Initial Quality – The 2009 Acura TL is a redesigned model and had not yet been included in the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS) when this review was originally published.

Performance and Design – The 2009 Acura TL is a redesigned model and had not yet been included in the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout Study (APEAL) when this review was originally published.

Predicted Reliability – The Acura TL was redesigned for 2009 and is too new to have been included in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which measured dependability of 2006 model-year vehicles. However, based on the performance of previous Acura TLs during the past five years in both our Initial Quality and Vehicle Dependability studies, the predicted reliability rating for the 2009 Acura TL is 4 out of 5.

Fuel Economy – The 2009 Acura TL is available with 3.5-liter V-6 engine that drives the front wheels or a 3.7-liter V-6 driving all four wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. According to the EPA, fuel economy estimates for the Acura TL with front-wheel drive are 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway while the Acura TL with all-wheel drive (SH-AWD) is rated to get 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Our review vehicle, the TL SH-AWD with the 3.7-liter V-6 engine, averaged 19.6 mpg in mixed driving. Combined with our test TL’s standard 18.5-gallon fuel tank, this actual fuel economy figure results in an approximate 360-mile range between fill-ups of regular unleaded.

Safety – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the 2009 Acura TL gets 5-star ratings in each of its six crashworthiness measures, including for rollover propensity. The Acura TL is one of a handful of models on the market to achieve 5-star ratings in all six measures.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety calls the Acura TL a “Top Safety Pick” because it has standard stability control and received a “Good” rating in the offset frontal impact crash test, a “Good” rating in the side impact crash test, and a “Good” rating for rear impact protection.

Environment – According to the EPA, the 2009 Acura TL with front-wheel drive and the 3.5-liter V-6 engine consumes 16.3 barrels of petroleum annually while the TL SH-AWD with the 3.7-liter V-6 engine burns 17.1 barrels of petroleum annually. The resulting carbon footprint ratings are 8.7 tons of air pollution per year for the front-wheel drive model to 9.2 tons of air pollution per year for the SH-AWD model. The EPA has not published national or regional air pollution scores for the 2009 Acura TL.