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Acura TL - A sharp car

I thought the combination of performance, quality, value, and driving enjoyment too great not to merit inclusion. So this new 2004 TL should have been a shoo-in. The crisp sheetmetal gives the TL a handsome and distinctive character. The new engine is more powerful, and there's a six-speed stick to satisfy the boy racer in all of us. The car's equipment levels are extraordinary, and the Elliot Scheiner stereo is an aural delight. But—and it's a big but—the TL has annoying torque steer. For me, that's a fatal flaw.

Acura's familiar formula—plenty of power, lots of baked-in luxury features - should make the new TL even more desirable than its successful predecessor. But there's a catch: 270 horsepower plus the limited-slip diff that goes with the six-speed manual produce more than a little torque reaction. It's only the limited slip doing its job, but that knowledge doesn't seem to soften the response of most who experience it. The TL competes in a segment dominated by rear-drive cars, and the horsepower ante keeps going up. Getting a front-drive car to keep pace requires exactly what Acura is serving up with the TL, but the recipe may be stretched beyond its limits.

The TL is what Acura is all about. Good looks, superb performance, great ride quality, loads of interior luxury, and all at a reasonable price. Dropped onto the Accord platform with beefed-up body rigidity, the TL employs a scrumptious V-6 with oodles of torque. And that tight, no-nonsense six-speed shifter is a gem, too. For some ungodly reason, though, the TL has picked up a wicked front limited-slip differential that produces unruly torque steer—even in third gear. Gonna be hard to beat the rear-drive Bimmers and G35s. Back in Japan, a Honda engineer said, "We focused on handling and performance this time, and we think we might have gone a little too far."

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2006 Acura TL

We love the car, only selling because we just bought a minvan. Never eaten in, no pets, non smoker, always garaged, no accidents, new tags, title in hand.

Zach Gagnon

For The Kitsap Sun Zack Gagnon enjoys playing baseball, but his real passion in life is cars, like his 1995 Acura Integra.