The Acura TL is a car that has generated a lot of interest recently here at CL. A number of you already own one, are in the market for one, or are interested in one.....so I felt that it should be the next vehicle on my review list. The TL replaced the former Acura Vigor a number of years ago and was last significantly redesigned for 2004. The 2002 and 2003 models were noted for automatic transmission problems....the 2004 and 2005 models less so. Only time will tell, of course, with the new 2006's.

In automotive jargon, the TL is considered an entry-level luxury / sports sedan. As such, it competes with similiarly-priced cars from Lexus, Audi, Infiniti, Jaguar, Cadillac, Lincoln, BMW, Mercedes, and Volvo. It is based on the general FWD U.S.-market Honda Accord platform but incorporates numerous small changes, though the similiarity to the Accord is there when you drive it. It also competes to a lesser extent against its own smaller brother the Acura TSX, though the TSX is not quite in this class and has a VTEC in-line four instead of the TL's V6. Its single closest competitor in the marketplace is probably the front-drive Lexus ES330...but there are noticible differences between this car and the ES330, especially in ride.
The TL is generally available in only one trim line, in manual or automatic sport-shift versions, Nav or non-Nav, and the A-Spec package, which adds some cosmetic body and trim parts and some chassis / tire revisions but nothing in the way of added engine power. The car has generally.....apart from the weak transmissions.....been reliable, and is on Consumer Reports' recommended list. They gave it a very high rating in the upscale sedan category. I generally agree with CR's rating but disagree on a few issues...as you will see. And, as usual, I chose an automatic because of the controversy over this transmission's design and durablity....I wanted to see for myself how it performed, although, of course, you cannot necessarily detect pending early failure on a brand-new transmission.

So....on with the review:



Model tested: 2006 Acura TL automatic, non-Nav, non-A-Spec

Base price: $33,325
MSRP as reviewed: $33,940

Drivetrain: 3.5 L SOHC VTEC V6, 258 HP, 233 ft.-lbs. torque, 5-speed automatic with Sportshift.

Nighthawk Black Pearl exterior, quartz gray interior.



PLUSSES:

Smooth, quiet, well-designed V6

Better-than-average build quality ( though a step down from some previous Acuras )

Well-done paint job.

Well-done interior fit and finish

Slick-feeling, solid, high-quality hardware and switchgear.

Slick-shifting transmission.

Automatic tilt-down side mirrors in reverse gear...a nice feature

Tilt and telescope ( manually ) steering column.

Convenient, ingenious access to spare tire in the trunk.

Nimble handling.

Quick steering response.

Moderately-priced compared to its competition.

6 / 70 and 4 / 50 warranties match Lexus.



MINUSES:


Automatic transmission significantly blunts acceleration.

Low-RPM torque level not impressive.

Temporary spare tire and wheel.

Less-than-perfect seating position for tall, broad people.

Sunroof impacts headroom.

Ride too noisy for an entry-level luxury car.

Low ground clearance from body-skirt trim.

Funeral-home paint colors ( typical of many cars today )

Similiar-platform Accord V6 almost as much car for significantly less money.



The first thing you have to do as you walk up to this car is to make sure you have a TL....the similiarity to little brother TSX is astonishing on the outside, although the two interiors are a little different. The TSX is only slightly smaller, and it is easy as pie, at a slight distance, to confuse the two at first glance....even for an experienced person like me. This is truly corporate-brother styling at its peak.
Then you notice the next major exterior feature......the low ground clearance.....mostly from the low-profile 45-series rubber and the low body side-skirts which are somehow Acura's attempt to try and make the body look sporty. That it does, but at the cost of rather low ground clearance. High or significant speed-bumps, if possible, are to be avoided in this car, and it will be rather difficult to get a hose under the car to clean the underbody after driving on winter roads...which the FWD layout is generally pretty good for, traction-wise, as it comes with all-season tires standard unless you get the manual or A-Spec model. The paint job is first-rate and is one of the few cars outside of an Audi or Mercedes which really gives Lexus a run for the money in the paint department. There is an almost total lack of orange peel, a smooth, even coat, brilliant luster, and in general a class act from the Acura paint shops.

