Delivering refinement, comfort and big horsepower that emanates from the pavement through the rear tires and directly into the driver’s hands, I find the sport-minded, entry-level luxury sedans currently on the market to be a pretty impressive bunch.
The thrill of sportlike handling while wrapped in the throes of luxurious leather and high-tech convenience is an experience like no other, but one that usually begins with the power in the rear wheels. Unless you’re in the Acura TL.
Now, typically, I’d have to be critical of the TL’s front-wheel-drive configuration. I’d go into a category comparison pointing out that most other big dogs in this class have rear-wheel drive and that they do it to avoid torque steer. But the Acura TL is a bit different. In fact it is alone in its category when you consider the front-wheel drive and the level of quality and class it brings to the show.
On the outside, TL is a handsome sedan, neither dated nor cutting edge. As the luxury entity of Honda, Acura’s middle-of-the-road design scheme has worked well, and there is no reason to veer off course. My TL Type-S tester had a beautiful metallic silver finish with 17-inch black rims that gave it a lightweight, composite appearance.
The TL Type-S is the performance trim level that adds a notably more powerful V6 engine, sport-tuned suspension and beefier brakes. The Type-S oozes speed with sporty fascias, a rear-deck spoiler and quad exhausts finishing off the package at the rear.
Once inside the Acura TL, you find yourself in a quiet environment that’s sole purpose is to accommodate your comfort and enhance the driving experience. Base TLs start at $33,725, with Type-S models starting at $38,225. The Type-S offers a standard navigation system as well as sport-bolstered seats, special compositelike interior trim and a really cool red lighting scheme for the dash.
I still think one of the most intuitive nav systems out there belongs to Honda/Acura, and the touch-screen is still my favorite, mostly because I can focus elsewhere and still operate the thing, unlike the emerging iDrive systems, with which the smallest off-click or over-turn can send you off-task indefinitely.
The TL is a roomy cabin. Tall drivers will feel comfortable and rear passengers will find seating surprisingly accommodating. Headroom is good and sightlines are excellent. As you might expect from Acura, interior materials are high quality and cabin noise is virtually non-existent.
The specialty Type-S red illuminated dash is not just stunning but highly functional. Surfaces are smooth and feel welcoming. The surround sound audio system is one of the best out there.
Under the hood of the TL Type-S you find an upgraded 3.5-liter V-6 delivering 286 horsepower and 256 pound-feet of torque. Choose from a six-speed manual transmission with a limited-slip differential or a five-speed automatic with paddle shifters. My tester featured the automatic, and the paddle shifters are certainly more fun than an AutoStick shifter. This well-mated pair will get the TL moving 0-to-60 mph in about 5 seconds. Fuel economy for my tester came in at 17 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.
Though I hinted at dismissing the TL’s torque steer issues, it should still be addressed. Large front-drive sedans have an inherent problem called torque steer, whereby an amount of horsepower is delivered to the front wheels and, at a certain threshold, the car pulls, or veers, in a direction not necessarily chosen by the driver. This typically happens when the car is being pushed hard. If you are used to driving your big horsepower front-wheel drive sedan, you are used to experiencing this effect and likely anticipate and subconsciously correct before you even realize. This is not a deterrent to buying front-wheel drive sedans, and if you are going to, Acura TL is the one I’d go for.
Many people try to balance their sporty driving experience with just the right amount of horsepower and just enough posh luxury. I’d consider the TL the one that balances these two things very well. Its middle-of-the-road exterior styling is conservative, but it is better than average in handling, and above average in comfort. |