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Acura TL technology steps forward, styling steps back
By John Gilbert Last Updated: Thursday, August 20th, 2009 05:47:43 PM Cars can stir emotions in those who love cars. I am one of those, and I can't remember any car captivating my interest with its emotional appeal more than the 2004 Acura TL. The first TL had evolved into a slick, cleanly shaped sedan in its second incarnation, but ever since I first laid eyes on the third, the 2004 renovation, at its introduction in Seattle, I've been captivated by its image from every angle – front, front corner, side, rear corner, and rear. With each of the five succeeding years, the TL just keeps looking better and better, from the repeated trapezoidal shapes of the rear window, trunklid, taillights and tailpipes, to the very slick line running at an aero-sloped groove from front to rear that is deep enough to house recessed door handles. The fact that the TL drives so well that it overwhelmingly refutes the notion that real-world performance cars can't be front-wheel drive. Add in the fabulous Panasonic ELS surround audio, and the fact you could select a precise automatic or a sporty 6-speed stick shift, and it was the perfect entry-luxury car at under $35,000. All of that is a preamble to the new-for-2009 Acura TL. I wondered how Acura could possibly improve on such an enduring beauty. And I'm late reporting on the car because in truth, I feel that Acura couldn't. When a company builds a near-perfect car, there is no guarantee that every restyling attempt will be successful. From a technical standpoint, the new TL is a marvel, adding engine displacement, and installing optional SH-AWD – the Honda-Acura all-wheel-drive system that can house more power and adds performance potential – and improves many of the things that have put Honda and Acura at the top level of automotive technology. Right up there with Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Speaking of those German icons, remember when BMW changed the eminently slick 7-Series into a comparatively grotesque departure that drew almost unanimous scorn from all? It happened. I'm always careful when discussing styling, because it is so subjective. Also, I'm rarely overwhelmed by flashy styling without substance. However, because I feel so strongly about the TL's change in design, though, I will make an exception. Acura must have employed an entire new cast of designers for the TL makeover, and, regrettably, they must have disliked the previous TL's shape, styling touches, and amazing harmony of shapes and slopes and grooves, because they changed everything. And, in my opinion, not for the better. The front end now rises abruptly, too high, and is dominated by a new “Acura signature” grille, which, apparently, demands a replacement of the previously subtle grille with a large, bright silver thing that has a wide upper bar that commands attention. If it didn't stand out enough, the silver upper cross member of the grille extends to wrap over the top, making it seem even larger and bolder. The grille, already evident on the MDX, RDX, and RL, and later on the entry-level TSX, is both intrusive and obtrusive to my senses. Gone are the very neat grooves in the sides, and thus the fitted door handles; gone is the harmonious rear, replaced by large and very abrupt taillights, and a rear panel that is large and blunt where the previous model was sleek and angular. If the change to the BMW 7-Series several years ago was shocking,I think the new TL's redesign is worse, and far less subtle a departure. The TL was designed in Acura's Los Angeles design studio. That's not surprising. Smaller cars rule in Japan, and the first TL revision, for 1999, led the segment in sales for three years, partly because it was designed in the U.S. for U.S. buyers, and mostly because everything worked so well. The 2004 revision was an even bigger hit, improving sales by 37 percent, and it topped sales in its class for the 12 consecutive months leading up to the new 2009's introduction. At that introduction, Acura's large project leader Mat Harget explained that the 1999-2003 TL appealed to buyers' logic, and the 2004-2008 model TL appealed to buyers' aesthetics as well as making an emotional impact. “We wanted to also get the enthusiast buyers,” Hargett said, looking at the 2009 model. “The TL comes between luxury and luxury-sporty. Front-wheel drive made for effective packaging and efficiency, but some buyers wanted rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. We had our SH-AWD, which had a distinct advantage over our competition, so we added it. “We think we've added a new category – modern intuitive technology. The new TL combines emotion, performance, intelligence, and technical advancements. It has emotional styling, performance from the powertrain and chassis, intelligence from the packaging, and all sorts of technical features. We think the styling evokes emotional reactions, the way its character lines flow up and over. It has linear fluidity.” Very impressive presentation. I just didn't happen to agree, even if Acura loyalists do. An Acura official who has become a good friend of mine asked what I thought of the new TL. I said that I thought Acura should supply its dealers with a new accent for its parts shop – a large decal that looked like an enormous moustache, which could be affixed to the overbite of the TL's grille, and make the car look like Groucho Marx. He was less amused than I had hoped, but he also knew he would get my unsoftened opinion if he asked. Performance-wise, Acura increased the excellent 3.2-liter V6 with a 3.5, which had increased horsepower by 22 to 280, and 254 foot-pounds of torque,an increase of 21. It showed EPA mileage estimates of 18 city and 26 miles per gallon highway, which, claimed Mike Unger, principal engineer on the car's dynamics, matched the numbers of the outgoing TL's 3.2. The new TL also adds an upgrade model, with the 3.7-liter V6 out of the MDX SUV, with a whopping 305 horsepoewr and 273 foot-pounds of torque, and despite all that power, its EPA estimates were 17/25 – just one less than the smaller 3.5. Technical tour-de-force or not, I waited until I got a new TL to drive on my own for a week. It was a gleaming black one, which made all the bright silver surrounding the grille stand out even more. The car drives like the high-tech wonder it is. The SH-AWD distributes more power to the rear wheels when you accelerate hard, and it gives a larger split of that rearward power to the outer wheel when you go through a corner hard, feeling as though you are being pushed around that curve. The automatic has an impressive paddle-shift manual mode, and you can still get an actual 6-speed stick, pretty rare for a luxury sedan these days. The “D” position allows you to shift with the paddle to override drive, but it reverts back to drive after 2 seconds, figuring that's enough spunk and alleviates the tendency to forget you need to upshift again. Switch it to “S” mode, and you get full manual control, with rev-matching downshifts, and it will hold whatever gear you've chosen, right up to redline, when it will upshift to prevent grievous driver error.
The new body is 17 pounds lighter, with more high-strength steel and plenty of aluminum used to stiffen the body even while it's getting lighter. Intelligent luxury, Hargett called it, and the ACE safety design assures the new TL will give occupants optimum protection in any impact. The ELS audio system remains, thankfully, and surrounds occupants with 440 watts, with a technical package that includes navigation, and a fuzzy logic operation that allows you to upload photos, and offers real-time traffic analysis, and weather forecasts that go three days out by using actual Doppler-style radar over the nav system. Prices range from $34,000 to $42,000 for a loaded car, tech package and all. All in all, the new TL is a fabulous car from almost every standpoint. Almost. The only departures are my real-world findings about fuel economy. More than one e-mailer asked my opinion about some sedans, and when one said he might prefer a used car, I recommended a used TL, one of the 2004-2008 models, maybe one that was just coming back off a lease. I later heard from him, and he loves the car, taking frequent long trips, and almost always averaging over 31 miles per gallon on the highway with his 3.2-lite V6. Acura says the new 3.5 gets the same EPA estimate as the outgoing 3.2, at 26 mpg on the highway, but, unlike most columnists, magazine types and evaluators, I put far more stock in real-world fuel economy than in EPA estimates. And I'll take a real 32 to a guess of 26, any day. The other variation from the new TL's excellence is styling. Did I mention styling? There is hope, of course. Since BMW has revised the 7-Series two or three times since it turned off so many devotees, we can hope Acura regains its past. Maybe it means seeking out those folks who designed the previous incarnation – which remains one of the most appealing cars on the road. |
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