<This is a rather thorough review, so if you just want an overall opinion, skip to the bottom>

Background:

My parents purchased this vehicle used in August of 1999 as a replacement for our aging 1989 Mazda MPV minivan. My mother wanted a newer vehicle for our yearly trip up to Montreal, Quebéc to drop me off for school at McGill University. She had lost confidence in the Mazda as it was getting on in miles (150K+) and had lost a belt while I was driving it back from Michigan in May (which I feel is not that surprising for a car of this age...). Anyway, now you know the background, and I can get on with the review --


1996 Acura TL 2.5 & 3.2

TL SERIES HISTORY:

The TL series of Acura cars was introduced in 1996 to replace the Vigor line of cars which had never sold as well as the Legend or Integra series. The Vigor was meant to be a sporty, near luxury type of sedan between the sporty Integra and the more staid Legend sedan. The TL, meant to represent Touring Luxury, carries on this line with a strong engine and more hard-tuned suspension. As you may or may not know, the most recent evolution of the TL series, introduced in 1999, has been praised for its hard to beat combination of performance, luxury, style, and value. What of the the middle evolutionary step between today's TL and the earlier Vigors?

The 2.5 TL comes with a 2.5 L I-5 engine. This means the five cylinders are arranged in a straight, or inline fashion. This is the design of engines used in BMW automobiles. The 3.2 TL is a V-6 engine. The six cylinders on this engine are arranged into two banks of three cylinders each. This arrangement is used on many of today's popular American and foreign cars. Besides the difference in engines, the other main differences between the cars are wheel size (15" vs 16", I believe), suspension setup (slightly firmer for the 'sportier' 2.5), and standard cast wheel design.

Exterior:

I feel the exterior of the car is stylish and rather sporty. At four years old, it no longer looks like the newest cars off the lots, it still is an attractive car. (What can one really say about the exterior of a car?) The ridge which runs forward and down the sides of the car give it an inclined, sporty look, though not to the point of 'wedgi-ness'. To compare it to the other cars we looked at when we were shopping for it, I found it to be more visually appealing than the Infinity I30, which in my opinion, is little more than a rebadged and regrilled last generation Nissan Maxima, at least visually. The I30 is nowhere near the beauty the the previous generation J30 was (but that is a story for another time). I also found the car to be much more appealing than the Lexus ES 300, in my head the pasteurized cheese of Japanese high-end model cars: reliable in its sameness and lack of excitement. The one car I feel competed with it visually was the Audi A4 (or the A6, a beautiful car, but easily $15K over what we were shopping for). The exterior of the A4 resembles a sort of eagerness, poised, ready to go, all in a tidy German package. None the less, the TL is a very attractive car.

Interior:

The inside of a car is what makes or breaks it. You can have the most beautiful exterior or the most powerful yet refined engine, but if the interior isn't up to snuff, you won't be selling to anyone beyond those with a true passion or borderline obsession with automobiles. In this respect, our TL does very well. One or two complaints, but overall an excellent package.

Seats: The front seats in the TL are quite comfortable. They are both very sculpted, leather bucket type seats. The drivers seat is electronically controlled, 8-way adjustable by the click of two easy to use switches. The front passenger seat has non-electric adjustments. A lever in front to adjust lateral movement, and a handle on the side to control back inclination. The rear seats, also leather, carry on the bucket seating, though to a lesser extent. There is a fold-down arm rest in the middle of the seat with a pass-through to the trunk. The foot-room in the rear is more than adequate while still leaving plenty of foot room for the front seat occupants. The rear does accommodate three adults, though the quarters start to get tight.

Driver controls: The steering wheel, probably the most important part of the controls, is situated a comfortable distance from the driver. The angle of the steering wheel is controlled with a lever on it's right side, similar to that on the Neon. It's easy to set at a level comfortable for you. The wheel has the standard horn buttons on it, as well as buttons to accelerate/decelerate the cruise control. These buttons are situated so they are easy to use.

