Photos of 2004 Acura TL with cntr channel for dvd-a

[Andy N]

See this link for photos of the new Acura TL that comes equipped with 5.1 dvd audio. Ordered mine this month can''t wait till Oct.<BR><BR>http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=120262

[jstwong]

Well, interesting pics of the new car design. Perhaps it is just me, but I don''t particularily care for the squared off look that it is sporting at the rear of the car. Not that I don''t like an angled / squared look, but there is just something that is turning me off there... No offense intended...<BR><BR>On an audio note... The new TL factory system will support DVD-A? Sounds like an enticing proposition for the audiophile crowd, though I wonder how much the extra quality of DVD-A will still be realized in a noisy environment like a car...

[beretsf]

How much Moolah for that beauty?

[elfstone]

<BR>
<DIV>I''ve been thinking about trading in the Silverado on a car, and this one was one of the cars I''ve been looking at. From what I can tell, it''s pretty much an Accord layout&nbsp;with some redesigning and a few mechanical tricks added. The only engine available is a 4 banger iVTEC that puts out around 200 hp. It''s a fairly smooth engine for a 4 banger, but it does get buzzy around 5000 rpm. It''s not exceptionally quick off the mark either, but once you get the groove going, it goes.&nbsp;I was able to get it up to close to 110 mph before the salesman almost pissed on himself and begged me to slow down. From 70 to about 85 it gets kind of flighty, but once you hit over 85 it quiets down.&nbsp;That might just be an alignment issue. Overall, a pretty decent car. But for the same price (around $27 to $28K) an Accord V6 EX fully decked out is a better deal. Much quieter car. With the V6&nbsp;you get a&nbsp;more "luxury" feel than the Acura. Price-wise, a fully load Accord V6 EX is about the same as the Acura, but you get that ever so smooth V6 under the hood (and the really great 5 speed <EM>automatic</EM>). The only issue with the Accord is that the rear end is kind of ugly (but not as bad as the Camry). The sound system in the Acura (according to the salesman) is Bose, so make your own decisions. Nothing in the car had Bose on it so I couldn''t tell ya. </DIV>

[Andy N]

Elfstone <BR><BR>This is the TL which is around 32k-34k and has a 280 hp v-6. I have an 01 tl with a 225 and it drives great.

[rkkwan]

Yeah, elfstone is probably thinking of the TSX, which is a clone of the European Accord. Smaller car, more sporty, and harsher ride than the American Accords.<BR><BR>This TL looks too much like the TSX...

[Igore]

<BR>
<DIV>The Front is too much like that of the TSX.&nbsp; Great power though. Would that be the Type S version?&nbsp; I wonder what is its base engine.&nbsp; I recently purchased a base RSX and it''s quite impressive over my old 99 Jetta.&nbsp; Thanks for the pix.&nbsp; Andy did you ask permission to post the pix? It says something about not using the pictures without Lycos'' permission.&nbsp; hehehe Just curiuos!<BR></DIV>

[elfstone]

<BR>
<DIV>You are right, it is the TSX I was driving (all these damn things start to look alike today). Maybe I''ll check out the TL because I''m a little over the harshness of the 4 bangers. My Civic SI has the vtec and although it''s a good engine and produces the power, it''s a little crude. </DIV>

[Andy N]

Igore <BR><BR>The 280 HP is a standard version. Tne dealer made no mention to me of a type s being available for the 04 model year.

[jstwong]

Any manual transmission versions of the new TL planned? Admittingly I am in the market for a new car - well long term market as I don''t anticipate buying for about another year or so. But one of my criteria is a V6 engine with a manual transmission...

It might just be me, but does anyone else see that the rear end looks alot like a Cadillac CTS?

[jstwong]

Hmmm... Perhaps so... I was actually thinking that the tail lights reminded me of Infiniti''s G35 sedan...

[Andy N]

it will have the option of a 5 speed auto and a 6 sp manual

Many cars now are coming out with that option. I think they are finally starting to target consumers, generally guys, who like the option of a 6 speed manual in a car that doesn''t cost in excess of $80,000. Look at some of the cars now that include 6 speeds (Mazda 6, RX-8, I think even the Altima and Maxima have that option). <BR>

[jstwong]

Well, good to hear that it will be available with a manual transmission. I''m sure that I''ll end up checking it out eventually since my wife is a fan of Acura, and we already have a 2000 TL3.2...

[rkkwan]

Pretty lengthy review of the system in the new issue of "The Absolute Sound". While DVD-A sounds great, there are a few shortcomings. For example, the rear passengers will not appreciate it; and there are no DPL or other decoders for stereo source like the CD.

[conscious]

<BR>
<DIV>Thanks for the link, Andy.&nbsp; I liked the look of the the new TL.&nbsp; The front end is very much like the Mazda 6, IMO and the back end is reminiscent of the older Audi A4 (good) and the previous Maxima (definitely not good).<BR><BR>Ray, that''s interesting that they didn''t add PLII to the receiver as that would have made the stereo stuff more like the DVD-A.&nbsp;&nbsp; Maybe they didn''t want it to sound too much like DVD-A, if you know what I mean.</DIV>/idealbb/images/smilies/1.gif

[rkkwan]

The "Absolute Sound" article also says the player will not play the 2-channel MLP tracks on a DVD-A. After documenting the behavior of 2-channel DVD-A tracks last night - read my post in the "Audio" forum - I can understand why. I wonder what happens to a disc like "Pet Sound" which has three DVD-A tracks: multi, stereo & mono. It probably will ignore both the stereo and mono ones.

[Andy N]

I finally got to see and drive a demo TL on Sat. The car itself drives so much better than the 01 TL I have now and the interior is sweet. The car comes with a dvd-a sample disc that has a (moody blues?) song in cd version and then a dvd-a version which is a great improvement. The seperation of channels is accomplished suprisingly well considering it''s in a car. The front seat is better sounding than the front but it still is a huge improvement in sound clarity and the discrete channels are still identifiable. The navigation screen is huge and operates the entire car: ac, xm radio, cd/dvd-a, and bluetooth linked cell phone. Sweet car and definitely worth a trip to an Acura dealer to take a listen.