2005 Acura Tl Critical Review

The intended audience of my paper is my fellow classmates, and the instructor of ENC 1101. The classroom is a diverse mixture of young men and women, which are all first year college students. I assume that not many people will be able to fully understand my paper if they have not ever been able to drive the same vehicle, but they should be able to relate if they have ever driven a car. I hope that people will read my review and take the information I give seriously before they consider buying a new car or discussing cars with people they know. The 2005 Acura TL is an excellent machine and a wonderful driving experience that I hope people get to someday enjoy themselves.

2005 Acura TL

From the very moment I saw the concept photographs of the new third generation Acura TL I was very intrigued. I knew just by looking at this car that it was something special and very different from anything previously produced.

In the late 1980's Toyota, Nissan, and Honda simultaneously released upscale automotive divisions in an attempt to create competition for the thriving German Automotive market in the United States. Toyota and Nissan introduced their companies, Lexus and Infiniti, while Honda launched its luxury brand Acura. The first Acura's were well engineered cars but seriously lacked in the style category. After a few slow years at the beginning Honda Motors decided to create new design studios away from Japan in areas like Southern California and Italy to try to break the ice in North America with a new fresh design style. Ever since then Acura's have only become better throughout the years and they are not showing any sign of slowing up anytime soon.

Acura has truly reinvented itself with the introduction of this new TL; many of its new features are industry firsts. If you were to place the new Acura side by side with the previous model TL it would be hard to realize that they are the same model, most defiantly not the same vehicles. All but one option from the last model have been moved to standard equipment, everything has been improved on the car and instead of offering two different models there is now only one.

Walking up to the car the very first thing you notice is its remarkable exterior styling. The car screams at you with its bold new design. Razor edge designs found throughout the exterior give it a very sporty, race car like appearance. A much lower stance and big seventeen inch alloy wheels add to this appeal as well. The car looks like its speeding while it's sitting still. A large rear end and slanted front nose end gives the car great aerodynamics and a really cool streamline look. Each TL comes stock with bi-xenon headlights which are blinding to the eyes but illuminate the road like no other car I've seen. The brake lights are created from hundreds of Light Emitting Diodes that add quite an effect when lit. This is a fully equipped luxury performance sedan put into a sporty midsized body. I absolutely love the exterior of this car and really have no complaints about it.

The performance of this vehicle is what truly surprised me. The new TL has a totally re-designed all-aluminum 3.2 liter VTEC V-6 engine which now roars with 270 horsepower and 238 pound-foot of torque at 5,000 rpm's. This is the only engine available on the new model because Acura did not feel that they needed to continue producing a more sporty, type-s edition, because there is really no need for it with the new motor. The car sits at a bench weight of 3,575 pounds and is launched from zero to sixty miles per hour in under seven seconds, which is quite impressive and makes it a leader its class. More importantly, the car offers tremendous get-up-and-go throughout the entire power band for easy and stress-free passing on crowded roads. The car handles like a true sports car with its new suspension, hugging the road through the tight corners but at the same time it also offers a very smooth, comfortable ride. Acura also offers two different types of transmission; the five speed automatic with tiptronic shifting is the most popular but for the buyer who is looking for a little more engine control and sporty appeal Acura also offers a six speed manual version. The only negatives I could find about the performance of the new TL are not really a big deal and only noticeable to very picky drivers, like me. While mashing the throttle and accelerating the car pulls to the side from the front, which is common in almost all front wheel drive vehicles. My other complaint would have to be with the tiptronic shifting available with the automatic transmission. Although you are supposed to be in total control of the shifting the car shifts itself out of first gear at a fairly low RPM, slowing acceleration down by a lot.

The true beauty of the car is revealed when the doors are opened and the interior is exposed. Once again a total re-design from the older model and a truly industry leading design as well. The TL has quite a comfortable cabin; even the backseats provide ample room for adult passengers. The fit and finish of the car is far above average and even exceeds Acura's already high standards. Everything is tightly wrapped in beautiful leather which comes in a variety of different colors to suit everyone's personal taste. Comfortably bolstered seats add to the cars luxury racing appeal, they give ample support to your thighs and shoulders during times of sporty driving, but at the same time are nicely cushioned and very comfortable to sit in and relax. Both the driver and passenger seats are fully automatic and ten way adjustable in order to cater to everyone's specific desires. The dash and instrument panel on the TL is amazing, backlit with blue LED's around white numbers and letters is very appealing