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2005 Acura TL

Silk should be so smooth

SEE ALSO: New Car Buyer's Guide for Acura


Not satisfied with just being good-looking and well-equipped, The 2005 edition of the Acura TL bespeaks smoothness, inside and out.

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The interior is thoughtfully laid out, nice healthy analog knobs where needed, and buttons large enough not to miss. The navigation system is simply the most useful and (more important) easy to use. The seating is very comfortable fore and aft with good cargo space under the fully retracting trunk lid.

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Now that is how instruments should be illuminated! My theory is that some eager young design engineers keep showing automotive managers artists renderings of "cool and sexy" all-red instrument ilumination. On paper, maybe. In real live driving situations, you can have your blurry dashes. Besides, a red indicator should be indicating a problem.

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We had a gas with the 270-horsepower, 3.2-liter V6 which provided plenty of power at any engine speed. The automatic transmission is absolutely seamless; you'll have to concentrate to notice gear changes. The steering and handling are precise without being hyper-sensitive. It's all been carefully balanced. It is quite simply an effortless drive - winning plaudits equally from male and female drivers and passengers. Don't you dare think about sports sedans without including the Acuras.

Specs

 POWERTRAIN  
Engine Type 
3.2-liter, SOHC VTEC V-6 Horsepower, 
SAE Net 270 hp @ 6200 rpm Torque, 
SAE Net 238 lbs-ft @ 5000 rpm Redline 6800 rpm Bore & Stroke 
3.50 in x 3.39 in (89 mm x 86 mm) 
Displacement 196 cu in (3210 cc) 
Compression Ratio 11.0:1 
Induction System Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI) 
Valvetrain Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTECÔ), 
4 valves-per-cylinder, belt-driven, single overhead camshaft 
Engine Block Aluminum alloy with cast in iron cylinder liners 
Cylinder Head Aluminum alloy 
Emission Control Electronic Emission Control – 
CARB LEV-2 ULEV/ EPA Tier 2-Bin 5 
Ignition System Direct ignition system with knock control system 
Alternator 130 amp. max Battery 12V, 
maintenance free 
Recommended Fuel Premium Unleaded, 91 Octane 
Layout Transverse mounted, front engine, front-wheel-drive 
Transmissions 5-speed automatic transmission with Sequential SportShift 
and Grade Logic ControlorClose-ratio 6-speed manual transmission 
with helical gear limited slip differential Ratios (:1) 
Manual Transmission1st 3.9332nd 2.4783rd 1.7004th 1.2505th 
0.9756th 0.770Reverse 4.008Final 3.285 
Automatic Transmission1st 2.5632nd 1.5523rd 1.0214th 
0.6665th 0.480Reverse 1.846Final 4.428


CHASSIS 
Body Type All-steel unit body Front Suspension Independent double-wishbone 
with coil springs and stabilizer bar 
Rear Suspension Independent multi-link, double-wishbone with coil springs 
and stabilizer bar 
Shock Absorbers Gas-pressurized with Progressive Valve technology, 
front and rear Stabilizer Bars 
Automatic TransmissionFront: 1.0 in. diameter 0.18 in. 
wall thickness (25.4 mm) x (4.5 mm) Rear: 0.67 in. diameter, 
solid (17.0 mm) 
Manual TransmissionFront: 1.07 in. diameter 0.20 in wall thickness 
(27.2 mm) x (5.0 mm) Rear: 0.79 in. diameter, solid (20 mm) 
Steering Type Torque-sensing, variable power-assisted rack-and-pinion 
Steering Ratio 15.4:1 
Steering Wheel Turns (lock to lock) 2.77 
Turning Circle (curb to curb) 39.7 ft (12.1 m) 
Wheels 17 x 8 JJ cast-aluminum alloy Tires P235/45R17 93W Bridgestone 
Turanza All-Season235/45R17 93W Bridgestone Potentza High-Performance 
(optional for models with 6-speed MT) 
Braking System Dual-diagonal, power-assisted, 4-wheel disc brakes 
with ABS Front Discs 
Automatic transmissionVentilated, 11.4 in (300 mm) diameter; 
1.1 in (28 mm) rotor thickness
Manual transmissionBrembo ventilated, 12.2 in (310 mm) diameter, 
0.98 in (25 mm) rotor thickness 
Rear Discs Solid, 11.1 in (282 mm) diameter; 0.35 in (9 mm) 
rotor thickness 
Total Swept Area Front: 242.4 sq in² (1564 cm2) 
Rear: 169.9 sq in² (1096 cm2) Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) 
3-channel system with 4 wheel speed sensors and electric/hydraulic 
control Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system 
Throttle control and brake control utilizing yaw, lateral g, 
speed and steering sensors for traction control and stability enhancement 
Traction Control System (TCS) Incorporated into VSA


CAPACITIES 
Crankcase 4.2 US qt (4.0 L) 
Cooling System A
utomatic Transmission8.6 US qt (8.1 L) 
Manual Transmission8.3 US qt (7.9 L) 
Fuel Tank 17.0 US gal (64.7 L) 
Volume Passenger 97.9 cu ft 
Cargo Cargo w/ Navigation System 12.5 cu ft 12.3 cu ft


Total w/ Navigation System 110.4 cu ft110.2 cu ft


FUEL ECONOMY  EPA Fuel Mileage – City / Highway 
Automatic Transmission20/28Manual Transmission20/30


EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 107.9 in (2740 mm) 
Track, front 62.1 in (1577 mm) 
Track, rear 62.0 in (1576 mm) 
Overall Length 189.3 in (4809 mm) 
Overall Width 72.2 in (1835 mm) 
Overall Height 56.7 in (1441 mm) 
Minimum Ground Clearance 5.8 in (148.0 mm) 
Non-Load 4.4 in (111 mm) 
Full-Load Curb Weight 
Automatic Transmission3575 lb (1621 kg) 
Manual Transmission3482 lb (1580 kg) 
w/ optional Acura Navigation System
w/ optional high performance tires
w/ optional Acura Navigation System 
and high performance tires 3582 lb (1625 kg)N/AN/A 3489 lb (1583 kg)
3491 lb (1584 kg)3498 lb (1587 kg) 
Weight Distribution (% front / rear)w/ optional 
Acura Navigation Systemw/ optional high performance tiresw/ 
optional Acura Navigation System and high performance tires 
Automatic Transmission 61.4/38.6 61.2/38.8N/AN/A 
Manual Transmission60.0/40.059.9/40.160.0/40.059.8/40.2


INTERIOR DIMENSIONS  
Front Head Room 38.7 in (984 mm) 
Leg Room 42.8 in (1088 mm) 
Hip Room 55.6 in (1412 mm) 
Shoulder Room 58.3 in (1482 mm) 
Rear Head Room 37.2 in (945 mm) 
Leg Room 34.9 in (887 mm) 
Hip Room 53.8 in (1367 mm) 
Shoulder Room 55.7 in (1414 mm) 

WARRANTIES 
Vehicle 4-year / 50,000-mile limited warranty Outer Body Rust-Through 
5-year / unlimited-mile limited warranty Acura Total Luxury Care (TLC) 
with roadside assistance 4-year / 50,000-mile