Yet the word is that the manual TL-SH can rumble with anyone in the segment?

Chris Walton praised it like crazy - http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=132226

"We also have to applaud Acura's determination to make its products more than just another premium-brand spin-off of an existing sedan. That's what makes Honda and Acura intriguing and forward-thinking carmakers. It's also what will make our job harder when it comes time to score what will be a very tight comparison test next year."

Karl, the TL increased significantly in size. From your short time driving it, do you think that's a positive or a negative compared to other near luxury vehicles in the segment, i.e G37 sdn, 3-Series, C-Class, A4, etc.

I don't think it does compare to those cars any more. Too big.

Karl,
Please give up on this tweet thing. This has taken one of my favorite blogs out there and reduced it to random blurbs. I am sure that the old blog did take a decent amount of time; quality work always does. I feel that not only have the quality of the posts changed, but the comments and discussions aren't nearly as good. I guess there just isn't as much to talk about. Please, back to real writing.

So does that mean it competes with the 5-series now?

Sort of. Space wise it's very much like the 5 Series, while price wise it's much cheaper. Driving wise...well...

I wonder if the TL is marketed like the CTS? Would the TL and CTS be direct competitors now?

There seem to be a lot of mixed feelings about the new TL. When the Temple of VTEC reviewed the 2009 models (no manual SH-AWD) they sounded very disappointed about everything but the interior - their tone was similar to Karl's, even though he hasn't openly said much about it yet. But the TOV folks loved driving the 2010 manual SH-AWD version around a track. Maybe Karl would too.

Excluding the manual SH-AWD, it sounds like the new TL is more of a Cadillac fighter. And I don't mean the new, sporty Cadillac.

The TL is the luxury midsized Accord's twin. Like the Lexus ES350. Same size as the Audi A4/G35/CTS/Lincoln something. Lincoln makes cars?
Acura carries the TSX. Remember?
No. No you don't remember the TSX. That's ok because I don't even remember if Lincoln makes a car or even exists.

"There seem to be a lot of mixed feelings about the new TL. When the Temple of VTEC reviewed the 2009 models (no manual SH-AWD) they sounded very disappointed about everything but the interior - their tone was similar to Karl's, even though he hasn't openly said much about it yet. But the TOV folks loved driving the 2010 manual SH-AWD version around a track. Maybe Karl would too."

True. We TOV members havent actually been jumping up and down lately when it comes to the direction the Acura brand is headed. With the exception of the 2011 Acura RL (V8-RWD/SH-awd) and the 5XXhp V10 NSX successor everything else has been a bit dissapointing. I just have to keep telling myself the tier 1 Acura products arent here yet as all Acuras current products were developed or already under development when Acura announced its goal to become a global tier 1 luxury brand.

I think the base TL is actually quite soft for a Acura product. Not in the Buick/Lexus/Toyota sense as its still pocesses adequate body/chassis control but it obviously doesnt cater to the driving enthusiast. This car may be comparible to a base Cadillac CTS without its performance suspension option, Im not sure.

The SH-awd model in 5AT form should be much more focused as this model was clearly aimed at people who wanted a TL with more performance.

Whats holding back the 5AT SH-awd TL is the super wide gear ratios as the acceleration falls off pretty rapidly after 2nd gear. Acura, grow some balls, stop being cheap and give the Acura line the 6 or 7AT the cars deserve.

The 6MT version however takes TL performance to a whole new level.

It seems as if Acura tried to better cover all luxury/performance aspects with the new TL with the base covering the luxury end, the 5AT SH-awd catering to the customer who likes the TLs overall package yet desires more performance. The 6MT SH-awd certainly caters to the enthusiasts as the small but vast details Acura implemented in the steering, suspension, chassis and 6MT (all exclusive to the TL SH-awd 6MT) clearly validate that. I just wish the automatic SH-awd TL offered performance closer to the 6MT.

Jeffs (Tov moderator) take on the TL SH-awd 6MT:

"Jumping in this car immediately after the 335xi was like gulping a breath of fresh air. At first, the bulkiness of the TL was a little bit intimidating, but it only took a single chicane to appreciate the advantages of SH-AWD. In this company, the new 6-speed manual transmission and clutch interface is a work of art. Precision is spot on, whether you're accelerating at full throttle down the straightaway or trying to manage an upshift or downshift under heavy lateral loads. Acura's efforts to improve clutch feel have paid off immensely - the 2010 TL's 6MT transmission now ranks amongst Honda's best efforts. Outstanding.

Compared to the two BMWs, the TL SH-AWD 6MT felt very fast during my first outing in it, but unfortunately the prototype I was driving in that stint didn't have a functional 12V socket, so I was unable to log my lap times. It's not a big deal, since I'm sure I was quicker on my second outing with the TL, but one thing I noticed on the first outing was that I managed to overwork the front tires to the point that the car was beginning to push to a fun-killing degree. On my second outing in the other TL that was present, I seemed to have subconsciously adjusted my driving approach, as this wasn't at all an issue.

As I suspected, the TL's 305hp J37 felt fantastic hooked up to the 6MT. Acura has intentionally set up the gear ratios so that gears 1-4 are designed to pull hard and 5 and 6 are the "cruising" ratios. Out on the track, I never got the TL above 4th gear, but I can tell you that the spacing of the first 4 ratios is about as close to perfect as you're going to find. Acceleration is fierce from the moment you roll into the throttle in 1st gear, and every time you nudge the shifter (with the shortest throw of all its peers, and even shorter than the TSX's) into the next gear, there seems to be almost no dropoff in thrust. One thing that irritated me (and other TOV editors) with the previous generation TL's 6-speed gearbox was the diverter valve within the clutch that slowed the clutch engagement when the clutch pedal was released. Thanks to the AWD system and beefier driveline hardware, this has been completely eliminated for the 2010 TL, and the result is brilliantly direct and instantaneous clutch engagement.

The 2009 TL got a new set of brakes, and the 2010 6MT model runs with exactly the same stuff. Out on track, these proved to be amongst the best in the group, never fading or wavering in pedal feel and always providing significant stopping force. In fact, they were so strong that under the most severe braking circumstances I felt like the TL was standing on its nose, which of course reminded me of the TL's short wheelbase (relative to its overall length)."