The handling, exhaust note, can't beat the manual transmission (far better than the auto), sound system and the electronic gadgetry as well as build quality. And of course, the AWD!!!

I would like the car to be smaller and lighter; a coupe version would be welcome, which I know will never happen. Also, the new navigation/audio control is far less intuitive than its predecessor (touch-screen). For example, a simple operation (changing the BASS on the audio) will require multiple screens whereas it was a simple turn of a knob in the last generation.

Although it comes very close on paper, the TL won't have the pure zing of a BMW 3-series (mainly because of size), but, taken as a total package (performance, reliability, resale, safety, and gadgetry), few cars on the road can come close. My personal bias is to recommend the MT. It's 81 lbs lighter and there are a few other details that are different. The differences, however, become palpable when you zoom to 60 in 5.4-5.6 seconds as opposed to 6.1. Either version will shine on the twisties. With 19" tires, it's recorded to have a 0.92 lateral acceleration, which is remarkable for a car this size.

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BMW 3-series

This car is a sweet ride. A rakish look, more than enough power and plenty of nifty electronics makes it a perfect companion.

Torque Steer. It's not meant to be a Lambo, after all.

My black 2007 TL SType is a honey of a car,too bad the new TLs aren't as pretty!

It's pretty to look at, it rides very smoothly, and it's quiet (especially since my radio/CD player don't work.)

Everything breaks. Often.

This model of car is FAMOUS for electrical issues. My computer was bad, so it destroyed everything electrical in the car, EVERYTHING. The battery, alternator, locks, radio, ignition switch, I'm lucky I still have a starter. I have no AC, I have nothing on my car and am spending a fortune just so it will RUN.

The other major weakness is that it is a RARE car so PARTS ARE HARD TO FIND AND VERY, VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE. If you want a luxury car and want an Acura, by a Legend or something that is more common. Do not buy a 2.5 TL, it was used and I got a good deal. I learned my lesson.

This is by far the worst car I have ever owned. It is worse than the 1990 Corsica I drove for six years.

Since purchasing the car I have replaced the battery ($50), ignition switch ($500), alternator ($350), computer ($650), and now I have to replace the harmonic balancer ($275).

This is all to make the car run. Still on list of repairs to make so I can enjoy it are:

A/C doesn't work (compressor went out)
Factory CD player/radio doesn't work (at all)
Power locks don't work (keep relocking themselves until battery dies).

Plus I have to use mid-grade gasoline, making this the most expensive car I have ever dared to own in my entire life and the worst purchase I have ever, ever made. Do not buy this car.

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'97 Honda Accord--NEVER HAD A SINGLE PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. I RECOMMEND the 97 Accord very highly. It was not as smooth or quiet to drive but mine was fully loaded and the best value for your money hands down. No troubles whatsoever.

Performance, Fuel Economy, Technical Features like Navigation, Interior/Exterior design, great owners forum at www.acurazine.com.

lack of all-wheel-drive option

I bought my TL new 2.5 years ago so this will be a review from someone who
is not still a honeymooner with their car. I currently have 21,000 miles on the car so it has been babied. We normally take our Honda Pilot on family road trips so this car is mostly my daily/weekend driver.

So here goes:

After 2.5 years, I still very much like this car. I bought a White
Diamond Pearl 5 speed AT model with navigation and this is definitely
the best car I have owned. The looks and performance attracted me to it
and these attributes in addition to all the amenities and fuel economy of
this car offers me have kept me happy since. I do the normal maintenance of changing oil and rotating tires and this car is pretty easy to work on. It uses the same oil filter as our Honda Pilot which is nice.



To date, I have only brought the car to the dealer for two issues and both
times were pleasant experiences:

1. front drivers door speaker was popping in first 2 months of ownership
and got replaced. This took two trips to resolve since the speaker
was not in stock and needed to be ordered

2. Power steering hose recall. Since I was bringing the car in for that, I
also had a passenger front seat trim panel replaced since it came
apart (just a little seem that only I would really notice). This too
took two trips for final resolution because the seat trim part needed
ordering.