Same inside the car, though the seating position is not the best for tall, broad people like me, and unlike some other state-of-the-art cars the dip in the roofline inside for the sunroof does impact headroom a little, even with the 8-way power seat cushions with power lumber support adjusted all the way down. But, generally, like the paint job, a class-act and well-done interior with typically A-1 Acura fit-and-finish, although not quite up to the levels of fit-and-finish that we have seen on some previous Acuras. The switchgear and controls all had the typically Honda / Acura slick feel, clear design, and operation. The stereo, while not world-class, was as good as you would expect in this price category, and the gauges had the typical red-white-blue Acura design but with a new twist.....concentric blue radial lines instead of the more usual blue semicircles. Like other Acuras, and like most Lexus products, they are white-electroluminesently-lit from the rear. Seating space itself was fine in the front and OK but not great in the rear...again, about what you expect from this size and price range. The leather quality was typically Acura......better-then-average, not quite to Jaguar or Lexus levels. The non-power tilt and telescoping steering column helped in the comfort department but the column did not tilt quite high enough for my tastes. As with a growing number of cars in this type and price range today ( and as with its sibling TSX ) there are two basic interiors....a dark gray one with brushed-metal / carbon-fiber pattern or a two-tone gray / beige one with both brushed-metal and wood-paneling....I usually like the beige / wood pattern myself.

Two features on this car that I particularly liked were the automatic tilt-down feature for the side-mirrors when you hit reverse gear that help you see to back up and see the curb more clearly. ( though I know some other cars have it too ) and the ingenious carpeted flip-up panel built into the trunk floor that allows very easy access to the not-so-nice temporary spare tire and wheel.....a car in this category, IMO, should have a real spare tire and wheel, as my 2001 Lexus IS300 did. I also particularly liked the design of the V6's dipstick , as I almost never test-drive a car without first checking engine fluids. The dipstick was one of the best I have ever used.....high, up-front, right where you want it, made out of some of the best -quality materials I have seen, clearly marked, with no friction or hang-ups going in or out. Other manufacturers ( including Lexus )....take note.


On the road, the V6 did not have quite the performance one would expect in the range of the engine power figures. Of course, it was a new car, and I typically do not go over 4000 RPM or push a new car very hard. I also paid close attention to the transmission's design, performance, and shift characteristics, as this is one of the areas that past models of this car have been weak in...transmission quality. The transmission itself showed no odd quirks, problems, or evidences of poor design, and usually shifted quite smoothly and quietly, unlike the somewhat jerky Honda / Acura automatics of years ago. The manual Sport-Shift function worked smoothly, slickly, and quickly without a lot of hesitation on shifts. The transmission, however, along with the high-RPM nature of Honda / Acura engines, did seem to sap acceleration...more than the usual amount with an automatic. It semed to be geared fairly tall......more for cruising and gas mileage then acceleration, and the engine's torque peak at 5000 RPM ( higher than I ran the engine ) does not bode well for low-RPM acceleration. So in a nutshell, this car will get out of its own way...it was far from sluggish....but it is not the car to go around drag-racing Corvettes and Dodge Vipers in. If acceleration in this car is important to you, get the 6-speed manual, even for urban areas. You will save money as well...the manual version is cheaper. Otherwise it is hard to fault the drivetrain.....smooth, quiet, refined.....typical Acura.

Braking is about what you would expect in this price range and auto type....4-wheel discs with ABS and Electronic Brake Assist and work quite well. Manual-transmission and A-Spec cars get bigger, all-four-ventilated Brembos.

Handling and steering response reflects the rather firm and buttoned-down design of the chassis, along with the car's rather low center-of-gravity. Handling is quite good and steering response , while also quite good, does not have quite the road feel of the BMW 3-series ( but then what DOES ? )

But that semi sports-sedan chassis feel and low-profile tires also means a less-than-perfect ride, with road noise being particularly intrusive for an entry-level luxury car in this category. Bumps, while not harsh, are definitely felt both through the steering column and through the seats and chassis. The road-noise issue may be just the particular tires on this car or it could be the result of insufficient sound isolation in the body and chassis...I suspect the latter. Consumer Reports gives this car very high ratings for noise isolation.....I disagree. I feel the car should be a little quieter......the Lexus ES330, one of this car's primary FWD competitiors, eats this car up in the ride-noise-level department, but of course it doesn't have this car's steering response either.

So....the verdict? A nice car with excellent workmanship....a good entry-level sports / luxury sedan. There is nothing really terribly wrong with it........it is a very well-built car with some clever and well-designed touches for convienence and should run for years without problems if the transmission durablity problems are finally over.......but I find it somewhat lacking in noise refinement and low-RPM acceleration with the automatic.

At 33-37K, it is not overpriced but I'm not sure that it is worth the extra money over what a Honda Accord V6, another superby-built car, would run...which is the basic platform for this car to start with. In other words, it is a little nicer car than an Accord V6 but I'm not sure that small extra " niceness" as you would put it, is worth an extra 5-8 thousand dollars over the V6 Accord.....an already superb mid-size car for the money. The TL has a few features that the V6 Accord doesn't....but nothing that is really critical or in the " gotta-have " category. Personally...if it was a choice between two nice cars...the TL and its closest competitor, the ES330......I'd take the Lexus.