Acura has released the first image of the production 2009 TL sport sedan, going on sale this fall. While full specifications have not yet been announced, Acura does say that for the first time the TL will be available with their Super Handling All Wheel Drive system (presently on the RL). Acura also says that this new TL will be the "most powerful Acura ever," and previous reports tell us that two engines will be offered. The base front wheel drive model will have a 280 horsepower 3.5 liter V6. Step up to the AWD version, and you pack a 3.7 liter with 310 ponies. All wheel drive and 300ish horsepower sounds a lot like the RL. And what about the RL? Likely to move upmarket next time around, but exactly how so is still speculation. What is not speculation is that Acura is moving forward with the snow plow grills, which just debuted on the 2009 TSX, and it ain't pretty. While the press release also touts more driver technology (Bluetooth microwave oven, DVD hot pockets), let's just hope Acura didn't take the driving experience from hero to zero as they did on the new TSX.
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Don’t you mean take the driving experience from “hero to zero”?
@beetlebug:
Ack, this is why we normally say no posting after midnight. Corrected!
I’d be curious to know what this will sticker at. Certainly more than the current edition, I would guess.
Hmmm. The front end looks an awful lot like the current-generation Camry. With a bit of exaggeration, and of course the guillotine-blade grille nonsense. The back end looks like it will at least be rather unique.
Awww crap…
I like Acura, but they’ve really lost their way. It started with the killing of the RSX, and follows with the gentrification of their other models. You can see the occasional spot of old Acura (the RDX and, to a lesser degree, CSX) but they’re determined to chase Audi, it seems.
They used to be nicely done, well-appointed, pricey-but-not-expensive cars that were fun to drive; Hondas, but turned up to 11. But then they started to believe the press clippings about how they were falling short of world-class luxury, and decided to push themselves up to a place where they didn’t belong…
…and the buyers didn’t follow. It’s like what happened to Saab and Volvo: you move upmarket, but instead of gaining fat-margin sales at the expense of the existing lux brands while keeping your existing customer, you fail to attract new ones, yet also alienate your core.
The problem Acura (and Saab, Volvo, Buick, Mercury and VW) faces is that their old market, the “nice” car, is already well-filled by the Accord and Civic. Low-end cars are as nice, or nicer, than what Acura used to sell, so there’s nowhere to go but up. But the upmarket is hopelessly clogged, too.
Personally, I lament the passing of the “nice” car. I miss the Integra and Legend, not to mention the Volvo 240 or Saab 900. But I’d also have a real hard time justifying a modern version of any of them against a Accord EX, Malibu LTZ or Camry SE.
And what’s with cannibalizing the RL? Is Honda trying to kill it by indirect means? Surprising, since Honda’s usually smarter than this.
The only thing I can think of is that the RL is the baby of someone important at Honda that everyone else dislikes. They can’t kill it outright because it has a white knight, but they can let it die the death of a thousand cuts.
I’m in shock. that is soooo ugly. And it looks huge too. I can’t imagine this will sell anywhere near the same level as the current TL.
As far as the RL goes, I think Acura’s trying to go the route of Infiniti in regards to how the Q45 was slowly but surely pushed aside in favor of the M.
Meanwhile, Acura’s coasting on gimmicks and derivative styling. Those poor souls need HELP. NOW.
Justin- `which will BE going on sale this fall` would be more English sounding:) ( Future Continuous Tense:))
And Acura TL is beautiful, well proportioned and stylistic, it exploits the bio flow of feminine sensitivity and masculine ,chiseled robustness of muscles. If Nissan Maxima sold, I don`t see a problem with Acura either. besides Acura offers precision fit interiors . I guess TL will be a close shave to Audis best interiors. 280hp fwd will have TC as a must. Honda, give us the Holy Grail- NSX in Acura version!
Sigh. Rest in peace, old Acura TL. New TL, wear a paper bag.
Another reason to wait for the G37 sedan…
Hmmm…not at all what I was expecting (at least the gawdy TSX front dam isn’t present here) but by no means any prettier. I see some G35 (or is that M35?) tones in the rear quarter, Camry-style headlights and that stupid guillotine-like blade up front.
Acura has really fallen off the design pace with these new vehicles. The RDX and MDX are a good canvas for type of design language but they just DON’T work well on the smaller vehicles.
The previous RL (the boxy type) might not have been a real power player, but it still had class and adequate luxury to warrant its price and, from my perspective, nothing was wrong that a power boost wouldn’t fix.
I’m with KnightRT in lamenting the soon-to-be-late TL and previous TSX. They were handsome cars that didn’t deserve to be given the blade/beak. Now that I know what the next TL will look like, I’ll be shopping around the Infiniti/Audi/BMW side…or just get a used Acura.
