Blue's 2008 TL Type-S Review

[blue rocket]

TL Type-S Review - 600 miles

Well, i only needed 600 miles to give my review of my 08 TL Type S (Automatic) - needed to abuse the VTEC to give an accurate review! (hehe) Things may change later but here's what i have so far:

Right now, the TL Type Sis EASILY the best deal out there for a lower-end luxury car. Every option is included and i mean everything, the only thing that could possibly be missing is the vented seats. I added in the A-Spec front and rear aprons, the all season floor mats and the trunk mat. Sticker price was just over 40k and i ended up getting it for ~34,700 before TT etc. What a damn deal, seriously.

What you get with the S that you don't get with any other luxo car, IMO is the Honda fun factor. This thing is a blast to drive, almost as fun as the Si. It has tons of torque, a great handling feel to it and carves up curves without any issue. The ride is stiff and firm but VERY smooth, it's soo good infact that I do not plan on modifying the suspension (every car i have owned has had suspension done to it -- so take that for what it's worth).

The only thing that keeps me from saying it's the most fun car to drive is the gas mileage, while for what the car is, it seems pretty good, i do seem to drive slower and accellerate less because i feel like i can watch the fuel needle go down. With that being said, nearly 100% city driving is yeilding me around 21-22mpg, which isnt too bad at all! I need to take it on a highway trip to see how it can do, i've heard people saying you can get around 30 on the highway!

The car felt great revving it up to 4 or so grand, but i finally had the chance to VTEC this beast last night ~600 miles. WOW. First gear is tough to get through without bouncing off the limiter a few times, it revs too fast and smooth that before i can even pull the paddle shifter its pegging the limiter, finally shifting into 2nd the pull is wonderful and strong. It feels like the revs keep going and going, finally pulling the trigger again at 7 grand to hit third. The power delivery reminds me of my Evo without any boost needing to be built, needless to say, this car pulls and pulls strong. The paddle shifters shift VERY quick and accurate and are a blast to use, don't miss my 6 speed at all. The fact that you can downshift to 2nd at 50MPH is great and will allow you to have max power in any gear, the Auto w/paddles is not a gimmick. And the sound of the engine, intake and exhaust... it's aural pleasure at it's finest!

Interior:
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The interior is great, it looks great an is very ergonimically designed. The navi is truly amazing, you really have to use it to believe it, the rear view camera is cool, but not as functional as i had hoped, i do like the auto side view mirror tilt-down, that's really nice when close to a curb. The bluetooth and handsfree link is unbelieveable, you can speak as you normally would and this thing picks it up without error, conversations are crystal clear and loud, it's a great feature. I'm also enjoying the homelink, no more stupid garage door openers. Seats are great looking and pretty nicely bolstered, heated seats are also nice for the cold mornings. The ambient lighting and deep crimson glow at night just plain rocks. It almost looks evil inside, even the footwells glow a dark red, i love it! Carbon fiber trim and aluminum trim looks great even though it is synthetic. Interior room is very roomy, trunk is spacious and it's just plain comfortable. I enjoy the sensors that will de-fog the front window when it senses moisture (honda's are very prown to that damn fogging issue and the TL addresses it nicely!) The active noise cancellation seems to do it's job as the cabin is whisper quiet while driving on smooth roads, not a single rattle yet (hopefully it stays that way) and very minimal road noise, another nice job by Honda. My only gripes about the interior are that it's not that durable, the plastic trim when you get in and out of the car scratches easily (not from me, but the damn dealership) and my passenger side dash has some light scuff marks that arent that apparent, but enough to annoy me. Trying to cover them up with Nero or Lexol helps a bit, but they are still noticeable. If you don't have careless dealers and you are careful inside, you wont have an issue, but if you expect the materials to take abuse, you will be slightly disappointed.

Exterior:
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Paint quality seems good, even though i already have a few minor rock chips, nearly 0 swirls on the Kinetic Blue Pearl paint. Everything lines up nicely, nothing looks cheap or thrown on IMO. LED turn signals on the mirrors are nice, LED tails are awesome, BiXenons light up the road even better than my retros (although the cutoff sucks compared to my old retros). THe whole look of the exterior is what make me buy this car, i think it has some of the best styling in the whole market in my opinion, i absolutely love it. I added reverse LED lights and license plate LED's, i think those should come standard as it makes the car look MUCH better when they are illuminated. The wheels are also amazing (some people love em, some hate them - i love them!). The black chrome grill and accent pieces are also a very nice sporty touch. And the exhaust, oh the exhaust. Besides a Porsche turbo, they are the most aggressive, sick looking exhaust finishers i have ever seen, great job Honda! I'm happy they brough back the honeycomb grill as well, it's a timeless, sporty look that i missed in the Si, even the non-functional rear diffuser has the honeycomb and looks pretty hot!

