Acura is again tossing enthusiasts a bone with a new six-speed manual transmission option for their 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD model. While the 2009 model is only available with a five-speed automatic with paddle shifters, next year will mark the return of the stick shift -- and the first time Acura has paired their SH-AWD with a manual transmission. The six-speed is all-new, and stronger than the manual last used in the 2008 model. It features a more rigid aluminum case and heavy-duty internals. New gear synchronizers improve accuracy while a standard short-throw shifter improves feel. In addition to the six-speed manual, the TL SH-AWD receives "Hill Start Assistant" to hold the vehicle on hills during a start, and special enthusiast-oriented suspension tuning for flatter cornering. The manual transmission also comes with stiffer engine and transmission bushings, heavy-duty front driveshafts, and stronger CV joints. Best of all, the manual transmission weighs 88 lbs. less than the automatic, moving the TL's weight distribution even further rearward.
Beginning in February at the Chicago Auto Show, Acura began rolling out redesigned versions of its three sedans in the span of six months. Beginning with the RL in Chicago, Acura has rolled out its new design ethos intended to make these cars stand out in the increasingly crowded entry luxury segment. When we first showed you the RL, it got what would charitably be described as a negative reception. The new shield grille design was almost universally reviled both in the media and amongst you readers. By the time the entry-level TSX arrived a month later, reactions softened somewhat as people became accustomed to the look. In its first few months on the street, sales of the new TSX have jumped more than 20 percent compared to the old model.
The last to arrive and arguably the best looking of the three is the mid-level TL, which arrives this September to replace the best selling sedan in Acura's lineup. Acura invited us to New York to sample its new mainstream model on the roads of Connecticut and the Empire State in mid-July. While the TL was the last to be unveiled, it is actually the first and only one of the three sedans to be completely designed around this new look.
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The floodgates will open on the '09 Acura TL soon enough, but in the meantime, Inside Line has posted a set of press photos and confirmed the car's final specs. As has been previously reported, there are two versions: a base 3.5L car with 285 horses and front-wheel drive; and the range-topping TL SH-AWD, which gets a 305-horsepower 3.7L V6. The Type S is history, replaced in essence by the SH-AWD. Both TL models are mated to 5-speed automatics, and a stiffer chassis should help make time spent behind the wheel more engaging.
Inside, the layout is one that should be familiar to anyone who's spent time in a new Honda or Acura. Metallic-look wings arc out from a center stack topped by a multifunction LCD screen and finished at the bottom by Honda's all-in-one controller for audio/info/nav interfaces. In short, techno-gadgetry abounds. The new TL is a larger car than it predecessor, with a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase and 6.2 inches added to its overall length. Consequently, interior space also improves over the outgoing sedan.
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