Sixteen doors, a dozen driven wheels, and 1266 collective horsepower unleashed.
So it’s come to this. In a world of $3 a gallon gas, ever-tightening emissions regulations and an ozone layer starting to look like that map of AT&T’s 3G coverage, the entry-level horsepower number for a top-line sports sedan now stands at a staggering 300. It’s incredible, really, how performance seems to thrive even when squeezed by the regulatory Vise-Grips of the EPA, DOT and NHTSA. And we, fans of performance driving and connoisseurs of the perfectly cambered offramp, are the happy beneficiaries.
In our test group, we’ve got incredible diversity in 6-cylinder engines that range in displacement from 3.0 to 3.7 liters, and from 300 to 333 bhp. Supercharger? Check. Twin turbos? Roger that. Variable timing and lift, and a smattering of direct injection too? Yessiree. And that technology doesn’t stop at the engines, as two of our four cars here have sophisticated torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive systems, the remaining two being classic rear drivers; yet each provides that satisfying option of fine-tuning yaw with throttle alone. And they all handle amazingly well—some more precisely, some with more, um, flamboyance—and do an excellent impersonation of a sports car, with the bonus of perfectly good back seats and trunks that can swallow a weekend’s worth of luggage. They all are (or can be) fitted with the latest infotainment/nav/Bluetooth systems, but to return focus to the job at hand—driving—we ordered them all with 6-speed manual transmissions. Go ahead, call us classicists.
So off we went, staffers Andy Bornhop, Shaun Bailey, Calvin Kim and myself, our usual expert timing putting us into a powerful storm that dropped snow levels to the 3000-ft. level near Lake Isabella, California. We slashed through back roads in pelting rain, slid around in the frozen white stuff northeast of Bakersfield and ended our test with some lapping at the Streets of Willow racetrack in Rosamond. These aren’t the type of cars you’d normally see at a track day, but Willow allowed us to safely explore their limits and get some lap times—good fodder for marque-versus-marque debate on enthusiast websites, not to mention fun and educational for us. Here’s what we found, in order of ascending points values.
4th Place: Acura TL SH-AWD
Photos
Points: 354.6
Lap Time: 1:01.51
If the TL were a judged Olympic event...say, halfpipe snowboarding...it would receive high technical marks but take a hit on style. Most of us just haven’t warmed up to the TL’s somewhat thick-looking overall proportions, tapered tail and chromed beak of a grille, especially as this body style followed the universally admired third-generation model. Inside, it’s as if the TL is trying too hard to convey a high-tech image, and the result is a lot of clutter, especially with the exaggerated gauge shrouds and busy center stack. “Too many buttons with too much fragmentation,” said Kim.
Yet it’s quite surefooted on the road, partly due to its sticky Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, which through a combination of side-to-side torque transfer and overdriving the outside rear wheel, effectively reduces the dreaded push. By virtue of being able to get on the gas sooner, it was slightly quicker than both the 335i and G37S Sport around the track, despite having the poorest power/weight ratio of the test. “The SH-AWD really helps with power-on exits,” said Bornhop, “dramatically reducing understeer but not to the point of creating fun oversteer.” Its brakes, although generating the shortest stopping distances of the four, use noticeably smaller rotors (12.6 in. up front) and generate the least confidence through pedal feel.
The TL’s VTEC-enhanced engine is a smooth-revving gem, and its shift linkage’s action is delicate and well defined, perhaps a little frail-feeling compared to the others. All the while, the V-6 seems soft on torque down low, and the clutch lacks a solid engagement feel. Everyone agreed that the TL’s electrically assisted steering was the least communicative. “The steering is numb and overly assisted,” said Bailey. The TL did ace the Seats category with its amply bolstered buckets that offer great support without compromising comfort. An especially high liftover threshold reduces its trunk’s usefulness, but there’s generous volume within.
There are a lot of other things to like about the TL. Its larger size offers roomy accommodations in the back seat; its ELS audio system is exceptional; the list of standard equipment is impressive; and the ride quality is among the best. And its handling is hard to fault from a clinical standpoint, as it flat goes where you steer it, albeit in a slightly robotic way. More driver involvement through better-weighted, crisper steering would go a long way toward making the TL the complete package. And about that styling...