The front grille is terrible! Rest of the car is okay. It might drive better than a BMW for cheaper, but I wouldn’t buy it just because the front makes it look so ugly and unattractive that I couldn’t stand looking at it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it would be easy to change with aftermarket parts either.
I’ve got a 2007 TL Type-S. I would love the AWD on the current model…the new one is absolutely butt-ugly. Not a big fan of the hare-lip grill…
That grille has one serious overbite.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some aftermarket company comes out with a more subtle grille (that’s not billet).
I will NOT buy an Acura that oncoming traffic would confuse with a Saturn. First the new Accord went supersized and IMO ugly. Now the new Acura brand idenity is a Saturn grille. Not being a fan of Toyota or Nissan I’m really running out of options now.
Could it be time to start an Acura Suicide Watch? With the possible exception of the latest MDX, the brand seems to be rolling out one clunker after the next.
That grill is hideous, period. Although, after seeing the TSX in person, I am not sure a revised grill can help, the whole car is odd and awkward to look at.
It is my personal belief that Honda has tried to emulate Cadillac’s success with the “Art and Science” design language by creating their own unique design language for Acura (“Science and Geometry” perhaps?)
I applaud Honda for trying to come up with something distinctive for Acura, but it it hasnt worked. The new designs are an assault on the senses rather than the bold elegance of Cadillac’s new designs.
all they have to do to fix this design is remove the shovel-face grille, and replace it with a simple Acura badge in the center of the now-black (or recessed) grille. That’s it. With that simple change, this would be a good looking car, a proper Acura.
Saturn influence is clearly evident in the styling as both bards share the same designer.
Despite my affection for Honda products, this ugly beast is not going to be my next car.
Of the 3 buck tooth inspired Acura sedans – the TL looks the best. The RL and TSX look hideous as they have muted proportions and a grotesque buck tooth.
Acura surely has lost their way. And moving the RL more up the scale?! Please. Acura can’t sell that car now and it’s a very nice car. This TL looks ugly to me.
My issue with Japanese luxury cars is that most of them are based with their parent lower counterparts. Why should I pay more for a rebadging? Same problem American car manufacturers go through and reviewers are always quick to announce that. Reviewers rarely make a big stink when it’s the Japanese doing it with their higher priced cars. This isn’t a reviewer only issue, we all make statements everywhere on the web.
The dreaded prediction has come true. Guess I’ll keep driving the ’05.
The rear quarter / rear end reminds me of the current Nissan Maxima, which has what I call the “fat a**” look.
Bangle and other current designers seem compelled to emphasize the butt of the car, and it isn’t attractive. I sometimes wonder if they’re subliminally making fun of Americans’ increasingly large derrieres.
Between “Bangle butts” and “flame surfacing” and “bling” automotive styling is regressing, becoming baroque Perhaps not as bad as 1970’s landau roofs and “gangsta whitewalls,” but heading that way.
as a current generation Acura TL owner, i don’t find the styling ugly. i remember when the current TL made it’s debut, and instantly there were love it or hate it opinions. now, i think the current TL is one of the best looking sedans on the road today. the 4th generation is a good progression. sure, it’s a mix of MANY other cars (namely Camry, Maxima, and Lexus GS come to mind) but it’s not ugly in the least.
The picture in last month’s Car & Driver looked much better. The paint was a normal silver color, not this photo-shopped lead-vault BS. What do they think this is, a Malibu?!
We knew Acura would one-up Infiniti and Lexus in the horsepower game. Once this car has more pictures to look at and real cars in dealerships, we all will warm up to it…mark my words.
The owner of my Acura dealer attended the corporate sales meeting back in April/May. His quote: “The RL looks to be a nice improvement. The TSX is going to be a huge step forward, being a little larger with a higher-end interior and a potent i-vtec 4. The new TL is fucking awesome.”
I’ll reserve judgement until I see/sit in it in person.
Fair enough, the new razor-front-end ain’t BMW classy. But my biggest beef is that the SH-AWD probably won’t be available with a manual tranny. Sigh. Otherwise, I would have given my ’04 six-speed to my young brother and doubled-down on a 2010 version.
It wouldn’t be a bad-looking car if not for that godawful grille. If I was even considering one, I think my first order of business would be to see if I could replace it with something a lot more subtle.
The owner of my Acura dealer attended the corporate sales meeting back in April/May. His quote: “The RL looks to be a nice improvement. The TSX is going to be a huge step forward, being a little larger with a higher-end interior and a potent i-vtec 4. The new TL is fucking awesome.”
