Acura of Peabody announced in early March that customers purchasing a 2009 TL through March 31st will be eligible for a special two payment program. Acura of Peabody will make the first 2 payments up to $500 per month totaling $1000 total contribution.

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While somewhat deceptive advertising has become expected & accepted by most when it comes to the auto industry, Protégez-Vous has decided to publish its thoughts on deceptive ads. Citing the troubling economy as the catalyst for the warnings, this year’s issue also included buyer beware warnings about a marked increase in misleading ads for car dealerships touting zero-per cent financing deals.

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We’re not sure when Consumer Reports shifted from being grounded in facts to being grounded in senseless opinions, but it isn’t a smart approach. When Jim Travers of Consumer Report decided to blog and complain about the complexity of the control of the 2009 Acura TL, we lost respect for the previously trustworthy publication.

Jim’s review is grounded in bias and ignorance, which is clearly underscored by this quote, “A 10-year-old TL has pretty much all the same features as the new one, but somehow manages to offer them in an easy to use, uncluttered fashion. In a word, it’s simple.”

Really???…All the same features Jim???? Hmmm…we don’t recall, Bluetooth, satellite radio, iPod integration, real time traffic and weather, 3 day forecasts, Doppler radar, back-up cameras, Zagat ratings, vocie activation, paddle shifting, keyless entry or hard drives in the 1999 TL….do you?

We’ll admit, there are a lot of controls in the cockpit of the 2009 Acura TL with tech package, however, it’s hardly complicated. We know, as we just bought TL a few weeks ago and it took us all of about an hour to figure everything out. Given the abundance of amenities and technology in this car, we were astonished at how simple and intuitive the controls are.

Please stick with the cassette deck in your 1999 TL, instead of writing worthelss op-eds Jim.

Please be sure to leave a comment on Jim’s blog.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Acura of Peabody announces today that customers purchasing a 2009 TL through March 31st will be eligible for a special two payment program. Acura of Peabody will make the first 2 payments up to $500 per month totaling $1000 total contribution.

An offer this good is hard to pass up. The dealership boasts over 65 new TL’s in stock. The all new TL has a brand new design and follows in the tradition of a performance vehicle with technological advancements that could only come from Acura.

Additionally, Acura of Peabody has substantially low financing available on the new TL. With rates starting at just 2.9% and lease prices starting at $399 per month, it’s no wonder the TL has become one of the most desirable vehicles to purchase in this unsteady economy. Acura of Peabody is dedicated to financing their customers and providing aggressive lease campaigns. The two payment program is unique to Acura of Peabody but will only last through the end of March.

For an even greater punch, the dealership is offering customers the opportunity to win a weekend getaway in Stowe, Vermont. There is no purchase necessary and all it takes is a visit to the Peabody area Acura dealership to register.

“We want to make dreams of owning a new 2009 Acura a reality. We hope Acura consumers will take advantage of the 2 payment program…it’s a great deal,” says Joel Avery, General Manager at Acura of Peabody.

Additional model specials are also available through March 31st. Contact the Acura sales department at sales@acurapeabody.com today for a quote.

Acura of Peabody on the North shore offers the largest selection of Acura cars at great prices. They also have an award winning service and parts department. Acura of Peabody has been serving the Massachusetts and New Hampshire community since 1994. To schedule an Acura test drive, call 978-532-9110 or visit http://www.acurapeabody.com

[Source: WebWire]

Filed under, “probably taking out of context, but since it wasn’t denied, AcuraBoard.com will publish it anyway in hopes of stirring a little noise”. In a recent 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD review , Ezra Dyer of the NY Times got to spend some time hanging with Mike Unger, principal engineer in charge of total vehicle performance for the TL.

If we had that opportunity, we’d probably ask all we could regarding the upcoming 2010 6 speed TL SH-AWD, since Acura hasn’t yet divulged everything. Will it be considered a TL Type-S? Will the 3.7L V6 pumping out 305 ponies remain or be increased for production? Price? Ummmm…can ya give us the keys for a few laps?