So in all, I have driven 4 times to my dealer in 2.5 years and none of
these issues was serious or even urgent.


The features I like about the TL are:

- great performance. There are quicker cars but this car is plenty quick
for almost anyone. The auto transmission kicks down quickly when necessary
and I rarely use the manual sequential shifting (SS) mode. The SS mode
is very helpful in the snow if wish to start in 2nd gear to reduce wheel
spin.

- very good fuel economy. I drive spirited but safe and have just a 7 mile
commute to the office during the work week so half my miles are short trip
miles and half the miles are longer on weekends. In this city environment,
I routinely get 20MPG with an average speed of only 26MPH - thats a lot
of stop and go! I compare this car's performance with past cars like a
4 cylinder Suburu Outback or Nissan Maxima and this is great mileage when
your factor the additional performance of a 3.2L V6 with 268 HP. In addition
the trip computer (MID) is very accurate in its estimate of MPG- I find
it within .5 MPG with possibly 1 exception. I track this mileage on
fueleconomy.gov and it is amazing how accurate this MID is.


- great navigation with sophisticated voice recognition. I can say 'Find
nearest Mexican Restaurant' and the Navigation will show me all the
Mexican restaurants and even dial my favorite Robertos takeout via the
Bluetooth connectivity with my phone.

- great handling for a front wheel drive car. I don't have Type-S model
that came out in 2007 but bolstered the suspension with a $90 rear sway
bar that makes a great difference in handling.

- comfortable and luxerious interior. The seats are great and easily adjustable.
The key fobs control his/her preferences so my seat/mirror positions,radio
presets can be tailored to my preferences and my Wife can have her own. I
added LED interior bulbs to give the car a cool look. There is plenty of
storage as well with front door map pockets (which retract), a dual level center
console, a couple of retractable doors in the front dash, and map pockets
on the back of both front seats, as well as map pockets in the rear doors. I
did have a concern early on about the back seat not folding down (like the TSX does)
but found over the test of time that the center opening is quite sufficient
and preferable for my needs even. Try to go to Home Depot and bring some
pipe home with 4 people in the car and you'll see what I mean on this one- you
would need to dangle the pipe out the sunroof or window while the TL works
perfect in this situation.

- excellent sound system. The DVD/audio system is amazing when you
actually buy a DVD audio CD like the Beatles Love album as one example. The
sound makes me think the Beatles are playing in the back seat- crystal
clear.

So all in all this has been a great ownership experience so far. I fully plan on driving this car for another 4 or more years.


OK this is one long review. I have just one blurb to add regarding this third
generation model compared to the latest 4th generation 2009 model that
is now selling.

I think the new model is nice, but wouldn't consider trading in my 2006 for
one. I think Acura cheapened or downgraded things in the following areas:
exterior looks, center console, front map pockets (hard plastic .vs. retractable
plastic/leather?), gauges appear harder to read, not touch screen navi although
it is higher resolution and more capable, physical length grew so it would
be harder to fit in my garage.

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2005 Honda Pilot (current), 1998 Suburu Legacy Outback 5mt, 1992 Nissan Maxima SE, 1984 Toyota Supra 5mt

Handling, no need to add endless/overlapping option "packages," fuel economy.

AM section of radio is awful,interior plastic trim is soft and becomes "marred" with almost minor contact, low front spoiler makes contact easily with barriers and high curbs

Great combo of power, handling and features.

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Saab 9-5, Nissan Maxima

Engine, engine sound, transmission, Bose stereo, HID's, speed, handling
Super reliable

Paint is a little thin, but other than than, I can't seem to think of any.