I’m not sure how confident his comments on the TSX will make most of us about the rest. =)
Y’kno, the more I look at the TL, the more I compare it to a body builder who’s working on everything above the waist, while neglecting everything below.
Strong from the A-pillar forward (bulging fenders, angry face, sculpted hood), uninspiring from the A-pillar back (seriously, if not for the [ugly] face I would’ve mistaken it for either a Lexus GS or Infiniti M).
serpico –
I think you make an excellent point about the platform engineering. I’m frequently astonished by the number of people who don’t grasp that a Lexus ES is a Camry XLE V6 with different front and rear clips, a different dashboard, and better upholstery. On the other hand, even if people did recognize it more readily, maybe it wouldn’t necessarily be a debit. God knows Americans seem to love the Camry, so maybe the prospect of a more deluxe-y Camry with a nicer interior, longer warranty, and promise of Lexus customer service isn’t so unappealing.
Reminds me too much of a Maxima in the back but not bad.
Front grill: YUCK.
Provided Honda keeps the driving experience excellent in the new TL, Audi’s in serious trouble with residuals. I love my Audi, but in the used car market, it’s too expensive to repair. All the Germans are. The TL with SH-AWD is the obvious trade on the used market. However, without a stick….
Oh, well, it seems like all the makers are headed to not giving us a sport-lux with a manual. I for one don’t understand buying this market segment in automatic. I guess I’m in the minority. I’ll drown my sorrows in some cheesecake.
It’s confirmed…the designers at Honda/Acura are insane! The ’06 Civic still looks freakish to me and the ’08 Accord exterior makes me think of a blowfish. The interior of the ’08 Accord is the final nail in the coffin. I’m shopping for a new mid-size sedan at the moment and hate the ’08 Accord to the point that I’m looking at ’07 slightly used models instead!
Then we have Acura. For years, their cars have been very tasteful, if a bit conservative, both inside and out. Now they’ve chosen a “design language” that I’m just NOT understanding. The MDX and TSX redesigns try too hard to be flashy and stand out- they’re too ‘busy’ looking, especially the new front-end from hell.
Now their bread-and-butter, the TL, has received the same extreme makeover. And the result is inevitably the same as the others- the ’08 TL is a sharp, classy-looking car- the ’09- nah! A few years back, the TL was my “realistic dream car”…but now my money would go toward a Caddy CTS or Infiniti G35/M35 instead. =(
I leveraged my brief career(?) as a TTAC writer into a job writing service publications for American Honda.
Right now (early-mid July), we’re working on the service manual for the ’09 TL.
Here’s what I can say about it:
New Engines – the reported figures are accurate
SH-AWD will be an option.
New Technology – there’s a *ton*. In fact, trying to write service procedures for all of it is giving us headaches. Wireless automatic Bluetooth XM DVD cupholders end up having *lots* of ways they can break.
Upgraded Interior – There’s all sorts of detail improvements. Better materials, nicer stitching, NVH improvements, etc.
Styling – I don’t think the picture in the article is entirely accurate. I spent a few minutes looking over a TL engineering test mule, and I recall it being more conservatively styled than the picture. Don’t give up hope yet….
RL — I’ve always thought that RL and TL were too similar for their mutual long-term survival. TL has been “sporty upmarket Accord” while RL has been “cushy upmarket Accord”. Given how much more luxurious the new TL will be, I don’t see what purpose RL serves.
I’ve read rumors that Honda wants to make the RL a RWD V-8 sedan (a la Lexus LS), but I have no information beyond what’s publicly available.
Acura’s direction – Honda’s intent is for Acura to be viewed as a “Tier 1” luxury brand (like Lexus, BMW, Mercedes). That probably means the cars will become more expensive and technology-laden. It also probably means we’ve seen the last of the sportier-Honda-type Acuras (e.g Integra, Legend coupe, RSX, 1st-gen TSX)
Wow.
Complete garbage.
Are these decisions made by a panel of idiots, or monkeys, or idiotic monkeys?
I thought the grill was weird at first too, but I’ve recently found it to be rather interesting, in an exciting sci-fi kind of way.
The new (snowplow-nosed) Acuras look like they were styled using a big mallet on the clay model.
[BANG!] [SMASH!] [BANG!]
“There.”
“That’s the final design; send it to production.”
———–
I like it a lot! I’m not sure why people are surprised that the RL technologies are trickling down the model line. It’s been the way of car tech forever – introduce in higher models then bring it down. VTEC is a perfect example.
The TSX looks great in person and so does the MDX. The TL will also look great in person and will sell.
Enough with the “Bugs Bunny got a grille” look. The powers that be at Acura can certainly do better than this. More is not more, folks!