Good. I wish manual transmissions were optional on everything. I understand why they aren’t (very few of us real drivers left and autos are pretty good now), but in my utopian society, they would be.

Thats good news,but i still think the new Tl is ugly as hell.I wish there were these option with the previous model.

I think the 2004-2007 TL offered a 6 speed manual gearbox and then in 08 when the Type S model was around the 6 speed was dropped from the base and offered on the type s Of course they didnt have shawd but you can still find a manual previous generation TL if you look hard enough
I like small cars (coupes preferably) with manuals Mid size and large cars with manuals dont seem right to me
I cant wait to see the new TL at my local Acura dealer I may have to get one

Eat that Maxima. 4 door- fake shifting CVT glorified Altima- sports car my butt.

@1115 I know they offer the 6speed MT on those model because I own a 2004 6speed, great car but could be better with the SH AWD

It takes gots 2 put a sticjk in a “luxiury car” 4 the USA.
But
Acura STILL SUCKS!!

The Maxima is a lot better

i really hated this car before because of how hideously they redesigned it but now i only modestly hate it… good job acura

So when can the “sports cars” go back to RWD like they should be?

Hey “beatusmongous,” I agree with your opinion in that manual should be available on most cars but your ignorant statement that follows is just too much for me to stay quiet about considering you are referring to my generation of drivers. So I would like to know what constitutes a “real” driver; just knowing how to use a stick? You refer to yourself as a “real” driver yet what makes you any more real than me or any other enthusiast? F1, Le Mans, BTCC, WTCC, DTM, SuperGT, etc, etc; these sections of motorsport represent the highest forms of driving on earth, yet not a single driver in these series uses a manual transmission. I would like you to simply reflect upon what you have said here today and the lunacy of it because then you may learn that being a “real” driver is a lot more than knowing how to play with a stick. I would like to settle once and for all this ongoing dispute between manual drivers and automatics. What does it really matter how you drive your car so long as you drive it? If you and I had a race using our respective transmissions and I was to win would that make it hollow? Yes it takes more driver to car relation when using a manual but now we have faster and more efficient ways of moving and through the use of paddles and shiftgate autos we have taken human error out of the driving equation at least when it comes to shifting. Manual will always have its place because of the whole experience of using it however I wish manual drivers could also accept the fact they all drive novelties around now and the new autos in today’s world deserve respect too because they are amazing feats of engineering. It is not the transmission, the car, or anything else that dictates skill, but the driver. Electronics play a big part in a lot of cars now a-la GT-R but just because that is so doesn’t mean that a baby could drive a GT-R, even with its gizmos it is still a 480hp twin turbo beast. What I am saying is that a true drivers skill comes from his instinct; the way he carries his lines, where he chooses to brake, where he chooses to accelerate, and where he chooses to go full throttle when others are hesitant. These are the only constant factors in a drivers life. A driver’s car, transmission, location, etc, are all merely factors; variables in an equation where the driver’s skill is the only TRUE constant.

I think the next batch of Acuras will be RWD based I think they have to do it to further differentiate it from Honda and move upmarket like they intend on doing
Chris I have the chance to drive a previous gen TL and I loved it I also drove the previous TSX and it wasnt mearly as good as its older brother I would love to drive the current TSX to see what improvements were made

beatus: if we’re novelties I want to be the fake doggy doo or maybe the whoopee cushion.

Anyone shopping this segment will be much better off with a Buick Lucerne or Cadillac CTS. Nobody buys import crap anymore and Americans would much rather drive a GM product.

Jap Crap

@1115, I had a 2008 TSX for a loaner and love it,that car has improved a lot from the previous gen. But I still can’t get over what they did to the new Accord sedan and the TL

Wow, seems like beatus really struck a nerve with F3INT))AP3X. But, in the end, I think F3INT is making a different argument than beatus is. What F3INT is saying is true… when you want to inventory the current technology for the highest performing driving, there’s no manual transmission in the picture.

But where I think F3INT falls off point is then arguing that the true test of a driver is by seating him (or her) in a car with all the tech in the world and catologing his drive lines, brake points, wide open throttle, etc. as his mettle as a driver. All of that is important, but a race car driver skilled in a manual transmission can sit behind the wheel of an E-gear, PDK, Tiptronic, 4matic, SMG, and any other paddle-****ed or auto gear box and work wonders with the car. Besides, many people think technology saps the necessary skill out of drivers. Commentators routinely point out that the worst F1 driver would likely out qualify your everyday pole-sitter if allowed to drive his car (think, Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes).

The difference is, the race driver skilled only in “automatics” and not stick-shifted manuals will lose all of his gusto when driving a manual transmission. A true master of a manual will add much more to his driving or racing experience than those simply waiting for a brake point, braking hard, and triple downshifting before getting on the gas, because that stick shifter will have a lot more to think about than just drive lines. There is a connection to the road and car that stick shifters experience that slush boxers simply can’t. If your point, F3INT is that you don’t have to be a stick shifter to be an enthusiast, well, with technology and motorsports being as they are today, then I say, fair point.

