Once upon a time, I mistook an automotive journalist for a member of ZZ Top. After a proper introduction, L.J.K. Setright subjected me to a twenty-minute lecture on the Euro-Accord’s five-spoke wheels. He was deeply offended by the fact that the lug nuts didn’t line up with the spokes. I got the message: people who truly understand and appreciate engineering excellence are wrapped WAY too tight. And yet, the desire for a meticulously designed automobile transcends geekery. The market rewards over-engineering– or at least the aura of over-engineering (cough Mercedes cough). In that sense, the Acura brand is not without inherent appeal– despite the TL’s inability to live up to the marque’s upmarket aspirations. Which is a fancy way of saying the TL is an epic fail.
You don’t need a degree to reach that conclusion. Let’s put it this way: when a buff book says a car’s looks are “a matter of personal taste,” you know it’s Medusa-class ugly. Personally, I don’t find the Acura TL’s smiling snow plow prow grossly objectionable. Not like, say, a maggot-ridden squirrel carcass. The TL’s snout is a bit… ungainly. Like a confused squirrel before it gets run over. The TL’s central crease– an over-literal interpretation of “cutting edge”– is just plain silly. The car’s profile shows the design team how it should have been done. It’s subtle, elegant and vaguely European; a striking differentiation from the mass market machine with which the TL shares a platform.
Yes, there is that. Suffice it to say, there’s more than aesthetically challenged sheetmetal to separate the sibs. The TL offers a few extra inches of lebensraum here and there. The TL’s materials are also suitably luxe, except for the buttons, which are not. (L.J.K. would have had a conniption over the power outlet cover’s herky-jerky sliding action.) The TL’s meaty steering wheel and hooded dials are the cabin’s finest hour. But there’s no disguising the fact that there’s no “there” there. The TL is as generic as a blank box of Kleenex.
Lurking within the TL’s all-too-familiar interior: enough gizmology to annihilate the car’s resale value in ten years or less. I mean, mandate an hour-long handover and at least five post-purchase phone calls. I’m slightly skeptical about some of the toys’ utility. Why would I want to burn CDs onto a built-in hard drive when I can just plug-in my iPhone? The more I use voice recognition systems the less I use them. (Although I’m always amused by a car’s answers to life’s big questions. What’s the meaning of life? “XM channel 18 on.”) And if I can upload ten images to wallpaper the nav screen, why can’t I create a slideshow? Or can I? GPS-linked climate control? Real-time power distribution meter?
Ah yes, power. A 3.7-liter V6 powers the top spec (of the two) TL. With 305hp and 273 lbs.ft of torque on tap, the TL makes a powerful case for itself as a performance sedan. In theory. In reality, the TL’s engine is a sonic affront at anything less than 5000rpm. Whiny. Tinny. Cheap. Although the TL’s five-speed autobox has a class-leading ratio spread (how’s that for a boast?), it’s a couple of bolts short of class-compliant silkiness. Traditionally, steering feel is a Honda/Acura strong suit. In this case, the electric variable power-assisted helm is, as the Brits say, pants. The TL’s brakes are effective enough, hauling the porky four-door down from speed with fade-free confidence. But the stoppers are numb in both initial bite and subsequent modulation.
Ask any Lexus driver: a novocain nature is not the worst thing that can happen to a car. Which is why the TL’s suspension is such a shock. Literally. As far as I can tell, K Mart supplied the Acura’s independent double wishbone (front) and independent multilink (rear) components. The TL’s 18″ wheels and all-season rubber crash and thump over the slightest imperfection. At city speeds, the TL feels nervous. Jumpy. Cheap. It’s an unforgivable sin for a car cresting the $30k mark.
The only possible justification for a ride that reminds me of the last gen GT-R: super handling. While the all wheel-drive part of the TL equation keeps the Acura planted, the two-ton sedan feels more like an oak than a willow through the bends. Worse, the seats don’t offer enough bolstering when you get stuck in. The TL’s sweet spinning six delivers a lovely grinding growl at maximum revs, but there’s only one situation where the TL feels the equal of a BMW 3-Series. No wait, there isn’t.
As L.J.K. would tell you, a well-engineered car adheres to a coherent philosophy. By trying to be everything to everyone, the TL is nothing in particular to anyone, save expensive. Back to the drawing board, then. Next time, start with the wheels.
