Reviewed by 
From the August 1995 issue of Car and Driver.
At a time when President Clinton and his trade enforcer Mickey Kantor are threatening more tariffs and taxes to bash Japan into some sort of trade submission, they should stop by their local Acura dealership for a test drive of the new 2.5TL. We'll offer to ride shotgun and point out various features in the car that illustrate the elegant way in which market forces on their own are working to equilibrate Japanese-built car sales.
Let's start with a walkaround to take in the clean and uncluttered but also anonymous styling of the TL, during which we'll explain how manufacturers that are skating on rather thin profit margins brought on by currency woes and domestic recessions tend not to take styling risks.
Next, we'll have a peek under the hood. Ah, grab that prop rod if you would, sir—can't afford gas struts or countersprings. Count those cylinders, Bill—only five of them. That's at least one shy of the number you'll find in the engine bays of most family cars built here in the Land of the Free, let alone $30,000 luxury cars. Oh, a six is available—for just $5132 more in the 3.2TL.
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Now let's have a look inside. (You can quit squeezing the key fob, Mick—it's just leather, so you'll actually have to insert the key in the door. Keyless entry is a $465 dealer-installed option on the 2.5TL.) This is a handsome interior. Convincing faux wood on the dash, nice leather on the seat face (that's vinyl on the side and back of the seats), and truly comfortable and supportive seat cushions make this a very pleasant place to be. For $2050, the leather comes packaged with a glass moonroof that slides open electrically but does not tilt up for ventilation or for use in the rain.
Speaking of rain (and snow), some owners will need to drive their 2.5TLs more carefully in bad weather, as traction control is reserved for those who spring for the $36,257 Premium V-6 model. Granted, with a 60/40 weight distribution and front-wheel drive, five-cylinder folks won't spin their wheels much. They might miss variable-speed intermittent wipers though—the TL gets a single setting.
Finally, we'll take a spin—you know, open her up and see what she'll do. We'll have to explain the noise to Their Bureaucratships without getting too technical—something about how the uneven firing sequence of a five-cylinder results in that basso growl and in the vertical shaking force that causes the steering wheel and driver's seat to quiver at idle. (It should be noted that Honda's engineers did invest in exotic electrohydraulic dual-chamber engine mounts and extensive cylinder-block webbing and gusseting in a heroic effort to calm the shake.)
Performance is somewhat tame: the 60-mph dash comes up in 9.0 seconds, and 82 mph and the quarter-mile mark appear in 17.0 seconds. The more important number in this test, however, is the 77-dBA sound-pressure level that accompanies this wide-open-throttle acceleration. That's a little loud for a luxury car when compared with the 72 decibels generated by an Infiniti I30, or the 70 dBA that Honda's own Accord V-6 churns out.
Unfortunately, the transmission does little to improve on powertrain smoothness. Even with the latest Grade Logic Control System to finesse the gear selection process and an ample 32-kilobyte transmission controller that works in conjunction with the engine's 48K brain to soften shifts, the transmission still manages to pitch the car on upshifts during hard acceleration. In town, it spends more time deliberating on gear selection than should be necessary with all that electronic brainpower.
The Acura 2.5TL shines brightest in chassis refinement. The control-arm front and multilink rear suspension pieces come directly from the highly successful Honda Accord (on which the TL series is loosely based). The shock absorbers are tuned for supple compliance over minor imperfections, without any float over larger undulations. The TL's 4.9-inch-longer wheelbase suffers a bit of longitudinal bending on big bumps that can't be felt in the Accord, but these vibes aren't objectionable. The four-wheel disc brakes are good for consistently short 179-foot stops from 70 mph with minimal fade, and the variable-effort steering provides reasonable road feel without any artificial heaviness. If these cars sold on chassis refinement alone, we might have to counsel in favor of a tariff to rein in sales.
But they don't, so after our drive we'd sit down with the leader of the Free World, the executor of free trade, and a copy of the C/D Buyers Guide for a little discussion of value, as perceived by the average taxpayer looking to buy a nice $30,000 car.
The 2.5TL does undercut the similar prestige-brand Infiniti I30 and Lexus ES300—by $1580 and $3660, respectively—but it also falls short of them in performance, equipment, and cylinder count. If their egos allow it, buyers will be impressed by the value afforded by fully equipped versions of the Nissan Maxima and the U.S.-built Toyota Camry, which also come with superb V-6 drivetrains, more luxury features, and a price tag lower than the TL's. And those who really want the most car for their $30,000 will gravitate to Big Three showrooms, where the bigger, better-performing, more stylish, and more fully equipped Chrysler LHS, Pontiac Bonneville SSEi, and Ford Taurus SHO can be found.
Those who place a premium on Japanese quality and fit and finish will find satisfaction in this 2.5TL, but they will also be paying full price for those qualities. Trust us, Mr. President, J.Q. Public doesn't need any additional tariff disincentives to help him make a rational choice.
Specifications
Specifications
1995 Acura 2.5TL
Vehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $28,320/$30,370
Options: premium equipment package (leather seat and door trim, sunroof, and driver's seatback map pocket), $2050
ENGINE
SOHC 20-valve inline-5, aluminum block and head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 150 in3, 2451 cm3
Power: 176 hp @ 6300 rpm
Torque: 170 lb-ft @ 3900 rpm
TRANSMISSION
4-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 11.1-in vented disc/10.3-in disc
Tires: Bridgestone Potenza RE92
205/60HR-15
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 111.8 in
Length: 191.5 in
Width: 70.3 in
Height: 55.3 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 54/41 ft3
Trunk Volume: 14 ft3
Curb Weight: 3272 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 9.0 sec
1/4-Mile: 17.0 sec @ 82 mph
100 mph: 26.8 sec
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 9.9 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.9 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 6.9 sec
Top Speed (drag limited): 126 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 179 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.77 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 21 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/Highway: 20/25 mpg
