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2005 Acura TL Accord on Steroids or Legitimate Sports/Luxury Contender? For The Wheel By David Ray, www.hookedondriving.com The automotive journalism gods are sometimes unpredictable. The TL became available and, while it’s been on the street for a bit, we wanted to give it a go so that the enthusiasts of the SCCA could have a private look at this relatively new player in the import sedan wars. Our example was a blue over tan leather model equipped with the Acura Navigation system and the standard, five-speed automatic with “Sportshift.” OK, so this is not a car that makes your pulse quicken – but let’s give it a fair shot. Right off the bat, I’ll give the TL major kudos on its design. It is a very contemporary look, with its proper proportions, sloping rear glass, high deck and dual exhaust. Acura also does a great job of integrating a tasteful aero/ground effects package without any sense of boy racer. The TL could upgrade the image of any CPA, pharmacist, or dental hygienist that climbs aboard – for a sedan, this car looks downright hip. We climbed aboard and hit the road on a 150 mile run up Highway 5 in the dark of night. Immediately we noticed the white light bi-xenon headlights, but we discovered that, rather than older technology lighting which fades out into the distance, these xenon lights have an abrupt edge to their illuminated area, beyond which it is pitch black. So you see what is close to you better, but there is no bleed into the distance, requiring more frequent use of admittedly excellent bright beams. The interior is the best we’ve seen from Acura. As one looks at a very tasteful integration of leather, metal and wood, one could easily believe that they are aboard a German marque. Very high marks for cosmetics and ergonomics here, except for my favorite subject – the dreaded Nav system. After panning BMW’s iDrive, and calling Cadillac’s information screen “almost down to BMW’s standard,” I’m proud ...
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