Acura TL
The Acura TL is a mid-size luxury car from Honda's Acura brand. It was introduced in 1996 to supplant the Acura Vigor and was rebadged for the Japanese-market from 1996 to 2000 as the Honda Inspire and from 1996 to 2004 as the Honda Saber. The TL is Acura's best-selling model, and it has ranked as the second best-selling luxury sedan in the United States behind the BMW 3 Series. Four generations of the Acura TL have been produced to date, with the latest fourth generation TL premiering in 2008 as a 2009 model.
1996-1998 (first generation)
The TL debuted as 1996 model, first with the 1996 2.5 TL available with the 2.5L 176hp (131kW) SOHC 20-valve 5-cylinder engine from the Vigor. The 3.2 TL used the 3.2L 200hp (149kW) SOHC 24v V6 from the second-generation Acura Legend. The 2.5 TL was positioned as the sporty model and the 3.2 focused more upon a luxurious ride. The very first 1996 Acura TL rolled off the assembly line on March 28, 1995. Sales of the 2.5 TL began in spring 1995, but the 3.2 TL was delayed until fall because of a U.S.-Japan trade dispute.