Overview & Reviews

The Acura TL has traditionally been one of the better choices available for a midsize luxury sport sedan. Though the TL typically does not deliver the excitement or prestige of competing European sedans, it counters with exceptional value and above-average durability and reliability.

The current (fourth) generation may have upped the ante, but cutting-edge technology and bracing performance are nothing new for the TL. Older TLs are still known for their engaging handling and plentiful amenities and should make a fine choice for a used luxury sport sedan.

Current Acura TL
As Acura's midsize sedan offering, the TL offers a roomy interior, a powerful V6 engine and available all-wheel drive. It also boasts a host of gadgets and gizmos that should keep most luxury shoppers satisfied.

There are two trim levels: a base model and the sportier SH-AWD. Base cars (which are front-wheel drive) are motivated by a 3.5-liter V6 that kicks out 280 horsepower. As its name suggests, the SH-AWD version is all-wheel drive, and it's powered by a 3.7-liter V6 good for 305 hp. A six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters is standard on both trims and a six-speed manual is available on the SH-AWD.

Base models are pretty well equipped, offering standard features such as 17-inch wheels, xenon headlights, a sunroof, leather upholstery and an eight-speaker stereo with an in-dash six-CD changer. In addition to all-wheel drive and a more powerful engine, the SH-AWD adds upgraded brakes, 18-inch alloy wheels, a sport-tuned suspension, sportier steering feel and performance-themed upholstery and metallic trim.

TL enthusiasts cherish the car for its cutting-edge gadgetry, and the current model does not disappoint. Standard features on base models include Bluetooth connectivity, satellite radio, a USB port and a dedicated iPod interface. Optional tech treats include a navigation system that offers real-time traffic and weather updates and a sound system with digital music storage capability.

In reviews of the Acura TL, our editors hailed its abundance of high-tech amenities, its roomy cabin and its sophisticated stereo system. They called out a few missteps as well, such as the car's bland interior and the fact that base models are hampered by uncommunicative steering and unremarkable brakes. Thanks to its much crisper handling and braking, the SH-AWD TL is a more compelling choice than the base model. The current TL is also one of just a few vehicles to earn a top grade in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's revised crash test standards.

Used Acura TL Models
The current (fourth)-generation TL debuted for the 2009 model year. Compared to earlier TLs, the current model boasts a brasher look, highlighted by aggressive lines and a dramatic-looking front grille. The current model offers more interior room than the third-generation TL, as well as more power under the hood, and its ride is more compliant than that of its predecessor. There have been only a few changes since. Most notably, 2009-'11 TLs had a five-speed automatic transmission (compared to the newer six-speed auto) and a more controversial-looking grille.

The third-generation TL was available for model years 2004-'08. This TL was distinguished by its chiseled exterior styling, firm suspension tuning, powerful V6 and impressive level of standard equipment. Both a six-speed manual transmission and a five-speed automatic with shift paddles were available.

Two versions of the TL were offered in this era: base and Type-S. Base-model TLs built in model years 2004 and '05 were rated at 270 hp, while 2006 and later models were rated at 258. Note that this revision merely reflected a change in the standard horsepower rating system -- the TL's engine was unchanged.

Type-S Acuras were equipped with a 286-hp 3.5-liter V6. They also featured a sport-tuned suspension, Brembo high-performance brakes and unique styling elements that included quad tailpipes. Unfortunately for enthusiasts, the Type-S was on hiatus for the first part of the TL's model cycle and didn't hit the market until 2007.

Both versions of the TL came with an attractive, well-built interior designed with a more sporting intent in mind. In road tests, we were impressed with this Acura TL's comfort and dynamic abilities but ultimately found that its front-wheel-drive setup hampered its ability to match the handling dynamics offered by top rear-drive sport sedans. The Type-S upped the performance ante somewhat, boosting power while adding crisper handling.

For a majority of shoppers, a used TL from this era will provide a good mix of fun, comfort and convenience at a reasonable price. Changes during the model cycle were few, but the TL received a midlife freshening for 2007, including minor exterior and interior styling tweaks and an upgraded navigation system.

The second-generation Acura TL was built from 1999-2003. Though it was less exciting than more recent models, our editors gave this TL very positive reviews during its run. Improvements were made throughout this period, and the car had a number of TL firsts, including Honda's VTEC variable valve timing and an optional navigation system. The powerful Type-S version, which debuted in 2002, should be strongly considered by buyers interested in increased performance. Regardless of specific trim level, just about any used second-generation model should serve the used-sedan shopper well.

