2005 Acura TL 3.2 litter VTEC from North America
Summary:
Acura...thank you for bringing us such an awesome (for lack of a better word) car!!!
Faults:
With 100 miles on the odometer the rear bumpers paint started peeling. This is not uncommon for alot of 04 and 05 TL's. In less than 48 hours the dealer re-painted the entire bumper and now with 9000 miles its flawless.
General Comments:
In my 15 years of driving everything from new Accords to BMW's I have never been so much in "love" with a car as I am with this 05 TL. Hands down it is the best looking car (in and out) I have ever owned. The car is very quick, handles great, stops on a dime and has a lot of great standard features.
I can write a book on what I love about this car, but I will narrow it down to just a few of my favorites. The navigation system is so accurate and easy to use its scary! The DVD audio system is everything I could ask for. Blue-tooth on incoming/outgoing calls is always crystal clear. And the list goes on. All for $36K with taxes and all over fees I couldn't ask for anything else. Because of how impressed I am with this car Acura has gained another customer for life. I'm almost certain I will not own any other brand of car in the future other than Acura. If you are in the market for a car priced similar to this one take the TL for a test drive during the day and at night. Oh and unless you are going to floor the gas pedal and red-line the engine on a daily basis ignore all the negative comments relating to this cars front wheel drive platform. For a car packed with so many features at such an amazing price the issue of torque steer should be irrelevant. Keep up the great work Acura!!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th August, 2005
3rd Sep 2005, 16:02
Wonderful comments! As an 04 TL owner I agree with all the original comments posted. I too experienced paint peeling on my rear bumper and as you stated in a few days the whole bumper was repainted perfectly.
26th Oct 2005, 20:16
I honestly don't think rear wheel drive is only beneficial when driving really fast. I think accelerating and turning at normal speeds in routine driving feels much better when the rear wheels are pushing the car. Not that front wheel drive cars are bad, my father's 2003 Maxima (awesome car!) handled a hell of a lot better than did my 1993 Chevy Caprice, even though the Caprice (RIP, honey) wasn't exactly a high performance machine. Anyway, I just feel that the front-heavy feeling in turns and even minor torque steer issues when accelerating from a stop make front wheelers a little less enjoyable. I also think a car generally feels better when the steering and accelerating duties are divided front and back rather than adding stress by having the front wheels doing both. Don't get me wrong though, there are many fine front wheel drive cars I would not only drive, but also buy! (anyone seen that new Pontiac G6 GTP? I sat in it at the Auto Expo, 240hp stick shift, swanky looks, mad features, awesome!)
18th Aug 2005, 11:16
Agree with your comments about the power / front wheel drive torque steer. I've got 6000 miles on my 2005 TL and have experienced no problems with the front wheel drive train. Sure this car pumps out 270 HP... that's a lot! but unless you drive like a total lunatic (which is impossible here in California, we have thousands of CHP, 40,000 tickets issued in Santa Cruz County in 2004 alone) this car performs like a dream. Even when I do push it hard I don't experience any excessive torque pull.