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Sedans Acura TL Acura TL 2009 -
1506 messages, Last post on Nov 09, 2009 at 10:05 AM
You are in the Acura TL Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Maybe if enough of us who are uncomfortable with some of these newer headrests make our wishes known, the manufacturers will modify them. I don't buy the "it's for safety" argument because if they were adjustable by, say, one inch, those of us whose anatomy required it would still drive with our heads against the headrest, or just millimeters in front of it. |
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| Lincoln's have absolutely horrible resale value. The MKS is 45 grand. You could get a BMW 335i for that!!! I won't even begin to compare those two cars. Ok I will... MKS 0-60 in 7.5. 335i 0-60 in 5.2. It's mind boggling why anyone would buy a Lincoln, unless it's used. In that case you might be getting a deal because it'll lose half it's value in the first 3 years. And the MKZ is 37 large. You could get a G37 for that.Lincoln's have less power and the worst resale value of any car in their class. YUCK!!! American cars in general have horrible resale. For example. Look on auto trader. A 2007 Ford Taurus is averaging around $12,000. That's roughly a $25,000 car brand new. A honda accord is around the same price depending on the options for 07. But they're averaging $18,000. and a much better car. There are many more examples like this. OK, thats my american car company rant. | |
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I got a chance to take a TL for a test drive yesterday while I had my '06 TL in for service. I thought I'd post my thoughts here while they're still fresh in my mind both for my own reference, and for those who are waiting to hear feedback from other people's experiences. First off, let me say that I'm pretty neutral on the styling. It doesn't have that OH WOW! factor that I thought when I first saw the '04 TL. But I don't feel turned off by the appearance either. I think it has a futuristic look, and in a year or two, it will look very good. Ditto for the grill, but as with everything I'll write here, this is just my opinion! The interior looks very nice. I think most people would agree with that. I drove a model that had the tech option. Frankly, I couldn't imagine not getting the tech package. The seats were very comfortable; there was plenty of leg room, shoulder room and head room (I'm 6'2, 185). I didn't have a problem with the headrest. I started with it all the way down, and then after about 15 minutes, I remembered that I needed to check out the headrests after reading what I've read here. It was a good sign that I didn't even think about it until I consciously directed my attention to it. I raised the headrest a few notches and my head was in the right place on the headrest. I did think it felt most comfortable all the way down as I could extend my next over the top a little bit. So FWIW, the headrest didn't bother me. The navigation system was pretty straightforward, but operating the stereo controls and weather and everything else didn't feel intuitive right away. I'm sure after playing around with it for a few days, it would seem natural, but I didn't get there in a 30-minute test drive. The sound system was AWESOME. Much, much better than in my '06. Bass sounded deeper, no rattle, treble was very crisp and sharp. Even Jim Rome sounded tolerable.  My driving impressions were good, and this was in a base model (not SH-AWD). My dealer doesn't have an AWD version yet, so I had to make due with what they had. I live in Iowa, and we're always the last to get anything good. The steering felt more responsive and the car turned more accurately. I drove a lot of the roads I drive routinely in town and in the country so I could get a feel for how the car performs in direct comparison to my '06. I also didn't experience the easy wheelspin that I often get in my '06. Basically, anytime I accelerate from a standstill with even moderate force, the front wheels spin. It's embarrassing for that to happen when you don't want it to. I don't know that this car is quicker than the '06, but it feels like it is. I've always felt like my current vehicle has a "heavy" accelerator - in other words, you have to push hard into the pedal to get the car to go, harder than you would expect. Sure, if you mash the pedal (after the car has started rolling), the car will get going, but I don't want to have to put my foot to the floor any time I want to get some acceleration. The '09 seems to have a more responsive pedal and that makes it feel quicker. Torque steer is reduced as well. Any time I accelerate hard in the '06, especially in a corner, I can tell the front wheels are working too hard. This seemed to be reduced in the '09, although I must admit I didn't have enough opportunities to be completely sure. Of course the SH-AWD system will help with that (and the wheelspin) greatly. Overall, I have to say it was a positive experience. The test drive made me like the car more, not less, which is the whole point of test drives, IMO. I still plan to look more closely at the SH-AWD version when it is available. It is supposedly going to be here in 2-3 weeks (heard that before, haha). I'm going to make sure I drive it on the same day as the G37x as I think these are the top two cars I'm considering. I still need to drive a CTS, and maybe a GS350, maybe a 335xi again. It's fun to try these all out, and the good news is that there isn't a bad choice among the group. It's sorting out the details that makes the decision fun.
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Replying to: fornov (Oct 30, 2008 9:45 pm) 
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I drove the TSX first. Very nice but between the TSX-Tech (I just want the 6 disc changer) and the TL - nonTech (I don't need Nav) it is only a $3,000 diff. I liked them both. The TL has lots of power that comes on easily and more room. The TSX will move but the engine's RPM soars and it gets a bit loud. I found I preferred the TSX dashboard; more storage, easier to reach things. On the highway,to my surprise, the TSX seemed quieter with less wind noise and the car worked flawlessly. The TL had other problems. The driver's side headrest would not move until the salesman got out of the car, sat behind me and yanked hard. (Once raised it did not bother me at all with its placement.) On the highway, the car shook. I commented a wheel must be out of balance. The salesman ventured a theory that one tire might be low on air but then checked the pressure monitor and found out the pressures were okay. Even at street legal speeds the car had some kind of vibration. After the test drive, the salesman left me in the showroom and immediately took the TL down to the shop. Since both are new models I wonder if this is representative of build quality differences between the two vehicles. For reference, the guy offered me a price of $35,000 on the car with splash guards ($215) added to the $35,750 sticker. After some more discussions on financing the guy finally admitted the car 'that should be on our lot somewhere" wasn't due in until Dec 20th. This dealer was higher when I was shopping for my MDX so I'll shop it around. I 'should' buy the TSX (fun to drive, cheaper, better gas mileage) but the TL's power and interior space is attractive. I am not a true Honda/Acura fan. Our MDX is pretty good though I think our dealer's service people are pretty clueless. My 1986 Accord was the worst built car I ever owned (always dealer maintained; maybe that was a mistake) that I had to dump at 66K miles because of needed repairs. My mother-in-law's 2001 TL needed the trans replacement as did her brother's TL. My personal opinion is that Honda/Acura (as well as Toyota/Lexus) just cannot keep up its quality with today's automotive complexity. To me, the quality of the simpler Civic proves that but I don't want to drive that. Rather than price shop by the Internet, I'll go to another dealer and pretend I haven't driven a TL yet to see if that car drives better. |
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Replying to: fornov (Oct 30, 2008 9:45 pm)
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Replying to: traumeri (Nov 01, 2008 8:12 pm) Better raw performance, but noisier, and not as nicely finished, I agree with those anticipations. Styling is equal between the two, for me. I'll just have to see how the G37 feels...
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| actually bought an '09 TL yet? (Not trying to make a point. Just curious) | |
| Just read a report that Acura sales for Oct were down 28%, but that the TL was actually up 22% and they are contributing it to the revised 09TL??? It seems to me that maybe they sold more of the 08's last month. Can't imagine that the 09 is selling that well. | |
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Replying to: lax29 (Nov 05, 2008 12:23 pm) |
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