Newsgroup: it.discussioni.auto
Titolo: Honda Acura TL V6

http://www.autosite.com/Reviews/2004-acura-tl.asp
http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/Acura32TL
-- 
bye, William 'MaD' Munny (30,200,PV)
Dizionario FHT->To->ITA
http://www.fhteam.org/fht/

 
http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/Acura32TL
2004 Acura TL Road Test
By Charles Ofria
Category: $35,000 Mid Sized Front-Drive Sport Sedan
Who should buy this car:  A person looking for a sophisticated sport sedan
that does everything well and begs the question -- "Why pay more?"
Comparable cars in this class:  Chrysler 300M, Infiniti I35, Lexus ES330,
Nissan Maxima, VW Passat, Volvo S60
NVH.  It stands for Noise, Vibration and Harshness.  In the automotive
industry, the NVH department of an automobile manufacturer is responsible
for making sure that a new model is quieter, smoother and gives the feeling
of being more solidly put together.  A decade or two ago, the NVH department
consisted of a few engineers that had the responsibility of tracking down
rattles and stray squeaks on new prototype vehicles and recommending where
to place that extra fastener or clip to solve the problem.  Today, NVH has
grown into a science of tuning the sounds heard by occupants of a motor
vehicle in order to impart a sense that you are in an expensive machine that
sounds and feels as though it will last forever.
I bring this up because, after spending a week with the new 2004 Acura TL, I
can tell you that this car has received more than its share of massaging by
the NVH folks.  The new TL feels like it is honed from a solid block of
steel that was molded into a car body.  The sound of the exhaust while
accelerating could easily be mistaken for the almost musical tones of a
Mercedes or BMW V8.  Slam a door and you are greeted with a satisfying
"Wump".  Wind noise?  Doesn't exist.  Road noise?  A distant sultry murmur.
Build quality on my test car was impeccable as was the fit and finish.
Acura has always been good in these departments, but I do believe they
outdid themselves here.
When you walk into an Acura showroom to order a TL, aside from color, you
must make just two decisions.  You must choose between stick or automatic,
and you must decide whether you want your TL with or without GPS Navigation.
Everything else comes standard on these cars.  Well, actually there is a
third choice.  If you get the stick, you can choose between all season tires
or sticky high performance summer treads.
 Not everything was rosy, however.  If you are like me, when you have an
opportunity to drive a refined sport sedan like this one, the tendency is to
get the car out on a winding country road where there is no traffic in order
to "see what she's got".  While this TL is extremely capable and fun to
drive hard, it really begs for rear wheel drive.  If this buggy laid its
power down through its rear wheels instead of the fronts, it would be
perfect.  While front-wheel drive is safer for the average driver and will
tend to keep a novice out of trouble, a rear-wheel drive car will handle
better at the limit, stop better and ride better.  That is why every vehicle
made that costs fifty grand or more is either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel
drive.
The biggest issue with a high performance front-wheel drive car is a
condition known as torque steer.  Torque steer is the tugging that you feel
in the steering wheel during hard acceleration when one front wheel
momentarily loses traction causing the other wheel to try to pull the car
off course. While torque steer on this TL was well controlled for a
front-wheel drive car, I could still feel the tugging when I put this great
engine through its paces.  Don't get me wrong, this condition is just a mild
annoyance to a person who appreciates driving a fine machine and is by no
means unsafe as long as you are holding the steering wheel. (you do hold the
steering wheel while you're driving, don't you?)  The only reason that I
mention it here is because it is one of the few things that keeps this car
from being the perfect touring sedan.
Sitting behind the wheel, I found the perforated leather driver's seat to be
quite comfortable and easy to adjust to your ideal driving position.  The
steering wheel is adjustable for both angle and reach with the flip of a
single manual lever.
The instrument cluster is illuminated both day and night and is bright and
easy to read at a glance.  The steering wheel has fingertip controls for the
audio system, cruise control, cell phone and even has a button in Nav
equipped cars so that you can talk to the computer and have it talk back to
you (you:  "What time is it?"  the car:  "It is ten thirty one am").  Or you
can say "Find the nearest Chinese Restaurant" for which the car will
reply... "Would you like to have a route plotted to Chung How Gardens?".
You can even choose between a man's voice or a woman's voice.
The center stack has controls on either side of the large navigation screen
for the his & hers climate control system.  Below the screen are controls
for the nav system.  Below that is the Acura/ELS® Premium 8-speaker Surround
Sound System that includes XM Satalite radio.  The system even has genuine
station-select push buttons, a feature that is becoming rare on cars with a
navigation system.  The TL is the first car to offer a standard DVD-Audio
5.1 surround sound system as standard equipment in a car.
