My Search:

Before I get to the actual review, I just want to give some context as to what kind of car I am looking for in terms of needs and preferences. This was you'll have a better basis for how my opinion may or may not fit with your own.O

With my lease on my Saab 9-3 up in a few months, I am finally getting out to test drive the myriad of cars that are on my list as possible replacements. The car I purchase (or lease) will be my primary means of getting back and forth to work in L.A. traffic. I don't need to carry many other people in the car, so I just need it to be comfortable up front and enough space in back to hold one (or both) of my kid's car seats in a pinch. This will not be our main family car - that's what we bought our Honda Odyssey for, after all.

I'd like a car with decent performance; although I won't be racing it anytime soon and I do live in southern CA, so fuel economy is somewhat important. As far as handling goes, I'm not the kind of driver who is looking for a car that feels "toss-able" or allows me to induce oversteer. I think the best word to describe the handling characteristics I'm looking for would be "confidence". I want a car that feels like it can handle anything I can throw at it and still stay below its limits. And I'm getting old enough that I'm also willing to give up some handling capability for a little smoother ride.

As far as interior goes, I'd like an upscale interior with comfortable seats with good support. I'd also like some advanced technology available such as Bluetooth and MP3/iPod integration. A navigation system is not necessary, nor is a super upscale 15 speaker sound package. And, as I said before, I don't need a large amount or rear seat space or a voluminous trunk.

The cars that I've selected to test drive for my search can be divided into three groupings:
Compact sport sedans including the Acura TL, Audi A4 3.2, BMW 330i, Infiniti G35, Lexus IS350, Mercedes C350, and the Volvo S60 R. Mid-sized sport sedans such as the Audi A6 3.2, Infiniti M35, and Lexus GS300. And a few other odds and ends such as the Mazda RX-8 and the Subaru Legacy GT (both mostly due to stellar reviews on this site) as well as the Infiniti FX35 (which I think is one of the best looking vehicles on the road). As you can see, I plan on enjoying this go-round of car shopping.

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Trim Levels:

With the TL, Acura narrows your options down to three things: (1) Do you want an automatic or a manual transmission? (2) Do you want a navigation system? and (3) Do you want low-profile tires? Everything else is standard. This review is based on two test drives: a 2006 automatic with the navigation system and a 2005 manual without navigation. I tried to do a test drive of a 2006 manual since Acura claims they have added a engine control module changes to help reduce torque steer, but neither of the dealers closest to me had any in stock. (I will update this review if/when I get a chance to test the 2006 w/ manual.)

Exterior:

The TL is arguably one of the best looking cars on the road, at least for me. It has a very angular, wedge shaped profile that gives it a more aggressive stance than previous Acuras. I especially like the indentation that runs up the side of the car, connecting the reflectors placed behind the front fender to the door handles and back to the rear side reflectors. Overall, a very clean, attractive design that still looks fresh even in its third year (and even after seeing them all the time on the L.A. streets).

Interior:

The TL interior is well designed and full of features and amenities. The seats are comfortable, supportive, and easily adjusted to any driving position. The leather is nice but didn't feel quite and high quality to me as some of the European rivals. The steering wheel felt ok, but I'd prefer a little more thickness to the grip and the lever for releasing the steering column adjustment took to more effort to mess with that I'd like. Cabin storage is good. I like the way the door pockets tilt out for easier access to the contents.

The overall look of the interior is a little cold with the aluminum trim - I preferred the warmer tones of the fake wood trim available in the tan and camel interiors. The instrument cluster was easy to read but I wasn't a big fan of the bright blue and red gauges. To me they seems a little too video game-ish. The controls for door, windows, sunroof, etc were all logically placed, but I'm not sure if I like the climate controls running up either side of the navigation screen - especially since the readout is placed farther up at the top of the center console. One thing I did like is how the dual-climate separation included the ability for each side to have separate "auto" functions. So I can have the driver's side set to auto while the passenger manually controls his/her fan speed. For the power windows, the TL has auto up/down for the driver's and passenger side windows only, not the rear windows.

I also found a couple things that seemed odd at first glance. The parking brake lever is located on the passenger's side of the center console. And the shifter for the manual transmission is tiled toward the driver rather than centered in the console. (I'd also prefer a shift knob that was a little larger.) Each of these things makes some sense, but I thought I'd mention them since they seemed a little different to me.

The TL also has a good amount of technology features including build-in Bluetooth, in-dash 6-CD that plays MP3 discs, and a great-sounding stereo that supports DTS surround sound decoding. But with all these features, you'd think that they could put an auxiliary input for an MP3 player.

The back seat in the TL is much roomier than most of the other cars I've tested in this class. Even though I'm 6'2", I was easily able to sit behind the driver's seat that I had positioned while driving. Part of the extra space comes from the fact that the TL is really closer in size (length & wheelbase) to the Europeans mid-sized sedans. For example, the TL is almost 10 inches longer than an A4, which puts it only 3-4 inches shorter than an A6. The trunk was also good sized although the rear seats do not fold to expand the cargo area.

Performance/Handling:

As part of the new standards for defining horsepower and torque, Acura had to drop the specs on the TL's 3.2L V6 from 270 horsepower and 238 lb-ft of torque to 258 and 233, respectively. Regardless, this is still a very strong, refined engine that loves to rev into its upper RPMs. With the automatic, shifts are smooth and the engines power is well transferred to the wheels. However, though it offers the ability to manualy shift the gears, the automatic transmission does not offer a sport mode like BMW and Audi do. With the manual, things can get a bit squirrelly. As is usually a result of trying to put down that much power through front wheel drive, torque steer is definitely just an over-throttle away. I was hoping to test a 2006 TL with the manual since they claim that they've taken steps to correct this problem, but was unable to find one at either of my local dealers.

Handling of the TL was just a bit off for me. Frankly, I'm having a hard time putting what I didn't like into words. Part of it is that, since I've been driving a Saab for the last three years, I'm very sensitive (and somewhat adverse) to how FWD handling feels. Also, the fact that the TL is sized larger than other cars in its class might also be part of it. There was just a slight numbness there that made the handling for me not quite right. And the turning circle of the TL is definitely more in line with a larger car than its smaller competitors.

I also did not care much for the TL's clutch. It was a little too firm and springy for me and the engagement point was a little too high. I had quite a bit of trouble getting smooth launches with the manual. I may not be the most experienced driver, but I drive a stick everyday and have been test-driving several cars lately with manual transmissions and the TL is the only car that I had any trouble with in this area.

Fuel Economy:

The TL is rated at 20 mpg city and 29 mpg highway by the EPA. That puts the TL a little better than average for this class.

Reliability:

The TL's reliability has been rated better than average. The main problems that I've heard/read about have been body integrity issues such as squeaks, rattles, etc. I've also read in some long-term magazine tests that the leather tends to tear and doesn't hold up well to kids, car seats, and such.

Safety:

The TL is rated high in NHTSA and IIHS crash tests, receiving 5-star ratings for both front and side impact tests.

Summary:

Overall I could see the many things that have made the TL a well-reviewed, well-selling car. But in the end I don't think that it's the car for me. Perhaps I'm simply too sensitized to the FWD driving experience. Others will (and obviously do) find it much more appealing.