Well, apparently Ezra had one question about the 2010 TL SH-AWD 6 SPD that he managed to pull out of his exhaust, “if the (2010) 6-speed TL SH-AWD could keep up with a 1991 Acura NSX… on a racetrack???”

We haven’t found record of any such claims or rumors regarding Acura using the 1991 Acura NSX as a benchmark for the upcoming 6 speed TL SH-AWD, however, Unger didn’t fold over in laughter, or deny the question. That leads us to believe that 2010 TL SH-AWD 6 SPD, the first vehicle Acura has ever created that includes both SH-AWD and a 6 speed manual, may actually be using the sorely missed NSX as a benchmark.

The notion that a presumably, sub-$50,000 four-door, producing more power, weighing more, and having inferior weight distribution, than that of the NSX, cannot be denied racetrack opponent to the NSX, speaks to how thoroughly Acura has overhauled the TL.

The New York Times, aka, “the old gray haired lady” headlined their recent review of the 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD with “Pace. Space. But Oh, That Face.” Every time I see a review of the 09 TL where the grille is being negatively reviewed, I automatically think that the TL was not seen in person by the reviewer….especially if the reviews is using Acura stock photography…or that they’re simply jumping on the bandwagon. Be that as it may, Ezra Dyer of the NY Times recently spent some time with the “leading candidate for a face transplant.”

The review starts by talking about HoMoCo’s amazingly thorough approach of scrutiny of outgoing models when developing its successor and the 2009 TL is no exception. As part of the preparation of the TL review, Ezra was provided a 71 page briefing by Mike Unger, principal engineer in charge of total vehicle performance for the TL. That briefing including such information as:

•    2009 Acura TL SH-AWD has 1.6 percent more trunk capacity than the 2008 TL
•    glove compartment volume is up 25 percent
•    rear visibility is improved 7 percent
•    armrests are 17 percent thicker and 30 percent softer
•    sound system has 51 additional watts of power

Ezra did in fact spend some time behind the wheel of the 09 TL SH-AWD, and said, “I won’t pretend that I fully exploited the system on public roads, but on long highway on-ramps the TL SH-AWD simply hangs in and goes where you point it, sometimes making the car feel as if it is cheating physics. And cheating physics is fun.”

Jump over to the old gray haired lady and read the rest of Ezra’s favorable review of the 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD.

[Source: NY Times]

Acura usually offers new incentives on the third of every month.  Listed below are all Acura marketing incentives for every vehicle effective March 3, 2009.

2009 Acura RL

2009 Acura RL Featured Special Lease (March 3, 2009 –  May 4, 2009)

$569.00 per month for 36 months. $3,799.00 total due at signing.

Includes down payment with no security deposit. Excludes taxes, titles and fees. For well-qualified buyers.

2009 Acura RL Finance Offers

Please see your local Acura dealer for available offers.

2009 Acura TL

2009 Acura TL Featured Special Lease (March 3, 2009 –  May 4, 2009)

$399.00 per month for 36 months. $2,499.00 total due at signing.

Includes down payment with security deposit. Excludes taxes, titles and fees. For well-qualified buyers.

2008 and 2009 Acura TL Special AHFC A.P.R. Financing (March 3, 2009 – May 4, 2009)

2.90% APR for 24-36 months or 3.90% APR for 37-60 months

For well-qualified buyers.

2009 Acura TSX

2009 Acura TSX Featured Special Lease (March 3, 2009 — May 4, 2009)

$299.00 per month for 36 months. $2,499.00 total due at signing.

Includes down payment with no security deposit. Excludes taxes, titles and fees. For well-qualified buyers.

2009 Acura TSX Finance Offers

Please see your local Acura dealer for available offers.

2009 Acura MDX

2009 Acura MDX Featured Special Lease (March 3, 2009 — May 4, 2009)

$499.00 per month for 36 months. $2,899.00 total due at signing.

Includes down payment with no security deposit. Excludes taxes, titles and fees. For well-qualified buyers.

Please see your local Acura dealer for available offers.

2009 Acura RDX

2009 Acura RDX Featured Special Lease (March 3, 2009 –  May 4, 2009)

$399.00 per month for 36 months. $3,399.00 total due at signing.

