The 2014 Acura TL is the focal point of the Leith Acura Cary showroom, residing in the center display spot. The whole space is an altar to Acura’s acuity, highlighting a long tradition of excellent automobiles. Leith has captured the overall aesthetic of Acura in its showroom design as well. It’s a room that combines contrasting bright and dark surfaces, high-minded seating areas, and sharply dressed sales representatives.
Helping us get acquainted with the TL was Brad Rogers. Brad is from Chapel Hill originally and has been with Leith Acura for two years. Before that he served in the United States Navy and worked in the hospitality industry. What’s important is that Brad has driven Acura’s ever since he got his license. His first car was an ’89 Integra, and he’s been devoted ever since. Brad gets especially excited whenever he has a chance to introduce someone to Acura for the first time, so we were grateful to be driving with him.
Without further preamble, Brad grabbed the keys and led us to a TL waiting out front.
Razor Sharp
When you look at an Acura, the first thing you notice is the angles. While most other brands are moving toward corners that have been sanded down and edges that are smoothed over, Acura rejects such child-proofing in favor of a sharp, dramatic exterior. Their cars look like they cut through the wind and leave lacerations on the road in their wake.
The 2014 TL may be the embodiment of this design philosophy. Ours has a glossy coat of white paint and so much chrome. Chrome on the distinct Power Plenum grille. Chrome bordering the side windows. Chrome along the bottom edge of the trunk lid. Chrome dual exhaust tips. The styling allows the TL to shine in a literal sense in addition to its many other merits. Xenon HID headlamps play a part, too.
In the back, the TL’s trunk is fairly large for a sports sedan, enough for some luggage with a bit of girth. The back seats do not fold down, but there is a pass-through window behind the armrest if you need to transport something longer like skis or golf clubs.
Pop the hood and you’ll see the outer casing of a 3.5-liter VTEC V-6 engine, which delivers 280 horsepower and 254 foot-pounds of torque. It’s made entirely of aluminum and has a hollow camshaft to reduce overall weight, and it’s hooked up to a high-flow exhaust system. Everything else is covered up like you would expect in a sports car, providing noise insulation and keeping the engine clean. A 3.7-liter V-6 is also available for a power bonus, and you can choose between a six-speed automatic transmission and a six-speed manual.
Sound Design
Brad opened the driver’s side door to let us get settled in while he took a seat on the passenger side to show us around the interior. The first thing you notice sitting down is the wealth of soft surfaces. Plush Milano leather covers not only the seats, but also the center armrest, the door insets, the steering wheel, and much of the dashboard. Metallic accents fill in the gaps, giving the center stack and shifter definition, and throughout there is a pleasing contrast of light and dark materials.
Slipping into the driver’s seat, we found it very easy to get comfortable. The seat had 10-way powered adjustment with memory settings – the passenger’s seat is 8-way – and two levels of heating. You can also upgrade to ventilated seats with the Advance Package. Sitting there we felt enveloped by the car. It’s not claustrophobic – it just fits.
We really like how the central display is put together. While touchscreens are nearly ubiquitous today, Acura has opted for an intuitive rotary scroll wheel. The screen itself is higher up on the dashboard than most cars’ and recessed in a way that puts it into your peripheral vision, minimizing the degree to which your eyes would have to leave the road. The rest of the console is made up of the TL’s dual-zone climate controls and a CD player. If you’re looking for power outlets, there’s a 12-volt outlet underneath the armrest and another one tactfully concealed behind a sliding cover next to the shifter.
With the Technology Package, this TL had a full array of features including GPS navigation, Bluetooth phone pairing, and a 15 gigabyte hard drive. You have voice controls for all of the above, and you can tell the car where you want to go even when you’re in motion. The navigation system also includes a unique weather forecast and radar system. Any CDs you put in can be copied to the hard drive. There’s also a USB input if you’d rather listen to music on your MP3 player.
Regardless, you’re going to want to be listening to music when you drive the TL. Acura’s partnership with ELS Studio Premium Audio Systems gives you one of the best mobile surround systems on the market. We asked Brad about the speakers and he responded by picking a song and cranking the volume. Each of the ten speakers cycled on in order, bathing us in a lush, 5.1 surround soundscape. We say he cranked the speakers, but we found out that they were only outputting a third of their power. If you’re looking at a TL, you’ve got to get these speakers with it.
Going Out on Top
With a firm grasp of what the TL is inside and out, all that was left for us to do was put the car in gear and see how it handles the road. Well, perhaps it would be more accurate to say “how the road handles the TL.”
With barely any pressure on the gas pedal, we whipped out of the dealership and down the road. “Don’t be afraid to drive it like you own it,” said Brad. “Dare” is part of Acura’s campaign this year, and he was daring us to push it. It’s a very responsive ride with quick pickup and easy braking. The steering is some of the smoothest we’ve encountered, allowing us to take crisp, clean turns. Though it’s a six-speed transmission, you’ll barely notice unless you want to. The TL’s Sequential SportShift paddle shifters can be used in either Drive or Sport mode, and with the computer monitoring the gearbox, you won’t have to worry about tearing anything up.
One of the reasons Brad probably felt so comfortable telling us to push the TL is its five-star crash-test safety rating. The Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure utilizes eight-point crumple zones to distribute the energy of an impact away from the passenger compartment. There’s also a six-airbag system in place to brace occupants.
Now, Acura has a wide array of quality sedans to choose from, so we asked Brad, what makes people choose the TL? After driving it, we were hardly surprised by his answer: Performance. While the ILX gives Acura adoptees a robust entry-level experience, and the RLX represents the very best that the brand has to offer, the TL is a car that is meant to be driven. People who want a sportier, less pampered feel will opt for the TL thanks to the extra control and grip on the road it provides.
Of course throughout the drive, there was an elephant crammed into the back seat. We’ve said plenty about the upcoming 2015 TLX, a car that is destined to replace both the TL and the TSX. Brad thinks “replace” is the wrong word, though. He’ll be sad to see the TL go. It reminds him of when the Integra was discontinued. Nevertheless, he thinks the TLX will be an exciting new beginning and that it will more than fill the gap in Acura’s sedan spread. It just arrives under bittersweet circumstances.
Verdict
The 2014 Acura TL is an impressive car. It perfectly captures the attitude of Acura’s racing tradition while infusing the brand’s present aura of luxury into an artfully crafted performance vehicle. TL drivers will experience comfort and control, poise and power, intelligence and invigoration.
We want to thank Brad Rogers for showing us what the TL is capable of, and the rest of the staff for making our test-drive possible. If you want to drive one yourself, all you have to do is visit Leith Acura of Cary. We can’t wait to see you.