First Driving Impressions of the 2007 Acura TL and TL Type-S

Monday, December 4. 2006
First Driving Impressions of the 2007 Acura TL and TL Type-S
 
Grab the wheel and hold on tight! Twist the new integrated key and remote. Blip the throttle. Cue the cool driving soundtrack. Feel the clutch start to engage. Stall the engine. Thus begins my first drive in the new TL Type-S 6-speed. To be fair, the new clutch and the increased torque of the 3.5 liter engine made this the only occurrence of this during my test drive.
This review has three parts, the 2007 TL, TL Type-S, and the TL Type-S with 6-speed manual transmission. Let's start with the standard TL.

When the new 3rd generation TL was introduced in the fall of 2003, it went to battle with the ES300s, G35s and 328s of the world. It was fully equipped and did a stellar job of meeting our customers demands for both luxury and performance. In 2007, just three short years, the automotive climate has changed. Lexus has the IS twins that (although very small) have upped the sport factor. This allowed the new ES to move more towards the luxury side of the spectrum. Infiniti has a new G35 and BMW has a new 3 series.
 
Acura developed improvements designed to keep the TL competitive in the face of this competition. Part of this two pronged approach was the introduction of the freshened TL. The double wishbone suspension continues and the car now has shocks that are about 8% softer for a more compliant ride. To compensate for this, the anti-roll bars have been beefed up and since they only affect the car when cornering, the net effect is a better ride with little loss in roll stiffness. Nice. The engine continues to be the 258 hp VTEC V-6 and the fuel economy rating remains unchanged at 20/29 city/hwy.

There are some cosmetic changes including a new grill with fog lights moved into the lower part of the bumper, and new daytime running lights. New split spoke 17" alloy wheels and LED turn signals integrated into the side view mirrors, help distinguish this car from previous TLs.
 
Inside there is a revised instrument panel with a higher resolution Multi Function Display and a new Air Conditioning display. The 6-disc ELS DVD-Audio system is updated to play discs encoded with WMA and MP3 music files, and features Dolby(R) Pro Logic(R) II and speed-sensitive volume compensation. A black (simulated) wood finish replaces the carbon fiber look from the 2004-06 cars.
 
Up next is the TL Type-S with a 6 speed manual transmission. The 3.5 liter VTEC V-6 (borrowed from the top of the line RL sedan) uses some of Acura’s most advanced engine technology all derived from our racing programs. The forged, balanced crankshaft and forged connecting rods insure the engine internals will be both strong and lightweight.
 
Oil jets are positioned under the pistons to help cool them and allow for an 11:1 compression ratio. There is a dual stage intake plenum that “splits” the V-6 into two banks of three cylinders for a resonance effect that enhances cylinder filling and improves torque. At higher RPMs, this butterfly valve opens to allow the engine to breath from one large intake plenum for maximum top end horsepower.
 
The close ratio 6-speed manual is similar to the one used from 2004-2006 but it has received a new bell housing to mate to the new 3.5 liter engine. While they were at it, the engineers specified high-strength steel gears with hollow input shafts. Brass multi-cone synchronizers are used on first through fourth gears to improve shift feel.
 
The new self adjusting clutch is designed to compensate for wear on the clutch disc by taking up the slack as the pressure plate is used up. The improved clutch mechanism incorporates a “clutch feel” compensation spring, which results in a more linear engagement throughout the pedal travel. As in the earlier 6-speed TLs, there are beautiful (and effective) Brembo front brakes and the manual transmission TL-S’ sport a helical limited slip differential to better manage power to the wheels.

The TL Type-S with an automatic transmission uses a modified version of the RL transmission. This has been enhanced to handle the power and anticipated “sportier” driver the Type-S will certainly attract. As a nice touch, automatic drivers will get the same Brembo brakes as the “shift it yourself” crowd! Automatic Type-S’ won’t have the limited slip differential but as you’ll read, this may not be that much of a problem.

The automatic TL-S has the same SportShift gear lever as we’ve used for the last few years. This has two gates that allow you to select regular “D” for drive or move to manual mode and control the gears yourself. As a nice bonus feature, there are now paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel. The right paddle is for upshifts, and the left for downshifts.

Driving impressions TL:
 The revisions to the 2007 TL have made quite an improvement in ride quality. There is more compliance over broken pavement, and a smoother ride. Is this Camry/Buick/ES350 smooth? Get serious. It’s still an Acura! Turn in is sharp and precise and the larger anti-roll bars keep unwanted body motions at bay. I particularly love the new 3 spoke steering wheel (shared by all ‘07’s). This allows for perfect hand placement and I like the way the leather wrapped wheel feels in your hand.

