A fine car for my needs, still a good choice 1 year later
Pros:
Good handling and ride, great features, good mileage
Cons:
Poor navigation maps and point of interest information
The Bottom Line:
I would recommend this car for anyone who wants a comfortable sedan with sporty handling and nice equipment.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I've now had my 2006 Acura TL for over a year and if I had to replace it today I would probably buy another TL.
When shopping for this car my first choices were the Lexus IS or ES. The Lexus IS was too small and the ride of the ES was too much like my father's old Buick. I had previously owned a Mercedes C class, but when that car was about 4 years old, it started needing many repairs. The TL has a ride that makes it enjoyable to drive, not as much fun as my Honda S2000, but pretty sporty nonetheless. The handling is very good for the size and weight of the car. There is occasional torque steer when accelerating aggressively, but it is minimal. The ride is very smooth and quiet. There is ample power for quick passing, with minimal acceleration lag. The car performed well last winter in the Michigan snow. My mileage has been good, ranging from around 20 in the city to 31 on the highway. I'm very impressed with the features of the car. The sound system is great and the amenities are impressive. I like the steering wheel mounted controls for the cruise control, stereo and the voice command/handsfree phone. The voice command system for the stereo, navigation, climate control, etc. works well, but they system is capable of so much it's hard to remember all the commands. The front seats are very comfortable with a wide range of adjustment and two heat settings. The memory settings for the seat, outside mirrors, stereo and driver preferences are appreciated as this car has two drivers. However, there are a few negatives. The navigation system is significantly inferior to my $500 (cheaper now) Garmin Nuvi 350. The screen is great and the controls are good, but the maps are quite poor. They don't show some significant urban roads that are at least 3 years old and they don't show much of the rural part of the country. The map update is around $180 and I don't have any confidence that this would solve the problem as the flaws are not all due to recent road changes. For a $2000 option this system should have much better maps and point of interest information. I actually take my Nuvi with me sometimes now so I can find all points of interest on my trips. The handsfree phone is easy to use, but the sound quality transmitted to the other caller is not always good. When my wife calls me from the car I sometimes ask her to pick up her cell phone so the call is clear to me. It is not easy to get the front doors to remain open when exiting the car. There are two "stationary" points in the door travel, but it's hard to get the doors to stop in either of the stationary positions. The sliding sunroof cover makes a slight noise when the car goes over bumps. I will be taking the car to the dealer to look at this. When the second oil change was performed at the dealer at around 15,000 miles the wheels needed balancing in addition to the recommended tire rotation and this was an unexpected expense. In spite of a few flaws, I really like this car and I'm quite satisfied with this purchase.