2008 Acura TL Review Summary
The Acura TL 2008 model is a very competent Upscale Midsize Car and ranks 6th by Allcarguides.com in its class and is a top choice if price is a big factor. The Acura TL is not as luxurious or as good a handling car as its competitors but certainly adequate in both areas and is by far the cheapest given the quality, performance and features. Forbes notes it is one of the best cars for its price. There are not many significant changes since major overhaul in 2007. The TL stands out as the only front wheel drive high performance compact luxury sedan and the Type- S trim delivers a very sporty feel. The Type-S has a more powerful engine, a sport-tuned suspension, more powerful brakes and more bolstered seats. However, even this highly responsive car is somewhat limited by the front wheel drive especially its handling when driven hard. The Acura TL provides great value as it provides many features as standard such as bluetooth, leather seating, power front seats, sunroof and that surround-sound system are included on all TL’s. Those features are usually options on rivals that typically cost more in both the base on when fully loaded. Yet it slightly lags in handling and performance when compared to its rivals. Fuel economy is on par with its competitors. The base model and TS achieve nearly identical mileage at 18/26 though the Type-S costs $4,500 more than the base model. The TL and Type-S offer 258 hp and 286 hp.
2008 Acura TL Review Handling
Most reviewers were very pleased with acceleration and handling and noted that despite being a front wheel drive car it handled very well. Though one credible reviewer said that the automatic transmission brought the fun factor of the Acura TL way down and suggested the manual transmission in the Type-S. The steering is described the Acura TL as very precise and the Acura TL’s cornering is also considered sharp. Braking and acceleration were both complimented by Washington Post. That being said, still not as “pure” as a rear wheel drive car was noted by some reviewers including RoadandTrack. Despite being a front wheel drive there is almost no “torque” steer eve at high RPMs noted a number of reviewers.
2008 Acura TL Review Safety
The Acura TL comes standard with stability and traction control, front-seat side airbags and full-length curtain airbags. TL gets five out of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for both frontal impact protection and rear side impact protection. Front side impact testing resulted in four out of five stars.
2008 Acura TL Noteworthy
Despite front wheel drive, there is little tendency to “torque steer” from this sporty drivetrain. Reviewers noted that the Acura TL is not as luxurious as the other luxury sports sedans but its materials are superb and they are combined in a very high quality build. Though the leather seats in the Type-S did receive one poor rating and was called too hard. Some reviewers, Forbes, noted that Acura's voice-activated navigation system is very easy to use while CNET indicated that cabin technology was not its strongsuit and a bit outdated. Unlike many of its competitors, the Acura TL does not offer an all wheel drive option.
