Smooth powerful v6. Build quaility and Acura reliability. Sporty ride and handling. Relatively cheap for a fully loaded luxury car.

Conservative styling (yawn). Seats aren't very comfortable for long rides. Needs wider tires to make use of the sport oriented handling. Ride noise at speed slightly higher than a Lexus ES300. Bose stereo system is only so-so.

This car is over a year and a half old and we've already put 34000 miles in it, but it still drives like it did the first day. There weren't too many of these out on the roads back in 99 but today it would be hard to miss one. And there is good reason for its popularity. This car is probably the best value in its class.

The wonderful engine is smooth during everyday driving but can really scream when you feel like putting those 225 horses to use. The sportshift actually works and can be quite fun. Note the handling and ride characteristics are leaning towards the sporty side. which means it might ride a little harsh. If you like smooth and plush, try a lexus, but if you are into performace this car will do fine. The only thing keeping it back is the skinny stock tires, but i guess they'll be fine for most people buying this car. Another complaint is the styling (or lack of). This car is plain! The 2002 models are getting a more agressive face lift but the overal look is still boring.

Overall this is a very good car at a great value. Its personality stands halfway between luxury(Lexus) and performace(BMW), so it might not satisfy everyone. Test drive first.

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Mercedes S430 Lexus ES300

Excellent value for what you get, price paid includes designation charge, mud gard and wheel locks, spacious inside and good gas mileage, and most importmant of all: Honda built quality and reliability.

Noisy heat fan, cheap interier material, lack of CD changer on standard equipment, need more head room, no hand parking brake, thin body paint, weak radio antena.

No doubt this car gives you best value for the money in its class. Engine is lively and refined, but it is no match with BMW 330i. If you want a true performance machine and have a deep packet, you want to go for BMW 3-series. Interier layout such as door panel and instrument panel are too much alike Handa Accord, only seat surface is leather.

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Handa Accord, Toyota Camry, 2001 Audi A4, BMW 325i and 330i

Engine is smooth and responsive, adequate styling and room for four adults, excellent value i.e. options for the money. Sound system is ok but not the best. Good handling for a fwd car.

No fog lights , the sun roof ratttles and the heater fan makes a noise. Also, the glove box is to small. The roof and fan will be addresed with the dealer soon. Where can I find fog lights for this car?

I would recommend this car for the Money. However, Acura should address the numerous complaints about the sun roof , fan noise and lack of fog lights.

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Chrysler ConcordLXi and Infinity I 30

Power, smooth transmission, sport-shift, comfort; xenon headlamp and visibility

Some wind noise, FM reception, headroom merely adequate

"Sport Sedan" is an apt description for the 3.2 TL. A very sporty engine is at the heart of the TL.... it delivers quite a bit of power over the low end and then the VTech technology takes over at the higher speeds giving the car a power curve that is good to go over the entire range of speeds.

I have the Nav system, which is a nice 'toy' to have.... and at times actually quite useful. I find its best use is as a yellow pages... I can look up phone numbers of business right from the car... call ahead for that pizza, haircut appointment, etc. the maps are pretty accurate.

Coupled with this is the transmission which keeps the torque in scale thoughout the 5 speeds. The transmission seems to shift just at the right time and in synch with the current road conditions, hills and slopes. What many don't seem to mention is the sport shift. After a little practice, I find that the sport shift really enhances the driving experience. It is a great option to have in heavy traffic where you want more control of where you want your car to be in relation to other cars on the road, more precise control over acceleration and deceleration via engine braking. It can make traffic much more tolerable since you don't have to constantly move from the brake to the accelerator pedals.

Another great feature not often discussed here is the the xenon headlamp system which really extends the vision of the driver at night. Not only does it throw a deeper pattern, but side to side visiblity is also improved. I almost feel like I have those "cornering" lights many cars used to have that came on when activating the directional signals... except they are constantly illuminiating the curbs in my peripheral vision.

On the downside, there is more wind noise at 75 mph than in my LS 400... this may be due to the unusually large side mirrors... also I believe the factory equipped tires transmit more road noise some of the softer tires on the market... in Florida we don't need the all-season Michelins that are standard.... kind of looking forward to my second set of tires to see if comfort and noise reduction can be notched up a bit... also the radio is not as good as Lexus's ES 300.... but adequate nonetheless... 4 Bose speaker plus a subwoofer.... trunk is spacious enough to handle my son's cello....

I am getting combines mileage of 23 MPG which I think is pretty good in light of all the power and torque this car provides....

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LS 400; Q-45; ES 300

Excellent value, great engine and looks (I also got the underbody kit and rear spoiler). Good interior finish and practicality and the Navigation system is awesome.

Poor sound system by Bose (the worst manufacturer with the biggest name) - only a five speaker system. Interior not quite on par with Lexus and Infiniti.

I am very happy with this car. I have been debating and test driving all sorts of cars for the past 3 months and finally decided on the TL Type S. Everything from the LS 430 and new Q45 down to the Accord coupe and the Acura TL Type S had (and will have) the best value for the amount of car you get. The Q45 was my other choice, but Infiniti is lacking in quality of their Nissan engines as of late. The TL Type S looks great, drives great and has one of the best Navigation systems around. I highly recommend at least test driving this car to anyone interested in a luxury sport-sedan. Check out www.acura-tl.com for a lot of useful information in their forums - a great help to those interested in this car.