The original Acura TL debuted in 1995 as a replacement for the unloved Acura Vigor. Two versions were offered: a 2.5 TL with a 2.5-liter inline-5 engine and a 3.2 TL with a 3.2-liter V6. Both models were available throughout the first generation's run, which lasted pretty much unchanged through 1998. As there is now little price difference between the two, we suggest consumers interested in a first-generation used TL go for the more powerful 3.2.

User Reviews:

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  Great looking car, but pricey & poor fuel economy - 2006 Acura TL
  By Keith Eliot - November 27 - 12:07 am

  This is a great looking car with Acura reliability. I have a 97 Acura CL with 223,000 miles and the thing just keeps going. I have owned the 2006 TL for over a year and have enjoyed driving it, but the biggest downer is it comes nowhere near the advertised fuel economy. Check the forums online and youll see other owners saying the same thing. This is the main reason Im rating this car 3.5 stars and not 4.5 stars. Its way over 250 hp and with that power and weight you arent going to get great gas mileage. The quandary here is that similar Accords do get very good mileage, and my TL isnt getting close to what is advertised. Im getting 16-17 in the city and only 19 combined. If I do take a rare highway trip its around 25mpg, but the downer is the city driving, I feel like it should be at least 20 mpg. Take this into consideration when buying. Acura is one of the only car manufacturers that had a Sirius XM receiver as stock in 2006, this is a huge plus! The stereo is also pretty awesome for stock radio, even includes a subwoofer. If you like keeping your paint perfect, the touch-up paint for the White Pearl model straight from Acura is a complete joke & will drive you nuts fixing little marks & dings. Its not even close to a match due to the two-tone nature of the treatment. Youll be spending hours to get one nick the right color from one or two base coats of white and then a dozen or so of the stupid pearl top coats to get the darkness to match because the base coat is way way too light. What every happened to the simple days or just one coat of paint in a touch-up tube that matched pretty well? The dual climate control works but doesnt work well if the passenger wants it warm and the driver wants it cold, the workaround is you have to turn the temp up really high on the passengers side to get warmer air to come out that side if the driver is pumping the AC. This is true in my car even though both sides have their own digital temperature control. Weird. A final complaint is you can lightly hear the interior creaks and noises when going over speed-bumps doesnt seem quite as solid as you would think from an Acura. You only notice this when driving along in a quiet car with the radio off. Nothing serious, but my 97 CL doesnt have this problem. The real selling point of this car is looks and reliability, if you can do with the weak MPG this might be the car for you. Its fun to drive, will impress the neighbors and is a real rocketship. If you can find a black interior, do it - stays much nicer looking if you have kids.

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  Garbage that Acura doesnt stand behind - 2007 Acura TL
  By Greg - August 11 - 1:41 pm

  Dashboard will explode with cracks and Acura will pretend like nothing is wrong. I dont care about anything else with this car besides the fact that Acura doesnt stand behind their products when there is a MASSIVE problem happening to LOTS OF THEIR CARS!. Toyota extended their dashboard warranty for 10 years because the dash gets sticky but Acura (supposed to be a luxury car..HA!) turns a blind eye! SAVE YOURSELF DO NOT BUY ACURA!

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  Really wanted to like it - 2012 Acura TL
  By Paul M - July 29 - 9:53 pm

  Not impressed at all. Had trouble with the car since the day I purchased it. Navigation is awful, the directions are misleading, it doesnt take you on the most direct route and the POI has completely wrong address information and has taken me to places that didnt exist at least 5 times. I have not been able to use a device plugged into the USB port at all, it causes the screen to freeze or reset. I brought the car to Acura and they supposedly changed the unit itself, all wiring and the USB port and it still doesnt work. My worst complaint of all is the transmission. Its extremely jerky especially when shifting into 2nd gear and just isnt smooth at all. It really slows the engine down and now I know why the new Acuras have different transmissions. Otherwise the car handles very well, the seats are very comfortable I can drive all day, sound system very good. Not sure if these are common problems or I just got a lemon but wouldnt recommend.

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  Pretty Bummed with Acura - 2003 Acura TL
  By corbin12 - December 5 - 3:13 pm

  Bought this TL with about 60,000 miles on it and was very impressed.....for about a year then it started falling apart. A/C needed to be completely replaced. Transmission never shifts down in town, so it hardly ever runs below 2500 RPMs even at low speeds. The exterior trim is faded, the heat controls inside have a mind of their own...you can turn the system off and still have hot air blasting out. The wiring on the steering wheel stereo controls is fried and never worked right. I thought Acura made a quality product but I was very wrong. Disappointed with this car...its kind of a piece of junk.

