Sussman Acura

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Walk Around

The 2009 Acura TL is a bigger car than the outgoing model. The wheelbase is up 1.4 inches to 109.3 and overall length is up six inches to 195.3. The new car is 1.8 inches wider at 74 inches. Curb weight is up only 80 pounds to 3708 pounds thanks to the use of aluminum in the hood, front bumper beams, subframe and steering hanger beam. The architecture is shared with the Honda Accord, though the Accord sedan is actually slightly shorter and about 150 pounds lighter (for a V6 model).

The new TL has all-new sheet metal in what Acura calls a Motion Surface body design. Acura says that the styling theme is marked by emotional design, linear fluidity and strong presence. While the first two of those traits may be debatable, the TL certainly has a stronger presence than any Acura in recent memory.

The calling card of the new design is the beak-like front grille assembly, similar to that of the redesigned TSX and restyled RL models. On the TL, this silver-painted assembly extends up and over to meet the hood, where it ends abruptly. The grille is flanked by a set of slit-like headlights that rise up toward the edges of the front end, giving the TL a sinister, grinning look. Below the grille assembly is a pair of trapezoidal air intakes that house the fog lights. Additional driving lights are found in these intakes on the TL model, while the SH-AWD lacks them for improved air flow. The SH-AWD also incorporates brake cooling ducts into these intakes at the outside corners.

The bottom edges of the headlights resolve into character lines that flow all the way to the taillights and angle upward to give the TL a sporty, raked appearance. Prominent flares surround the front wheels, and these extend up into the aforementioned character lines, giving the TL a visually interesting and distinguishing front wheel hump design trait. The base model's 17-inch wheels look uninspired, but the SH-AWD's 18s and optional 19s look great and fill out the wheelwells nicely.

The greenhouse is thoroughly modern, balancing maximum interior space with a sporty coupe-like rake. At the rear edges, the rear window is inset slightly, giving the rear pillars a flying buttress look.

The rear view has the most presence. The angled trunk shape reflects the beak-like look of the front end. Below the trunk is a silver-painted, wing-shaped decorative piece that combines with the trunk shape and a center character line to give the rear end something of a boattail appearance. Models with the Technology Package also have a tasteful rear spoiler that only adds to the look. At the bottom, a pair of backup lights mimic the shape of the front air intakes, and the TL has dual exhaust, while the SH-AWD has quad exhaust outlets.

All in all, the TL has a much bolder shape than previous Acuras. We're not entirely enamored of the design at this point, but we have the feeling that it will grow on us.

Interior

2009 Acura TL

Step inside the TL and you are presented with a quality, driver-focused interior. Gone are the blue-lit gauges that some may have found a bit sophomoric in the outgoing model. The center stack is thoughtfully angled toward the passengers, making every control easy to reach. The design is attractive, and the materials have a quality feel with a lot of soft-touch surfaces and tight panel gaps. Small items storage is fair, including a change tray at the bottom of the center console, two cupholders behind the gearshift, map pockets in the doors, and a center console that can hold about 10 CD cases. The glove box is also fairly large, and it has two levels.

The driver's seating position offers plenty of adjustments to make most drivers happy. Head and leg room up front are plentiful, and the seats do a good job of keeping passengers in place, especially those in the SH-AWD model, which have more side bolstering. The rear seat is quite livable for all but tall passengers, who will complain about head room. Getting in and out of the front seat is easy, but the rear requires some ankle twisting, especially if the front seats are set far back.

For structural reasons, Acura opted against split-folding rear seats, choosing instead to include a fold-down armrest with two cupholders and a center passthrough. That'll allow you to carry your skis to the slopes, but long, flat packages won't fit.

Trunk space otherwise is up from the last model, but at 13.1 cubic feet is small for the class. Buy the SH-AWD model and a bit of the floor space is taken up by the AWD components.

From the driver's seat, you are presented with four, individually shrouded gauges under an overarching shroud. The large tachometer and speedometer are flanked by smaller fuel and water temperature gauges. Between the tach and speedo is a digital readout for gear selection, outside temperature, and other information.

The center stack has a shrouded black and white Multi-Information Display screen that displays radio information, interior temperature settings, and compass direction, among other tidbits. The screen has a Plexiglas cover and we found that it washed out in strong sunlight.

Below the display are centrally located radio controls with a dual-zone climate control settings along the sides, easily accessible to each passenger. An interface dial is found under the radio settings. It controls the Multi-Information Display and is fairly easy to use. When the Technology Package is chosen, Multi-Information Display is replaced by an 8-inch VGA high-resolution screen that is easy to see in any light conditions. With the Tech Package, the interface knob adds more functions, controlling the navigation system and various audio and climate control settings. It can also be controlled by voice commands. This interface is generally easier to use than similar systems from BMW and Audi, but it can still complicate such functions as programming a radio station.

The navigation system comes with XM NavTraffic that can give real-time traffic updates and suggest alternate routes. New for 2009 is XM NavWeather that shows real-time weather information for 21 metropolitan areas, one- and three-day forecasts, severe weather alerts, and Doppler-style radar maps.

All TLs come with an auxiliary audio input jack and a USB port. The latter offers iPod connectivity and can also read thumb drive storage devices. The iPod interface is displayed in three lines on the Multi-Information Display or navigation screen. Long playlists will require a lot of scrolling, but it's nice that you can control an iPod through the audio system. Music on a thumb drive can also be played through the audio system, but cannot be loaded to the 12.7 gigabyte hard-drive that comes with the Technology Package. The only way to load music to the hard drive is to rip if from CDs. Acura says the hard drive can hold up to 2500 songs.

The audio system offered with the Technology Package was developed with music producer/engineer Elliot Scheiner. It has DVD Audio capability. DVD Audio is a high-quality audio format that delivers more accurate sound through six discreet channels. It requires its own software, meaning audiophiles will want to buy their own DVD Audio discs.

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