2003 Acura TL review from North America

Had a simple battery connection issue, which I fixed myself.

Pros:

- Acceleration

- Ride

- Seat comfort

- Quiet interior

- Highway fuel economy (28mpg)

- Controls access (radio, A/C, cruise...)

Cons:

- Large size and heavy weight

- City fuel economy (18mpg)

- No rear head-rests.

Very reliable, I have had this car for 6 years with 215,000KM and have changed 1 set of tires, changed front and rear brakes, and regular oil changes. The car looks, runs and feels still new. My friends can't believe the car has done 200,000km (125k miles). The paint still shines and the leather is in good shape.

I have a lot of rusting on the bottom and exhaust thoug, mainly because I live in Canada with really wet winter and summer seasons along with lots of road salt. I have to do something about the corrosion soon.

Fuel economy is good in highway around 28mpg and poor in city ~19mpg. The biggest turn off for me in this car is the size. It's way too big and Acura has failed to utilize the large size of the vehicle. The rear seat room is average and has very little trunk space. Also the OEM Michelin tires are way too noisy. They squeak and make wind tunnel noises on the highway. So if you replace them, get Bridgestone Potenza or Goodyear Eagles instead.

I also noticed the brakes wear out quicker than other cars, might be the heavy weight.

Aside from that, this car is a blast to drive. The 220hp V6 gives lots of power and the 5 speed AT with tiptronic is nifty. I use tiptronic sometimes, and to be honest, it's not much different from the automatic as it upshifts from 1-2 automatically anyway. It also downshifts automatically if you are late or you forget. I don't like this though, but oh well, I wanted an automatic anyway.

The materials used for the interior are top notch. The leather is flawless and the wood trim adds a nice effect. The heated memory seats are very comfy. It also has rear air-conditioning for rear passenger comfort, but they forgot to add headrest for the rear somehow?! The BOSE 6 disc sound system has quality, and the radio reception is perfect.

So kudos to Acura for performance, reliability and luxury quality material. 8.5/10.