All of the controls, including the ones on the steering wheel are
illuminated at night.  The moonroof controls have finally been moved from
the dash next to the driver's door (a Honda & Acura idiosyncrasy) to the
overhead console by the center of the windshield where moonroof controls
belong.
Other interior features include a 10 way power driver's seat with memory and
a 4 way power passenger seat. The front seats are also heated.  A glaring
omission on a car of this caliber is that there is no automatic headlamp
control.  The headlights do shut themselves off after 15 seconds if you exit
the car and leave them on.
The TL comes with Bluetooth wireless technology built in.  This
communications standard is becoming more and more popular in devices such as
computers, PDA's and cell phones.  Bluetooth allows hands-free access to
your Bluetooth compatible cell phone using the TL's voice recognition system
and audio speakers to place your call.
Driving this car on winding roads is a pleasure.  Steering is tight and
direct and gives an excellent feeling of control.  Throttle response is
instantaneous with plenty of power to keep you pressed back into the seat
well past highway speeds.  The five speed automatic will shift almost
imperceptibly during light throttle cruising, but is quite up to the task
during heavy acceleration with firm positive gear changes.  Or you can slap
the shifter into the shift-it-yourself gate and have full control over shift
points (after it shifts from first to second on its own).
The ride is sports sedan firm, but by no means uncomfortable.  On a smooth
highway, you can feel the road irregularities in the seat, but they are
muted and fall far below the annoyance threshold.  Every car design tries to
balance a smooth ride with sure-footed handling.  But unless you are looking
at an expensive upscale car with computer controlled air suspension,
compromises must be made.  The TL falls close to the middle of the road with
a slight leaning toward good handling.
You can choose one of four interior colors for your new TL.  The Parchment
and Camel (beige & tan) interiors include a rich looking wood trim on the
console and doors while the Quartz and Ebony (gray & black) interiors
replace the wood with carbon fiber accents for a more hi-tech look.  I
prefer the wood myself.
Safety features that come standard in the TL include:
4-wheel disc brakes with Emergency Brake Assist and ABS
Stability Control
Traction Control
Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags
Seamless airbag lid for the passenger airbag.
Front seat mounted side impact airbags with occupant position sensors
Side curtain airbag system for front and rear passengers.
Everything that you can see, hear and feel has been massaged to a level of
quality that makes this car seem much more costly than it actually is.  In
the $35,000 sports sedan category, this car is hard to beat.
How would I improve this car?
Add automatic headlamps.
Make all-wheel drive available as an option
Make mine Pearl White
Specifications
Engine Type 3.2 Liter SOHC 24-valve V6 engine with –  variable valve timing,
Aluminum block & cylinder head
Horsepower 270 @ 6,200 RPM
Torque 238 @ 5,000 RPM
Fuel Recommended Premium Unleaded.
Transmissions 6-speed manual transmission or
5-speed shiftable automatic
Tires  P235/45WR17 all season tires
Overall Length 186.2"
Wheelbase 107.9
Width 72.2"
Turning Diameter 39.7 ft Curb to Curb
Curb Weight 3,582
Fuel Tank 17 Gals.
Miles Per Gallon EPA city 19, hwy 29  (19 / 28 with the 6 speed stick).
Acceleration 0 to 60 7.2 Seconds  (6.3 Seconds with the 6 speed stick)
Base Sticker Price $32,650 + $545 destination charge
Standard Equipment
Acura TL Front Wheel Drive Mid-Sized Sport Sedan
Electronic throttle control
Stability Control
Traction Control
4-wheel disc brakes with Emergency Brake Assist and ABS
Leather upholstery
Heated front seats
10-way power drivers with 2-driver memory for exterior mirror and seat
positions
4-way power passenger seat
Dual zone automatic climate control with interior air filtration
Tilt/telescopic steering wheel column
Audio and cruise controls on steering wheel
Driver's and passenger's front airbag supplemental restraint system (SRS)
with "smart" dual-threshold, dual-stage deployment and sensor to help
prevent unnecessary passenger's airbag deployment
Front-side-impact airbags
Electrochromatic inside rearview mirror
Xenon high intensity discharge headlamps
Front Fog/Driving Lights
AM/FM cassette in-dash 6 CD player stereo XM radio with 3 month subscription
and DVD-Audio 5.1 surround sound system with 8 speakers
Major Available Options
On-board GPS Navigation System
Summer Tires (only on 6-speed stick)
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Akira Norimaki wrote:
<cut>
Giapponesi piu' americani degli Americani?
Honda Ridgeline
http://world.honda.com/news/2005/c050110.html
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