Is There Any Reason To Buy an Acura TL Now That the TSX Has an Optional V6?

By Jim Hamel

Jim Hamel

BIO

I am now the editor for one of High Gear Media's newest and most exciting sites called "InsiderCarReviews.com." I road test brand new vehicles each... More

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2008 Acura TL

(Starting at $34,850)Upon its release last year the latest version of the Acura TL was treated to a cavalcade of horrified gasps and groans when fans of the brand saw the styling of the once highly attractive four door near-luxury sedan. What were people saying was wrong with the new TL? Well, to put it politely, the new TL had an overgrown beak larger and more disturbingly disproportionate than something found on a duck billed platypus. Sales took an understandable nose-dive.

To try and fix this issue somewhat Acura has now shoehorned the same 3.5 liter V6 from the TL into the engine bay of the far more attractive TSX sedan (previously only available with a 201 horsepower 2.4 liter 4 cylinder). So now the basic TL has an MSRP only about $400 over the top of the line V6 TSX. Who in their right mind would pay more for a less well equipped and far more hideous TL now that the TSX V6 exists?

This makes you wonder why Acura did not instead decide to do a quick redesign of the front end of the TL. Just by making the front grille smaller by about 50% I guarantee that it will mesh far more cohesively with the side and rear styling of the vehicle which is in truth quite attractive. My advice to Acura is to keep the V6 engine option available on the TSX, restyle the TL and (while upping the standard feature count) raise the base price. Having two very similar sedans in your luxury roster separated by a mere $400 is both short sighted and stupid. Come on now Acura. This is some shoddy product planning that is so bad it would even embarrass the powers that be at Lincoln.