Acura dealer takes the TL's nose in for rhinoplasty
Acura's new corporate fascia hasn't gained the affection of the automotive press, not to mention our commentators. And to make matters worse, not only is "The Shield" employed on the MDX, TSX and TL, it's expected to infect the rest of Acura's lineup into the next decade.
We're still far from convinced that the new nose was a smart move, but we've conceded that it doesn't look nearly as bad on a silver TSX, matching the lines and the color to slightly better effect.
An Acura dealer seems to have a similar idea, and after taking delivery of one burgundy TL, had the grille painted to match the rest of the exterior. While it's an improvement, we'd love to see something similar to the 2009 Legend's schnoz retrofitting an Acura emblem in place of the Big H.
[Source: Acurazine via Motive]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Justin 7:16PM (10/20/2008)
Am I the only one who sees Camry here?
Still, beats the shield.
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ugg.tryptophan 7:18PM (10/20/2008)
yeah, instead of old bland, its new bland
JDMlover 7:31PM (10/20/2008)
thats because the camry is a good looking car and other are building based off it.
The SE Sport Camry looks really good in red :)
fixitfixitstop 7:36PM (10/20/2008)
JDMlover, if you think the Camry looks good, it's time to visit the optometrist.
Pengwin 8:32PM (10/20/2008)
personally, im a bigger fan of this mod
http://i36.tinypic.com/2uhsvux.jpg
makes it look a lot better
innoc3nt 9:18PM (10/20/2008)
Pengwin, that looks pretty damn sexy, but what's the mod? Isn't that the stock look?
RPM 11:00PM (10/20/2008)
The top part of the grille is painted. The best one I've seen is all painted, no chrome. Looks like a normal car.
Dave T. 5:08PM (10/21/2008)
Pengwin,
Thanks for ripping off my photo which can be found in this set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10728020@N02/2773987963/in/set-72157606804372972/
And yes it is copyrighted by Cars.com. Good job.
NO there is nothing done to that grille. It's just a black TL. I guarantee half the people here complaining have yet to see a TL in a dark color, where it is quite striking in person.
I think Acura's TV commercials actually make it look really good. The big problem is in most photos it doesn't look stunning. But it is quite unique. I'm not going to say it's drop dead gorgeous, but it isn't a dog like commenters and I guess bloggers to like to rip on.
I think this treatment is kind of ugly though.
Crackberry Addict 11:59PM (10/20/2008)
@ Dave t.
is Ab where you get the info to post at cars.com, and by the way i love cars.com its where i used to go before i found AB. now i go to both. :)
Jrejre 12:12AM (10/21/2008)
"The SE Sport Camry looks really good in red :)"
And 2 posts away you called a classic Dodge Challenger ugly. . . ooooooookkk
RPM 1:01AM (10/21/2008)
@ Dave T
Quite clearly in the pic Pengwin linked, the top of the grille, above the lights level, on the hood, is painted black instead of chrome like on the stock TL.
Dave T. 10:12AM (10/21/2008)
RPM,
Ah, you are right. MY photo has been photoshopped with the black paint. That is a subtle change which isn't that bad.
Crackberry Addict,
We have a rather large editorial staff here at Cars.com and do our own reporting as well as linking to others. But I've been a loyal reader of Autoblog since before day 1 ;)
Pengwin 11:08PM (10/21/2008)
@ Dave.
If you noticed I never said it was my photo, i never said i edited it, i merely said "im a bigger fan of this mod". So before you jump the gun next time please, it makes someone, a professional, like you look like, frankly, a dumb-arse.
That said, would you like to know where I found the picture?
Simple really, autoblog posted the source of the information which is " [Source: Acurazine via Motive] " and if you head over to Acurazine you will come across post number 40, which just so happened to have that picture. I guess you should go yell at/sue/badger/harass/make false claims/attempt to tarnish the reputation of "Code3forJC". It is a bit impractical though seeing that his profile says he's in Long Beach, CA, but you seem to have more than enough time on your hands if you can scour the internet looking to see who "stole" your photos. I'll shut up so you can see the post for yourself now:
http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10078965&postcount=40
And thanks for the compliment, I thought I did a good job too! Makes the two of us.
You folks at Cars.com must be a hostile bunch, up in arms over a mildly photoshopped picture, no wonder I read Inside Line.
Rev 7:22PM (10/20/2008)
Never been a big fan of bras on cars. Acura's are definitely the exception.
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Shiftright 7:24PM (10/20/2008)
Really don't understand what all the stink is about. Man, the American market is so conservative. Anything remotely different gets everyone in a tizzy it seems. Personally, I'd rather have weird and funky to bland anytime, but the old TL was just so much nicer in every way. I kinda dig the body color grille. The euro Honda grille is just soooo generic.
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Aki 7:55PM (10/20/2008)
Apparently you're missing the comments that are likening the new TL to the Camry.
There's nothing daring, edgy, stylish about the new TL. It's pure ugly. Unique and ugly isn't better than generic and unoffending.
Gabagool 8:31PM (10/20/2008)
Aki i have to disagree, i also like the privious one but this one is great looking as well. There are some cars that you have to see in real life, like Subary Impreza and this Acura.
Seminole 10:10PM (10/20/2008)
Most of us have no problem with a new different design. What we do have a problem with is just mashing a bunch of design elements together. There are so many elements of the TL that just don't flow. The front overhang is enormous, and only amplified by the massive grille. Then you have a near horizontal character line down the side that intersects with the massive curved front fender bulge. Then in the rear you have a massive bumper with a tiny V shaped trunk lid. Not to mention the horrid crease in the trunk. Who the hell at Acura though it would be a good idea to make a crease down the trunk lid. It looks like someone whacked it with a baseball bat.
Different is good. Being different just for the sake of being different is bad.
Atomicbri 7:26PM (10/20/2008)
This is an improvement, however it is still ugly. If you buy the TSX you can opt to get the Euro Honda Accord's grill which looks better, however I don't see that a Honda Legend's grill will fit on a TL, an RL maybe, but not this car. I think the shield should be painted a gloss black so it would blend in even more, especially with the honeycomb grill. I am really scared to see what the NSX's front grill will look like... Yikes.
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garlinski 7:27PM (10/20/2008)
something about Pig and Lipstick comes to mind... And I like the rest of the car... Can't put a bag over this one's head...
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