Overall Pro's and Cons:
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PROS:
- Great power, tons of torque -- is this really a Honda?
- Great brakes, tons of stopping power
- amazing naviagation, BT and Homelink
- wonderful styling, timeless in my opinion
- great, crisp handling
- awesome headlights, happy they included fogs as well
- rediculous 5.1 stereo, best i have heard yet!
- great interior treatments for the type-s, carbon fiber, red ambient lighting, two tone leather
- best bang for you buck in the world IMO
- F*ck AWD, this FWD barely drives wonderfully, if you own it, you can tell why Honda kept it as a FF layout, IMO no need for AWD and even worse gas mileage and less power. Torque steer is almost non existent for a ~300 HP FF car!

CONS:
- cheap interior plastics (scratch too easily)
- that damn "i accept" navigation button!\
- tape deck? wtf seriously, it's an eyesore!
- i miss seeing the redzone begin at 8000 RPM's, oh well!
- having a car payment again, boooooo!


Did i miss anything, probably. My recommendation, if you can afford one of these, get it while you can. I think this is as perfect of a 4 door luxo-sports car as you can buy, who knows what the 09 will bring, bit i couldnt be happier with this purchase.

If you don't believe me, believe Tsuchiya!
Drifting Videos | Car Racing Videos - GT Channel - USDM Car Review / Acura TL Type S 1 of 4

[Leonard1818]

nice review. I envy you!! Got any more pics? Perhaps of the inside as well?

Thanks for taking the time to do the write up!

[blue rocket]

All my pics are here:

Type Sick.

None really of the interior yet, ill try to get some!

[Leonard1818]

Originally Posted by blue rocket

All my pics are here:

Type Sick.

None really of the interior yet, ill try to get some!

That thing is Bad ASS. When are you gonna get an Si badge for it? :

[I<3MyHonda]

Great Write up bluee...that thing is sexy, my cousin has a TL but, not a Type-S and WTF is that up there?!?! Mazda6 Si? VTEC come with that too? zoom zoom.....

[mattsbobo]

Great review Blue

That's one sexy car you've got there. That's definitely the color I would have bought. The only thing that would have made your car look better, is if you could get those bad ass Acura brake calipers in red.

[02em2ex]

i love that car

[HondaFamilyMan]

Nice write-up. Even nicer car.

Now where are you gonna put yer stickers?

[taffy07si]

Originally Posted by Leonard1818

That thing is Bad ASS. When are you gonna get an Si badge for it? :

LAWL!!!




Anwyay I envy you BLUE!!! I guess our money helps with the car payment huh?

[citizh]

nice review
i didnt know they came with paddle shifters, awsome

[ocdcivic]

Originally Posted by blue rocket

[b]

It feels like the revs keep going and going, finally pulling the trigger again at 7 grand to hit third. The power delivery reminds me of my Evo without any boost needing to be built, needless to say, this car pulls and pulls strong.

Bold statement comparing it to an Evo, I had an Evo as well and I don't think ANY car in its class/power range pulls as hard 3rd.

Haven't driven a Type S yet, but if it reminds you of the Evo then I know what it feels like

[atruhondagrl]

Thanks for the write up Blue. The TL-S in auto has made it onto my replacement list for next year and I wanted to see someone's review of it. Thanks again. This helped a lot.


As for the tapedeck, I'm sure you've seen the age of the average Acura customer. 50+ lol. Whether or not they are stylish folks who like life a little less Lexus refined, grab life by the balls and go with it, they still want to hear their favorite Sly and the Family Stone or Kenny Loggin's album. I'm sure they have tape organizer galore back home. lol. Acura is just trying to keep the car neutral for the younger and older age groups.

[Leonard1818]

Originally Posted by atruhondagrl

Thanks for the write up Blue. The TL-S in auto has made it onto my replacement list for next year and I wanted to see someone's review of it. Thanks again. This helped a lot.


As for the tapedeck, I'm sure you've seen the age of the average Acura customer. 50+ lol. Whether or not they are stylish folks who like life a little less Lexus refined, grab life by the balls and go with it, they still want to hear their favorite Sly and the Family Stone or Kenny Loggin's album. I'm sure they have tape organizer galore back home. lol. Acura is just trying to keep the car neutral for the younger and older age groups.

Yeah, but my RSX-S had a tape deck too. And that WASN'T marketed to the older generation.

[atruhondagrl]

Originally Posted by Leonard1818

Yeah, but my RSX-S had a tape deck too. And that WASN'T marketed to the older generation.

And?

[Anubis]

Great write up and great car! I am glad you got one man, and great choice on the color. Also, glad you chose the A-spec front and rear as it makes the car look much more agressive.


enjoy it man, and have as much fun with those paddels as I do.

[dnv]

Si badge, i lol'd.

[I Vtec, do you?]

Love that car. I used to hate paddleshifters, but after using them in the BMW 3 series, I think my next car might have them.

Kind of sucks that my dad spent 30 grand on a freaking EX-L accord when he could've had a TL-S for just a bit more. Guy needs to learn to listen to me

Beautiful car man, hope some day I have something like this sitting in my garage