As soon as I pulled out of the driveway I could feel the difference. Is it a good difference? I guess that depends on your point of view. As a “sports car guy” I’m not generally looking for cars with a softer ride, however, as a sales consultant I realize that not everyone is looking to be “punished” by every pebble in the road! Let’s just say that if you view driving as a means to an end, but want something with more style and exclusivity than your “run of the mill” Camry, you’ll love the ’07 TL.

Driving Impressions TL Type-S Manual:
 While the standard TL is now only available with the new 5-speed automatic transmission, the TL Type-S is offered with an available close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission with a limited slip differential. As someone who has NEVER owned an automatic, it seems natural that I’d be all over this car. However, I must temper my enthusiasm because although the new clutch mechanism is significantly better than the 04-06 TLs, they still seem to engage a bit abruptly for my tastes. I’m confident that if it were my daily driver, I would adapt but jumping from S2000 to TL might require a bit of extra adjustment.
 

Once you’re under way you’ll find that the 6 speed really allows you to keep the engine EXACTLY where you want it for maximum control. The limited slip differential makes its presence known when you’re coming off a first (or second) gear corner. There is a gentle tug on the wheel as the differential allocates torque across the front axle. The engine control electronics detect the onset of traction loss and begin to dial back the power to insure you don’t have more than the wheels can deliver to the pavement.
 
I turned off the Stability Control and hit my favorite section of twisty road that features a tight 1st gear corner followed by a series of gentle switchbacks. I’ve driven this road thousands of times in every car we sell over the last 11 years but this was the first time I can recall nearly running out of road. Make that OFF the road. Seriously, I kept it on the black stuff, but it was quite a shock how quickly the power came on and launched me up the hill. This is a seriously quick sedan. The revs build furiously, and before you know it you’re out of revs in first gear and need a quick shift to second. All this is accompanied with the sweetest exhaust note from an Acura since the NSX.

Driving Impressions TL Type-S Automatic:
I will admit to some ambivalence to this car. To me, it seems like a bit of a contradiction. A performance car with a “slush box” couldn’t be a good combination, right? Wrong! The reality is that there is such an abundance of power, that automatic really doesn’t sacrifice much. The new transmission snaps off quick, smooth shifts, and in sport mode it’s even faster!

The new shift logic is improved from the SportShift in the regular TL. The addition of shift paddles behind the steering wheel are a welcome improvement. You can still change gears from the shift lever on the console, but you still have the counter intuitive (to me at least) “upshift by pushing forward problem.” In all race cars with a sequential shifter, you pull backwards to shift up a gear and push forward to down change. Why Acura decided to set it up this way is beyond me but at least you can ignore this with the paddle shift levers on the steering wheel.

On the road, the faster shift speeds enhance the sporty feel of the TL-S. The transmission even “blips” the throttle when you call for a lower gear. It makes you feel like Aryton Senna (almost). Naturally, if you’re in a tight turn and the steering wheel is upside down, the paddles are on the “wrong” side but you can still call for a gear change from the shift lever. Happily, the TL no longer automatically upshifts from 1st to 2nd for you. It will allow a little bumping on the redline before it makes the change to protect the engine. It also allows you to force a shift into first gear on a roll. In the earlier cars you nearly had to come to a complete stop to get first gear. Very nice.

Summary:
2007 TL. So how do I feel about the changes for 2007? It has a better ride, no loss in handling, and some nice detail changes. Exactly what Acura does best; offer well engineered vehicles that are fully equipped and competitively priced. For the standard TL it’s
Two Thumbs Up.

2007 TL Type-S Manual This is a mixed bag. I applaud the move to the 3.5 liter engine. I love the changes to the manual transmission to improve the clutch feel and the subtle styling changes don’t hurt either. However, I’m cool to the tugging that the limited slip brings to the party. The effect feels like torque steer, and indeed there may be a bit of this creeping into the handling equation.
One Thumb Up

2007 TL Type-S Automatic Updated in May, 2007 all Hawaii navigation systems are fully functional and the backup camera is a handy feature.  The TL-S Automatic was (strangely) my favorite. The paddle shifters allow you to keep both hands on the wheel which is important if you’ve got uneven pavement. It benefits from all the styling and suspension improvements and makes the most of the engines torque.
Two Thumbs Up