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2012 Acura TL

134 messages,  Last post on Feb 18, 2013 at 7:24 PM

You are in the Acura TL Forum.

What is this discussion about? Acura TL, Sedan

    

Messages Page 10 of 14

#89 of 134 Re: Only problem with Acura is lack of focus/marketing [dbledmndk2] by lobito17

Feb 13, 2012 (1:25 pm)

Replying to: dbledmndk2 (Feb 09, 2012 5:01 pm)
From a technology perspective, I think you'll be very happy with the TL and that it is actually an advantage over the Audi. To put it in perspective, I am currently debating between a TL and an Audi A6, and it is precisely the technology in the TL that is causing me to lean in that direction. The Audi is simply too, too much, although I love the dual display with the slimmed down info screen (nav, radio, compass, etc) appearing in the "main" dashboard in addition to appearing in the separate pop up screen.
 
Some background: I have owned a 2004, 2006 and, currently, 2009 TL. I am looking at 2012. I have exhaustively gone over the technology changes between 2009 and 2012, as this is really important to me.
 
The navigation is very good, albeit still a little clunky to add addresses. But it really works well.
 
Acura's Ipod interface is by far the best of any car in the market. They solved a major problem from the 2009 by adding alphabetic "break points" to the lists of songs/artists/albums. In my current 2009, if I want to listen to the Rolling Stones, I have to start at "A" and turn the knob a thousand times while it scrolls to the "R's". (I have a lot of music on my ipod!) In the 2012, you can jump from A-E; F-L; M-S, etc. and then scroll from there, which cuts time massively. Also, they now have the ability to play a song or an album by voice command and it seemed to work ok.
 
The voice commands in Acuras have always been great, and I think they've continued it in the 2012. You can change radio stations, set temperature, dial phone, etc. all by voice and it actually works. I can't believe your salesman couldn't get it to work. The one bummer I noticed with the 2012 is that now you have to press the "talk" button twice instead of once before giving commands. Not sure why they did that.
 
Another very cool feature if you are into music is the ability to "mark" a song on the go. If you hear a tune on XM radio that you like, you just hit a button and it records the artist, song title and a 10 second clip. You can store up to 30 of these and then write them down later for purchasing on Itunes or wherever. Very handy for us music junkies.
 
The Audi technology is also great, but it's overkill IMHO. There are menus upon menus, and even with the touchpad MMI system they have, it's a challenge. All in all, I am much more a fan of the Acura in this department.
 
For the record, you hear a lot of car enthusiasts trashing the TL's abundance of buttons, but I think they are wrong. The large center dial is a really good tool, and I find that I can navigate everything without taking my eyes off the road. With the Audi, the opposite seems true.
 
I'm still conflicted about which car to buy. The Audi A6 is a superior car, but it's 20k more and, like I said, I really prefer the TL technology package.
 
Good luck with your search and decision

#90 of 134 Re: Only problem with Acura is lack of focus/marketing [lobito17] by dbledmndk2

Feb 14, 2012 (10:44 am)

Replying to: lobito17 (Feb 13, 2012 1:25 pm)
Thanks for all of the feedback on the TL Technology. I couldn't have been less impressed with the hands free voice control, but as I mentioned I think it was mainly due to the salesman acting like he's never used the technology before.
 
The A6 vs TL dilemma is much harder and I know the A6 has even more technology in it than the A4 that I was looking at. What I really disliked about the Audi technology is the fact that you have to press multiple buttons to get anything done. Changing the heated seats or using the "tune" dial on the radio requires first finding the option on the MMI and then twisting to adjust.
 
I ended up making a decision finally and I went with a lease on the Infiniti G37x. I went in for a test drive and got some price quotes and was shocked that the lease pricing was $100 cheaper per month than the A4 with less money down. The engine/transmission are nowhere near as smooth as the A4 or TL, but I thought the level technology in the G37 was just right. The interface screen was easier to use than the TL and you can have a backup camera without needing Nav.
 
Good luck with your decision - I don't think you can go wrong with either the TL or A6.

#91 of 134 TL Technology by markcincinnati

Feb 21, 2012 (10:09 am)

I'll add a bit more to the technology discussion. I find using the telephone via hands free, eyes free, to be much more of a process with the TL than the Audi. I also find storing numbers and voice tags to be more time consuming with the TL -- and I have yet to figure out once you have loaded in dozens of voice commands how to list them so that you can remember what you called infrequently dialed numbers.
 
With the Audi, you say "telephone" -- the system is now primed for your command. Next you say "Call office" and that's it.
 
