Finally drove it today. First was top of the trim, minus the sunroof. It drove much better than expected for an American car. Interior is beautiful, less the wood trim, I personally like the darker fake paneling. The salesman wasn't sure how these are customized. American brands, he said, have insane customization options.
Then I thought I give 4 cylinder a shot. Oddly, they didn't have any in stock, other than the demo/errands basic model. I took it for a short spin, but it wasn't as exciting. The V6 has an attractive rumble from the exhaust, I'd shut the radio off and could listen for hours. The '4' had a basic engine/road noise, drove okay, accelerated decent, nothing special. I'd definitely put it the V6 model on top of the list, however, I'm a bit afraid to get a lemon, which is a very big possibility with American automakers.
Before that I drove Audi A4 Quatro, TLX V6 Advance, Mazda 6 GT in that order. I could easily scratch Audi and Mazda off the list. Nothing special at all. Not sure what the big noise about Audi. I like their exterior design, but the ride didn't impressed me, not worth the money they are asking for, especially since it's a seller's market. Mazda simply handed me the keys and told me to return whenever. I drove it the longest and did all my errands. However, everything about it was mehh, even in so called "sports" mode. The 4-cyl TLX wasn't available for a testdrive so I drove the V6. However, the only time Acura got exciting is when it was put in Sports mode. It is still a great car, inside and out and I am looking forward driving the '4'. The salesgirl confirmed that she liked the '4' as well and will call me when they come in. It sounds unbelievable though, but I could't wait to get back to my Optima Hybrid after driving all those nice cars. Every salesman/woman cringed when asked what I drove, but then wowed when seen it in person.