First off, let me comment on the sheer stupidity of some people. The car requires PREMIUM fuel, and if you constantly pump 89 into it, yeah...it is gonna stall, so don't blame the car. A lot of rattles and noises are normal as long as you know why they are doing it. Think, before blaming the car for your OWN inadequacy.
~~Now, I love my Acura TL. IT encompasses too many great things to dismiss it for its few faults.
1. It looks great, especially with the more aggressive headlights and clear tails.
2. It is lower, wider and sits better than an Audi A4, BMW3's, Toyota Camry, or the Regular Accord. That being there, it also corners better.
3.Interior Comfort. Now, this car has more features than most, and it has everything you might possibly need, even things I don't.
The only thing I don't have, is navigation, but I got my iPhone which works MUCH better than any other navigation out there.
I'd say the only thing I haven't used so far are my heated mirrors...just no need in Florida.
The interior is just great, supple leather, all power, climate control and mind you, the heat unlike most cars, starts within 5 minutes of a cold engine.
HID's, Sunroof, Bose that sounds awesome, and sportronic, what more could you want? okay...maybe a 5 speed.
No comlaints from the interior....oh and all the materials are HIGH quality. What are you people complaining about? You will not find a car these days with real wood trims inside for under $50k that's also newer than 2001. Lexus, Mercedes & BMW all use plastic everywhere as well. I'd say only Jaguar still puts real wood in their cars.
4. Engine & Transmission. Engine sounds sooo great...Whenever I'm about to floor it, I just turn off my stereo, open the sunroof and bask into the sounds of that Vtec. The transmission has worked flawlessly alongside that gorgeous engine, which also runs, so smooth that you can put a glass of water on it, & it's not gonna move or tremble.
Maybe mine is the example of what Acura is, unlike some of the horror stories I've read....but I RECOMMEND THIS CAR!!
5. It is fast, I clock it when I am by myself @ 7.5-7.7 seconds which is pretty darn good for a 4400 pound gross weight car.
I'd say the only bad thing, is that the paint scratches easier than on other cars I've had.
I love it, and if you take care of your baby, it will take care of you.
If you don't take care of the things that make your life easier, than they will break on you, and make your life harder.
Regular maintenance people....don't forget that. Every car needs it!!

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Mercedes 300 SEL

Roomy, quick, comfortable ride, good sound system, easy to use instrument panel.

Rattle?

I love my Acura. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. It has never given me any major problems other than having new brakes installed and new lower ball joints at 80K miles. The engine is quiet, fast and it has all the luxury options for an '01 vehicle. When the radio is loud I notice a rattle in the eyeglass compartment overhead. Other than that I have no complaints.

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Toyota Camry

Ride, good power, great handling. Exterior improvements for 2007 really enhanced the look over 2006 model. The nav and sound system coupled with a quiet interior make for a comfortfable ride. Look forward to drving with it.

The passengar seat height is a bit short for me (I am 6'), but the driver's seat is great. I have one complaint on the trunk lid fit and will be talking to the dealer about it.

Great car. Test drove G36x, Altima and Altima coupe(all great cars), but after driving the Tl and TL type s, my wife and I agreed it was the best fit for us. Another option was waiting for the 2008 CTS, but the Acura really looked like a better deal compared to expected pricing on the CTS.

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Test drove Infiniti's, Nissans. Have Nissan Titan, Mazda Protege, Chrysler Sebering Coupe LXi (2004)and also helped purchase a Nissan Sentra Spec V for relative and test drove similar sport entry cars (Civic Si)

Power, good in snow, lots of options, handsfree is great, good looks, Great Car!

Occassional vibration at certain speeds, No Fog lights.

Well, I traded in my 01 TL because I liked the look of the 2004-2007 model. The '01 had 88,000 miles on it and was still running great. The '04 has great power and great looks! It has treated me well up to this point. I do get a little bit of a vibration at certain speeds. I took it in and nothing was wrong. The car has everything! Lots of power and smooth and quiet ride. People are also envious of the hands free. I love my car and I will keep updating the post for this vehicle. Great high intensity lights also on this vehicle.

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Acura TL, Acura CL, BMW 323,Lincoln LS,Maxima

Reliable, little routine service required Good visibility.

Handling, rough ride, is pulled around badly by ruts in the road.

Badly executed front wheel drive. Very heavy steering for such a small car, with little or road feel. Uncomfortable seats. Car is very quiet and has stayed tight. Power is adequate, but isn't in the high performance category.

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Mercedes C class, BMW 3 series