2009 Acura TL

Expert reviewers at TheCarConnection.com consulted what the most authoritative auto critics have written about the new Acura TL to produce this conclusive review. TheCarConnection.com editors also drove the TL in order to interweave our expert opinion and help you make the right decision on a new vehicle.

Likes
Head-turning style
Athletic capabilities
Superlative iPod interface, excellent stereo
Typical Acura quality touch, feel, and operation

Dislikes
Head-turning style
Thick pillars mean spotty outward visibility
Overwhelming sea of buttons in center stack
Slow-to-react automatic transmission

The 2009 Acura TL has been completely redesigned by Honda's luxury division. It's wrapped in a controversial skin from stem to stern, full of angles, furrows, creases, and rather long overhangs front and rear. Its Honda Accord underpinnings give it generous room front and rear, but also mean that even in all-wheel-drive guise it's a front-heavy beast that's not quite a performance match for rear-wheel-drive competitors.