Includes down payment with no security deposit. Excludes taxes, titles and fees. For well-qualified buyers.

2009 Acura RDX Finance Offers

Please see your local Acura dealer for available offers.

[Source: Acura]

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being one of the first people to take ownership of a newly designed car…in the case, we’re speaking about the 2009 Acura TL. When they first started rolling off of the assembly line in Marysville, Ohio, supply was scarce. A lucky few got to order their TL to spec and eagerly waited for that phone call from the Acura dealership letting them know that their TL is scheduled to arrive today. If you’re lucky, you can make your way to the dealership and witness your new TL being driven off the transporter.

“jmaikamon”, an active member of the AcuraZine community was one of those lucky few. After getting the call from Classic Acura in Beaumont Texas, he rushed over to see his 2009 white diamond pearl FWD TL with technology package and taupe interior being driven off of the transporter. He left for a few hours so Classic Acura could prep the long-awaited TL for delivery and returned to see his gorgeous new WDP TL.

“jmaikamon” inspected and admired his new TL very closely, bur, right before he was about to leave the dealership with his new TL, he noticed that his TL was very unique, and was in fact not a TL, but rather an LT. He said “I walked around the car maybe ten times with about three salesmen and the sales manager hovering and nobody noticed it. I saw it when I was about to leave”. It turns out that the TL badge on the trunk was reversed, and read “LT”.

I’m sure there were a few confused people in Beaumont Texas as jmaikamon drove around town in his new LT for a week while Classic Acura waited for the new TL badge to come in.

Disclaimer:  With the exception of this one humorous, isolated case, there are not quality control issues with the new TL.   I took delivery of mine 2 weeks ago and the car is flawless! – AcuraBoard.com

Update: Apparently, the reversal of the letters was a prank as the “TL” badge is usually one piece.   Therefor, someone went through the effort of cutting the badge and transposing the letters.

[Source: AcuraZine]

[Photo: jmaikamon]

Mark Maynard of the San Diego Union Tribune sums up the 4th generation TL by describing it as the “Type A Personality” of sport sedans.  So obviously fitting, yet nobody has ever put it that way before.

“It is pointed – literally in design – and absolute in power and purpose.” It forces itself to be recognized by onlookers with its substantial presence; having grown 6.1 inches in length and an inch plus in width during the past year. Embodying unconventional lines and trumpeting a nice throaty sound out of the quad exhaust, the TL SH-AWD forces itself on you.

Having tested both the FWD and SH-AWD TL, Maynard describes the gap between the two as being large enough to accommodate another trim level sandwiched in the middle. While he didn’t get to test the SH-AWD in the snow, he said it “it powered along rain-slicked roads like a spider running across a web”.

While testing, Acura engineer Mike Unger sent Maynard an e-mail explaining how the SH-AWD torque vectoring system works and allows the TL to perform exceptionally well in all weather conditions, including snow.

The design of the 2009 TL has been controversial, yet the performance is equally appreciated by all. Be sure to check out the rest of Mark’s review for more info.

[Source: San Diego Union Tribune]

The two blue LEDs in the overhead courtesy console of the 2009 Acura TL provide ambient lighting

Ambient lighting isn’t new, but the feature generally reserved for luxury cars is beginning to emerge as standard in other vehicles.  They’re a simple and inexpensive way for the auto manufacturers to add a nice differentiator to the cabins of their cars.

Before jumping on the ambient light bandwagon, HoMoCo’s Acura brand wisely conducted market research to learn which colors drivers found to be most calming while driving. According to Acura spokeswoman Sara Pines, the research revealed that customers find soft blue and white lighting to be the most calming colors.

Most of the ambient lights are light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, which last longer and use less energy than a conventional bulb. In my 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD, the ambient lighting is provided by 2 blue LEDs that are located in the overhead courtesy light panel. There is one light on either side and they provide ambient lighting to the center console of the TL. By definition, the ambient lighting is very subtle, but it provides a very nice look.   It reflects very nicely off of the brushed metal looking textures in the center console.