With the Acura you say "telephone" -- the system is now primed for your command. Next you say "Dial by voice tag" -- the system now displays a screen (and depending on what mode you have the voice response system programmed to use it tells you to press the talk button and say the name of the voice tag.)
 
You do that and then the system waits -- for Godot?
 
You then press the talk button again and say "Dial" -- finally you are making the call.
 
My wife's 2011 Infiniti is even worse it tells you over and over and over each step (and this is with the voice system set to expert mode) to follow.
 
The Audi had far far fewer commands, but it seemed more, er, "logical."
 
There are times, too, when I use the Dial number by voice that numbers are inserted in the middle of a string of numbers, thus requiring you to go back and start over. The Audi would only accept 7 numbers at once, and you had to say them really fast or the memory filled up; with the Acura you CAN say all 10 at once and it never seems to run out of memory -- but if you pause a moment while spouting out your ten digit number, it is not uncommon for the number 1234567890 to be interpreted as 12304567890, and you have to do it over.
 
The Acura doesn't have a touch screen -- but the A4 doesn't either. The Infiniti does, which makes many tasks easier (or at least shorter) since you just press the screen itself instead of going through layer after layer like you need to do on an Acura or a BMW.
 
There are so many voice commands on the Acura it is mind boggling -- so it may be the 80 20 rule here, but that is not a bad thing.
 
The Audi is more limited in the things it does, but this may be a case of simplicity wins the day.
 
Overall the Acura's tech (voice) is superior -- but there are just a few annoying things. You can deactivate some of the help text and some of the constant voice prompts and voice feedback replies -- so that when you say "Temperature 67" you can have it parrot back (in its voice) what you said or just have it do it without telling you what you just asked for. You can say "Rear defrost on" etc, can't do that on the Audi.
 
You can say "what time is it?" in the Acura, but only if you don't have the voice prompts turned off -- this is particularly annoying since the Acura does not have a clock (don't respond that it does have a clock -- cause if you think that teenie weenie non-distinct digital readout in the thin ribbon of the Radio Info readout, is a proper clock for a $46,000+ car, you're nuts.) How much would a clock cost for pity's sake? How about a digital repeater on the Nav screen or a repeater (in an alternative color) digital read out on the speedo or tach?
 
Let me pull back for a moment, my critique of the Acura may lead you to believe I regret getting it -- that is NOT the case. Now, having said that, if the price of the Audi A4 equipped like the Acura SH-AWD Advance, would have been on par with the Acura, I might have gone ahead and gotten Audi #30. But the Acura is such a high value, I don't know ANY European or American Brand that can touch it -- when contented similarly.
 
Then, too, you factor in the 305 HP, the SH-AWD (torque vectoring) and the 19" wheels, vented seats, blind spot warning and the best sound system ever made in a car mere mortals can afford -- and well, the Acura wins.
 
The Acura is poorly marketed, on the verge of being one of the ugliest cars ever to come out of the mind of a human being and the interior needs to be de-Honda'd -- but I added parktronic and 4 splash guards to my Advance SH-AWD and the price was (before discount) north of $47K -- I got 13% off of the $45,960K sticker. I wanted white with the umber interior (you can't bribe them to produce one).
 
The Audi can be had any way you want it -- and I have always ordered Audis and waited the 3 months for them to come in. Acura buyers have no patience -- so ordering is, apparently, "just not done" (well hardly ever).
 
I have enjoyed 29 Audis of all ilks since 1977. I am enjoying my '12 TL and will shop for another Acura in 27 months from now. Having said that, I'll also shop Audi, BMW, Infiniti and even Cadillac.
 
One last thing, the Acura "engine sound" at full-cry is better than the Audi's -- by far. Too bad the Acura doesn't have a really nice 8-spd auto transmission like the Audi.
 
Drive it like YOU live.

#92 of 134 I won't miss my 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD. by renssils

Mar 16, 2012 (10:18 am)

My 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD is almost 11 months old, has been driven almost 14,000 miles, and has 410 days to go till the lease expires. I can't wait.
 
First the good. The engine and transmission are superb. The all-wheel-drive performs well. The sound system is first-class. The seats are comfortable. Roadholding and handling can be so good, if the car has high-performance summer tires, as my TL once had. Properly shod, the TL SH-AWD with Advance Package is fun to drive. The folks at the huge Acura dealer are unfailingly polite. Reliability has good other than a failed battery and a failed air-conditioning system.
 
