More Pictures from Edmunds of the 2009 Acura TL
















Info on the 2009 Acura TL from Consumer Guide

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2009 Acura TL
Acura's best-selling car makes a big break from parent Honda Accord with all-wheel drive, more power, and aggressive no-clone styling. It's on the way for 2009.What We Know About the 2009 Acura TL
The Acura TL is based on the Honda Accord, and with the Accord redesigned for 2008, a new TL can't be far behind. And it isn't. In fact, it's on the way for 2009.Honda is very good at keeping secrets, so the next iteration of Acura's best selling car is still largely a cipher at this point. But we can make some educated guesses based on persistent rumors.
For starters, the 2009 Acura TL should switch from front-wheel drive, which Accord retains, to the Super-Handling AWD used for Acura's RL flagship sedan and RDX and MDX sport-utilities. That's a welcome and overdue move in our book. Even with standard traction control, today's front-drive TL doesn't put its power down very well, prone to irritating wheelspin and torque steer sideways pulling with even moderate throttle. All-wheel drive will eliminate that, making for a safer and more rewarding drive. Not coincidentally, it also lets the TL take on prestigious AWD sports sedans from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The 2009 Acura TL should also get a more-potent base engine, with the current 3.2-liter V-6 replaced by a version of the Type-S model's 3.5. We think horsepower will check in at around 275, up from 258, matched by fatter torque output that should benefit midrange acceleration with an automatic transmission, which will probably remain mandatory. To keep pace, the Type-S would go from 286 to maybe 300 horsepower, also with more torque in the bargain. Given Honda's usual emphasis on the best fuel economy with the lowest emissions, both TL engines should employ the company's cylinder-deactivation feature.
We also don't rule out some kind of sequential manual transmission for the Type-S, perhaps to replace the optional automatic as another "brag" feature to match the vaunted German brands.Accord's 2008 redesign brings slightly greater size and sharper, sportier lines. The TL should follow suit, but styling differences with Accord will be even more pronounced so that only the most car-savvy eyes can spot the shared basic structure. Acura is eager to move upmarket to be more competitive against the Big Three Germans, plus Infiniti and Lexus, and planners have decided a unique "Acura look" is key to that effort. While we don't expect anything as wild as the recent Acura Advanced Sedan Concept, the next TL should be more "sculpted" than the current model, an aggressive mix of edges and curves.
A Notable Feature of the 2009 Acura TL
The TL is already very well equipped--one reason it's been a Consumer Guide Best Buy for several years--so all current standard and optional features should carry over, which is notable in itself. Acura will doubtless offer a few new gizmos, but we can't imagine what they might be.
Buying Advice for the 2009 Acura TL
Today's TL is a mighty tempting midsize sports sedan, and will be a hard act to follow. Nevertheless, the 2009 Acura TL should be worth waiting for, especially if the all-wheel drive, extra power, and distinctive styling materialize as rumored.2009
Acura TL Release Date: Still to be determined, but sales should be underway by summer 2008. We'll have a better handle on timing once the inevitable thinly disguised "concept" appears at a major auto show, which should happen in late 2007 or early '08.
First Test Drive: Also TBD, but spring 2008 looks right to us.
2009 Acura TL Prices:
Acura's upmarket push suggests higher prices, but how much higher remains to be seen. There's certainly a big-enough gap with the RL sedan that the 2009 Acura TL could move up without encroaching on the flagship, say into the $37,000-$40,000 range.

Cool Picture



Cool picture of the TL or probably TSX concept..

2009 Acura TL info from Car and Driver







Acura begins testing the replacement for its bestselling TL.
BY ERIK JOHNSON, PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRENDA PRIDDY & CO. AND DAVID DEWHURST
August 2007
The TL —arguably the most handsome Acura—has been on sale since the 2004 model year, so it’s clearly due for a change. I mean, when the pants I’m wearing went out of style fifteen minutes before I even tried them on, how behind the times is a four-year-old car?
A lot, some would argue, so it’s probably good that Acura has been spotted testing the TL’s replacement, which is expected to go on sale as a 2009 model. The current TL is Acura’s top-selling model, with more than 71,000 sold last year—the next bestselling Acura, the MDX crossover, sold just over 54,000 copies—so the all-new TL clearly represents an important car for the company.
Even covered with layers and layers of camouflage, the styling appears to take some cues from Acura’s 2006 Advanced Sedan Concept, including the MDX-style, wide-slat grille clearly visible through the disguise. We’d advise Acura, however, to keep the resemblance subtle, as the armadillo/mole styling of the concept wasn’t exactly well-received.
In the past, many Acuras, including the TL and MDX, were designed by Honda R&D types in the U.S. But in May, Acura opened a new $15 million design studio in Torrance, California, to separate Honda and Acura design in the future. We’ll see what a $15 million wall does for future Acura design.
In the meantime, four exhaust tips hint at the performance capabilities of the next front-wheel-drive TL, which we expect will be available with some form of Acura’s fine Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, or SH-AWD. Our spies reported witnessing surprisingly agile moves from this mule, so we’re crossing our fingers. SH-AWD, which can be found on the RL sedan as well as the MDX and RDX SUVs, can shunt power front to rear and side to side in the interest of maintaining a cornering line.
As for powertrains, the outgoing model offered a 258-hp, 3.2-liter V-6 and added the 286-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 for the TL Type-S. Both got 20 mpg city and 29 mpg highway mileage. We would not be surprised to see 3.5-liters all around for the new TL, maybe pulling in the 3.5-liter from the ’08 Honda Accord, which is more efficient (19/29 mpg) than the 3.0-liter it replaces.