- Guys, the times are changing.
The social media outlets are no longer
simply the powerhouse of Facebook
and the image hosting site of Instagram.
It is with some concern that we let you know
that Fitment Industries now has joined TikTok.
(bass music)
I'm sorry,
(laughs)
I'm not really sure how to feel about it either.
It's kinda sorta worth it
so feel free to join us if you want.
But don't tell anyone publicly
because we're not really sure when
TikTok is going to be socially acceptable
and when people actually talk about it
outside the scope of their close friends.
In terms of what is socially acceptable though,
there is a car out there that accomplishes
everything that an
"adult" would want that still loves cars.
Okay, a car out there that looks nice,
has four doors, is more than just a Subaru,
and allows some modification out there
without having to worry about the insurance company
jacking up your rates. Okay?
It's a car that's refined
and says no,
I pay for my parents meals when I go home
to, you know, Red Lobster.
I'm Alex, Alex Stouff on Instagram
and today we're gonna be talking about
the car that continues to be a consistent favorite
in the world:
The Acura TL.
(bass music)
(engine revving)
(bass music)
Alright, sorry, I'm done.
And while we're talking about being a productive
member of society,
since we're chatting about Acura TL's,
don't forget to subscribe.
And if you're looking for wheels, tires, or suspension
be sure to hit us up at FitmenIndustries.com
where we have it all.
For your adult Acura TL
or if you're still a teenager at heart like me,
pretty much everything else
that, you know, it's Christmas.
You could celebrate.
It's the holidays if you don't do that.
Get yourself some wheels okay?
The Acura TL was originally an entry level
luxury car that was made by Acura
to replace the Acura Vigor back in early 1990s.
Okay?
The car had a few different names
depending on the time frame
and country that you were looking at.
Right off the bat,
the Acura TL came out of the gate doing pretty well.
Ultimately becoming one of Acura's bets selling models
in their lineup
and ranked the best selling luxury Sedan
right behind the 3 Series.
3 Series has it on lock.
Taking into the origin story,
the Touring Luxury,
or TL debuted with two different motor options.
Either a bunky little 2.5 liter or a 3.2 liter
and had quite a few little quirks and features
that made it stand out.
For example, the TL was the first Acura to be
named as such
because Acura wanted consumers to focus on the Acura name
versus the model name, okay?
Gives it a little more prestige, I think, not sure.
The 3.2 liter was mounted in a longitudinal-
it was done the other way.
The 3.2 liter was mounted in a longitudinal position.
Why do I have to say that so angry,
I just don't wanna mess it up.
Which ultimately gave it better weight distribution
and gave it the long hood that everyone knows
and loves today.
Now way back in the beginning,
the TL wasn't anything to really blow
the doors off the market.
It was just a luxury Japanese car
and for the most part,
the first generation didn't really make any
creative ways in the aftermarket scene.
It did have some overseas popularity,
but most of us in the
USA don't really have a huge
focus on the first generation.
But then, then, the second generation came, oh yeah!
That one didn't really have a whole lot of
heavy modification background either.
I'm sorry, okay?
The second generation would be released in 1998.
Featuring new motor, new electronic transmission,
and new overall look.
However, probably would stay away a little bit from the
second generation, we'll get into that in a little bit.
But! Reliability failed to follow from the first generation
with the transmissions just kinda, sorta, commonly failing
in the US models.
There's this like little itsy bitsy clutch pad that wore
then ultimately caused the car to suddenly
downshift regardless of speed.
So you can imagine what would happen on a highway.
There were some lawsuits,
some extended warranties,
a few angry people if you will,
that weren't happy about their car stopping on 441.
And that ultimately tainted the second generation TL
from ever really doing fantastic.
But then, finally, finally,
after a few more years of revisions and changes,
the 3rd generation finally rolled out
and it's a good thing that they did because
that's pretty much what this video is about.
The 3rd generation's a banger.
In 2004 Acura introduced the TL that everyone
knows and loves.
The reason that it hit so well was due to the
American Honda designer John Akita.
And the fact that this was going to be a
North American exclusive.
It was a whole new design.
It was kicked and nickeled.
270 horsepower, had an automatic or manual option brambo,
4 piston brakes, a limited slip diff baby.
Stiffer roll bars and a new front end to boot
and people actually loved it.
Acura would introduce a tuner package
and call it the Aspec.
Which was tuned by Makoto Tomamura,
and even included the original factory warranty.
Which is kind of a big deal.
The car was a banger, alright?
The interior had upgraded 6 disk audio system,
had 8 speakers, it had Bluetooth, it had XM radio,
it had things. It had more stuff.
And it had all the goodies that the Acura TL
became Acura's best selling Sedan in 2004
with a little under 80,000 units sold.