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  Acura Cutomer Service is unacceptable - 2007 Acura TL
  By exacura1 - September 11 - 10:17 am

  We bought our 2007 Acura TL type S a year ago for $20,000. We paid that much for a used car because we thought we were getting a quality product from a great company. Boy were we wrong. This summer the dashboard started to crack in two places. I has gotten larger throughout the summer. We found online that this is a very common issue for Acura TLs from 04 to 08. We called Acura to try to resolve the issue. It is obviously a design flaw on their part but they were not willing to help out at all. They told us that there was nothing they could do because we are not a loyal acura customer. This is the 3rd Acura I have owned. I am not a loyal Acura customer. Dont buy an Acura!

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  Nice car bad torque steer - 2004 Acura TL
  By steve741 - May 10 - 12:50 pm

  The Acura TL is a nice car but with the 6 speed transmission the torque-steer can be annoying. The car felt uncomfortable in the wet due to this issue. I thought the interior was great and bluetooth worked well. Rust was a huge issue on the rear wheel well and just behind the door. This set in fairly early in the cars life. Even making efforts to keep this at bay failed... anywhere there was a spot weld in the fender lip.

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  Clunking noise from Rear Suspension - 2012 Acura TL
  By lex612 - February 6 - 12:40 pm

  Loud "CLUNKING NOISE" came from passenger side rear suspension. It got louder as the car getting more miles on it. Took it in four times at the local dealer: 1st Attempt: Local dealer changed the strut but noise still there, 2nd Attempt: acura agent came in to verify the problem and took the entire assembly rear suspension apart and found nothing wrong with it but the noise still present so they concluded that it is a normal noise on the TL (Which I dont agree because only one corner of the car is making the noise, left rear suspension is nice and quiet when ride over bump) 3rd attempt: Service manager refused service because he told me that Acura is will not fix the "clunking noise" because they think it is a normal sound. 4th attempt: I took the car to a small local shop which is not Acura and some mechanic friends to check out the noises that I am hear from the one corner of the car (passenger rear suspension). They all confirmed the noise is an irregularity of a suspension and suspected something is wrong with the strut and it assembly/bushing but inconclusive with the problem because it could be many things that can go wrong with it and recommended me to bring it back to Acura. Acura refused service again and said the same thing like the 3rd attempt. File a claim with BBB and the same Acura Claim representative that I dealt with earlier said the same thing again, that they will not fix anything regarding the clunking noise I hear because they think it is normal. My opinion: This is an Acura and it is over $40,000 dollars car so I expected a nice quiet and comfortable car but the "Clunking noise" really killed my excitement about owning this car. Just a headeache everytime I look or drive it. I am definately upset with Acura about how they handle this situation because they did not offer me any solution but they basically tell me live with the "clunking noise" from that one corner of the car. and if the noise was normal, Acura mechanic wouldnt have change the strut the 1st time I brought it in...Why is Acura doing this?? and How can I get them to fix the problem I am having now, can anyone help? my frustration with Acura is to the roof now and hope to get this handle the sooner the better.

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  Beware 2012 Acura TL- Deficient Handling - 2013 Acura TL
  By disillusione1 - January 9 - 12:54 pm

  Purchased a New Acura AWD Sport package 2012 TL. The purchasing process was exceptional. A Two hour drive home was a disaster. The new TL front end shimmied and pulled to the left. I took it to local Acura dealer because unsafe to drives. They balanced the tires, charged me $50. Brand new vehicle. Returned to original dealer to fix left drifting on interstate highways. They checked said all was in spec. Drove two hours back and it still drifted left. Took videos, took it back. They recommended different tires for over $900. Same problem. Requested to escalate with Acura. No response. Finally I elected to trade in 2012 AWD TL before I was seriously injured.

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  When it works its great! - 2010 Acura TL
  By lankysean - December 26 - 6:10 pm

  So I bought this car as a certified pre-owned 3 months ago and it broke down on Friday. At first the car wouldnt start but then when I did get it going I had no power breaks, power windows, or power steering and to top it off the car wouldnt turn off once I got it going. The loaner car they gave me (another TL) also has it fair share of problems. The air bag warnings keep coming on and when I picked it up 3 tires where under 20psi, etc.. Anyway, besides the reliability issues the car is very comfy, has plenty of power and is visually appealing.

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  Wish Had Not Purchased Tech Package! - 2012 Acura TL
  By rfghmd - September 22 - 2:57 pm

  Had an Altima that had better electronics and it was 4 yrs old. The dealer and Acura dont seem to care to even discuss it. The $4000 really could have been better spent. GPS unreliable. Auto door unlock feature slow and undependable. And the air cond is terrible! The bluetooth constantly switches w/o warning to the handset. BTW, they even registered my name wrong with their website and still dont have it fixed.