Wow, sometimes I roll all the windows down, so I can hear more of the engine noise

Before you make your decision, you should probably pay a visit to the local dealer's service department. The Acura dealers over here are complete aholes, when it came to servicing my wife's TL.

The TL may have DVD-A, but it still doesn't have MP3, even though the TSX has MP3. They also have great interiors, but I think they are morons for choosing blue for the dash lighting. It has been scientifically proven that blue on black is the worst on your eyes, and actually causes fatigue.

I also sincerely hope Acura fixed the tranny in the TL, the 2G TL's are dropping trannies like flies.

Also, don't get your hopes up, that the Interior quality of the TL is better than the G. Sure it's prettier to look at, but if you look at the TL boards, there are far more complaints of rattles than the G35.

To put in into perspective, when I got my wife's TL:

It rattled right out of the box, from the dealer.
Car would make a VERY loud "bang" when you turned the wheel while stopped. Took it to the dealer. One of the steering rack bolts was loose, and another was missing. (How's that for Quality Control?)

I also find them to be somewhat disorganized. When I went to have a spoiler installed, (at the dealer I bought the car from no less), I went ahead and drove the 130 miles to this dealer. (I'll explain why I didn't go to a local dealer in a minute).

I got my free oil change while I was there too. They said the spoiler install would take 6 hours. So I tooled around the city with the loaner. When I get back, the spoiler was NOT installed. They said they ordered the wrong color spoiler Ok, mistakes happen... But why didn't they tell me earlier? I could've gone back home, instead of waste my entire saturday.

When I went to get touchup paint, (at a differnet dealer by the way), they said my car was not "Redondo Red Pearl". They said the TL does'nt come in that color. WTF? They said it's probably "Ruby Red Quartz". They told me to get the color code off the door. So I oblige. They said, "Yup, Ruby Red Quartz". Ok whatever... I go to pickup my order... I look at the bottle... Lo and behold, it says, "Redondo Red Pearl".

Local Acura dealers (2 in the area), both refused to perform recall work on my car's tranny unless I had the recall letter in hand. (Nevermind the VIN number pops up with the recall on the Honda web site). So I get turned away.

A few months later, I towed the car back to the dealer, because the radiator sprung a leak, and lost all it's coolant. They said they had to replace the radiator. (I'll tell you why this is significant in a minute). They then also tried to void the warranty on my transmission, because the fluid was "Very burnt", so I "must have" neglected to flush it. I point out to them that the service guide doesn't say to "flush" the tranny until 120,000 miles. I had <30,000 miles, so where does it say I "have to flush" the tranny? I also pointed out the recall on the tranny, listed burnt fluid as a symptom. I also pointed out how they REFUSED to do the recall work a few months earlier. They then re-instated my warranty. While working on this, they tell me that I need to buy 4 new tires as they are worn out. However, I JUST BOUGHT new tires a few days prior. The service manager confessed that they didn't actually look at the tires, just made the recommendation based on mileage.

Earlier, the other Acura dealer here, wouldn't even patch my flat tire. Said to go to a tire shop. I ended up going to a Honda dealer to get it patched for free.

After they did the recall work, they said I need to pay to have the tranny flushed?! They said, to keep the warranty, an Acura Dealer needs to do it. (I could've sworn we already had this argument) So I pulled out the owners manual, and pointed out how it said it was "recommended" that an Acura Dealer services the car, not "required". So they changed their story, and said that flushing an Acura Tranny, is complicated and requires special equipment that only they have. So I asked them to show me the procedure listed in the Acura Service Manual, as I told them I have the Acura Service Manual, and it DOES NOT list any special equipment requirements, and it clearly and explicitely shows the flushing procedure, and it was quite simple. So then they changed their story yet again, and said it would be more "convenient" for me, if I have them flush it.

Whatever...

Fast forward 2 more months. The tranny self destructed in the TL. I was away on business, so my wife called the dealer. They didn't believe her, and said that they are not aware of any tranny issues on the TL. They also said if we rolled past 50,000 miles, we are also out of warranty. They said they are unaware of Acura extending the tranny warranty to 100,000 miles. They said if we purchased extra warranty seperately, we need to bring in proof of purchase separately, as the dealers computers are not networked together....

When I got back from my trip, I take the car to the dealer myself. I didn't even open my mouth, and they asked if the tranny has been replaced yet... They stumbled and said, "Well, I don't mean YET... But this problem is more common than we would like it to be...

When I whipped out the proof of purchase of the warranty, they said, "Oh, you don't need that. Acura extended the warranty on all automatic trannys on the all model TL's, to 100,000 miles". I said, I know, that's why I also brought a copy of the Honda Press Release that says exactly that.... Way to take advantage of Women, Honda/Acura, by lying to my wife

A day or two later, I get a call. The coolant looks to be "very" dirty and "must" be flushed. They said they would "happily" do it for "only" $80. Now I was fuming, because this same dealer REPLACED the radiator < 2 months ago. I towed the car in with ZERO coolant in it. Service manager, found the service records in their computer, but could not explain why the master technician recommended a radiator flush.

Granted, my experience may be unique, as maybe the Acura dealers here just suck, which is why I recommend that you actually visit the service deparment, and maybe talk to some of the customers about their experiences.

Except for when I got the spoiler installed, I've never gotten an Acura loaner. In fact the 2 local dealers even told me straight up, that they do not give out overnight acura loaners. When I had the recall work done and radiator replaced, that took 4 days. I didn't get a loaner. Not even a rental car. At least when they replaced the tranny, I got an enterprise rent-a-car.

My Infiniti experience has been quite good. I've always gotten a loaner, sometimes they even tell me to point out any car that was parked out front that I wanted to take out as a loaner. I've even had the parts department give me free parts, and offer to install them for free. (I asked about a handle cap, so I could cover/remove the lock tumbler to deter the window roll down issue).

