As an update, received a call today. My shiny new TLX is coming in Friday Dec 19th, and they'll take a day to install accessories and registration, consistent with what the dealer told me a week ago.
wow, this will feel like the longest 36 hours ever! kind of like every birthday and Christmas Eve combined!
Also, since I opted for the 19" rims (w/ Michelin all-seasons) on the SH-AWD Advance, if anybody in the New England area is interested in completely new TLX stock 18" rims & tires, send me a message and make an offer.
So my car arrived a day early, and I picked her up with all accessories installed on Dec. 19th, and she looks fantastic!
See attached pics -- V6 SH-AWD Advance in Graphite Luster and Ebony interior with 19" rims, full aero kit, spoiler, and a few other options (steering wheel, light-up floor sills)
I especially love the rims and *everybody* notices them... they're not cheap, but they totally make the car! The light-up Acura floor sills look really nice at night.
Overall, great experience with my Acura salesman and Boston-area dealer and the car is perfect -- no issues on delivery.
It only took 9 days for me to get through the break-in period, including a long drive into ski country, and I am very impressed with the tech and loving this purchase.
The ride quality is fantastic -- very smooth, soaks up the bumps, and whisper-quiet ride in the driver seat. I kind of wish the start/stop red button lit up when the engine is on, since you can't always hear if the engine is running, especially if you used the remote start and forget.
The adaptive cruise control and lane keeper features worked beyond my expectations -- I literally let the car drive 90 miles on the interstate and it remained dead-center the entire drive with one short exception in a half mile construction zone (painted over lines, gauged pavement, etc.). I hate to admit it, but this car drives better than I do.
Voice control is impressive -- while I'm still learning some of the vocabulary for the commands, the commands I do know work very well.
I have noticed the transmission issue folks have mentioned, with a rough kick into 2nd and 3rd gear especially when the engine is still cold. I have a buddy of mine who bought the 2015 Jeep (with the same 9 speed ZF transmission) and he reported the same issues with his transmission. I noticed if I accelerate too lightly, I'm more likely to get that rough "kick"... I'll likely be more aggressive in accelerating after the break-in period.
I also noticed the late downshift if I come in crawling to a stoplight or stop sign, and subsequently accelerate. Seems I need to stop the car for a full second to prevent this, or if I very lightly press the brake rather than fully depressing it to prevent the transition to lowest gear.
Based on suggestions from other contributors on the idle shut-off, specifically about pushing the brake pedal halfway vs. fully to control activation of the idle shut-off, this feature works mostly the way I want (most of my driving is very short of only a few miles at a time (it's cold in Boston so idle shutoff wont' activate), or very long of hundreds of miles on the highway so it won't affect me much). That said, just as the small LCD display between the speed and tach instruct the driver to press the brake fully to actuate the idle shut-off, I wish this same display would give me a 3 second text warning before shutting the engine off -- this would allow me to lighten up brake pressure if I know I need to gun it for a left turn or the light is about to turn green. With the engine so quiet, I have been caught off-guard several times where the engine was off without my knowledge. Hopefully, this would be a simple software change.
Will try out the SH-AWD in snow in the mountains on my way to the ski slopes this weekend assuming storm forecasts are accurate. For those of you who ski, yes, you will need to put the back seat down to fit 160 cm skis and snowboards.
Stay tuned for the snow report!