If you are in the market for a $30,000 mid-luxury sports sedan, this is the vehicle of choice...at least on paper. A long list of standard features that are optional on the competition, and even an optional navigational system, all for a sticker price under $30,000.

The Acura 3.2TL is very roomy, enough to transport 4 large adults comfortably. Rear leg room and head room is enough, and a rather large trunk helps with luggage. The 3.2 liter V6 is very smooth and easy on the gas. The 5 speed semi-automatic transmission allows you to drive in a more sporty fashion. You can control when the car shifts from 2nd to 3rd and up. You must be careful as I have forgotten a few times and redlined the car.

At 15,000 miles, my transmission konked out. The car wouldn't shift from 2nd to 3rd in automatic or manual mode. They had to swap out a rebuilt transmission. From what I've heard from other TL owners, this is a rather frequent occurrence for other TL owners, especially the more powerful Type-S owners. I happen to be high school friends with the daughter of the Ex-Vice President of Honda, America. She says that Honda is aware of the problems with their automatic transmissions and the V6 engines.

Another gripe that I have of the vehicle is the squeaks and rattles. The sunroof rattles when the sunshade is pulled back, and the driver seat rattles.

When I first got the car, I noticed that the car would nosedive and life when taking off/stopping and taking hard turns. This was easily remedied with the addition of sport springs and sway bars.

The only other con I have about this vehicle is that it is way too similar to the Honda Accord. What do you expect when it was built of the same platform?

Overall, I feel very neutral about the vehicle. For one thing, I don't feel the car is very reliable when the transmission died on me at 15,000 miles. I would suggest the new Toyota Camry/ES300 or maybe something German like the new Audis/Mercedes/BMW.
Amount Paid (US$): 28,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001