Their only major revision was in 2007
when they gave it some new gages, new lights,
a little new steering wheel for it, you know.
Overall though,
the generation did fantastic
and I love it
and if I could just stay with this design forever
I probably would.
I think I'm forgetting something.
Oh.
Yeah, there's a 4th generation too.
I'm kinda kidding, but I'm kinda not.
The 4th generation came along for a few short years
and then it had some like kind of edgy teenager
vibe to it that they called Keen Edge Dynamic.
It had a power plenum upper
grill that not many people liked.
And although it featured improvements,
technically over the previous generation,
not many people would end up snagging this bad boy
because people just really
weren't about the car too much.
But, it was still good.
It had refinements on the all-wheel drive system,
it had a better self adjusting dual mask clutch.
It had improvements to the transmission,
it had improved weight reduction,
it had better multifunction display.
People just didn't jelb with it, you know?
They just didn't vibe with the bro of the 4th generation.
But the 3rd gen, you're my boy.
But we're not here to talk about the history, oh no.
We're here to talk about what it's like to own
an Acura TL.
So you want an Acura TL, well set down the 401k
and put away the readers, okay?
Because we're about the talk about what it's like
to own one of these bad,
but ultimately still had a 9-5 job,
boys. Okay?
The first and second generation aren't where
many people spend their time in the TL lineup.
Although you can snag one of these for a
pretty good price.
The first gen's just so much don't host the
same sort of community as the 3rd generation.
The second generation,
transmission issues haunt the car constantly.
So even though you could pick up one,
have some fun with it,
we probably just recommend staying away from them.
Because stopping on the highway is scary.
Now now, the third generation is where it's at.
This bad boy has all the thing right.
It's got the angry little headlights,
the sharp nose, the nice interior,
and a body style that just doesn't seem to age.
Wheels range from your Aodhan's to your Wed's.
Tires from Nexen all the way to your
Michelin pilots portforecent's pretty much
everything is common on these cars.
Or you can even go into like TruHart coilovers
or airlift.
Airlift suspension for if you wanna put it
on the ground 'cause it looks good there.
I'm not sure what it is about these cars
but everything on the styling aspect of it
are pretty well locked in.
Like how the headlights line up
to match the upper door body line
or how the indentation on the hood
flows from the bumper all the way back to the glass.
Everything is just decent
and when you look at it, no matter form what angle,
the car looks proper.
Now when it comes to reliability the 3rd generation
did fairly well.
With most of it's issues coming from
driving it to the point of rust or
just your overall typical maintenance repairs.
But, try to get the manual variance of the TL
if you can. Not the auto.
The automatic's reliability reputation across
nearly every generation is not,
not the dandiest. Okay?
A lot of people that own TLs daily drive them
because of their comfort
and the fact that they have 4 doors.
It's not a car you have to put
away in the winter.
It's one that you can if you wanted to.
A few things to look into though
if you are looking to pick one up is:
the rust on the rear quarters
as they have a tendency to get weak over the years.
Tiny belts, need to be swapped out every 100,000 miles
or 8 years.
So you'll wanna see that in the mess of paperwork
you get when you're trying to actually buy the car
from the one person on craigslist
that only responds at very awkward times of the night
because apparently that's the only time
he's available.
Then he makes the fake phone call talking about
how the car is still available in front of you
in hopes that you get the price.
Anyways, the 4th generation we don't talk about
much because the enthusiasts keep the old buying
process between the 2004 and 2008 years.
The Acura TL is a legendary car
for the everyday driver that wants something cool,
calm, collected, but still gets you to your day job.
With your, you know, 5 week old donations in the back,
you know?
It's got a trunk, it's got space, it comes with
a manual transmission and vtech that makes
you feel like you're the next Sena,
but you're still comfortable enough to
take it across the country without having to
worry too much about it.
Modifications exist for it, but you never see it become
too excessive.
Because the person modifying it has a 9am
the next morning to talk about the Q4 financials.
It's just a car that gets it done.
And if you're looking for something that you
can moderately modify without having to
change the world with it, a lot of people love Acura TLs.
So what do you think about the Acura TLs?
Let us know in the comment section below
and of course,
if you're looking for aftermarket wheels, tires,
or suspension hit up your boys
at FitmentIndustries.com.
I just wanna get a T-shirt with my face that has that.
With more hair,
so that way it looks, you know,
more realistic.
Anyways, and if you guys haven't subscribed yet,
don't forget to do so.
I'm Alex from FitmenIndustries.
We will see you later,
hope you like the sweatshirt that's not released yet.
I'm definitely gonna keep wearing it in videos
because it's super comfortable.
Okay, bye.