Check out the link below for what I consider to be a fair and unbiased review of the 1999 Acura 3.2 TL. There are several references and comparisons to the A4, VW Passat and BMW 328i. They like the car overall, but cite several areas where it is easy to see how Acura could sell the TL so cheaply. My own test drive a couple of months ago echoed the same feelings. The car felt like a slighly more luxurious Accord EX V6, definitely not in the same class as the A4, BMW 3-Series, Saab 9-5, etc. It has all the right ingredients on paper, but somehow leaves you underwhelmed. Even the Acura/Bose stereo with the subwoofer sounded poor.<p>The concluding couple of paragraphs put the car in perspective nicely. I am quoting them here:<p>"Advertising for the new Acura 3.2TL proclaims that "luxury and performance (have) come together like never before." Hmmm, is that so? Well, right off the bat, this tag line discounts the Audi A4 2.8, yesterday's Audi S6, any BMW over $35,000, the Cadillac Eldorado ETC and Seville STS, the Chrysler 300M and LHS, the original Infiniti Q45, the Jaguar XJR, the Lexus GS400, and the Lincoln Mark VIII LSC. And what about the Mazda Millenia S, numerous Mercedes-Benz models both past and present, the Saab 9000 Aero and, finally, the Volvo S70 T-5 and V70 R? Even a loaded Nissan Maxima SE blends luxury and performance better than the new 3.2TL. If you ask us, Acura is stretching the boundaries of "truth in advertising" with this campaign. <p>"Overall, this is a good car. It's comfortable for a young family, luxurious enough to justify the price and elegant enough to pull it all off. Just don't expect the performance of a BMW 328 and the luxurious cabin of an Audi A4, and this Acura will serve you well." That's how one of our drivers summed up his TL experience. Another wrote, "It has style, sporting pretensions and the illusion of true luxury." In other words, the TL is a step up the ladder from the Honda Accord, but is still a rung down from the BMW 3-Series. <p>"Keep this in mind when you visit your local Acura dealer for a too-good-to-be-true deal on the latest sport sedan from Honda's luxury division, and you'll be quite pleased with what you find. <br><ul><li><a href="http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/wardlaw/99Acura.3.2TL.rt.html">1999 Acura 3.2 TL review by Edmund'ssi</a></li></ul>

Is the TL, in your opinion, inferior to the A4 in both luxuriousness AND sportiness? Because if it is, then at 29k the Acura really is no great bargain.<br>

I think the interior is pretty luxurious, especially in black leather. The pleated leather seats look nice and rich. I found the beige interior reminiscent of the Accord EX V6 interior, and didn't like it as much. I would say that the interior is more plush than an Infiniti I30, Mazda Millenia, or even the Lexus ES300. The wood trim on the center console and the doors is plastic, even though it is looks like the genuine article. The MB-style shift gate and center console look quite nice. The off-the-line performance was rather subdued. The engine only comes alive past 4000 rpm. The car is definitely quieter than my wife's 1998 Maxima GLE, but the engine performance was not as good. The Sportshift works nicely and the manual gate is more conveniently located than the Audi/VW Tiptronic's manual gate. I did find it hard to know when to shift manually since engine sound was hard to hear, and I got tired of looking at the tach to judge the shift points.<p>To answer your qustion, the A4 2.8 looks and feels better all around. The 1.8T model is hard to compare to the TL because it is geared more toward the sporty side of the scale. You definitely get more goodies with the TL, but somehow you feel that they cut a few corners to come up with the low price. I can visually that the new TL is not as solid as the outgoing 1998 model. The body design is very bland. The Bose stereo sounds pretty poor. Also, dealers will not bargain at all. The particular dealer I went to had added $500 to the sticker for mud guards, wheel locks and floor mats. They also demanded another $500 for balck or silver colors. <p>I think once you look at net price of competitors like I30 and Maxima($5000-$6000 discounts), the TL is not the big bargain it seems at first glance. I don't think the Germans have much to worry about. This car is geared more toward cruising in comfort and quiet, and not toward driving pleasure and performance. If someone is only looking at a tiptronic A4, it might be worthwhile to take a look at the TL (if only to appreciate German engineering!). Otherwise, it is not worth considering.<p>Sorry for the long ramble. <p>

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One last test<ul><li><a href="http://www.a4.org">http://www.a4.org</a></li></ul>