Used 2012 Acura TL Sedan Consumer Reviews
Used TL for sale
I bought the base model as CPO in early 2014
Jdjax, 01/10/2019
updated 01/19/2021
2012 Acura TL 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Update January 2021: not much change since last July except I had to replace the battery recently. Just stone dead when trying to crank it one day. The strange part was the last battery was just at 1 year old and it was a genuine Acura battery. I usually get at least 2 years from a battery. With work from home I am driving a lot less so perhaps that’s a factor. I noticed with the new battery the car is cranking like a new car. So perhaps that prior “new” battery was a dud. Time will tell. Update July 2020: I now have over 110k miles on this vehicle. It’s still very nice and a pleasure to drive. I have had to replace the tires a couple of times and also the front struts and springs due to noises. So I have spent some several thousands in repairs for maintenance items only. I still find the car very reliable and satisfying to drive. I don’t plan to get rid of it anytime soon. The paint and interior still look very good! I have driven some newer vehicles and I really don’t like the feel of the steering and power delivery compared to this older TL. Keeper! Original review: I have only used the Acura dealer that I purchased this vehicle from and they are excellent. Not cheap - but never damage the car when working on it and always maintain it right. If you are having problems with this car - you may have a bad shop. Mine has had virtually nothing but tires, oil changes, brake pads, tranny flushes, batteries and tires since I bought it. These are all regular maintenance items. There was a TSB on the transmission fluid filter clogging and they handled it at no cost to me. It was making a gurgling sound prior to the filter being replaced - only at cold startup. Overall love the car. My only wishes are it had better visibility or technology for blind spot detection. I really don’t care for the TLX at all, so for now keeping this one!
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Vast improvement over '04 TL
ad2677, 05/21/2012
2012 Acura TL Technology Package 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
I traded my '06 525i after a very expensive out of warranty repair. I've owned an '04 TL for 2 years preceeding the '06 525i purchase in '08. I had absolutely no issues with the TL and just the opposite with the 525i (maybe I should listen to the Consumer Reports review, they were spot on with their review). I went back to '12 TL w/Tech Package, what a breath of fresh air that was. I got it in July and have about 11K+ miles on it with no issues whatsoever. I love the entertainment and navigation systems and their ease of use. The TL handles with ease and is quite entertaining to drive and I love the engine sound at wide open throtle. The car is quite fast and a pleasure to drive.
2012 Acura TL for sale near you
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TL-6MT vs S4 vs 335xi
fcarre2, 04/12/2011
2012 Acura TL SH-AWD 4dr Sedan AWD w/Technology Package (3.7L 6cyl 6M)
51 of 78 people found this review helpful
Had an opportunity to drive all three cars back to back for over an hour per vehicle. Although these vehicles are generally not cross shopped, there may be more reason to do so, especially since the TL redesign. The perfect vehicle would include the BMW exterior styling and suspension, the TL tranny and SHAWD and the Audi engine and interior. Unfortunately, I see deficits, albeit small, in all three vehicles. The TL SHAWD is impressive to say the least. Just hammer the it in a turn and it begs for more. The 6MT is as smooth as it gets. Interior is better than others' review.
Best car I ever owned
Will W, 09/02/2020
2012 Acura TL 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I bought this car as a lease turn-in 4.5 years ago with 48k miles. I now have 128k miles on it, and it runs as good as it did when I bought it. I took it to the Acura dealer twice when I first bought it: once for the airbag recall, and once for the transmission reprogram. Other than those two things, I have not replaced so much as a light bulb. I change the oil every 5k with Mobil 1, and I do a transmission dump and fill every other oil change with 3.75 quarts of Honda DW-1 trans fluid (don't buy anything else). Very easy job. Everything still works on this car. The leather interior has held up better than any car I have owned. My car is a "base" (still loaded), with the 3.5 liter motor. It is front wheel drive, so it goes through snow without problems. Burns no oil (unlike the 3.7 on the sh-awd). I just replaced the tires which lasted at least 80k and all had even wear. I have been thinking about trading it in because of the higher mileage, but I can't find a comparable car without spending a fortune. I think I will just replace the timing belt and water pump and see how long this thing will go. The only weak spot on the 2012s seems to be the transmissions, so I am paying attention.
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Fun ride!
Married with Children, 12/27/2019
2012 Acura TL Technology Package 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2012 Acura in 2014 and have pretty much enjoyed everything except the "soft" leather seats which can be easily damaged and the navigation system which would be more user friendly and less frustrating if it were a touch screen. I've had my car for 5 yrs and have pretty much had only the normal maintenance of brakes/tires. This has been a great fun car to have. However, now that its paid off, I will have to look into getting the leather interior fixed. My family went to Water Country and before I realized my daughter had her wet hair on the back headrest, it was all warped up..not too long after that incident, I noticed the front seats ripping. I don't recall the year my seats started ripping, but people were surprised at how they ripped. This was my first car with leather seats, so I didn't know what to expect. The car is very fast, however, there's a big pause if you're trying to have a speedy takeoff. It's great for petite/average sized individuals but definitely not spacious enough for larger drivers/passengers. Its a great balance of a sport/luxury sedan.
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- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value