2004 Acura TL Price, Fuel Economy, Review & Road Test

The Acura TL was redesigned this year to compete with the likes of the Infiniti G35 and Lexus IS and, to a lesser degree, the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Audi A4. This list encompasses the who's who of premium compact sport sedans, so what anyone else brings to market had better be class-redefining. On paper, the TL looks strong, thanks to a 3.2-liter, 270-horsepower engine that delivers 238 pound-feet. We opted for a five-speed Sequential SportShift automatic, which prevented us from getting the stickier high-performance tires that are available only with the six-speed manual.

Acura packs its products with standard equipment and offers few options, preferring to denote cars with or without a nav system or a leather interior as separate models. Our "4DR NAVI" model, as it's listed on the window sticker, thus packed a navigation system with voice recognition, complemented by the HandsFreeLink Wireless telephone interface. The comprehensive audio package also includes XM Satellite along with audio/DVD Premium Surround Sound and the usual AM/FM/cassette/six-disc in-dash CD changer. On the safety front, our Abyss Blue TL boasts front, side, and curtain airbags. Premium Sport seats with perforated leather are matched to the Carmel-color interior. To date, the logbook has more than one entry mentioning that the TL seems styled in Italy; something of a Japanese Alfa 156? Ah, molto bene.

From The Logbook

"Honda knows how to do V-6s, and this one does everything right: it's smooth, powerful, economical, and boasts a Greenpeace-endearing emission rating."
--Matt Stone