The 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD Tech: An Enigmatic Acura

Acura has always been one of the more enigmatic brands out there. Step aboard similar luxury automobiles and chances are very good that all your expectations will be met. Should the steed in question wear a blue and white roundel on the hood, you can expect to step into familiarly supportive seats, be faced with the same thick-rimmed steering wheel, and enjoy the same driving experience across the entire range of vehicles. Same with a Lexus; you know it will be quiet, sumptuous, and relaxing. However, step aboard an Acura-branded vehicle and you met get anything from the sedate RL experience to the manic, race-prepped Integra Type-R of a bygone era.
So, where does the all-new TL fit in?

In its first generation, the TL was, in Acura’s own words; “a couch-mobile.” Soft, squishy, and luxurious, it became firmer and more hard edged both dynamically and looks-wise in its second iteration, and if this third generation’s sharp edges and dramatic curves are any indication, this all-new 2009 model should be the sharpest yet. Designed in Acura’s southern California styling studios, the TL was the first to boast the gargantuan shield grille that now (sadly) spans the entire range. Dominating the front view, the dramatic effect of that massive silver schnoz continues down the car’s flanks, where emphasized fender flares eventually curl around the rear corners to the car’s very space-age rear end, which sport LED taillights, and both eye catching aluminum trim below the as well as very unique tailpipes. Far from a universally accepted design, you’re liable to hear a wide variety of opinions on the TL’s exterior treatment, but Acura should be applauded for risking the reputation of such a respected model by adorning it with such a polarizing design.

However, inside, they have little to fear. Having grown in nearly every dimension, the new TL boasts impressive interior space, with both the driver and passenger having very distinct compartments that are designed to give both driver and passenger “their own personal space.” And what spaces they are. From the passenger seat, the dashboard provides plenty of knee room, and the relatively expansive windows offer a good view. Access to the controls is easy, and the faraway placement of the navigation screen in the “Technology” equipped tester allows both drive and passenger unrestricted vision both over the dashboard as well as at the screen. From the driver’s seat, the eyes are immediately drawn to one of the most interesting gauge clusters on the market, with suspended semi-translucent discs displaying the numbers above the blue instrument lights. That sort of attention to detail surrounds the rest of the cabin as well, with each switch, texture, and panel being engineered to excel at its specific purpose. The door panels provide soft elbow pads and easy access to the window switches, and the steering wheel controls are all clearly marked and easily manipulated. The seats are fantastic in their own right, but could use adjustable bolsters to better fit a wider array of body sizes. Short of that, they might just offer a wider range of fore/aft and up/down adjustment than any other car on the market, and with the tilt/telescope steering wheel, it’s easy to make yourself comfortable. Interestingly, the Technology Package on the test car includes the most comprehensive array of advanced electronic features ever offered by Acura, including the Acura Navigation System with voice recognition. Although it works well, it lags behind the touch screen systems in terms of accessibility, and the combination of twisting, turning, moving and pushing what quickly became known as the “control proboscis” seems to be the single slowest way of inputting lengthy information like addresses, and quickly became frustrating. By comparison, the voice recognition software made getting directions less painful, but the low-resolution navigation screen seems a few years behind the current crop of higher resolution displays found in most cars. However, the new Acura/ELS surround sound, 10-speaker, 440-watt premium sound system with DVD-Audio, CD, DTS, AM/FM radio, XM Satellite Radio and a massive 2,500-song hard drive sounded amazing, and produced the best sound image this side of a Lexus LS’ Mark Levinson system.

But if those 10 speakers produce the best sound reproduction, the best straight up sound production comes from the tailpipes. Turning the key and lighting the 3.7L fire beneath the creased hood rewards with a fantastic aural extravaganza that represents Honda’s most powerful engine ever.  Standard on the TL SH-AWD, the new 3.7L replaces the standard 3.5L and provides 305 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. Using Honda’s famous VTEC valve-controlling system, the big V6 has an excellent mix of low down torque and high-rpm horsepower that rarely found itself lagging behind, even with a transmission stuffed with five of the widest spaced forward gears of any car. Operated by the obligatory paddle shifters, the torque-converter equipped 5-speed automatic operates like any other when in drive, with sport mode simply holding gears longer, and responds to aggressive driving with gradually  more aggressive shift patterns; not changing gear mid-corner and allowing more compression braking while slowing. Obviously, being a new car, the shifts are plenty quick, and unlike many paddle shifted transmissions, the Acura responded to all but the most ridiculous of commands immediately, never leaving you to wonder why the car isn’t shifting when you tell it to.

Of course, even if the transmission did surprise with an unexpected mid-corner shift, it probably wouldn’t be enough to upset the Acura’s superb suspension damping. With a track width that’s 1.1 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear, the Acura feels surefooted and stable in corners, but it’s the spring rates and dampers that are most impressive. Suspending a double wishbone front and multi-link rear, the new dual-stage “blow-off” style dampers are specifically tuned for the SH-AWD model’s larger wheel and tire combination and are, in a word, amazing. Providing a ride that is simultaneously smooth and yet sporting, the TL is among the best suspended cars on the market; capable of swallowing road imperfections and quelling body roll at the same time. Mid-corner bumps and undulations are quickly negated, and the TL simply rails through every sort of corner and road imperfection you can imagine throwing at it. Having only experienced the TL SH-AWD in the best of conditions, the SH-AWD never seemed taxed, however, its operation was felt on occasion during more enthusiastic cloverleaf approaches. With the nose beginning to run wide on one particular corner, SH-AWD shuttled power around to the outside rear wheel, pulling the nose back in towards that apex in almost eerie fashion without any sort of correction needed, just as it should.

However, as good as the interior, suspension, and powertrain are, the TL fails to become something that exceeds the sum of its parts. The motor, although plenty powerful, lacks the immediacy and unrelenting sizzle of Nissan’s VQ-series motor, to say nothing of BMW’s torquey twin turbo inline six, and . The interior, although excellent in its own right, looks more like a collection of excellent parts than a conclusive holistic design, with too many buttons scattered around the console with seemingly reckless abandon. The “control proboscis” isn’t a terribly attractive feature, and seems underutilized due to its inability to negate the numerous buttons for the navigation and audio system’s control, unlike BMW’s iDrive. And that’s a shame, given the number of features buried deep within the Acura’s systems. Likewise, the excellent chassis is impinged upon by the over-boosted electrically assisted power steering that provides too little feedback and requires too little effort. Thankfully, these flies in the ointment are easily remedied, and are so minor as to not be noticed by most drivers. One of, if not the most interesting looking sedan in its market segment, equipped with some absolutely stellar componentry and just about every gizmo under the sun, the TL SH-AWD simultaneously astounds in some aspects, and confounds in others. Of course, as enigmatic as it may seem to be, there’s one area in which the Acura comes through loud and clear: the price. Carrying a starting price of just $48,815, the TL SH-AWD offers an almost unparalleled quantity of features and performance for a very reasonable price. And that’s not confusing at all.