hometheaterman

I'm strongly considering a new Acura TL SH AWD with the 3.7L motor and the manual transmission. It's one of the only cars I can find with a V6 and a manual and I want that combo. I've always had Accords so I'm not really too familiar with the TL's. I know the Accords have had lots of issues with the automatic transmissions which makes me want to shy away from them and I know they have also had a lot of issues burning oil. Are there any issues like this I should be prepared for with the TL? Any other recommendations to look at for a car with the V6 and MT and a 4 door? The TL is a little more than I want to spend and I don't really want AWD, but it's the only thing I can find that fits the rest of my needs.

George Knighton

I put over 100,000 miles on a 2010 TL 6-6 SH-AWD, a car virtually identical to the 2014 you're looking at.

I had absolutely zero problems with it, and to be honest every day that I drove it, I'd find an occasion I'd think to myself, "What a nice car."

It was great.

ELS is surpassed only by the Krell Audio in the newest RLX. It's a great audio system.

Transmission shifts wonderfully, and the car is quicker than most magazines say. 0-60 in 5.2 is pretty easy.

Did you get the 19" wheel package? Some people think that those wheels make it ride a little rough, and there's no problems with the 18" wheels. The OEM tires should last you about 65,000 miles...maybe more.

I averaged 23 mpg in regular mixed driving...and I did *not* baby the car. :-)

The 4G TL is a much better car than reviewers in 2009 said, and it's only now after six years of production that people are realizing.

George Knighton

This is Brian Cooley's review of a 2010 6-speed. His reviews are pretty common sense and he generally thinks what most people are going to think.

He doesn't like the infotainment system. He wants to be able to say a street name out loud in one string and that's it. But even the 2015 Acuras don't let you do that unless you have the Advance Package and you're using AcuraLink.

George Knighton

And now that I have mentioned the Advance Package, I'll say that this is the one thing wrong with the 4G TL 6-6.

You can't get beyond the Tech Package.

That means no radar controlled cruise, no blind spot detection or that kind of thing.

But since you're shopping for a six speed manual, you are probably not wanting that kind of thing anyway.

George Knighton

When I went into my Youtube Favorites to find Brian's review, I realized I had these three videos by Matt, the chief engineer of the project. He is also the person in charge of the TLX project.

In these videos (if you have the time and inclination) you'll hear him talking about a lot of stuff that Acura never talked about well in the marketing: things like the use of all-recycled or all-natural materials for the interior, and a concentrated effort to be sure that nothing used in the interior materials would exude the formaldehyde gas that everybody's worrying about.

If you compare the 4G TL interior to the TLX and RLX interiors, you'll realize that they decided this was not worth continuing in the 2014-2014 model years of the new cars. It's too bad, but people just didn't buy into it.

Anyway...lots of good stuff about the 4G TL that nobody ever talks about.