2009 Acura TL

For much of its existence, the fortunes of Honda’s Acura division has rested on the tires of one car, the TL. The TL showed the world that a mid-size front driver could be a benchmark sport-luxury sedan, and a technological bargain to boot. Well now the TL is back for an all-new fourth generation, with the most power ever. But there is a lot at stake with the new TL, so let’s see how else this new effort can wow us.

As the Acura sales leader, the TL is a critically important model. So, designers of the 2009 Acura TL made sure that it will not only give loyalists solid improvements on all fronts, but boast some new ingredients as well, like adding an all-wheel drive option.

Improvements start, however, with the basics, and a new chassis with a 15% boost in rigidity. The new TL is also larger. 1.4 inches more wheelbase, a big 6 inches added to length, and a wider front and rear track. TL styling has grown too, in this case, more aggressive. The controversial Acura gladiator shield grille is there, along with and angrier HID projector-beam headlamps. Standard fog lamps, and brake cooling ducts on all-wheel drive cars are housed down below.

The TL’s sleek profile is punched up with muscular wheel arches and expressive character lines, and the roofline gets faster as it moves toward the rear, where a shield-shape trunk and angular tail lamps mimic the front-end treatment.  An optional trunk-lid spoiler and either dual or quad exhaust finishers complete the TL’s cohesive outer show.

The entire package meets the pavement by way of 17-, 18-, or 19-inch alloy wheels. The new TL comes in two models: front-drive or Super Handling-All Wheel Drive. This is the first TL to offer SH-AWD, and it replaces the previous TL’s Type-S, at least for now.

The front-drive TL actually uses a 3.5-liter V6 similar to last year’s Type-S, de-rated slightly to 280 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque. Meanwhile, TL SH-AWD receives the most powerful Acura engine ever; a 3.7-liter V6 with 305 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. We expect 0-60 runs of about 5.5 seconds.

Both 6’s mate to a new Sequential Sportshift 5-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Handling hardware includes a double wishbone setup in the front and a multi-link geometry in the rear. Power steering assist is now electric, with the SH-AWD option using specific springs, dampers, and stabilizer bars.

Super Handling-All Wheel Drive has the potential of turning a great handling front drive sedan into a no-excuses performance four-door. As in the RL, RDX, and MDX, it includes a trick rear differential to direct extra torque to the outside rear wheel in a turn. This over driving of the outside rear wheel produces a yaw moment that pivots the car into the corner, thus reducing under steer.

We drove the TL SH-AWD on the non-descript suburban roads of western Connecticut.  Not the ideal place to experience all of the car’s attributes. But, we still got a sense of how flat it is in the corners, and how confident it feels in high speed sweepers. Stopping power comes from 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS and Brake Assist. All-wheel drive adds brake booster tuning and cooling ducts to cope with more spirited driving, as well as Hill Start Assist.

Step inside the new TL to an upscale cabin with a civilized twin-cockpit layout. The sculpted lines and metallic trim really rejuvenates the TL’s atmosphere. Larger dimensions allow for more leg and shoulder room too.

Gauges are large and clear, while controls are overall smart-looking and well-organized. The center stack is still fussy but it’s an improvement over the MDX.

Like previous TL’s, most everything is standard. That includes heated leather sport seats with 10-way power for the driver and 8-way for the front passenger, push button start, dual zone climate and hands free phone link.

The Technology package adds a 440-watt 10-speaker stereo, navigation, rear-view camera, real-time traffic, and weather maps, all seen on a larger 8-inch display.

Standard occupant safety comes from six airbags, while the three-person rear seat is now slightly larger than before. Cargo space has also grown by about 6% to 13.1 cubic feet, room enough for four golf bags.

Preliminary Government Fuel Economy ratings are 18 city/26 highway for the TL, and 17 city/25 highway for the TL SH-AWD. Prices were not available when we went to tape.  However, the base TL is expected to start around a bargain $34,000.

Yes, we are wowed. Acura has once again pulled out all the stops to make the 2009 TL a high value luxury-sport sedan leader. Along with the new TSX, the TL gives Acura a four-door twosome that combines driving dynamics and domestication better than any other brand. The addition of SH-AWD is just icing on the cake. And we’d slice pavement with the new TL any day of the week.