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]

Even though AcuraBoard is a site dedicated to well….Acuras, when it came time for a new car, I test drove several before making a purchasing decision. I knew the car had to be a mid-size sport sedan, with some cool technology, good reliability, and something that would turn a few heads.

When it came time for the test drives, I spent some time behind the wheels of the following cars:

• Infiniti G37x AWD
• Hyundai Genesis 4.6
• Audi A4 3.2
• Cadillac CTS AWD
• Pontiac G8 GXP
• Acura TL SH-AWD
• BMW 528i

I know that these cars aren’t all fair comparisons as they fit into different categories and have varying price points; but each had something that appealed to my own desires that would suffice my daily needs. Without going into in-depth reviews for each of these cars, I can say that they were all very nice rides. If I had to prioritize from most favorite to least favorite, it would probably look something like this:

1.    Acura TL SH-AWD
•    Like- Loved the styling, both interior and yes…exterior. Though I admit when I first saw the ’09 TL pics on the web, I wasn’t thrilled with the grille. However, once I saw the TL in person, I was in awe of the exterior design. Great handling, great ride, SH-AWD is nothing less than amazing, almost all of the tech-gadgetry I “need”, phenomenal crash test ratings by the IIHS and Acura reliability
•    Dislike – MPG is less than I would like and with all the tech stuff, I found a lot of room for improved usability and functionality. While the paddle shifting is nice, it still shifts when it thinks you should. The back seat doesn’t fold down.
2.    Cadillac CTS
•    Like – I’ve always loved GM products and the CTS is no exception. The exterior styling is bold, sporty and classy and the interior is superb. The car handles exceptionally well and there are great incentives to be had now on the CTS
•    Dislike – It’s a “me too” car… when my 70 year old Aunt bought the new CTS, I had to pass
3.    Pontiac G8 GXP
•    Like – Probably one of the greatest bargains in recent automotive history. This is an amazing car with pure brute force, yet a very refined chassis and suspension….undoubtedly best bang for the buck in the performance department.
•    Dislike – since this car was adapted from GM’s Holden business unit, the positioning in the center stack doesn’t meet US requirements for positioning of GPS, therefore there is no GPS as an option. Additionally, while the interior is nice, the quality isn’t at the level that I wanted.
4.    Infiniti G37
•    Like – almost as nice looking on the outside as its 2-door sibling. Good performance and decent technology. Car & Driver 10 Best.
•    Dislike – a pure lift from the Maxima parts bin for the interior components – “me too car” whose price creeps up significantly as you try to comparably equip to the TL SH-AWD Tech…cramped back seat
5.    Hyundai Genesis
•     Like – a gorgeous bootleg of what the child of a BWM and Mercedes would look like. Every luxury amenity you can imagine and the brute force of one helluva V8….undoubtedly best bang for the buck in the luxury department.
•     Dislike – no road feel…the Genesis floats like an old Crown Victoria….couldn’t rationalize spending this kind of money on a Hyundai.
6.    Audi A4
•    Like – nice size, nice exterior styling and a nice handling car
•    Dislike – boring interior, too costly to service

The time between my first test drive and my purchase was about 3 months. Once I settled on the 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD, it was time to find the dealer that would treat me right. Living in the Philadelphia area and having to go to NJ frequently, I corresponded with the following Acura dealers as part of my “interview” process:

• Acura of Ocean
• Clinton Acura
• Metro Acura
• Piazza Acura of West Chester

All of the salesmen at each Acura dealer treated me acceptably; however, there were big differences in the approach each took to their selling process and their individual knowledge of the TL.

•    Acura of Ocean – This was the first dealership that I visited. While I can’t remember the gentleman’s name that helped me, he was extremely professional and acceptably knowledgeable about the new TL. He offered to take me on the test drive, didn’t pressure me for anything, and followed up with me a few weeks later when the SH-AWDs arrived on his lot.

•    Clinton Acura – The salesman that I spoke with was very nice, however, he lacked product knowledge. Nothing annoys me more than a sales person who knows less about the car he’s trying to sell than the customer. As I walked onto the showroom floor he approached me as I said, “great, you have a TL SH-AWD in here” as I motioned to the car in front of me. He replied with, “it’s impossible to tell the difference between the FWD and AWD TLs without seeing the badge on the trunk”. I had to point out to him that the front brake cooling ducts in the front fascia, the 18” wheels and the white stitching on the ebony leather were all characteristics that clearly distinguished this SH-AWD from the FWD flavors of the TL. After this exchange, I clearly expressed an interest in a test drive and he was reluctant, but finally obliged. After the test drive, we exchanged contact info and before leaving, I showed an interest in buying by asking about the price. Even though this dealership had about 2 dozen TLs on the lot, he insisted they were moving quickly and at sticker. I asked one last question before I left; “what is the rear crash test rating on the new TL?” Unfortunately, his reply was, “they don’t do rear crash test ratings anymore”….LAME

•    Metro Acura – This dealership was the least visually appealing (a little run down and dilapidated), but the salesman, Adam, was a stand up guy who knew the TL inside and out and wasted no time getting me into the driver’s seat of a Crystal Black Pearl, with Umber interior, SH-AWD tech. After the drive, I asked about price, and contrary to the previous dealer, Adam said we could be at invoice. Adam followed up with me as requested, however, we couldn’t get the OTD (out the door) pricing where I wanted.

•    Piazza Acura of West Chester – Let me start by saying that I was trading in a Honda and I had always received exceptional service from my Piazza Honda dealership.  I’ve dealt with the management, sales, services and parts departments and every interaction was pleasant, professional and they always went above & beyond my expectations. Because of this, I felt that I owed it to them to give their Acura dealership a shot…and I’m glad I did. My interaction with them started with an early Monday morning phone call where I had the pleasure of speaking with the sales manager, James. James gave me a fair price over the phone and I went to Piazza that afternoon and worked with James and my sales person Mark Hutchinson.

Watch for the next post as I explain the negotiating, purchase and delivery process of my 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD with the technology package.