But, for those of us who only drive sticks, who like dropping it into third for that special highway burst at speed, who get juiced by a spot on heel-and-toe hard right, well then, there will always be a special fraternity for us. And, I’m sorry, F3INT, ya gotta be able to work both legs when you drive to be a member….

And for the record, I drive an ‘05 TL. Yeah, I got the navi, cuz I think it’s cool, and oh so handy when I’m driving around for my job. But, I’m a man, so ya wanna call me a dumb ass for dropping 2 large when a $300 Garmin would do the same trick, so be, I can take it…. But no way I was leaving that dealer lot without a six-speed stick in the palm of my hand….

Need more oil for GM the TL is made in the US. In fact, with very little effort one can find several models by GM that are not made in the US. Example: Impala, Monte Carlo and the Equinox are made in Canada. The Aveo, made in Korea. Need more oil for GM, are you suggesting we all need to drive american made pickups? At least some of these japanese companies chose to build cars here in the US. GM sold out some American jobs to Canada.

I would just rather pay the 2k and have the nav the back up cam and the piece of mind knowing that Im not a cheapskate when it comes to loading my car

If I were getting a lesser car that doesnt have navi already available then I would opt for the cheapo plug in, put on your dash, and leave it there so some idiot can break in your car to steal it navi. Otheriwse Im loading my car up with every option

Chris – I dont know what you mean by what they did to the new TL The only thing they did are positive The shield is for brand recognition. Read the book “The Brand Mindset ” and you will understand. I was into the new Accord until I saw the Mazda 6. If Mazda didnt have all the FoMoCo DNA I would consider it over the Accord

I would have to drive both cars and see which one I would get. I will say I would not buy the new TL without the SH AWD and the nav. The TSX needs a Type S version with the RDX engine and the SH-AWD for 35k right where the base TL starts at

Sorry, F3, I didn’t realize that by saying “very few of us real drivers left”, I somehow only meant “me.” That wasn’t my intention. And no, I’m not saying people that drive manuals are the only real drivers. I was referring to people that actually LIKE to drive, and I feel safe to say that everyone on this site is in that group. I don’t care what kind of transmission you choose, only that you actually enjoy driving. When I say there are few of us left, I mean it. Very few people actually enjoy driving anymore, and they’d rather do other things like talk on their phone, eat, do their makeup, and so on. Most of the people I know actually feel driving is a burden.

Sorry I wasn’t more clear in my statement.

Well if that is your true point then I would definitely have to agree! I use a lot of my money on gas because I offer to drive anywhere 9 times out of 10 and I know what you mean by “few of us” because I only have maybe 1 friend who would just drive around the mountains all day with me in his own car.

Yeah, that was my true point. And seeing my first comment, I can see how unclear I was. I’m kicking myself, and wishing LLN had installed an “edit” button. I should have said, “Very few of us left that like to drive”.

6 speed manny doesn’t turn a FWD car into a driver’s car, any more than AWD does. TL is a great car but it’s not a driver’s car.

Need more oil for GM, that explains why about 60% of America drives imports *sarcasm*.

Offer a new front end first.

They do need to put the RDX motor in it, I was totally unimpressed with Honda motors until I drove that one.

wow this car is pretty appealing now, I may just stop by an Acura dealer in a few months

Im sooo tired of all these “luxuary” “sport” sedans. They are all just boring ass family cars with a bunch of crap you dont need in them. Eveyone that buys these things are just trying to outdo their neighbors in showing what a great car they think they have. Nissan and acura both can suck it.

Manual transmissions offer more control, end of argument. At the end of the day, anybody who enjoys driving is going to have more mechanical control over an automatic, including a CVT or manually activated auto or whatever… Simpler to fix, cheaper, more efficient. My personal thing though is not a manual. Yes, most automatics are as fast if not faster than manuals, but still remain heavier and from what I hear, these automatics with manual shifting modes are extremely painful and expensive to repair.

Any of you boneheads ever drive one of these things? The manual transmission is one of the slickest in the industry and Acura does an amazing job of minimizing torque steer in their front wheel drive vehicles.

Acura is so lost its sad. I have less and less interest in Acura with each new model release. Hopefully they will reverse the trend. But someone kill the designers of that grill and give Subie back their STI front fenders.

Scarface rocks!!

A stickshift accord.

ktulu: you can’t spell, but you’re right.
RaineMan: “So when can the “sports cars” go back to RWD like they should be?” yeah, that’s what i wanna know.

tripleonefive: if the next batch of A—-s will be RWD, that’ll differentiate the brand from from Honda
Need more oil for GM: “Anyone shopping this segment will be much better off with a Buick Lucerne or Cadillac CTS.” Correct! “Nobody buys import crap anymore.” WRONG!

howsmydriving: “TL” is neither a great car nor a driver’s car.