105 Comments on “Review: 2009 Acura TL Take Two...”
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Wow – that was brutal. I get the feeling that the only way that Acura is going to get a nose job is by firing a few clueless folks. I’d say that it is about time. The design is universally hated and unlike BMW, they don’t have the sales to silence the haters. Why the hell are they waiting so long to fix an obivous and easily correctable issue?
I kind of miss L.J.K. Setright although his endless banging on about why Honda Preludes were the best engineered devices on the planet got boring after a while.
That bad? Really? Sure you just don’t miss the last gen TL?
Feed the thing a couple of crabs, then retest it.
the acura product was the first luxury Japanese car line in America. Today it is as described above a mess. Not only is the TL bigger, the RL which cost about $50K, is the same size with all wheel drive standard. Honda has not allowed it’s people to fully develope a luxury line to not only perform up but size up with the competitors. I am 6′4″ and a dealer tried to shoe horn me in an RL. I said why is this car so much smaller than a lexus, mercedes or anything else out there?The old TL might has well been a two seater, if I put the front seat back, no one is going behind me. Further the rear doors were for kids to exit not real people. It seems Honda is on a scale where their best cars are small and as they get larger and more luxurious they get worse.
Acura jumped the shark when the discontinued the Legend for the 1st TL. We owned that legend 4 door with a 5 speed. What a great car. THen we got a TL. I couldn’t wait to be rid of it.
Ouch. Well, there’s always next season I suppose.
Funny and cogent review of, to me, an offensively ugly car. I cannot understand how this one got under the wire.
Despite his at times unquestioning love of everything Honda LJKS would have hated this shambles of a car too!
I saw one the other day and it really is hideous. It almost looks like one of those tacky dealer installed bling options on the nose. I’m sure it won’t be long before there are gold tone versions of the chrome.
The next question is how does it compare with the Genesis?
I completely agree with this review… and I haven’t even driven the car. The numbers are sufficient to draw conclusions here. This car is simply too heavy and far too techno-ridden to successfully compete in the most competitive category to which it aspires.
That said, I’m certain it will sell pretty well. The former TL’s success and Honda/Acura’s reputation for quality insures that.
Went to my first LJKS lecture in London in 1969. Pedantic the man may have been, but the best automotive journalist ever, IMO. He went far beyond the limp understanding of what makes a vehicle tick that the average journo exhibits. And he wasn’t an engineer, but intensely self-taught. Have several of his books.
So, put simply, the five lug Honda wheel design was wrong. Period. And the original WRX was awful in crosswinds because the rear instant roll height is about 6 inches too high. Nobody else criticized the WRX for this error, except LJKS, who described the problem. Like Subaru styling and the inevitable awfulness of CVT trannies, Subaru did not listen to the free advice from someone who knew why high speed stability of the pre ‘08 chassis sucked. (I own a Subie, so I feel free to criticize)
Then there’s the Acura TL, one of which blights my neighborhood looking like a cartoon version of mini over-blinged zeppelin airship.
Just like Cadillac and Lincoln, Honda amazes me that in its multi-billion dollar enterprise, there appears to be not one person employed in giving real names to its Acuras. I can’t remember which car is which. Nor do I care, especially as Mr. Farago says this vehicle is totally wretched. However, I did finally work out that a Lincoln MKT is a truck, geddit, and an MKS is a sedan. But Acura TL, RL, TS? Who cares?
Another reason to get an Infiniti G…or Lexus IS. Honda needs to develop a 3-series competitive RWD sedan PDQ, period.
The last TL was great car (@ jerry weber ever been in the back of a G35?) for what it was and, unfortunately, this new TL has made the old one an instant classic.
What annoys me is that, probably, the only reason why the Accords do not have manual-mode autos is because of the fact there really isn’t much daylight between the TL and a fully optioned Accord. Irritating.
I love it when Mr. Farago reviews a car he doesn’t like. No mercy!
Why would anyone by an Acura?
The Germans do high-end cars so much better, and if you’re afraid of their reliability, Lexus and Infiniti split the luxury/performance market up nicely.
Theres only so much room in this market. BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus are entrenched. Audi and Infiniti are surging. Somebody has to falter.
Anyone else think that snout was copied from Saturn?
Yep, I just can’t get past that “styling.” Perhaps it’s a bit better than platform-mate Accord’s looks, which just don’t seem “right” to me in any way whatsoever. At least TL makes something interesting out of Accord’s just-plain-ill-proportioned rear end. Still, like all of Acura’s styling these days, it just looks to me like the proverbial “tack on a few dozen styling bits” rather than building some pleasing, overall styling design.
