2008 ACURA TL 3.5L V6 VTEC FWD 6AT (280 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Honda’s luxury division Acura introduced in late 2008 a new generation for the TL model. It was based on the European Honda Accord but had many more things to say.

The main characteristic of any Acura TL was its sportiness. It was the sporty-sedan that gave more than decent performances, enough luxury amenities, and all packed for a good price. The design though had some flaws.

The massive front shield-grille on the 2008 Acura TL was clearly a love-it-or-hate-it part of the car. The Acura marketing department named that grille as “Power plenum”, also nicknamed “Gladiator shield”. Except that the Gladiator movie was a hit 8 years before the TL was launched so no one remembered it. The rear of the car had the same angled panels that resembled the “Gladiator shield”. Maybe the biggest problem was that it was chromed.

Inside the 2008 Acura TL, there was he same European, 8th generation Accord. An unusual feature of that luxury sporty sedan was the manual transmission. Unlike the European sibling that had only 4-pot engines, the TL featured two V6 engines. Both could have been mated to a 6-speed manual or to a 5-speed automatic. The top version, with a 3.7-liter engine, was offered as all-wheel-drive with the SH-AWD system which was more like a system with active differentials. A step forward in the all-wheel-drive technology, used mostly in rally-racing.