2009 Acura TL Spy Shot
With the new 2008 Honda Accord out on dealer’s lots already, it was only a matter of time before the new Acura TL spy shots popped up. The TL, of course, is based on the Accord - so the 2009 TL will get all the benefits of the Accord redesign. There are no hardware specs yet - not even rumors!
Since that’s the case, I’ll throw a little “best guess” out there for fun. Honda’s 3.5 liter V6 will, of course, make it’s way under the hood. Power output should be in the 290 HP range for the base TL, and low 300’s for the Type S. This may cause problems for a bit, since the RL is rated at 300 HP. No worries though - there’s no need to hold back the TL just to make the RL seem better. 310 HP TL Type S? I can get on board with that.
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Should they continue on with the base model / Type S scheme, the car might sell modestly well so long as the Type S is AWD (or RWD). Honda’s always been about efficiencies on the production line, an approach that helps deliver great value. So this invokes some intrigue…are they going to hold fast to FWD with the base model & be satisfied to avoid fundamental changes to their prior strategy? Or will they step up to a RWD/AWD platform for the base model & compete head-head with the rest of the gang? IMO, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them drive the base model off dollar value, and drive technology & performance into the S. If so, keeping the price down on the Type S might prove to be among their biggest hurdles. Witness how the RL is mostly otherwise a great car were it not for the price (and that Americans still love their V8s).
Also, Acura needs to put the TL on a diet. Going to AWD could put the car up around 3,800 lbs. IMO, that’s too heavy for a luxury sport sedan if one wants truly stellar handling. Lastly, one would imagine Honda will deploy their new A-VTEC design into a mid-model refresh of this new TL, a feature offering enhanced economy and/or power.