My ‘06 Acura TL went into the shop today for it’s 50k mile service and to take care of some other minor things. To my surprise I got a nice loaner for the day, a 2008 Acura TL with a Nav and automatic. Pretty close to my 06 just not a manual transmission.

It looks pretty much the same as mine, a few refreshes to the exterior, the gauges in the cockpit are nicely done, I like how they look, and the MID (multi information display) is much better. On mine it’s very bland lettering, I would describe it as alarm clock numbering format. The new one looks like a real font with smooth edges. The buttons to control the MID are moved from behind the steering wheel on the dash to being on the steering wheel itself. Nice change, I like it, no more feeling around with my fingers to find those darn buttons.

Of course I miss my manual, and driving this auto just further cements my absolute need for manual. I had the 2002 and 2003 TLs which offered nothing but automatic, and I could never go back. I am a manual stick shifter at heart. It is interesting to watch the tac and watch the shift points. Under low torque it will up shift around 1500 rpm, higher torque it holds out till close to 3100 rpm. The final-drive ratio is noticeably lower than my manual. At 80mph it’s only pushing 2000/2100 rpms, whereas my manual is pushing 2500/2600 rpms. Oh how I wish I had a seventh gear But on the flip side it doesn’t ever seem to downshift to assist with engine braking power, it’s 98% brakes to slow this auto down. And if you know Acura they are not known for having sufficient brakes on these heavy TLs. Essentially until recently it was the exact same rotor/pad/caliper setup that is used on the Accord lines. Hmm heavier car needs bigger brakes u’d think hehe

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Tags: acura