This car has spirit. Perhaps it's the spirit of Soichiro Honda in this all-new Acura 3.2 TL. Mr. Honda died in 1992, but officials from American Honda's Acura Division say the TL embodies his philosophies of performance, styling, luxury and value. He strived for perfection in all his cars and many of them were significant mileposts in the history of the automobile.
We found some of this spirit in British Columbia's Cascade Mountains high above Chateau Whistler. Extremely stable at high speeds, the Acura 3.2 TL encourages its driver to bend it around fast sweeping turns with confidence.
Completely redesigned and re-engineered for 1999, Acura's 3.2 TL comes with a powerful new 3.2-liter V6 engine, a nicely balanced new suspension, a rigid new chassis and fresh styling.
Though the new styling is conservative, the TL is no longer the wallflower it was previously. Its lines are more modern and more refined and its stance is more athletic. Acura's TL fits in the so-called near luxury segment of cars in the $30,000 range and it has an upscale look in keeping with this. There's a rear spoiler available that the dealers sell as an accessory, but it doesn't improve the clean lines. The new TL was designed, engineered and manufactured in the U.S.
Acura's TL is available as one fully loaded model with a powerful new 3.2-liter V6. Called the 3.2 TL, it is priced at just $28,385; that's considerably less than the '98 TL and less than many of the TL's current competitors. (Retail prices include $435 destination charge.) The only option available is Acura's competent navigation system, which brings the price to $30,385. (The previous-generation TL came as two models with a choice of engines.)
At the core of the new TL is a compact, newly designed 3.2-liter 225-horsepower VTEC V6 with more power than the other cars in its class.
The 1999 3.2 TL is roomier than its predecessor and it's roomier than the Lexus ES 300 and BMW 3 Series. Part of that roominess came from mounting the V6 engine sideways -- or transversely. The interior is attractive, though all come in an austere gray; some lighter tones would be nice. Also, we've seen better wood trim. The shifter is trimmed in brushed aluminum that lends a sporty appearance.
The back seats are roomy. The center position features a three-point shoulder belt, instead of just a lap belt. The rear seats don't fold down, but a small center section opens to allow skis, fly rods and other long objects in the trunk to pass through the seats.
The TL comes with a high level of standard equipment, much more so than the BMW 323i: leather seating, heated front seats, power driver's and passenger's seats, wood-grained trim, automatic climate control, tilt steering column, cruise control, Bose AM/FM/CD/cassette with steering wheel-mounted audio controls, power moonroof, power heated door mirrors, keyless entry, theft-deterrent system, auto-off headlights, and the Homelink Universal Transceiver System. Active safety features include ABS, traction control, and high-intensity discharge headlights. Passive safety features include dual front airbags and side-impact door beams.
At $2,000, the navigation system is an expensive option. It uses Global Positioning Satellites to plot your course and provide instructions. A brightly lit touch-screen monitor displays a map or alpine-type route instructions. It works well and can provide a lot of help in unfamiliar territory. The verbal instructions can help you avoid missing an exit and the map can help you figure out your location. It's always fun when you spontaneously decide to go to a hot restaurant while you're on the far side of town and it quickly finds it for you. Like all these systems, however, it's about 95 percent there in terms of development. It will occasionally send you the wrong way and operating the controls can, at times, be confusing and frustrating. Try the system out before deciding whether to order it.
