Acura TL caught naked

[Sixty8panther]

All this talk of the G8 VS 5 Series VS TL...

The TL is luxurious like the 5-Series but lacks the performance & character, which is more important to some people than others.

I just still don't like the way it looks.

Fixed...

And I agree... the TL does NOT belong in that comparison.

Same as a Cobalt SS would not belong in a comparison

between the BMW 328i and Mercedes C240.

[prinzSD]

I've seen an M6 on the road, it was incredibly hot. I've also seen a couple of 6er convertibles, whihc were also quite hot. I want a 6er in the worst way. 645, 650, M6, coupe, convertible, dont care what, I just want one, they're so freaking sexy.

Not only have I seen 2 M6s, my sister owns one. I have yet to drive.

[Lamar]

OK, the look of the TL is growing on me a bit, especially the side profile...

... but it's nothing scintillating.

[siegen]

There was a 2-part interview on KBB with someone from Acura talking about the specifics of the next TL, and it had several scenes of it driving through twisty mountain roads. The gray/silver color they chose was poor, but it still looked solid. In more interesting colors this car will look great, IMHO. And you couldn't even see the fender flare in the video.

The videos were pulled and I can't seem to find them. I think they must have been posted accidentally and weren't supposed to be released yet. Here's what I remember from them.

The price will range from $34,000 to $42,000. There will be a base FWD model with 3.5L 280HP and a SH-AWD model with 3.7L 305HP. Both models will have one option, the technology package. The ELS surround system nearly doubles in power to the mid 400W range, and has 10 speakers. Navigation is no longer touch screen, but uses the knob. It can have real weather and Doppler radar overlaid on the nav map as well. EPA rating for the FWD model will be 18/26 with automatic. SH model will be 16/24 or 17/25, I do not remember exactly. No mention of manual transmission. The 6MT is possibly coming on the SH model in 2010, not sure if there will be a 6MT offered on the base model or not.

Hmm. I'm still excited to test drive the 6MT '09 TSX.

[LosAngeles]

That grille has GOT to be a joke! That's insane- it's monsterous! Looks like it rear-ended a chrome tanker.

You mean like all those iconic beasts of the 50s?

It's funny how predicable most internet posters. Almost the same reaction can be seen at vtec.net. I'm not sure where the strong prejudice comes from, but it seems like every new model that comes out is instantly ugly. I am not innocent as I have made similar comments about the Mazda 6, among others.

Of course people like to speak very hyperbolically on the web...you'd think every car company not named Toyota is doomed and that everything Apple touches turns to gold.

The Ridgeline is STILL ugly, and this will still

be ugly (to me anyway) no matter how

much time passes. A 1978 Ford Granada is

an ugly POS same as it was in 1978!

I agree that those designs can't be rescued...I think that ill-becomes this TL, however.

Well I for one think Acuras are for Nerds, Wrinkled

baby-boomers & momma's boys. After they own

them for a few years (or lease) it becomes a "hand

me down" for a high school or college kid and after

that it goes to some inner city dope with a taste

for hennesey and "GANGSTA" tatoos.

I'll stop now...

Yes. Please.

Stop.

The new Accord 2 door is starting to grow on me a little though. Not a car I'd buy, but the looks are growing on me.

I find the roofline goofy, reminds me of 50s cars

...gee, I came full circle with a connection in one post.

In any event, I prefer the previous generation of Accords all the way (esp. the 06-07 styling, which is on my list)

This thread is becoming useless because we are all expressing our personal biases in a sort of blind boxing match that has no winners.

Thanks for giving me a place to get around to that. Internet message boards in general seem to beg the views of people who froth at the mouth to spew their unbalanced personal tastes. Pragmatists and objective types generally are ignored.

A Cobalt SS would not belong in a comparison

between the BMW 328i and Mercedes C240.

How about a TSX or A4?

Don't answer that.

Speaking of Acura and Audi, to piggyback siegen's comment, Acura could be a real Japanese Audi if they were to push SH-AWD more often.

[siegen]

Acura could be a real Japanese Audi if they were to push SH-AWD more often.

