Road Test: 1999 Acura 3.2TL
America's best Japanese sedan?
Photography by the author
The best Japanese-branded automobile made in the United States may well be the all-new 1999 Acura 3.2TL, which offers luxury, acceleration, and panache rivaling the Cadillac Seville, yet with platformmate Honda Accord-style quality and reliability at a Pontiac Bonneville SSEi price. It's not hard to make that argument for the latest product of Honda of America Manufacturing's Marysville, Ohio, plant. (Before flooding us with examples you consider superior, make sure the domestic-branded car--or engine--you champion isn't made north of the border, eh?)
The new Acura TL boasts sport-flavored handling feel, milled-from-a-tungsten-ingot-solid chassis, an unbeatably long list of standard features (a satellite navigation system is the only factory option), and conservative-but-stylish bodywork that will remain tastefully attractive for years. Still, that list of brags is challenged by several other near-luxury cars. The TL's major advantage is its blue-light-special price: $27,950 for the completely equipped "base" model. Placed in a total market index fund, this 20-percent-plus savings over its prime opposition could go a long way toward paying for your next luxury car. Among the TL's few faults is its name, the only thing it inherited from its competent but forgettable predecessor. It's too bad Acura didn't bring back the Legend name, as the 1999 3.2TL matches or tops its dearly departed sibling in just about every category, including roominess and performance, while its price brings back fond memories of the Legend's 1987 debut.
1999 Acura 3.2TL
What's Hot:
·Nieman-Marcus luxury and quality at a Wal-Mart price
·Makes the original Legend chassis feel like al dente pasta in comparison
·Incredible list of standards
What's Not:
·TL name falsely links it to somnolent past
·Needs more aggressive tires
·Styling gets top rating from conservative union
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The TL's Anna, Ohio-built, 225-horse SOHC V-6, featuring variable-valve timing and a smooth-running 60-degree angle between cylinder banks, pushes the 3.2TL 0-60 mph in a quick 7.4 seconds. Though the TL offers a wonderful driving feel, its extreme handling numbers aren't impressive: At just 0.74 g on the skidpad and with a modest 63.5-mph slalom run, it begs for higher-performance rubber.
The best Japanese-branded U.S.-made car? We can debate that all day, but the 1999 Acura 3.2TL should make anyone's Final Four.
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