Cars Worth Noting: 2004 Acura TL

We couldn’t have asked for a better interstate cruiser for our trip to the Management Seminars in Traverse City, Mich.

My back and backside have always been partial to the new Honda and Acura seats for their firm, yet comfortable fit. The luggage went in the trunk, the suits were hung from the hook in the backseat and the console was filled with CDs. I slid into the perforated-leather sport seat, programmed the navigation system for the resort and headed north for the four-and-a-half hour trip to the beautiful Grand Traverse Bay.

Road trips have changed a lot since I’ve become an adult. I no longer have to hear my parents arguing over the map. We just drove and talked, knowing the navigation system would alert us when we needed to exit the freeway or make a turn.

The TL has an eight-way power seat with power adjustable lumbar support and a twochannel memory that locks in seating position, outside mirror settings and the settings for the driver’s side of the dual-zone, dual-mode climate control. Our TL offered XM radio and an ELS premium sound system.

The sharply styled sedan has an aggressive stance. The 17-in. alloy wheels and all-weather tires fill the wheel wells offering up a smooth ride. The TL has a 270 hp, 3.2L, SOHC, 24- valve aluminum-alloy V-6 mated to 5-speed sequential shift automatic transmission.
 
After three days of cruising the lakeshore from the hotel to the resort, we headed south for the return trip to Detroit. Surprisingly after our 703.6-mile trip, we averaged 29.2 mpg — slightly better than the factory-claimed 28 mpg.

The only negatives were a pair of extra-deep cupholders that swallowed my small coffee cup and some less-than-robust trim on the center stack that was already showing dents and scratches with less than 5,000 miles on the odo.