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Infiniti Q50 vs Acura TL

18698 Views 17 Replies 12 Participants Last post by  brianch
The new SH AWD TLs are attractive. Too bad the Acura beak design is fugly as ****. I do like the interiors of the TLs though. Big upgrade from the older TLs.

Infiniti Q50 AWD or Acura TL AWD? Why?

The Q50 comes with a choice of Hybrid where as the TL doesn't. Though the Q50 doesn't have a manual transmission anymore but it has a 7 speed auto. The TL has both a 6 speed auto and 6 speed manual.
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Oh no, the beak design isn't as bad as it used to be. They updated that beak for the the 2012+ models. It looks a lot better now.

With that said, I never thought as the TL being in competition with the G/Q50.

The TSX on the other hand makes more sense, especially in terms of size...As far as price goes, there definitely is some overlap with the TL I suppose. To be honest, the only Acura that interests me right now is the new RLX.
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The new RLX is a very nice car. It's going to be pretty expensive though. I guess you could compare the V6 TSX to the Q50. Only issue is that it's front wheel drive. The TL is available in AWD. It's a big car (bigger than a G37 sedan) but people seem to cross shop the TL AWD with the G37 AWD.
Q50 interior dimensions vs TL

I test drove a Q50 yesterday and I was surprised that the interior seemed noticeably smaller than my 2007 Acura TL. But the published specs led me to think they would be similar.

For example, the TL front hip room is listed at 55.6", while the Q50 front hip room is listed at 53.2". Maybe it's an optical illusion, but the Q50 seemed more than 2.5" smaller in the front, more like 4-5 inches. The leg space in the Q50 rear also seemed much smaller, even though the specs say that the Q50 should have slightly more leg room.

The interior volume of the TL is 10% bigger than the Q50. Maybe that's the key measurement.

Any other TL owners have an opinion?
The Q IS slightly smaller inside and outside than the TL. I have all the dimensions if you want them. But if you're on the fense then you might want to wait for the next TLX that will be unveiled at one of the cars shows this fall.

Take a look at the new RLX and the interior and you will probably get the feel of what the next gen TLX will look like.

I had a '10 TL and really liked it quite a bit. It is AWD but is front drive bias as the engine is a transverse six. The sound system ELQ was fantastic and now I see that the RLX has KRELL at the top of the sound system food chain. I'm sure that sounds even more fantastic. My TL seats were the best of any car that I've owned including the Q.
Mine was a manual so I can't attest to the how well the slushbox is.

If you are considering it, you might want to wait if you can. Not saying it will be better than the Q, I love my Q but I would have at least test driven the TLX if it was out.
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I test drove a Q50 yesterday and I was surprised that the interior seemed noticeably smaller than my 2007 Acura TL. But the published specs led me to think they would be similar.

For example, the TL front hip room is listed at 55.6", while the Q50 front hip room is listed at 53.2". Maybe it's an optical illusion, but the Q50 seemed more than 2.5" smaller in the front, more like 4-5 inches. The leg space in the Q50 rear also seemed much smaller, even though the specs say that the Q50 should have slightly more leg room.

The interior volume of the TL is 10% bigger than the Q50. Maybe that's the key measurement.

Any other TL owners have an opinion?
I completely agree that your TL (and my 2005 TL) has more room in every way than the Q50.
The new RLX is a very nice car. It's going to be pretty expensive though. I guess you could compare the V6 TSX to the Q50. Only issue is that it's front wheel drive. The TL is available in AWD. It's a big car (bigger than a G37 sedan) but people seem to cross shop the TL AWD with the G37 AWD.
LOL. Sorry but the RLX is a joke of a car in every way imaginable. 50k MSRP after destination? Every feature on that car is basically worse than every competitor in that class.

Literally, a dressed up accord with some crappy PAWS system. Its not even available in AWD. Maybe this year they'll add it , who knows.
I completely agree that your TL (and my 2005 TL) has more room in every way than the Q50.
What about the trunk? The TL is supposed to be 12.5 cu ft, while the Q50 is 13.5 cu ft. Do you think the Q50 trunk is actually bigger?

Thanks for everyone's comments.
What about the trunk? The TL is supposed to be 12.5 cu ft, while the Q50 is 13.5 cu ft. Do you think the Q50 trunk is actually bigger?

Thanks for everyone's comments.
Well I have a hybrid...so nope. :rolleyes:
What about the trunk? The TL is supposed to be 12.5 cu ft, while the Q50 is 13.5 cu ft. Do you think the Q50 trunk is actually bigger?

Thanks for everyone's comments.
It's not the size that matters..it's how you use the size you've got.
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Unfortunately the weird trunk shape is what kills the TL in the size comparison. All that AWD hardware has to reside somewhere, and it really intrudes into the trunk. I could barely fit my stroller in the TL trunk when I took it for test drive.
It's not the size that matters..it's how you use the size you've got.
If ever there were a more obvious double entendre..............:D
The Q50 trunk measurement of 13.5 cu ft must be without the spare tire package. With the spare tire, it seems a lot smaller than my TL, which was measured at 12.5 cu ft (and had a spare tire).
I have a Q50 with spare tire and came from my second TL SH-AWD.

The Q trunk looked quite a bit smaller to me. However, today I made a Sam's Club run with the car (usually take the X3 for that) and it really fit everything surprisingly well. The Q trunk is longer, where the Acura trunk was deeper. I have a large piece of luggage that fit in the Acura with no problem that I am not sure will fit in the Q. However, the Q trunk is certainly workable.
The only reason I can think of to get the current gen TL is for the SH-AWD model because it's a pretty sweet system and the fact Acura's discounting the heck out of the car right now as they try to reduce inventory. At least this is what I've seen from some of the prices I see people paying for it. You won't get all the latest and greatest techno-wizardry the Q50 has, but you'll probably be paying at least $5000-$8000 less. The rumors are the new next-gen TL, aka, the TLX is supposed to go on sale around 1st Quarter of next year. There have already been some heavily-camouflaged spyshots of the TLX displayed on the 'Net, but they don't reveal too much.
I have had more Acura's than I can count on one hand....

TL and G37/Q50 are really in the same exact league. Both great cars.... Acura engine is definitely not as fast.... SOHC design lacked a certain "umph" you can find in the Infiniti engines.

A new fully Loaded TL MSRP is about $45k..... so granted the Q50S costs more, it has more options like the sport package, advanced technology, better headlights (until the new TLX comes out)

Acura used to be the KING of tech goodies in a car... its why I always bought them. The GUI interface on the first year of the 4G TL (2009) i still find to be more user friendly and functional than the new Q50S... Something about the R&D that went into its human interface,... it just worked well
thats alot of Acuras. And like one audi.

Howd you like the Audi compared to the Acuras?

I'm a HID fanatic and I think I can say the TL headlights are probably superior in design to the Q50. At least the 08 you have.

I believe after 08 they went to another projector design.

The Honda V6 doesn't have anywhere near the push into your seat experience of the VQ.

But the Honda V6 is reliable.

They really need to make it DOHC and switch over to timing chains.

Its 2013!!
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