2003 Acura TL Consumer Reviews

Will own till it dies

Written by: Raider on 05/27/2009

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 Type-S 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Fantastic ride. Very comfortable, roomy interior with great sporty performance. Looking for some power at less cost - this car is a great option.

Favorite Features

17in alloys, cd changer, spacious trunk, many airbags, spoiler (a must have I don't think the car looks nearly as good without it).

Suggested Improvements

Wish it would accept an aftermarket sub woofer. Steering wheel controls have been switching up on me (volume controls the channel changer).

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I LOVE IT!

Written by: Scotty on 05/11/2009

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 Type-S 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I purchased this car one year ago. So far it has been a pleasure owning it. 260h(200whp) engine delivers smooth power when you need it. Interior is spacious and well designed. Large trunk. So far it has been very reliable.

Favorite Features

Nighthawk Black color is sharp! I have the factory body kit and despite being a 6 year old car, it's still a head turner and I get compliments regularly on how it looks. Factory HID's are nice. My dad's Mercedes E500 did not even come with HID's. Touchscreen navi is very easy to use and is handy. VSA.

Suggested Improvements

None. It's a great car for what it is, practical.

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Go with the 04 and newer!!

Written by: Jennie on 02/21/2009

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I bought my 03 TL new. The good: under my ownership, I loved the car. The navigation is still among the best and the seats were very comfortable, even during my OK to CA road trip. The traction control kept me safe in the snow (people from San Diego do not belong on snowy roads!) and saved me from possibly killing myself on the highway. The bad: TRANSMISSION!! Acura will only replace the transmissions for specific failure codes which means many of them are no longer being covered under warranty. If you can't afford the expense, stay away! Stay away! Stay away!

Favorite Features

Navigation, interior styling, safety, comfort of ride.

Suggested Improvements

Acura needs to step up and replace ALL transmissions during these model years. Go with the 04-08 model.

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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GREAT CAR!!

Written by: REE on 10/10/2008

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 Type-S 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I owned at 1993 Acura Vigor GS with 260k miles and had it for 13 yrs before I decided to get a new one. I kept it for awhile after purchasing this TL 3.2S type w/navi sys. I am very happy with this car and have no regrets. The only cons I have is the middle front armrest is not secure and keeps opening up. I use unleaded plus and have never had a problem in either car by doing this.

Favorite Features

Leather seats, handling, navigation system, onstar, exterior build, and cassette player/cd

Suggested Improvements

Paint seems not to be as good as the 1993 Vigor I had.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Best car I've ever owned

Written by: johnwilliams on 10/07/2008

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 Type-S 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I bought my TL-S with 60K miles on it 2 years ago and love everything about it. Great power, really good handling, exterior style is head turning, very comfortable ride, decent gas mileage (if you can keep your foot of the fantastic accelerator), and while the interior style is simple all you have to do is put a little leather conditioner on the seats and it stays perfect. My seat heater (driver side) and light for the clock did break as did the radio control on the steering wheel but this is minor stuff. If maintained this thing will run for 250K miles + no question.

Favorite Features

MOTOR! Autostick shifter, memory seats, HID headlights, thrill to drive, safe, huge trunk. Great car!

Suggested Improvements

2 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Great car, but...

Written by: Dino on 10/05/2008

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 Type-S 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Overall this has been a fantastic car, enough so that I will probably buy another when this has come to term (currently 120k). Great performance, and other than a warranty covered transmission problem at 45k, this car has had no work done at all other than routine maintenance. However there are several design flaws that have bugged me ever since purchasing it: no auto headlights, the wipers are under the hood (can't raise them to wash the windshield), the top console compartment spills change out the back end when lifted up, the navi maps lack a ton of US city streets, especially in smaller <250,000 pop cities, and more.

Favorite Features

Performance, ride

Suggested Improvements

Pay more attention to the details in designing the interior for this caliber of car

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Not bad, not great, just okay

Written by: Daniel on 09/08/2008

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I purchased this Acura used after totaling a 2000 BMW 528iT with Sports and Premium packages. It was a good purchase but not of the same luxury features of the BMW so I have never completely bought into an Acura being an upscale car. The fact that mine has “Honda” stamped on the windows makes it difficult to consider it anything more than an expensive Accord. The sheet metal is thin and easily dents. I leaned against the car and left dents in the right rear panel. A small hail storm left minor dings all over the hood, roof and rear. It is not the quality that I expected from an Acura. I do enjoy the car but am constantly looking for my next car.

Favorite Features

The seats are comfortable, it has a decent design, is cheap to purchase and own, has quick power and easily moves onto and down the freeway. Most of my power equipment works well. The dealer did a recall repair on the transmission with (knock on wood) no problems yet. It’s an okay car.

Suggested Improvements

Thin sheet metal dents easily and poor paint quality leads to scratches and chips. The steering wheel radio dials do not work often, and the passenger heated seat does not work. The sunroof does not leak, but squeaks. It has Honda stamped on the windows. Fuel economy is less than I expected.

4 out 5 people found this review helpful

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2003 TL is a great drive.

Written by: FEVER on 08/19/2008

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I have owned my TL for 2 years and I have nothing but praise for it. The comfortable ride is most impressive as is its get up and go. This is a quality vehicle that gives you the comfort of a heavier vehicle but the ride of a sports car.

Favorite Features

Engine, comfortable ride, acceleration, quiet, overall feel.

Suggested Improvements

None.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Love this car

Written by: sandy on 07/27/2008

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 Type-S 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

My only problem was early on when the vsa went crazy, and it took dealership a month to figure out what to do with the computer. Other than, this car has been perfect. Great handling and very peppy. I don't use premium gas, only plus, and that works fine. Have gotten as much as 33 mpg on the long hwy drives; average about 23-24, which is terrific. Sound system is great and finish is lovely. The CD player can make you a little crazy until it unloads and loads; that's the only flaw. Got new Michelins (and it costs a fortune with the S model) at 43,000 miles, and standard recommended maintenance; so far, nothing extra. Highly recommend it; in fact my husband bought a 2005 TL.

Favorite Features

Navigation system

Suggested Improvements

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Routine Mx & Go

Written by: Grandpa on 06/12/2008

Vehicle

2003 Acura TL 3.2 Type-S 4dr Sedan (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

We traded in a Lexus SC 300 to purchase the TL new, and haven't regretted it. Other than routine maintenance and the trans which was recalled, the only thing we've had to replace is the wheels. (Hit a deep pot hole, blew both tires & bent both wheels). Wife is primary driver, with 75,000 miles. Now that the kids are gone, would probably prefer the CL which isn't made anymore.

Favorite Features

Decent fun to drive, good power for normally aspirated 6 cyl fwd, seats are still factory new.

Suggested Improvements

Center stack invades leg space. Wish it came as 2 door CL, 5 or 6 sp manual, w/V8 & rwd.

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

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