I actually saw my first 2009 TL on the streets yesterday, in fact — so at least they’ve sold ONE of the things in my area. Since I haven’t driven one of the things, I’ll leave ride/drive comments to others, but I sure expect that the new “Acura styling theme” has been the opposite of “gotta have it” styling for a lot of potential customers — keeping people out of the showrooms, instead of attracting them.
I spent some time with this car at the Detroit Auto Show last night. I just can’t get over that mess of a front end. Why such a huge front overhang? Honda, you know better than that. Remember your old Legend (18 years ago!) with its complicated transmission that allowed you to tuck the engine forward and still mimick a rear-drive sedan’s tiny front overhang? Did that particular transmission engineer retire?
The previous TL was so much nicer.
Well, good for me I guess. My list of cars that I’d like to buy used in five years just got shorter by one, and fewer choices means fewer headaches right?
It would look slightly better if they mounted the body the other way around. Not much better mind you…it’s a hideous design. The last car I can think of that was equally as bad was the 92-98 Skylark. This Acura absolutely sucks appearance-wise.
I haven’t looked at Acura’s sales charts in Canada, but it seems that I see far fewer of them than I used to. The fact there dealers seem to awful doesn’t help.
Yet another example of todays thinking. Bloated bland generic styling. Silly overwrought front end treatment. A totally forgettable black lung interior with silver accents that will wear off in a few years. Can’t tell what it is from the side view. Honestly are todays stylists as clueless as todays singers, artists and so called movie stars? Things have gone so wrong this dreadful decade and car styling or lack of styling leads the way for an all time record low. Yes folks we have come to a time when telling one mid size Asian sedan apart from another will require checking out the front end badge. And the worst part is that this mediocre crap is directing the future global design for American car styling.
Yes! A mention of the great LJKS by Farago. And several readers follow up, to boot! Life can be so good sometimes.
The car might be ugly but it’s not Aztec-ugly as in from all angles. It’s also interesting and un-Japanese like. The body profile is fine, the rear is OK, it’s only the front that needs some cosmetic surgery. I give Acura kudos for trying to differentiate themselves in different ways from the competition, by distinct look, low no-option price, 4-wheel drive, lots of electronic gizmos. The next generation needs just minor tweaks in the over-all scheme of things to be an excellent car.
I was unable to find anything to like about the outside of this car, until the other day when i was following one. It has a rear grill. Small to be sure, but it has one and it mimics the front one. Not a happy thing to mimic, but there it is nonetheless. I really miss rear grills. I hope this becomes the new styling thing, instead of audi-esque beak noses which are suddenly everywhere.
Some of the dealers in my area (Indianapolis) are painting the “chrome” part of the upper grille with body color paint and it looks a bit better. They’re doing it to TSX models also.
re:heavy
My fondest wish is for an automaker to come out with a replacement model that is similar sized but weighs LESS. It gets you better performance and economy. I’m tired of “longer, lower, wider”.
Acura jumped the shark when the discontinued the Legend for the 1st TL
Technically, the Legend became the RL; the Vigor was the TL/CL. I’d say the Vigor-to-TL change was a positive one. The first TL was a really good car, transmission issues aside (and the six-speed CL was amazing); the Vigor was a meager little bugger that wasn’t fooling anyone.
The Legend to RL was handled badly. The first RL was nice enough, but really dull. I don’t know why the second one doesn’t sell: it’s actually a nice car, if anonymously styled. Every time I see one (pre-nosejobbed) I think it’s a handsome, understated car. They drive well, too.
The real “jump the shark” moment was the loss of the RSX/Integra. The RSX got a lot of affluent, young people into Acura’s showrooms, people who would return in a three of so years and buy a TL or MDX. Honda, stupidly, thought that by eliminating the RSX, Acura would lose the boy-racer image that prevented it’s being seriously considered against BMW, and that RSX intenders would buy Civic Si’s, TSXs and RDXs instead. What actually happened is that RSX buyers bought GLIs, GTIs, MS3s and Minis, and that the flow of new blood into Acura showrooms dried up.
OK, I’m not an anglophile, is “pants” good or bad.
# tced2 :
re:heavy
My fondest wish is for an automaker to come out with a replacement model that is similar sized but weighs LESS. It gets you better performance and economy. I’m tired of “longer, lower, wider”.
