My review of the Acura TL 6 speed.
06-12-2005, 06:17 PM
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My review of the Acura TL 6 speed.
On the way back from Daytona I decided to stop by and see what Acura had on their lot. Wound up taking a TL 6 speed for a spin.
The interior: Right up there with MB, Audi etc. Great driving position, 10 way adjustable seat, Dolby 5.1 surround 8 speaker radio, bluetooth, blah blah blah. The gauges were just like the VW's blue/red but with white text. Overall, it's one of the nicest interiors that I've ever sat in.
Driving: The clutch throw is very short- reminded me of a Boxster S. The throttle is drive by wire, but done right. When cruising the ECU makes throttle response more gradual, but when you start romping on it, throttle response is RIGHT NOW. At 80mph in 6th, you couldnt hear a thing (the A/C was the loudest sound). Drop it to 3rd and stomp it and it literally scares small children with the wonderful noises. The 6 speed comes standard with Brembo 4 pots, so of course I had to try them out. Heel-toe'd (nicely I might add) into a tight right hander. The LSD and traction control kept the car on line with just a slight hint of understeer. Once out of the corner, I gave it the rest of the throttle in 2nd and had to change lanes to avoid running up on someone. I seriously was not expecting a car of that size to LUNGE forward!
C&D specs: 0-60 in 5.7, 1/4 mile 14.5@99 on all season tires!
Granted, the Accord Coupe 6 spd (basically the outgoing CL) provides very similar numbers, but the engine, a 240hp 3.0L V6, wasnt nearly as torquey. The Acura V6 is 3.2L and makes 270hp & 238 lb/ft. Unlike every other torqueless wonder Honda has made, 90% of the torque is available from 2500 to 6000.
Even after 15 minutes of absolute thrashing, the trip computer claimed 18mpg.
The only downside to this car is that it's FWD.
The only factory option is Navigation ($2k) and everything else is standard equipment for a little under $35k.
If I had the Jetta sold, this car would be sitting in my driveway.
The interior: Right up there with MB, Audi etc. Great driving position, 10 way adjustable seat, Dolby 5.1 surround 8 speaker radio, bluetooth, blah blah blah. The gauges were just like the VW's blue/red but with white text. Overall, it's one of the nicest interiors that I've ever sat in.
Driving: The clutch throw is very short- reminded me of a Boxster S. The throttle is drive by wire, but done right. When cruising the ECU makes throttle response more gradual, but when you start romping on it, throttle response is RIGHT NOW. At 80mph in 6th, you couldnt hear a thing (the A/C was the loudest sound). Drop it to 3rd and stomp it and it literally scares small children with the wonderful noises. The 6 speed comes standard with Brembo 4 pots, so of course I had to try them out. Heel-toe'd (nicely I might add) into a tight right hander. The LSD and traction control kept the car on line with just a slight hint of understeer. Once out of the corner, I gave it the rest of the throttle in 2nd and had to change lanes to avoid running up on someone. I seriously was not expecting a car of that size to LUNGE forward!
C&D specs: 0-60 in 5.7, 1/4 mile 14.5@99 on all season tires!
Granted, the Accord Coupe 6 spd (basically the outgoing CL) provides very similar numbers, but the engine, a 240hp 3.0L V6, wasnt nearly as torquey. The Acura V6 is 3.2L and makes 270hp & 238 lb/ft. Unlike every other torqueless wonder Honda has made, 90% of the torque is available from 2500 to 6000.
Even after 15 minutes of absolute thrashing, the trip computer claimed 18mpg.
The only downside to this car is that it's FWD.
The only factory option is Navigation ($2k) and everything else is standard equipment for a little under $35k.
If I had the Jetta sold, this car would be sitting in my driveway.
06-12-2005, 06:32 PM
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Yeah the ironic part is that the torque steer is caused by the LSD.
The only time I felt any was in a hard right hander. But, I'm used to driving a torquey wrong wheel drive car. I'd gladly put up with torque steer to be able to power through corners a bit quicker. They had an RL A-Spec sitting on the floor and supposedly the Super Handling! AWD lets it pull over .9 on the skidpad. Whatever marketing genius came up with that name should be fired.
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