2012 Acura TL

2012 Acura TL Interior Design. The TL’s driver-focused objective is strongly presented throughout the interior, where a “dual personal” layout provides a feeling of separate personal space for the driver and front passenger. Sweeping shapes and high-quality materials provide a feeling of intelligent luxury, while a formidable array of standard and available electronics reward the 2012 Acura TL Interior occupants with top-flight audio, navigation and communications experiences. On the driver’s side, all the controls and instruments are positioned intuitively, allowing the driver to focus on the driving experience while still enjoying Acura’s substantial array of electronic aids and conveniences.

Luxury and technology are evident from the moment the 2012 Acura TL Interior’s doors are first opened, and detail after detail underscores Acura’s commitment to winning over the luxury customer. From the shape and feel of the door handles and the precision of the door-sill plates, to the richly appointed leather seating and the ergonomic positioning of seat bolsters, armrests and controls, the 2012 Acura TL Interior immediately connects with the luxury customer. But it is the remarkable range of standard features that do the convincing — features like 10-way power driver seat (8-way power seat with 2-way lumbar support) and 8-way power passenger seat, steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters for the Sequential SportShift 6-speed automatic transmission, and an 8-speaker, 276-watt audio system with 6-disc CD changer, AM/FM radio, XM® Radio with Note function, Bluetooth® Audio, USB port and AUX jack connectivity, and HandsFreeLink® wireless telephone interface.

With the available Advance Package, added to the 2012 Acura TL are ventilated front seats and a blind spot information (BSI) system that alerts the driver to vehicles detected adjacent to the TL.

Discover the two power options 2012 Acura TL: 3.5-liter 280-horsepower V-6 engine and 3.7-liter 305-horsepower V-6 engine for TL SH-All Wheel Drive (AWD). Check out when typically changes are generally developed, and yet they’re furthermore there: darker headlamp bezels, more contoured fascia, new detail on the lower air intakes, fresh details and revised tail lamps for the touch-up of the rear end. Interior features too, such as: 10-way adjustable driver’s seat, 8-way adjustable on the passenger’s side, and a very cozy heated & ventilated (as a part of “Advance” package (new) plus one blind-spot detector for this 2012 Acura TL.

Naturally, we still prefer Acura’s wonderfully organic-feeling six-speed manual to the automatic. But it’s only available with all-wheel drive, a fun configuration but one that takes its toll on fuel economy. A manual TL SH-AWD is rated at 17 mpg city/25 highway versus 18/26 for automatic all-wheel-drivers; front-drive models get an impressive 20/29. The best the 2011 TL could muster was 18/26.

Since the manual powertrain in the all-wheel-drive TL carries over—and we previously tested one—we hooked our test gear to the AWD-equipped automatic. Although not as fast as the row-your-own, which took only 5.2 seconds to hit 60 mph, the new auto did the dash in 6.2 seconds and needed 14.7 seconds to clear the quarter-mile at 98 mph. Compared with the five-speed auto, those are improvements of 0.3 second to 60 mph and 0.4 second and 3 mph in the quarter. During our time with the car, we split the EPA ratings almost perfectly, averaging 21 mpg.

Without the high-performance Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 rubber fitted to our previous test car, we saw a significant drop in skidpad grip and, more important, braking distance. The 2012 TL SH-AWD, with its standard Goodyear Eagle RS-As, only managed 0.86 g on the skidpad and needed 178 feet to stop from 70 mph compared with 0.92 g and an impressive 158 feet on the optional rubber. That’s an easy refresher about the importance of what’s between you and the road.

The 2012 TL is already on sale, starting at $36,465 for a base front-drive model and $40,015 for the TL SH-AWD. Add $3730 for the Tech package, which includes navigation and surround-sound audio. The Advance package adds the aforementioned equipment to the Tech package goodies and costs another $2200. (It is not, however, available on cars equipped with a manual transmission.) Those prices still represent strong value, and now that Acura has mostly fixed its most glaring shortcomings, the TL is a stronger entry than ever.