 2:30 a.m. to the sound of a radio blasting. Ran down and came out to find all of the windows rolled down in the TL, the radio playing full blast and a key in the ignition. Turned out that someone, at some point, had stolen our "valet" key and apparantly tried to make off with the car. But, they were apparently foiled by not realizing you have to have the clutch pushed in, even in neutral, when turning the ignition key for the car to engine to start.
We still haven't figured out why the windows were rolled down and the radio was set at full blast. Amazing how many of our neighbors commented that they can't get "Juke Box Hero" out of their head.
If it was a car thief, he would have to be a bit of a moron to try to attract attention while trying to steal a car. :confuse:
Where do you keep your valet key? Inside the car? How did he managed to get in, if your car was locked?
(Do you have a teenaged son who needed a ride for prom? )
As far as the windows being rolled down and radio on full blast, on a well lit street, no less, that's still a mystery. Prank? Perhaps, but we don't have many high school boys living on our immediate neighborhood, let alone my house. Plus, if the cops caught him, they would have charged him with attempted car theft, a felony being prosecuted in adult court. Not much humor in that.
In any event, I've made sure all of the keys to our 911 are accounted for. My 9 year old daughter proclaimed the thief was pretty dumb for trying to take the TL instead of the Porsche. :surprise:
Or...perhaps you had pissed off the kid at the Acura dealer who washes your car when you bring it in for service?
Dave
I bought a nearly new 1994 Legend GS 6-speed at a great price from a friend who was being transferred to Europe by his company. But then, after only 2 months in Europe, he got recalled to an even better promotion in the states. We were able to unravel the deal without paying sales taxes, so I gave the car back to him, and bought my 1995 Maxima SE 5-speed that I still have to this day at our second home.
It's been a long time since I drove that GS 6-speed, so my memory is sketchy at best. As I recall, it was definitely more luxurious than my Maxima, but about the same in quickness and handling. It would be hard to directly compare to my 2004 TL 6-speed, but, IMO, the Legend was a more solidly built car compared to its competition of the day than the TL is.
I lost touch with the friend who had the Legend until about a year ago. He is now president of a real estate company in Texas and has done very well - if a $4 million vacation home in Jackson Hole is any measure. He kept that Legend and handed it down to his son who is now in his second year of college. It had over 150,000 miles as of last year, as does my 1995 Maxima. Acura and Nissan may have a lot more techno do-dads in their cars today, but I doubt they are any better than those vintage models in build quality and durability.
P.S. I joked with my friend that I guess he has progressed past Acura in "status". He replied, "quite the contrary, my next vehicle will be a Honda". Honda
Hmm...not necessarily. There's a chap named Conrad Black. Big spender, gorgeous wife, multi-million $ Park Ave apartments.....
But I still think paying $4 million cash for a vacation home in Jackson Hole qualifies as "very well". Hell, I'm thrilled to have my daughters' 529 accounts fully funded.
As a matter of fact, anyone who can comfortably pay cash for a new Acura TL is doing pretty well in my book.
I'm gonna tear up now, Mangy Moose, Million Dollar Cowboy Saloon and a local I met who had no idea that Connecticut was a state, nor where it was located in these United States...! I had to describe it as just north of New York. New York he had heard of, but no to CT. He asked me if I carried a gun when I went into NYC... Nope, only armed with my wits and boyish charm! I guess I'm lucky to still be alive!
Of course, him being a local I just assumed he wore a six-shooter...
'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...)
But why pay cash when AHFC was offering 2.9% financing...!
My "fill the TL tank with gas" fund is almost fully funded. I'm not doing that well...
Regards,
Laurasdada, working stiff.
'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...)
Appaloosa (Dave Tepper). But I think it is closed to new investors and as of a couple of years ago, the minimum investment was $10+/- million. A little too rich for inclusion in my portfolio, unfortunately.
Good time to be in the private equity business, no?
Thanks
Greg
GPulse@hotmail.com
http://www.autospies.com/news/New-Acura-Sedan-Prototype-Spy-Shots-18329/
-cj
If you are referring to the fuel gauge on your dashboard, it is programmed (on all TLs) to read empty around 13.5 - 14 gallons used. This is so the driver does not ever come close to running empty and thus damaging the fuel injectors.
The computer does the same. It claims the miles to empty to be far less that reality. I have pushed it 75 miles beyond that. Normally I just fill it up just after it 'reads' empty. It's not a big deal to me.
'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...)
... but don't try that on an MDX. I ran our 2005 to 0 miles left and was going to keep going, figuring we could make it the remianing 35 miles home, but saw a gas station with good prices. Filled it up to within 0.1 gallons of the tank capacity. :surprise:
My wife, reading the owners manual for tank capacity while I pumped past 19.5 gallons, just about hung me. And, no, the station pumps weren't off. Went back there a day later with my 911 at the 1/2 tank level and the same pump showed exactly what I expected.
Thanks to the stock market, I'm a little further away from the XK/911/Cayman/Boxter/S5/335 'vert/CL550 etc... Not to mention retirement! :sick:
Oh, well. The TL has new shoes and is shiny. Life ain't too bad.
'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...)
I are literate. :shades:
'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...)
-Cj
-cj
So, at 31,200 miles, two of the tires were pretty much done so I replaced 'em with Toyo Versados. The Toyos seem to be quieter but initially not as crisp around the corners. Note I've only had 'em for a couple of days, ~100 miles so no real conclusions yet. No rain or snow yet. Rain tomorrow. As it's early August, no snow for a few more weeks here in Boston!
'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...)
IMO, it looks exactly the same! The headlights, the shape, the 90ºangle the rear window makes. It says TL.
I want to believe that its a freshening of the current TL because honda is holding off until they finish the specs of the RWD one. That metal bar hanging out at the end on the side, all that stuff under the rear of the car... The lexus GS meets infiniti m35 like shape... IMO RWD.
Heres a link to the pictures. Make sure that you checkout the right side of the page near the ending paragraph (b4 the readers comments) for additional photos.
If it is a freshened Tl, It would be fine as the current one is still selling very well. They probably want to release it when the 08 accord hits the showrooms. Then the TSX'll come out then the TL then a freshened RDX and MDX then the New RL. At least thats how I see it!
-Cj
Most likely get one if I can get a decent price. Old Mike
Personally, I would reccommend you checkout autotrader.com and carmax.com to aid your search.