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A friend of mine lent me his Acura TL for a day. Since so many people cross shop the TL with the 9-5 and 9-3, I thought it would be an interesting comparison (I have a 9-5 Aero wagon). The positives:
1. The interior is more modern with a much brighter feel than the Saab. However, after spending several hours in it, I though the Saab had a better ergonomic layout.
2. The engine was smooth and powerful. Although the output is the same as the Aero I-4, it definately beats the Saab in terms of NVH.
Negatives:
1. The suspension tuning was terrible. The Acura did a better job of smoothing out the little bumps in the road, but any kind of large bumps in the road noticeably upset it. Over one stretch of concrete bridge, the expansion strips set off the chassis with uncontrollable bouncing. I thought a tire blew.
2. His car had less than 10K miles, but the leather already was showing more wear than my 9-5 at 38K miles.
3. I am used to a relatively linear throttle found in European cars. The Acura's throttle was like my Saab's set in sport mode. Only a little touch of throttle send the revs flying. I found it very difficult to drive smoothly with the stick shift.
Overall, I thought the TL offered somewhat more sizzle than the Saab. Things people notice immediately were impressive which is probably why it sells so well. However, after driving the Acura for a considerable time, the Saab is a much more competant and thought out vehicle.
posted by 205.248.3...
, Sun, 29 May 2005 13:42:05, Tue, 31 May 2005 12:35:38
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