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Lexus GS 300 - Excellent car, but hated the small 16" tires on it
Lexus IS 300 - VERY small and has odd interior finish (very unlike Lexus)
BMW 325/330i - Good engines and control, but too small, WAY overpriced, and did not like the interiors as much

-value for money
-powerful engine; great acceleration
-sport shift allows you to have a little fun when the roads are empty
-sound system is solid; strong bass...not detailed though
-trunk space is ample
-comfortable size for small family
-very smooth ride even at speeds of 100-120 mph

-gas mileage is not as good as it was stated on the brochure
-front end design needs to be improved
-front seats are average...should have better lumbar support
-xenon lights are not the same brightness and quality seen on other cars
-plastics used in the car could be upgraded
-(my preference): needs more wood paneling
-body rattles in severe cornering

I have driven this car daily for the last 19 months. This car is a great commuter car. This car has good performance and above average handling. This car should be reliable and give you trouble free service upto and beyond the 100k miles range.

However, I am not fond of the front end styling because is creates no distinguished/sylish look. The hood should be less steep and have more chiseled lines. Fog lights also would have complemented the look of this car. The factory wheels could be changed to look bolder.

This car was not designed to turn heads...it was designed to attact former Accord/Camry/Taurus owners with a bit more upscale version of the aforementioned vehicles without having to shell out $10-15k extra to get into the BMW525i/Lexus GS.

If you want "sexy," look into Acua NSX or Porsche 911. If you want a good, dependable, easy to maintain vehicle for fair value, TL will more than meet your needs.

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BMW325i- BMW has tighter feel and sportier drive. It is also about $6000 more expensive(for similarly equipped model) and costlier to maintain. If I was single and didn't need the space in the back seat, I would buy the BMW. If Acura redesinged this car to look bit more aggressive and taught especially in the front, I would get the TL again without hesitation.

Great car for the money. Excellent handling, never even get a tremor in the steering wheel while traveling at excessive speeds. I can swerve in and out of traffic with ease. Love the Xeon headlights! Nice trunk space and the ski door allows me bring home 10feet pipe! Comfortable seating and dash is well laid out and all controls very accessible while driving. Love the radio controls on the steering wheel. Acura's 3.2 VTEC engine is in a class of it's own, so quiet and responsive! Love the dual exhaust! 28000 miles and no problems, 1996 Acura had 80000 miles on it and no problems.

I had a 1996 Acura 2.5TL and thought the look of it was more classy than the 1999 model and I miss my Foglights. Navigation system is only good in your region and you would think it would be a good tool for trips, not! Sunroof cover rattles, paint is too thin, chips easily. Needs to have memory seats. Change can fall behind change tray and then makes it impossible to close change tray. Mobile phone causes static on radio and causes keyless entry not to work while talking on the phone. Steering wheel does not adjust enough for me and would be nice if Acura offered a heated steering wheel. Too much wind noise and car rides rougher than my 1996 TL. Heat does not push out enough air to feet and during extemely cold outside tempatures the heater fan makes noise. Trunk comes with crappy liner, my friends Camery came with nice mat for trunk. In window radio antenna sucks, would rather have an electric antenna. Stereo could be improved with better base. Both my 1996 and my 1999 TL suffer greatly when wait is added either by rear passengers or objects in trunk, the car heads south in the back. Headlight washers would be a plus!

Love the car and the quality and workmanship you receive for the money can't be met by any other vehicle on the market.

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1996 Acura 2.5TL

Engine is smooth, quiet, fast.

Would prefer stock fog lights, nicer wheels, upgrade to a better sound system.

The car is great for the price. Back seat is slighly roomier than a maxima. The head space is lower. It is a well built car except for the lack of fog lights for the TL. I would like to recieve emails on where to order fog lights for 2001 TL

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Honda accord, Nissan Maxima

POWER, POWER, POWER - this thing goes fast! Without a doubt, the biggest bang for your buck in the luxury class of cars. Throw on some custom headers and exhaust, and you can hit 300hp. Ride quality is great, and handles like a much smaller car. Seats are very comfortable, and plenty of room in the back seats and trunk. Almost everything comes standard on them...lots of toys. I didn't get the Nav system - my only regret. Sport shifting is smooth (MUCH smoother than my 97 Prelude was!) and accurate. Dealer was awesome to work with also (how often can you say that??).

Sunroof rattles a bit with innner cover open. Lots of wind/noise with windows open...kind of surprised me. Interior not quite on par with BMW, Audi.

I've had my TL Type-S for about two weeks...and I LOVE IT. You will catch many other drivers off-guard...they'll get a great look at your tail end as you pull away.

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BMW 330 - too pricey, and too small
Audi A4 - too small
Lexus IS300 - WAY too small
Volkswagon Passat - bad dealer experience (Chaplin's in Bellevue), pricey once you throw in options

Smooth powerful acceleration, lots of useful goodies (heated seats, sportshift, heated mirrors, xenon headlights, automatic rear-view mirror), comofortable and quiet. Good trunk room and back seat room compared to competitors. Automatic climate control system is great - air conditioning cools off car very quickly in the summer.

- Squeaks in moonroof (fixed by dealer)
- Slight hesitation in acceleration
- Stock tires could be better
- Would have liked a CD changer

I bought the car for comfort during my 2 hours of commute every day. If you HAVE to commute, it is so nice to sit in highway traffic isolated from outside noise, in a comfortable, easy-to-adjust seat which can be heated for your aching back, listening to music! I find myself a lot less stressed when I get to work or get home.

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This was my first quasi-luxury car in 35 years of driving. Compared to a lot of others (BMW 3 series, Lexus, Chrysler 3000, Accord, Audi, etc). I chose it for value, getting equal or better perforamnce in most areas for a LOT less money. Great performance and features for the money.