Or if they made AWD standard on all their cars with no option for FWD. The real answer is to go back to longitudinally mounted engines and proportions like the old Legend. Thankfully they are moving that direction already, spyshots of next RL mule using a chopped-up TSX body. RWD proportions FTW

[A Horse With No Name]

OK, the look of the TL is growing on me a bit, especially the side profile...

... but it's nothing scintillating.

It's perhaps not as horrible as we are making it out to be, but Acura won't be getting any of my $.

IMHO it is still buck ugly.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

There was a 2-part interview on KBB with someone from Acura talking about the specifics of the next TL, and it had several scenes of it driving through twisty mountain roads. The gray/silver color they chose was poor, but it still looked solid. In more interesting colors this car will look great, IMHO. And you couldn't even see the fender flare in the video.

The videos were pulled and I can't seem to find them. I think they must have been posted accidentally and weren't supposed to be released yet. Here's what I remember from them.

The price will range from $34,000 to $42,000. There will be a base FWD model with 3.5L 280HP and a SH-AWD model with 3.7L 305HP. Both models will have one option, the technology package. The ELS surround system nearly doubles in power to the mid 400W range, and has 10 speakers. Navigation is no longer touch screen, but uses the knob. It can have real weather and Doppler radar overlaid on the nav map as well. EPA rating for the FWD model will be 18/26 with automatic. SH model will be 16/24 or 17/25, I do not remember exactly. No mention of manual transmission. The 6MT is possibly coming on the SH model in 2010, not sure if there will be a 6MT offered on the base model or not.

Hmm. I'm still excited to test drive the 6MT '09 TSX.

Thankfully it still comes with a 6MT. The 6MT would push this car ahead of say the Malibu for me, which only comes with an automatic.

Let us know what your impressions are when you drive this beast, please.

Chris

[balthazar]

You mean like all those iconic beasts of the 50s?

No, because there it looked good and was harmonious with the rest of the monsterous car.

This is a small, plasti-clad genericmobile with a vastly disproportionate amount of glimmicky chrome troweled up the front & over onto the hood like a '70s Oldsmobile (and even there it made more sense). It's wretched... hideous. The rest of the car looks extremely bloated, too, but that's besides the point.

I thought you were asking people to stop being ridiculous ??

[frogger]

I would never spend 34K on a FWD sedan with poor weight distrubution, made by Acura or GM or whoever. For that money I want a car that can go almost 55mph without a so much as a chirp from the tires before the onramp straigtens out, not one that understeers so much you've got to wait till it straightens before you can accelerate past 40mph.

[Intrepidation]

Official release photos can be found in this thread:

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...mp;#entry418159

[LosAngeles]

No, because there it looked good and was harmonious with the rest of the monsterous car.

This is a small, plasti-clad genericmobile with a vastly disproportionate amount of glimmicky chrome troweled up the front & over onto the hood like a '70s Oldsmobile (and even there it made more sense). It's wretched... hideous. The rest of the car looks extremely bloated, too, but that's besides the point.

I thought you were asking people to stop being ridiculous ??

That worked about as well as asking people to be objective.

[balthazar]

No one seems able to get anyone to do anything constructive or even mildly helpful anymore. Still, I wish you success in your venture, LA.

[Intrepidation]

No one seems able to get anyone to do anything constructive or even mildly helpful anymore. Still, I wish you success in your venture, LA.

[siegen]

I would never spend 34K on a FWD sedan with poor weight distrubution, made by Acura or GM or whoever. For that money I want a car that can go almost 55mph without a so much as a chirp from the tires before the onramp straigtens out, not one that understeers so much you've got to wait till it straightens before you can accelerate past 40mph.

While we're spouting out gross exaggerations, I would never buy a RWD car because they spin out every time you touch the throttle, and the driveshaft hump takes up at least 50% of the cabin space.

[michaelv13]

Thankfully it still comes with a 6MT. The 6MT would push this car ahead of say the Malibu for me, which only comes with an automatic.

Let us know what your impressions are when you drive this beast, please.

Chris

Edmunds says, "6-speed you are OUT." only 5 Speed AUTOMATICS apply.

[Robert Hall]

Edmunds says, "6-speed you are OUT." only 5 Speed AUTOMATICS apply.

No manual? That renders it pointless to me. Bleh.