To the left of the steering wheel are controls for the mirrors, brightness of the displays, sunroof, fog-lamps, and activation of the cruise control.

To the right of the wheel is the stereo and climate control system. The climate control system is controlled by five buttons and one knob. The knob sets the interior temperature while the buttons control internal/external ventilation, vent level, auto/manual control of the climate, and the like. The knob is simple to use, while the individual buttons to control the interior are a little small for control while driving but manageble. When controlling the fan level, you must cycle all the way through the system if you want to say, go from level 2 to level 1. Small complaint, but a little annoying.

The CD/Cassette/Radio controls are under the climate control system. The sound of the factory system is very good, with strong sound from all speakers. The CD player is controlled by a toggle-type switch, which you flick up or down to move through the tracks. No random or repeat play. The cassette player is an auto reverse with the Dolby noise reduction features. The radio can have 12 FM preset stations, and 6 preset AM stations. I find the volume and the bass adjustment knobs to be slightly touchy.

The automatic transmission handle (no option for manual) is located between the passengers and is easy to operate; the same goes for the parking brake. There is space for two drink holders under a flip-up cover, a coin tray in place of an ashtray, a power outlet/cigarette lighter, and a split level storage bin between the front seats. In the top area is space for pens, glasses, small sheets of paper and whatnot. Beneath it lie space for larger items, CDs, cassettes, or whatever else you might want to store there.

In front of the passenger seat is a glove box (which my mom currently has to the point of just barely not overflowing). It is large enough to hold 5 - 8 CDs or other documents.

Each door has controls for the electric windows. The driver's door has switches for all four windows, as well as a lockout feature. The driver door window button also has a one-touch lowering feature.

On the floor to the left of the driver are controls to remotely open the trunk and the gas door.

I find the interior of the car quite pleasing. Other than the small complaints about the climate and stereo systems, my only other dislike is the plastic wood used inside. Though nowhere near as horrendously awful as that used on American cars, for the original price of the vehicle, I feel it could have been real.

Driving and Riding:

I find driving the TL to be quite a pleasure. The car is responsive and corners well; I find it always urging me on. The engine is not a 5 second 0-60 MPH machine, but it is torquey enough, and opens up at the top end when you punch the accelerator, just like all Honda engines do. It isn't a monster like the Lexus GS 400 V8 engine is, but it will certainly get you moving. The car shifts reasonably smoothly under acceleration. The gauges are well laid out and easy to read while driving. The car cruises comfortably anywhere from 60 to 90 MPH (not that we ever speed!). The power steering is responsive, and I feel transmits a decent amount of information to the driver. It is perhaps a very small bit on the light side for the racing driver wanna-be inside me, but still works very well.

One of my favorite things about driving the car is the excellent visibility available from the drivers seat. I feel I have an excellent view both forward and behind me. This is in stark contrast to the feel I get when I've driven the GS 400. That vehicle feels more tank-like, with high, fortified sides, and more restricted point of view.

Gas mileage for the car is roughly 22 mpg city and about 25 mpg highway. (These numbers could be off, but they are what I seem to recall from the trip)

My only complaint about driving aspect of the car is the way it stops accelerating when you take your foot off after quick acceleration. There is detectable movement forward, kind of as though the car is saying, "Oh, right, I should back off now." It's not a lurch forward, so to say, but is still detectable.

The braking system on the car is a 4 disc brake system. It stops the car quickly and surely. I have never had to use the anti-lock feature of the braking system.

As a passenger, the car is very comfortable. I had no trouble sleeping in the back seat for the 20+ hour trip up to Montreal last year. As well, the front passenger seat is comfy, snug, and easy to read or sleep in.

Reliability:

Thus far, we've had no troubles with the TL, nor do we expect any, with the record of reliability Honda/Acura cars have.

Overall:

I would recommend this car to anyone who was looking in the used sedan market. The TL has proven to be quick, reliable, comfortable sedan and has been a wonderful addition to the family garage. All of it's traits at it's current street price $12K - $17K depending on milage, make for a hard to beat value in the used car market.