 

Sure, the G's Bose "Premium" stereo is nothing more than just another factory system that sounds nothing more than adequate. However, upgrading the G's stereo is much easier than upgrading the TL's stereo would be. I plan to totally replace my G's stereo in the future with a high end system. Sure, it will cost quite a bit of $$$$ to do that (depending on what I finally decide and what my finances allow it will run a minimum of $4000 up to $12000), but I'll get exactly the audio system I want to my specifications which will blow the doors off any factory system that you can buy. Infiniti put their money into the engine, powertrain, and suspension, which in my opinion is where it should be spent. I really like the interior on my G and I've looked at the TL's interior and it isn't THAT much better. The pop-up Nav in the Coupe is great and it was an easy mod to allow it to play DVD movies! (How hard is it mod the Acura Nav to play DVD movies?) I'm 6'3" and the Coupe fits me more comfortably than the TL does. The only thing I really wish my '04 had would be a power recline on the seat which has been fixed for '05. Performance and styling wise, the Coupe is far superior to the TL. I don't know why so many people seem to be deciding between the Coupe and TL. Do that many people have trouble deciding whether they want or need 2 or 4 doors, or rear wheel drive vs. front wheel drive????

A guy who lives in my Condo complex has a brand new black TL. When he saw my Caribbean Blue Coupe, he walked up to it and was basically drooling all over it- you could see the "buyer's remorse" on his face.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Just upgrade the sound system, thats what I did. No Acura sounds like my G

 

I have to agree this is the one downfall of the TL dash. As a pilot, I can't tell you how frustrating it is to see all these car makers one up each other with the "let's make the dashlight color XXX"-- even though red on black is the best for night vision driving (and flying).

Don't buck a system that works (and is proven scientifically) just for the sake of cosmetics...

 

the G's interior isn't that bad... and now the 05s are even better IMO. If you're saying that Audi's make the best interiors, i dunno about that... look at this:



Thats a S4 interior... to me it just looks blah... nothing special about it. The seats are nice, and i prefer the red lighting etc but the actual dash isn't anything special. I really like the 05s aluminum dash...

Comparing to the TL, the only thing i like about the TL is the information screen and nav integration with the radio, like the TSX. Material wise and quality i think they're all the same... but yea they're two different animals and you can't really compare the two properly... Ideally i would get both lol one luxury car and one sports car...

 

I too was thinking on getting a 4-door because I have family, but like you, I have a larger vehicle for those long trips. I have a fairly long commute by myself so I decided to get the G coupe.
I have a 05 MDX and a co-worker of mine has a new TL and IMO the styling of the TL looks bland unless you get the kit and sports package. The rear end just looks off and the car sits too high.
The interior of the G could be better but it's not bad. Don't get me wrong, I like my Acura but when you get down to the nitty gritty, wouldn't you have a better time commuting in a coupe all by yourself?

 

I haven't had too many run ins with the Infiniti Dealer as of yet the couple I have had have FAR surpassed anything i've experienced at an Acura dealer. For years i was what some people would call a ricer, but in all due respects I did legitmate track racing with respectable times. I loved Honda products. I made many trips to the Acura dealer for engine parts, and consistantly had problems with the service guys saying that certain parts couldn't even be ordered and would have to go to a Honda dealer to get the equivelant, when I would show them a print of with the part number the story would change. The only consistant variable I ever had with them was to expect the unexpected and never had a positive experience. And I'm talking about 20+ times to 3 different Acura dealers.

Now in the 2 trips to my infiniti dealer i can't exactly say the same thing. The last one was after a breakin on my car where they stole the the leather case that stored all the owners and warrant information. Why they stole that I'll never know. I called up the dealer and they quoted me a price. Went down there a couple of days later to pick one up and the parts guy headed to the back to have a look around. Came back and said that it's not really a part that they can order but since they had a couple of extras sitting in the back from the loaner cars, that he gave me one for free.

The other time i've gone in, was for my 3500 mile service. The 30 or so minute wait was spent shooting the sh*t with the service manager for the duration. Talking about all the aftermarket mods they've done to the G over the last couple months. And how they love to have people bring their cars in for mods, because they prefer to have people happy to bring their car in rather something go wrong and have an unhappy customer come in with a warranty issue.

To sum it all up, some dealers are better than others, pleant of people on this forum have had pleant bad to say about certain people at certain Infiniti delears. I'm extrememly pleased in the overall experience i've had buying my Infiniti from the sale to the service. This is the only car that I can say that about, even though before i bought this car i felt the same way about other dealers.

Buying my G35C came down to what car I felt would make me happy in the long run.. I plan on keeping this car for a long time, and planned a lot for this. I remember looking at the TL's when i was browsing at cars, and my wife told me, we're trading in an accord, i dont want another one. The other option was to buy an SUV, and the choices there were Armada, Murano or FX35. I took a long time deciding what I wanted and finally decided on the right car for me. It was the performance handling and styling that got me to buy the G.

Just make sure you decide whats right for you

 

the interior of the G looks really good to me. It looks appropriate for the car. It is unique as well. The Acura interiors are copies of the classic E46 era BMW interiors. They would not be appropriate for the unique sportyness of the G. I am glad it has the interior it does. I like the seats, gauge assembly (although I prefer the 04 gauges), angles and feel. I think it could definitely use some small touches but overall I think it is very good.

 

u guys seriously need to stop comparing a 4 door FWD car to a RWD sports/luxury car...its all about wat u want...either sport or luxury...g35 u can get a taste of both, TL u get the luxury but the fact that its FWD just completely changes my mind...when acura comes out with a RWD luxury car, then we'r talkin