Anyone who drives on North American roads will see Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) in the typical style of US vehicles of this type, which are exotic in Europe as new and used vehicles.
Like other Japanese manufacturers, the vehicle designer Honda began developing its own premium strategy in the mid-1980s, which was specially tailored to the high-turnover markets in North America. For this purpose, Honda founded a new brand with Acura in 1986, which should cover the segment of luxuriously equipped and sporty motorized models of the middle and upper class.
The concept implemented with the TL proved to be successful in establishing Acura as a luxury Honda brand in the North American market. The TL developed into the bestsellers of an import brand in the mid-size premium model segment. At the same time, the TL, offered from 1996 to 2015, was the model that Acura kept in its range the longest, before the TLX, a visually and technically fundamentally modernized successor. In the course of the development of the four different building generations, the limousines of the TL series were soon to a certain extent perceived as classics in the range. In this way, the TL made an important contribution to establishing the Acura brand in America as a provider of high-quality sedans with sporty demands.
1996 1997 1998 Acura TL Transmission Fluid Capacity
| Transmission | Fluid capacity | Fluid type |
| 4-speed M1WA automatic transmission | Total Fill 7.2 litres (7.6 quarts) | SL040 |
| 4-speed M5HA automatic transmission | Total Fill 7.2 litres (7.6 quarts) | SL040 |
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Acura TL Transmission Fluid Capacity
| Transmission | Fluid capacity | Fluid type |
| 5-speed M7WA automatic transmission | Total Fill 7.2 litres (7.6 quarts) | SL040 |
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Acura TL Transmission Fluid Capacity
| Transmission | Fluid capacity | Fluid type |
| DEC6 6-speed manual transmission | 2.2 litres (2.4 quarts) | GLS43 |
| 5-speed BDGA automatic transmission | Total Fill 7 litres (7.4 quarts) | SL040 |
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Acura TL Transmission Fluid Capacity
| Transmission | Fluid capacity | Fluid type |
| 5-speed BK3A automatic transmission | Total Fill 7.5 litres (4.9 quarts) | SL040 |
| 5-speed BK4A automatic transmission | Total Fill 7.7 litres (8.1 quarts) | SL040 |
| 6-speed MMGA automatic transmission | Total Fill 7.1 litres (7.5 quarts) | SL001 |
| 6-speed MMHA automatic transmission | Total Fill 8 litres (8.5 quarts) | SL001 |
| K6M8 6-speed manual transmission | 2.1 litres (2.3 quarts) | GLS43 |
Short model cycles, technical upgrades and a new design with every model change – the TL was exemplary for this Acura strategy. Because as early as 2003, the Japanese presented a visually heavily modified third generation of the TL, which remained in the range in this form until 2008. Narrow headlight slots, a discreetly held radiator grille and a significantly higher body with a massive rear characterized the TL of this time.
And the upgrade was also noticeable in the engine: the flagship’s V6 engine remained the only unit in the range, which was offered in two output levels with values of up to 213 kW (290 hp). In the years from 2009 to 2014, the last TL generation rolled off the assembly line in the USA, which for the first time offered a sporty option with manual transmission in addition to an all-wheel-drive model.
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