Way to completely ruin your best selling vehicle, Acura.

It would have been bad enough had you butchered the outside, but apparently, you pushed for maximum Seppuku and made the driving dynamics far worse than the last (excellent) generation.

I can just feel the last, new 2008s, if there are any left, rising in value as I type this.

I can’t describe how spectacularly ugly the new Acuras are.

I loved my ‘04 TSX, with its combination of understated yet handsome good looks, polished, well-crafted and subtly designed interior…. and now this.

I dry-heave whenever I see a new TSX or TL. Burgh!

The Integra/RSX got people in the door. The TSX got big and numb, and lost it’s scoot. This TL is…… hideous, especially the grille and front fenders.

With the exception of the S2000, Fit and CR-X, Honda keeps aiming lower and lower lately. That’s really sad.

http://i469.photobucket.com/albums/rr59/igowest/IMG00120.jpg

However, the ride was definitely smooth, and it felt like I thought it would.

2 things I never get…and this is always a touchy subject here, but the FWD and torque involved really, imo, gets overblown each time it’s brought up. I really think it’s a purist issue that just fades further and further every day. People that really care about that much about torque steer (ie, those who would be so sensitive to it as to notice it in a big way) are simply not shopping for this car in the first place. Does it have some? yeah…but in my opinion, not much. I guess if you’re coming from a RWD to this, it may be more noticable, but is it really that big of an issue after the first time you slam the gas from a stop?

the second thing, I feel, is the press shots of this car do it absolutely no justice what so ever. seeing the car in person, in a darker color, the creases and nuances are much more apparent than they are with a chrome on silver press shot. The grille, while I still question it, looks lost on the silver, but better on the darker colors and even the white.

I really want/wanted this car to succeed, but after a full day of driving, I stepped away unable to think of a good reason to spend close to US$40,000 on it; Espcially with the SH-AWD model due about…now.

I understand totally what you are saying (and welcome back into the fold), but in my opinion, there’s one thing where the TL totally fails in terms of styling:
When you are paying that much for a car, you really shouldn’t have to explain your purchase to everyone who asks. The car is so polarizing and that class of cars tends to be a bit more plain, so it’s going to get attention and the word on the street isn’t that it’s good attention.
A car in this class should “wow” me, and to give credit where credit is due, I do like this interior. However when I read lines along the lines of having to see it during certain times of the day and in a certain color…didn’t Aztek owners say the same thing? People show cars like this off to their friends and neighbors, and let’s face it, many of us play “top this” with them, but if the look on their face is “uugh” after seeing the design, that isn’t the best reaction!
I predict that after the 2-3 year refresh cycle that Acura ditches this grille into the trash in the same way Subaru ditched the “flying (body part)” front after a couple of years. This front just doesn’t look good on many cars, and I don’t think it will age gracefully like some Audis did with their horse-collar grille. (It still looks bad on the TT…)
Last but not least, I’ve posted in the past where I’m in “Honda Country” and there are previous-gen TSX and TL models everywhere. Now I know the economy is in the crapper and new car sales are tanking but I can count the number of new TLs and TSXs I’ve seen on one hand (per model)…and I do over 4,000 miles a month and pay attention to those things!

My girlfriend bought an Accord V6 fully loaded with Navi and it cost $31,000.
The coupe version is even better and isn’t that much more expensive.

The only thing this car really has over the Accord is a luxury badge and a slightly better streamlined console rather than the Accord’s clunky keys.

I’s even perfer a Genesis over this car.

I’m not crazy about the TL exterior, though its a little better in person. What really impressed was that it might just be the most comfortable car I have ever driven. I’m not talking soft and floaty, just well damped, solid and really quiet. It also had that great audio system. Curwood’s interior description is hilarious but the bottom line is that this is a great place to spend time. You have to drive like an idiot to need more power, but – and maybe its my 49 years speaking – the car really seems to be telling you to sit back and enjoy the ride, and rewards you if you do. I’m curious how different the SH-AWD version will be.

Whoa! An Acura V8? When’s that gonna happen?

Edit: Nevermind. I just found assorted links… Another 2010 milestone…

Please put the LSD down and back away from the keyboard slowly…

Or….

Steer them away. Hard to justify the price on this one for how it looks and what’s there in this current form. I don’t see this one aging gracefully in terms of looks or resale value. Will be interesting to see if they perform a “refresh” of this car within two model years.