Acuta TL - FIRST DRIVE: FOR THE TECHNOCRATS AT HONDA, LEARNING TO EMOTE DOESN'T COME EASILY

摘要

Honda has had a lot of success building cars that appeal on a rational level. But we get the impression that, where the Acura division is concerned, that's no longer enough. At the introduction of the new TL, for instance, the first thing chief engineer Mat Hargett said was, "We really wanted to push the emotional envelope." Predictably, the new TL's theme was Emotion Advanced. But when Acura pulled the sheets off the two new TL sedans, a base model and an SH-AWD (which replaces the Type-S), our first emotion was consternation. Here was an even bigger, more prominent version of the division's awkward new grille, a multifaceted affair that wraps up onto the hood and features a turned-up opening that leads nowhere. Next, we took in the profile, which gave us the feeling of deja vu, so closely does it mirror the shape of the Infiniti G{sub}35 on the lower half and the Infiniti M{sub}45 on the top.