The Acura TL is Acura's mainstream sedan. In a class where most of the competition is rear-drive, it's a front-driver. Some of the competition offers V8 power, while the TL is strictly a V6. And yet the Acura TL has always been an engaging and pleasing machine.
Before the Acura TL there was the Vigor. Launched as a 1992 model, the Vigor was slotted neatly between Acura's existing small car and large car and featured a longitudinally mounted, 176-horsepower 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. But compared with the entry-level luxury competition, the bland Vigor wasn't roomy and rode rather stiffly. The result was that the market pretty much ignored it, and the Vigor disappeared from the market (and virtually everyone's memory) after the 1994 model year. The first Acura TL was next.
Debuting during 1995 as a 1996 model, the first Japanese-assembled Acura TL carried over the Vigor's five-cylinder longitudinally mounted engine in the 2.5 TL while a 200-hp 3.2-liter SOHC V6 powered the more luxurious 3.2 TL. Slightly larger than the Vigor, the first Acura TL was slightly more successful in the marketplace.
With the second Acura TL (introduced as a 1999 model) production moved to Marysville, Ohio, where it could be built alongside similar products. The sole engine was now the 3.2-liter V6 rated at 225 hp. For 2002 a "Type-S" model was added to the line and featured a stiffer suspension, more supportive seats, larger wheels and tires and a tweaked V6 rated at 260 hp. Finally, the Acura TL was starting to be noticed.
The third Acura TL showed up as a 2004 model wearing blockier sheet metal and carrying over many of the basic TL components. The regular TL's 3.2-liter V6 was now rated at 258 hp, while the Type-S received a 3.5-liter version of the engine rated at 286 hp. Thickly equipped with loads of electronics and a killer sound system, the Acura TL was a solid hit.
A fourth Acura TL was introduced for 2009 and, for the first time, an all-wheel-drive system was offered. By now the Acura TL was a stalwart of the Acura line.
