I’m on the fence about the 2009 Acura TL. I’m not hush-hush about my loyalty to anything with Honda DNA, let alone the Acura brand. That said, there’s something about that razor blade grill that’s hard to get excited about. Don’t get me wrong, the look is growing on me. I understand that Acura is trying to ditch its blah styling, but the previous generation TSX and TL were sharp suits, at least in my Soichiro-loving eyes. When Acura slapped their new trademark grille on the smaller sedan a few months ago, it was like the car was wearing a shirt about a size too big. Painful. The new nose looks more at home on the TL, and seeing the look in different angles softens the blow. Dare I say it’s actually good looking? Give me a few more days of squinting and I’ll tell you. As with most Honda products, I’m guessing this rig will look substantially better in person than on our screens. Besides, the plenty potent 3.7-liter V6 and SH-AWD should wash away any reservations that the styling can drum up. Hopefully we’ll get our Fiendish mitts on one soon and let you know. Until then, here are some shots for you. [Source: Autoblog]




Sorry Zach, I have to vigorously dissent. I think it’s awful looking. And Acura wrecked the drive of the TSX – I don’t have high hopes for this one, unfortunately.
And see? I really like it. MUCH better than the generic faux-Bimmers Acura’s been peddling for the last decade. Now, if they can just bring back some decent names. Integra. Vigor. Legend.
How can you stop making the Legend?
Hey, I’m just trying to keep my hopes up. I realized what really irks me about this car. Park it next to a Camry and there are way too many similarities–the notched rear-end, sloped tail lights, high-set headlights. It’s like they tried to get away from generic by replicating the best-selling car in America.
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