Well, the E60 5-series is a lot lighter than the E39. The current, aluminum Jaguar XJ is lighter than the old, smaller steel one. The Mazda 2 is lighter than the old one, but a lot smaller inside too. The new Mazda 6 is lighter than the old one and a bit larger.
The list goes on.
The older TL was one of the most handsome cars to ever roll out of Japan. It looked solid, yet athletic. It really looked like a, “car’s car.”
The new TL is an abject abomination. It looks like a car designed by people who actively seek to offend others. The overall look of the car is even more off-putting because all one has to do is think back just a single model year to when the TL was such a good looking car. The contrast is stark enough that the mere thought is all it takes to make your head shake left, and right in disapproval.
The other problem is that there is just so much electronic crap stuffed in that car, anybody would be forgiven to think the engine is just there to keep the computers alive, rather than actually move the vehicle. All that stuff in there must surely take away from the driving experience. It’s like a big, distracting mobile phone on wheels!
It’s cars like these, which make the the BMW 3 Series just look better, and better.
Compared to the old model TL this is an epic failure. Just the other day I saw an ‘08 TL – Type S in a parking lot and couldn’t help but think that’s one sexy car. This thing, puke.
But as someone already mentioned, it will sell because Honda/Acura people will buy on their reputation alone. My in-laws are some of those buyers, who bought the new RL when it came out a few years back. Drove it once and wondered why anyone would spend close to $80k CAD for that thing…just don’t make any negative comments in front of them….they love it…and cross shopped Lexus and Audi against it.
Do I think the Germans or Lexus/Infinity make great lux cars…not at all for what they cost, but the current Acura lineup is at best a rest stop between Toyota/Honda and BMW/Lexus. Honda just hasn’t figured that out yet.
While I actually like the new TSX’s appearance, this TL is disappointing for sure. I think it looks better on the road than in photos, but in this case that’s not saying much. I’m even more disturbed by the technological overkill and excessive weight, because those tell me just how far Honda has strayed from its roots. To me, Hondas should emphasize Zen-like functional simplicity, efficiency, and agility over gizmos and brute force. The Civic Si and S2000 are true Hondas in this sense, and the TSX, despite its flaws, is close. While I’ll reserve my own final judgment until I drive it, this TL appears far off the mark.
RF clearly remains the master of the TTAC-style review.
The TL is merely the latest sign that Acura/Honda has lost its way. Too big, too ugly (especially with the non-S wheels), and too un-fun to drive. I’m not even a fan of the profile lauded here: the front end looks like they took one look at the raw block of clay and decided that the front fenders were done. Influenced by Soviet limo design, perhaps?
I remain a huge fan of the 2004 TL’s styling.
On the reliability front, the 2004-2008 TLs continue to require few repairs based on responses to TrueDelta’s Vehicle Reliability Survey. Still waiting for enough owners of the 2009. If you know one, send them on over. If the new TL is like the new MDX, it could require more repairs than the old one.
We’ve added a Vehicle Reliability Survey results page for each model that includes 5-10 competing models. TL’s is here:
http://www.truedelta.com/car-reliability.php?stage=pt&bd=Acura&mc=5&email=Guest
Sad to say, but Honda seems to have lost the thread. My first two cars were a ‘92 Honda Civic hatch and a ‘90 CRX Si. They were great cars – simple, light (a la Colin Chapman’s dictates), good looking, smart handling, efficient and bullet-proof.
Most modern Hondas and Acuras are some combination of odd looking, bloated, ergonomically challenged or endowed with strange ride/handling characteristics. I mean the dash of the Insight looks like a tumorous guppy ferchrissakes.
The Honda of old would never have turned out such a disgrace. Going from the purity of the NSX to such misbegotten products as the RDX is not progress. What a shame.
At one time Acura filled a void with a sporty car, a near luxury car, and overall appealed to the Honda buyers ready to move upmarket but still have a reliable Honda under them.
No it seems spaceship styling, “me-too” gizmos, and overall bloated cars are what defines Acura. I also agree the naming of their cars has gotten ridiculous.
What happened to legend, vigor, etc?
It used to be that if you wanted a technology laden Japanese car, you bought a Mitsubishi. The Galants, Diamantes, and Legnums had AWD, 4 wheel steering, semi-active air suspensions, and all sorts of electronic doodads. Now Mitsubishi is on the verge of being swallowed up, and Acura has moved into that niche, with the dashboard buttons to match.
