2004 Acura TL vs. 2004 BMW 5-series

My dad is in the market for a new car so I've been trying to help him choose one. He's looking for an understated luxury car for under 55k. The two frontrunners are the Acura TL and the BMW 5-series. The thing is that the TL costs around 10k less than the 530, so I'm wondering if it's really worth paying the extra 10-15k for a 5-series considering that the TL is roughly the same size and has a more powerful engine than the 525 and 530 (the 545 is too expensive). On top of this the TL comes standard with a nav system and leather seats. What exactly do you get for the extra 10k spent on a 5 series? Is it really worth buying a 530 over a TL?

Well, the TL is something of a luxury car and just that, however the 5 series will let you have some fun as well, it's a very sporty car, with a Rear Wheel Drive layout and fantastic suspension.

However if you want a luxury car, then the Acura makes more sense. You won't go wrong with either a 530i or a TL- Honda and BMW are the two greatest main-stream makers in the world in terms of engineering prowess

the BMW has a much better suspension w/ no body roll, but I'd still take the TL just b/c it has more punch as well as cheaper. Also around here, BMWs are everywhere, I think the new TLs look sharper and better.

The 530 is defiantely the sportier brand, but you still can have fun in a TL. I would say that even though the 530 has certain superior traits, you are paying a portion extra for the name.

i would go for the TL in this case. i'm sure the bmw has the typical european driving dynamics and experience, but there's so much more bang for the buck with the TL. not only that, it looks good and you can expect benchmark reliability. FWD is the only drawback but that's made up for elsewhere.

'Luxury car' and 'FWD' dont go together for me. BMW may be less powerful but has an awesome, refined 3l engine (ask Jimster), and of course RWD :)

the TL would be cheaper with matinece thin the Bmw

bUt remenber do wanna drive a Acura or a Beemer

I've driven the new TL, and it drives alot like an Accord. The interior is pretty nice and its got a very good Honda engine, but its FWD. So unless your a) a woman, b) dont have the money to spend on a 5, or c) 60 yrs old+, for the love of all that is good in this world get the BMW. The BMW handles so much better then any car in the segment that its not even funny. BMW doesnt even consider the TL in the same class as the 5-Series, the RL is a much closer comparison (closer prices/ purpose). Truely the closest BMW to the TL is the 3 Series. C&D did a comparo and the 325i beat out the TL, and the 325 has the lower base price. I think BMW wins this one.

my friends 525i got destoyed massivly by a new TL

when i say destoryed i mean by like 6car lengths if not more

yet another person judges a car based on a drag... I bet you would need at least a 545i to have a E60 beat a TL in a drag, the 2.5 is way to small and the 3.0 would be close, but the BMW is still more fun and handles much better. If you want a drag car, you shouldnt be looking at either of these cars.

obviously the TL in this case, easily the better car of the 2

Im sorry, the FWD just rubs me the wrong way for a high price luxury sedan...

5 Series

Whys is everyone emphasizing handling so much in this class. we are not talking about an elise vs a caterham, we are talking about a class in witch luxury looks and practicality are above all.


The TL handles good its not a ford expedition or other high suv. I'm sure that 99.9% of buyers in this class won't even come close to pushing the handling limits of the TL so why care about the even higher handling limits of the BMW.

So the TL is FWD so what, its probably the easiest layout to control for most people and the most efficient with the least parasitic loss.

And I actually like the TL interior better, I find the BMW too spartan for this class.

So my choice would be a TL for daily chores and a Noble for fun, now that is handling;)

I think the biggest reason BMW exists is that people like luxury that handle... But maybe thats just me. Even if its not going to be drivin as a track car, the BMW is definitly more fun to drive then the TL.

I think the biggest reason BMW exists is that people like luxury that handle... But maybe thats just me. Even if its not going to be drivin as a track car, the BMW is definitly more fun to drive then the TL.

Or they exist because people like to fork over more money for something that's German-engineered, currently more popular than once famous Merc, status icon, and not supported by Volkswagen. Other than that, over, over-priced and common.