I used to own a 2005 Acura TL. It was an uninspiring Japanese Blahmobile. Sure it was comfortable. Sure it was fairly fast. Sure it had lots of nice high tech looking toys and blue LEDs (I'm a sucker for blue LEDs). And being a Honda, I'm sure it will last many years. But it truly was uninspiring to drive. Bland, boring, blah.I'd had it less than a year before I started test driving other cars, looking to replace it. And in a personal record, I replaced it after 18 months. The last straw being when it slid off the road due to faulty factory fit tires. They gave me a brand new set of tires for free, but that didn't pay my insurance deductible, or make me feel like the nose heavy front wheel drive car was not going to do it again.
In the motoring press I'd long heard about the new TL that was just around the corner, and sure enough noticed an ad for it today. Having seen the new TSX I was not surprised to learn that the new TL is an ugly monstrosity, from any angle.
You can order the very well equipped base model for $34K, add a tech package for $38K, or add their so-called Super Handling All Wheel Drive package for another $4K.
But ignoring for a moment that it is one of the most ugly cars I have seen in recent years, I'm not sure how they really expect to compete with the insustry leader in this catergory; the BMW 3 Series.
With similar specifications the 3 Series is about the same price. The 335i has more horse power (300 vs. 280), the 335d has a diesel engine that can get 500+ miles on a tank of diesel, but still get you from 0-60 in 6 seconds. The BMW has near perfect weight distribution, rear wheel drive (or all wheel with the x-drive system). And even without driving the new TL, I am pretty certain that the BMW handles better and puts its horsepower onto the road better.
And let's face facts here, the BMW is a million times better looking:
Add to that the fact that BMW will service your car for free (including oil changes and any other replacement parts - except tires) for the first 50K miles, and you simply have a better vehicle.About the only thing I am impressed with on the new TL is the very high tech looking interior, which is good looking. Of course the biggest advantage of the TL interior is the fact that you won't have to look at the exterior. You'll still have to endure the disparaging looks of pedestrians who are wondering why you just spent close to $40K on something that looks like a Saturn on acid, but I guess that serves you right for buying one of the ugliest new cars on the road today.
Frankly, the Honda version of the same car is way better looking, and way cheaper. Now it is missing some of the bells and whistles of the new TL, but equally you can get one fully loaded for $8,000 less. That's quite a saving. And the horse power is just 9 shy of the new TL.
Having read a couple of the reviews, there is no doubt that the new TL has a lot of cool technology. There is certainly no doubt that the technology package provides a navigation system that makes the always hated i-Drive system on the BMW look like an eight bit computer. But even if this car drove like a BMW M3 (which it doesn't), I could never get past the fact that this is one ugly ass car.