I’ve seen quite a few new TL’s in Edmonton, Canada. Or at least I think I have, I can’t really tell the difference anymore between the new RL, TL, and TSX. What a brand disaster.
Who would buy this over a Maxima? I drove both recently and the Maxima ‘feels’ like it costs about 10k more (relatively speaking, both are priced high.)
Just another crap product churned out by Honda.
The exterior is aweful in every way. I’m very disappointed. It’s almost like the engineers knew they weren’t getting a V8 anytime soon so they decided to distance themselves from the competitiion by going
uglytechnological.RF +1 — the interior is solid. Both in terms of quality materials as well as a nice balance between classy and athletic. Acura still trumps Infiniti in this very important metric, while Lexus goes the all-lux route.
Lower body weight: +1. That would be keeping with their heritage. This is a must.
The technology in Acura’s shouldn’t be knocked. My ‘04 6-speed TL (which is FIVE YEARS OLD now) is still on par with the technology of other’s ’09s. Handsfree voice recognition. DVD Audio. Nav which is more than ‘just Nav’ (traffic & weather). VLEV. 30mpg+ capability. We can’t fault the 2.8 for putting too little technology into their cars AND fault Acura for putting too much.
The 6-speed SH-AWD TL arrives in October. If they can also reskin this cat by then, she will purr again. Granted, that’s a big IF.
@ Michael Karesh:
How about a section on True Delta where the shear ugliness of a vehicle actually causes retinal damage. That could count against a car, ya know!
Honda with the jiggly suspension again. LJK would probably be able to answer this thought definitively, but from my understanding, the height of the average Japanese person is part of the issue. Being inches shorter than the average American or European, they have a different gait, and so prefer suspension tuning that is a bit jiggly for our tastes. The new Fit handles great, but the ride is rubbish for the wheelbase–it’s my top niggle with the car.
So perhaps ride is a result of cost cutting. Honda is no longer retuning cars for export markets? Just a thought, but again, this is the second Honda made in Japan in which ride quality stands out as peculiar.
The car itself is ghastly in terms of styling…clearly there is a problem. Let’s see if midcycle refreshes address these lapses in judgement.
Another curious effort from Honda.
one out of five stars… ouch.
I have to say though, the new TL seems like a step backwards over the old one in all respects except… size. And like the old TL was too small?
I guess I just don’t get it…
This car wouldn’t be so hideous if the previous car didn’t look so good. Unfortunately, this seems to be a trend in the midsize luxury segment – look at the downhill transitions that happened with the current 5er and upcoming E-class. At least Audi and Lexus seems to be headed in the right direction – making their vehicles more visually appealing.
A question that came to my mind in a very practical sense: Why, exactly, would anyone inclined toward Honda and Acura choose a TL (or a TSX) over a Honda Accord EX-L V6?
I had a 2002 Acura RSX, which I loved, but it was time for something new. Looking at Acura’s line, there’s no longer anything like the RSX. The TSX was… OK, at least in the 2007-8 models I drove as dealer loaners a few times. (I understand the TSX too has changed for 2009, but haven’t driven one.) The TL looked OK too, but fairly expensive.
So I looked at the Accord, and ended up buying one, and loving it so far. I truly can’t figure out why, among the Accord, RSX and TL, anyone would choose one of the two Acuras.
I guess you meant “seat-of-your-pants” and not just “pants”???
So perhaps ride is a result of cost cutting. Honda is no longer retuning cars for export markets? Just a thought, but again, this is the second Honda made in Japan in which ride quality stands out as peculiar.
The TL is made in Ohio. The TSX and RL are made in Japan.
I haven’t driven the car yet, so I’ll refrain from commenting on that. But am I the only one who doesn’t think it looks bad? I don’t find a whole lot to like in this segment overall. The 3-series looks goofy and cheap (especially the ’09s, with the horribly large and tacky sDrive / xDrive emblems tacked on them). The 5-series, which is actually closest to the TL in size, always looked odd to me. The new G37 managed to take a trim and athletic design and make it look bulbous. The C-class looks like it was left in the dryer too long. The IS was probably the high water mark in the segment, but the design refresh for ‘09 apparently consisted of grafting Galant tail lights onto the rear for no good reason. The new A4 is nice, but awfully conservative; the first time I saw one, I thought it was a first-gen TSX. In fact I’d say the most upmarket design in the segment belongs to the Maxima, which would probably be selling like hotcakes if only it were badged as the Infiniti I35.
