2012 Acura TL Tech 3.5 liter from North America

Summary:

Worst Honda product I have ever owned

Faults:

Noisy brakes, poor shifting transmission, lousy dealer support.

General Comments:

The car is the worst handling Acura I have owned and the last. Brakes clunk every time you change direction and Acura claims that is normal. Transmission hunts for gears and is slow to downshift. Interior is cheap and poor quality.

I have owned 6 prior Acuras and all have been a delight. This one is a different breed entirely. None of the confident handling and solid feel I was used to. This one is an appliance, plain and simple, and a badly made one at that. Wish I had my 2007 TSX back.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th June, 2016

16th Jun 2016, 12:00

Sounds like you got a lemon. Acura builds great cars. But the public has always got to be aware of a car maker's changes to their cars. In this case Acura went to a brand new 6 speed automatic transmission on the 2012 model from their tried and true 5 speed automatic transmission version. A 2011 model would have been a better choice in a used Acura TL. Because newer versions of the same car doesn't always mean a better built car. The good old days of picking any model year of a car/truck/SUV are over. You have to research, research and research some more before you buy any vehicle out there... new or used. Also if you have an older version of many cars out there, it might be better built than the new versions minus all the bells and whistles of the newer cars.

In reply to 16th Jun 2016, 12:00

17th Jun 2016, 14:34

This is the case for many different brands. Some older models were better built, used better materials and were more reliable than the newest versions. A perfect example of this are the 93-97 Honda Accords. Great quality and reliability during that generation. But starting in 98 with the new models, the cars were cheapened up on the inside and they just felt more like a tin can, the difference was very noticeable. Not to mention the terrible problems with the V6 trannys that failed so often. All automakers go through a time of cost cutting and they see if they can get away with it as well.

But if too many issues arise then recalls are done, which is a risk that most automakers are willing to take. The latest Hondas and Acuras are really nice all around compared to the dark ages for them in the early to mid 2000s.