2009 Acura TL, Revealed: SH-AWD Is The New Type-S

You'll be reading the boss-man's official review of the new 2009 Acura TL and the Type-S-replacing 2009 Acura TL SH-AWD later this week. But, since everyone else is doing it, here's our drop of embargoed details. For starters, mock the big buck-toothed front end if you will — frankly, we've already beat that horse to its second death, so we're going to spend our time checking out the back end with its centerline action, looking like Acura used their "good" design team on the rear. In addition to the new exterior, the interior has become more cockpit-like, utilizing a design direction seemingly straight from the Accord. That's not a bad thing. The real story's under the hood, as the base TL is getting a horsepower bump thanks to the 3.5-liter V6, bringing the four-door up to 285 HP. Reach up to the top-shelf SH-AWD TL and you'll get a beefier 305 HP 3.7-liter V6. Although both variants come mated to a five-speed auto tranny, we're told a manual 'box should be expected for the next model year. But you'll want to keep the hood up on the SH-AWD for a moment to admire Acura's picture-frame-perfect 3.7-liter engine cover. Perhaps Acura is making a statement about their powerplant designs? Hit the jump for the full press release. More »