Now the bad. The TL places form, that is, styling, before function and that includes safety. The outward visibility is dangerously limited. I have had three near accidents because the blind spots are huge, not to mention the long, wide hood and the front's low ground clearance. The trunk is small, hard to load, has a high lift-over, and is awkwardly proportioned, not to mention that the rear deck lid has a nasty point at its center. Be sure to raise the deck lid to its maximum height! Entry and exit to the rear passenger compartment isn't easy for many folks. The air-conditioning system failed due to lack of refrigerant and because the dealer couldn't find anything wrong, he charged me $151.33 and said that there was no warranty coverage as the car has more than 12,000 miles. (I will pursue this issue with the dealer's management and Acura.) The battery has been replaced under warranty. An irksome rattle was allegedly cured under warranty by adding insulation to the trunk. On the 19-inch Goodyear Eagle tires road noise is excessive and grip is low. The instrument panels are highly styled to a fare-thee-well at the expense of ease of use; try to find the clock.
 
I drove a 2012 Acura TX sportswagon and found it nimble and pleasing to drive. It made the TL seem clumsy by contrast.
 
I had considered and drove several new cars, including an Audi A6, Infinite M37 and M56, BMW 535ix and Volvo S80 and S60 T6, before I chose the Acura TL because of its reputation for reliability, good performance, and price.
 
I won't miss my 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD.
__________________
2012 TL SH-AWD with Tech and Advance Packages. Bellanova white pearl paint and taupe interior.

#93 of 134 Re: I won't miss my 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD. [renssils] by billyperksii

Mar 19, 2012 (10:06 am)

Replying to: renssils (Mar 16, 2012 10:18 am)
I thought you had a blind spot warning on the advance package.
 
I have the 2009 awd tech-diamond white pearl with the ebony interior-No mechancal or cosmetic issues in all 31 months of ownership.

#94 of 134 Re: I won't miss my 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD. [billyperksii] by renssils

Mar 20, 2012 (8:40 am)

Replying to: billyperksii (Mar 19, 2012 10:06 am)
My 2012 TL with Tech and Advance Packages does have blind spot indicators, which are indeed useful.
 
When I wrote about the inadequate, even dangerous, outward visibility, I meant that it's hard to see not only rearward and sideways, but also forward. When I turn left at an intersection, for example, I find that the wide, sloping right A-pillar blocks a lot of the two lanes to the right. I cannot always see oncoming traffic, which may be turning left into the intersection as I turn into it. I now routinely lean forward to see what the A-pillar may be blocking.
 
By the way, I'm 5'8" and I do know how to adjust the side mirrors. I tried several settings.
 
The Acura TL's compromised outward visibility is shared by other cars made by Toyota, GM, Ford, among others. For those manufacturers style trumped utility and safety.
 
When I test drove the TL, I was bothered by its outward visibility for the driver and by its trunk, but I reckoned that those two features wouldn't be a big deal. By the way, yesterday I rode in the back seat of my TL and found that road noise is high and that ingress and egress are difficult due to the sharply sloping roofline.

#95 of 134 Re: I won't miss my 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD. [renssils] by billyperksii

Mar 20, 2012 (10:33 am)

Replying to: renssils (Mar 20, 2012 8:40 am)
Thankfully I share none of your gripes, the car is a pleasure to me and fits my family needs.

#96 of 134 Re: I won't miss my 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD. [billyperksii] by markcincinnati

Mar 21, 2012 (2:21 pm)

Replying to: billyperksii (Mar 20, 2012 10:33 am)
As I said, I have identified areas that need improvement, but none of them so far have made me regret getting the TL.
 
I will shop Acura again -- but I will also shop the other cars I mentioned. The TL is such a value, it is hard to understand why they aren't seen everywhere.
 
DOH! That's 'cause they really are right on the cusp of being fugly and they do have too much Honda in them.
 
I have overlooked these complaints because the car seems very well built, contented and in Advance trim is a very good performer.

#97 of 134 Re: I won't miss my 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD. [markcincinnati] by hpmctorque

Mar 23, 2012 (1:31 pm)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Mar 21, 2012 2:21 pm)
If you're willing to give up SH-AWD, it seems to me that an Accord EX-L V6 is an even better value than the TL, and arguably better looking. The Accord is also less exclusive , of course.
 
I prefer the trimmer size of the previous generation TL more than the current one, and just today I happened to be talking to the owner of a '05 TL that feels the same way.

#98 of 134 Hesitation by liz50

Jun 26, 2012 (12:30 pm)

2012 TL Tech 6 spd. auto. I have a hesitation when changing lanes or turning. Could be dangerous. Motor not responding to pedal pressure (for only a second or two.) Anyone share my pain?

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