unless I missed a post, no one has mentioned the TL's front wheel drive. There are no racecars with FWD (IRL, CART, Formula 1, hell even NASCAR). In a straight line, weight shifts backwards and the rear wheels have grip. In a turn you can throttle steer a RWD, FWD will typically understeer. However, if you dont' ever plan on driving your car hard, and are just gonna cruise around town, then it doesn't really matter I suppose. FWD only exists to save money and increase cabin space. Short of snow, I don't see why you would want FWD over RWD.

But the TL is a beautiful car in my opinion. If they had it in AWD or RWD it would quickly move its way up my list.

 

I think you'll find that we all love our G's. (Hence the reason we're on this board probably) You MAY get a biased opinion here. I'm sure if you went to the TL forums they'd say the G sucks.

Again as people have mentioned, it comes down to your needs. Do you need a 4 door? Nice Nav and Interior? Or do looks and styling exterior and power mean more to you? That's what it will come down to you.

I'll throw my .02 in there and say I love the G and love knowing the heads it can turn. Plus the girls love it =)
The TL has become all too common around here too. I don't nearly see as many Coupes as I do TL's.

D. Graphite/Graphite | Premium | Splash | Clears | Pedals | 35% TINT | Z-Tube | 4080 Stealthbox - JL 10w3 | Escort 8500 | PIAA's

 

My brother has an '04 TL which I've driven and ridden in extensively over the last year, so I can offer some insights. First of all, styling is subjective, so to the eye of the beholder it goes. Having said that, and while I like the TL's styling a lot, I think the G coupe is nothing short of a soul-stirring work of art.

The 2 vs 4 doors question is the other obvious difference, but you've already stated your preference for a coupe, so a sedan's practicality (which is considerable) evidently isn't a factor. In the coupe's favor, the back seat folds down flat, providing a much bigger load floor than the TL in spite of its much smaller trunk space with the seat up. For my specific uses, this actually makes the G more practical.

Straight-line acceleration is close to equal between the two.

Otherwise it boils down to two basic things: state of the art, ultra-slick features, amenities and interior build quality for the TL, and driving dynamics in every respect for the G coupe.

The TL's touch or voice controlled nav (most other systems are touch/voice controllable too), bluetooth, DVD-A (if you care - I'm a recording engineer and I don't) and many other interior features simply leave the G in the dust.

Drive the cars spiritedly though, and the reverse is the case. The TL lugs its front-heavy FWD platform around like an unruly colt. Torque-steer, heavy steering response and rock-hard impact harshness are all on the menu, like it or not. Brakes are perfectly ok.

The G coupe is like a Derby thoroughbred by comparison. Incredibly crisp, quick yet not twitchy steering response, an incredibly linear, responsive throttle (especially in the 6MT), a beautifully balanced chassis with nearly flat, ultra-high G-force cornering, a very well calculated oversteer/undesteer formula (for fast street driving), an almost unbelivebly forgiving ride even on the Pilot Sport/18s, outstanding Brembo brake response and linear pedal feel and...you get the picture.

One's a fabulous sporty sedan with killer toys/features. The other's a true sports car in GT/coupe clothing, with lesser, but still very, very nice features. What's your pleasure?

 

Wunautica,

I think the new TL is a great car. Do yourself a favor and seriously drive both cars hard. If you are not going to drive your car hard and are just going to cruise, the TL is the better car. I say this because the G35 coupe is noisy; I mean really noisy especially compared to the TL. Also, the coupe w/18s is harsh in terms of ride quality. The TL is easily the better luxo cruiser.

However, if you plan to canyon carve and love to drive, the G35 is the better car by far. Understeer is minimal and throttling out of sweeping turns is a blast. Torque is EVERYWHERE and high speed stability is incredible...a true GT car. In all honesty, you should ask yourself what type of car you want, a luxo cruiser or a sports/gt car.

04 Coupe Auto/DG/Prem/Nav/Perf<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by EZZ on 10/11/04 09:55 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

I put down a deposit for a Legacy GT, then two week later put a depo for a TL. Don't ask me why but while waiting for my financing to go thru and being away from home I changed my mind from the Legacy to the TL.

Now I am arranging to get my deposits back and looking at a pre-owned G35c. A new one is a bit high in $ here and I don't mind saving a few bucks for a used one.

TL is a very nice car. I'ts a bit popular for my liking, and the drivers aren't usually the most youthful/energetic/athletic. Yeah I am generalizing. Nice looking but I am starting to like the back end less than I used to. The interior is super nice and comfortable. Good power, the clutch is hard to get used to. Had history of AT issues.

The G35c isn't as nice inside, and is small. If that is ok, and you like to drive harder, then it's a better choice than the TL. If you have to fit more than 2 people regularly, go with the TL. If you don't mind the growl and performance feel, go with the G35c. I am single and don't need to drive more than 2 friends at a time so I am going with the G35c.

 

if they made a 2dr version of the TL and it was RWD i would most prob would have taken that over a G35c
but since they dont i LOVE my G LOL

 

when i bought my g, checked out many cars, including acura. both are nice, different feel though.

if i was into AT and getting sedan, maybe i would have got tl, but i am an MT fan and got coupe. two diff cars.

04 6mtC, DG - possibly most babied G on the board.

 

if you like luxury / nice dvd sound system, and just the overall feel of being in a luxury car, den go for the TL. As for me, I am going to buy a 6MT G35 in a year or two while i'm in college, mainly because i'm going to be in my 20s, and the G35 is more of a car for my age. I'd prefer a G35 as that is what suits me best.

 

The TL is the better luxury car, the G35 is the better performance car. Both should be reliable, safe, etc.

To me, the G35 coupe's style & handling far outweigh the TL's luxury edge.

I'm a critic of the G35 coupe's handling in routine situations but the TL's handling is much worse. Drive the TL around town, it feels like an overweight Accord (a family car, no matter what anyone says). I wouldn't mind the TL being a more luxurious Accord if it handled well, but it doesn't. At the limits, the TL's handling improves but it's no G35c.