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Old Fogey
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Ready to trade my trusty '99 Chrysler 300M for something with a little bit more panache, I've watched the introduction of the new TL with great interest. Although I had originally targetted a low mileage "pre-owned" BMW 530i, the upscale improvements to the '04 Acura made it a very attractive, high value alternative. This weekend, I decided to visit the local dealer to look at the TL in person and, hopefully, take one for a spin around the block.
The dealer had about a half-dozen TL's out in the front lot in various colors, including a black demo unit that was the only one equipped with the navigation system. The sales guy that attached himself to us (my wife accompanied me) confirmed the disparity between the predicted and actual demand for the Navi-equipped cars that has been reported here. This is probably a good opportunity to mention that my wife is a dimunitive Japanese lady who, in a low gravity environment, *might* stretch to a full 4' - 10" in height. The significance of this is that any car we buy must, like our 300M, have a front passenger seat that is adjustable vertically. The first thing we discovered getting into the TL is that the passenger seat control is 4-way: forward, back and seat-back tilt to and fro. Height, however, is not adjustable and is, instead, fixed at a level that provides headroom for someone six-foot eight. This left my wife to admire the glove compartment (which did not rattle in our test car, by the way) while we took our spin. So much for fancy leather upholstery--she'd need to sit on the Yellow Pages in order to see out of the car if we were to buy it.
Actually, I've exaggerated a little. The lack of adjustment in the passenger seat was not the first thing we noticed. The hardness of the seats, typical of Honda products, is what first got our attention. We've had some experience with this since my wife drove an '88 Civic for many years, so we weren't totally surprised. I had secretly hoped that the complaints I've seen here about the wrinkles developing in the seat bottoms indicated that Acura had finally relented and added some padding to their upholstery, causing the seats to "give" and leading to the wrinkling. No such thing. The TL's seats were very slightly more comfy than I remember the Civic's being. That's like saying they are certainly better than concrete.
That said, I loved everything else about the car. It is taut, comfortable (taking the seating firmness in stride), very quick, and very well finished. I don't like the front end styling a whole lot, but the total package rates pretty high on my spiffy meter. The Redonda Red Pearl with Camel interior looks every bit as nice as I expected it to. So what's not to like? The bloody omission of a simple seat height adjustment is what. The word "frustrating" barely covers it. They insist on packaging (thereby forcing everyone to pay for) that silly XM satellite radio tuner, but can't provide a six-way passenger seat even as an option! Despite the crowded sports sedan market, the fact is, at the TL's price point, there aren't many good alternatives. The Lexus 330 lacks punch and personality, the Lincoln LS is ... is, well, a Ford. The Cadillac CTS got smacked with an ugly stick and has that cheesy GM dashboard. And who can afford a bimmer, even a 3-series, after it's been properly equipped? *Sigh!*
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kirk
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Even the RL has a passenger 4 way. Not comfortable for tall people since there is no thigh support and the knees are up in the air.
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vtechbrain
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You'll be hard pressed to find a passenger height adjustment in any of the caers in this price level. She'll approve the driver 's adjustment though. If you let her drive it shouldn't be a problem!!! Another solution would be a booster seat!!! My mom has the same problem, they just learn to live with it.
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99SI
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And to add to the fun, I really love the 90 model
accord type-R, or the 86 model toyota celica type-r that I saw last week. The latter was equipped with a fire extinguisher mounted on the B-pillar (I guess because it was about to burst into flames)
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Old Fogey
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vtechbrain wrote:
You'll be hard pressed to find a passenger height adjustment in any of the caers in this price level. She'll approve the driver 's adjustment though. If you let her drive it shouldn't be a problem!!! Another solution would be a booster seat!!! My mom has the same problem, they just learn to live with it.
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Actually, that's not true. At about $30K+, you should expect to see 6X (or more) power passenger seats. Examples in the $30K to $40K bracket that come quickly to mind are the Chrysler 300M, the VW Passat, the Lexus IS-300 and ES-330, the Audi A6, and the Audi A4 Quattro. It's an expected amenity in the luxury and so-called near-luxury (e.g., Acura) brackets.
As for the height-challenged "learn(ing) to live with it", when it's someone I care for I'll do whatever I can to avoid piling on yet one more indignity to their burden.
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