Honda’s insistence on developing its own slushboxes is hurting them at this point. Fuel economy and perceived character of the engine would change greatly with better gearing.
The problem with the new TL (and, to a lesser extent, the new TSX) is the conflict between Honda’s vision for the Acura brand and their willingness/ability to execute that vision.
Honda wants Acura to be seen as a “Tier 1″ luxury brand comparable to Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, etc.
However, are they willing to engineer dedicated RWD platforms for Acura? No.
Are they willing to install leading-edge engineering technologies like direct injection, 6+ speed transmissions, or semi-active suspension? No.
Are they willing to spend the money to upgrade the interior materials and noise dampening from somewhat-better-Honda to Audi/Jaguar/Mercedes-Benz-competitive? No.
Instead, they stretch and tweak existing Honda platforms, throw in a bunch of electronic gadgets, and wrap the result in
fugly‘distinctive’ styling.Because of the inherent goodness of the underlying Honda product, the results are ‘decent’ cars that will satisfy the vast majority of customers. But the idea that these cars will create ‘conquest’ sales from Audi/BMW/Lexus/Mercedes is laughable.
Honda needs to go back to Acura’s roots. Almost everyone who bought an Integra, a Legend, a TL, or an RSX understood that they were buying an ‘improved’ Civic or Accord.
Those buyers were not looking for Lexus-type sensory deprivation, Mercedes-type prestige, or BMW-level ultimate performance.
Those buyers recognized and appreciated the basic Honda traits underlying the Acura products.
Those are products that Honda knows how to make and knows how to sell.
Trying to stretch those characteristics to go ‘toe-to-toe’ with the top luxury brands will simply embarrass Honda (as the new TL demonstrates).
This is really too bad for Honda. That company has chosen an odd time (and bad market-timing) to bloat-up the line, and this rolling tuna seems to exemplify that. Bangle Bimmers are ugly (girlfriend saw a new 1-Series yesterday…her unprompted reaction? “That’s a BMW!? Ewwwww!), and this Acura is ugly.
But if I see a Bangled Bavarian roll by I know its an ugly BMW. But when I see one of these roll by, all I know is ugly. To be anonymous and fugly at the same time is maybe the most toxic combo possible for a luxury car. Maybe that’s a good thing for Acura right now no one associates the brand with this can.
I loved the old TSX, that car really was a driver’s car executed nicely. The last Legend coupe with the 3.2L VTEC RWD layout I think was probably best Acura ever made. Maybe Acura can pull a Caddy and at least have one model they hit out of the park sometime soon, but I don’t see it on the horizon anywheres.
A question that came to my mind in a very practical sense: Why, exactly, would anyone inclined toward Honda and Acura choose a TL (or a TSX) over a Honda Accord EX-L V6?
I’ve got an ‘06 TSX, so I can answer that question at least about that. I honestly never seriously considered the Accord, simply because it was too large. The inside of the Accord, while made with high-quality materials, was extremely bland. It also didn’t have some of the goodies that the TSX had, such as HIDs or built-in Bluetooth.
The TSX fits in a niche of cars that are smaller and more agile than a fully loaded family sedan while not costing significantly more. The other cars I looked at also fit in this segment; most had four cylinder engines producing about 200 horsepower.
The last Legend coupe with the 3.2L VTEC RWD layout I think was probably best Acura ever made.
The Legend was never RWD. It was a longitudinally-mounted FWD car, which gave it a RWD look.
Indeed Acura’s have lost their way. TSX turned into Lexus wannabee, and TL looks like it has an identity crisis. RL has never sold well as it’s overpriced for what’s on offer. Lovely car as far as it goes but they are competing in the leasing market, and a BMW535iX is just cheaper and a far more attractive proposition when leasing. Dealers in Canada certainly complain that Honda has never really promoted or actively supported RL sales – too busy chasing the MDX sales. Just ask R Wagoner what happens when you do that.
But how do you really feel, RF?
Like someone said, this TL is not Aztec-ugly. It’s an unconventional beauty, with emphasis on unconventional, kinda like the pre-nosejob Tribeca. That said, I wouldn’t buy it though…
One star seems harsh until you compare the new TL with other cars in this class and price range. Then it seems almost generous.
Great to have a solid one-star review around here. All of the four-star reviews were getting a bit unsettling.
I can’t stand these designers going for “different” at the sake of good design. This TL is like the really annoying kid in high school/college who acted out just to stand out, and only did so to mask underlying ineptitude and insecurity.
Long live the Integra, I guess.