Not the car's looks or its reputation, but how comfortable does the cabin underneath the greenhouse feel to the driver and passengers. Surprised? You shouldn't be. With more and more Americans traveling long distances to get to and fro work, a car's insides can make -- and break -- one's sanity.
I found the TL's interior a mix of comfort combined with a curious mix of mundane, premium, and luxury features. The leather seats are firm, yet not too firm, occupying that nebulous but necessary Goldilock's zone that differs per driver. Speedometer, tachometer (and accompanying fuel and temp gauges), and multi-purpose GPS/Navigation display screen are deeply embedded into the dashboard. Not only did this shield them from the bright California sun, but I could easily discern their backlighting and the crisp, clear colors of the navigation data.
Soft plastics are almost everywhere, and where'd you expect it to be in such a luxury brand. The brushed aluminum felt sold, and cloth, not so-called "mouse fur", covered the ceiling.
I found most of controls of high quality on the center stack; they felt solid to the touch. And unlike a lot of my peers, I'm not bothered by the plethora of buttons. Today's vehicles are expected not only to provide transportation, but climate control, guide, communication (via bluetooth) andentertainment (radio, satellite radio, CD/DVD, and bluetooth). I found that Acura is one of the better automakers in terms of button layout. Still, I find the backlighting of the buttons still barely adequate at night.
But into this mix, I found what I consider some odd, almost mundane touches in the TL. The tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, for example, adjusted manually, which is interesting for such a car at this price point. Same with the steeing wheel's hard plastic casing.
The interior plastic lock handle felt light enough to break at my touch. Same with the flimsy sunroof shade. Finally, the glove compartment had barely enough space for a pile of letters, let alone gloves. The two storage compartments, located in the center console, are fair, though.