The Acura TL SH-AWD Manual Is The Stick-Shift All-Weather Sports Sedan You Forgot Existed

The turn of the 2010s was a transitory time for Acura. From a controversial and oft-derided styling direction to a lineup seemingly growing bigger, softer, and less engaging, enthusiasts historically drawn towards Honda’s luxury brand for NSXs and high-revving Integras found less and less to get excited about. The fourth-generation Acura TL was a great example, in that it was almost five inches longer and up to 468 pounds heavier than its predecessor, all while being panned for its styling. Even the 305-horsepower TL SH-AWD was behind the competition from a performance standpoint, thanks to launching with a five-speed automatic transmission. However, deep within the company, a flame still burned, and for the 2010 model year, a torch was lit.

For just five model years, you could get an all-wheel-drive Acura TL with a critically acclaimed six-speed manual gearbox that worked wonders on engagement and performance. Oh, and because it’s still an Acura, it’ll likely be worlds more reliable than the German competition. Tempted? I’d be too.

Welcome back to Beige Cars You’re Sleeping On, a weekly series in which we raise the profile of some quiet greats. We’re talking vehicles that are secretly awesome, but go unsung because of either a boring image or the lack of an image altogether.

A good car starts with good bones, and this one has a stronger engine than you’d find in a base TL. Instead of the 280-horsepower 3.5-liter J35Z6 V6 engine in the front-wheel-drive car, the SH-AWD got a 305-horsepower 3.7-liter J37A4 V6. That Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system was critical for harnessing the big V6’s output, because it could do some serious torque splitting for a transverse system. Up to 70 percent of the engine’s torque could be sent to the rear axle, and 100 percent of that 70 percent could be sent to either rear wheel thanks to a trick torque-vectoring rear differential. The result? An all-wheel-drive system that would make the car rotate on power, expediting corner exit. Promising hardware, it just needed the right transmission to make it come alive.

Enter the close-ratio six-speed manual transaxle. Acura knew it was a gamble, as it only expected five percent of TL buyers to opt for it, but it certainly didn’t half-ass this transmission. More, shorter ratios traded maximum speed per gear for acceleration while still keeping things long enough to exploit the V6’s wide power band. Second gear was good for 65 mph compared to 73 mph in the automatic, third was good for 91 mph compared to 109 mph in the automatic, fourth was good for 123 mph rather than 169 mph in the automatic, and the result was significantly increased torque multiplication.

Of course, fitting a manual gearbox meant that Acura needed some new drivetrain mounts, so rather than simply match the harmonics to existing parts that could be swapped over from the automatic car, the engineers went to town. The front engine mount on the TL SH-AWD manual was 80 percent stiffer than in the automatic car, the side engine mount 17 percent stiffer. The hydraulic-filled rear powertrain mount came out 50 percent stiffer than the unit on the automatic-equipped car, while the upper transmission mount measured in at a whopping 100 percent stiffer. Ticking the box for the manual also got you stiffer sports suspension, re-tuned electric power steering, and an ever so slightly less front-biased weight distribution thanks to 72 pounds being shaved off of the curb weight, primarily up front.

The end result was a more satisfying car to drive than an automatic TL. Here’s what Car And Driver had to say about the shifter, which seems absolute textbook Honda stuff:

In our first drive of the TL manual, we relayed Acura’s boast that these are the shortest throws in class, and we have little doubt the claim is still true. In addition to the tidy throws, the effort is nearly perfect and the action crisp and clean. The clutch, too, is wonderfully tuned with a progressive, predictable takeup and a light feel that requires just enough muscle to keep it from feeling overly assisted.

That’s high praise, and the added performance from rowing your own gears really showed up at the test track. Car And Driver found that the stick cleaved the zero-to-60 mph time down to 5.2 seconds from six flat with the automatic, pulled a full second out of the quarter-mile time chopping that down to 13.8 seconds, and added four mph of trap speed. That’s still reasonably quick 14 years later, and it meant that the TL could run with some of the bigger dogs in the segment like the Infiniti G37.

What’s more, the trick all-wheel-drive system meant that despite carrying 58 percent of its curb weight on the front axle, the TL SH-AWD manual could really claw its way out of an apex. As Automobile Magazine wrote:

There is some feeling of the nose-heavy weight, but Acura’s Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive works its magic really well to counteract that. The car hungrily attacks turns no matter the speed and is planted under heavy acceleration. The slick, tight, and easy-to-drive six-speed manual adds to the fun factor (so does the neat graphic between the gauges showing how the torque is being vectored between wheels!)

On the inside, owners could find themselves almost overwhelmed with toys. How about an available 440-watt 10-speaker ELS sound system, available GPS-linked climate control, an available appointment reminder system, xenon headlights, a 10-way power driver’s seat, key-linked memory functions, and key-off sunroof operation as convenience for instances of absent-mindedness? Yep, that’s luxury car stuff circa 2010. A facelift in 2012 upped the ante with available ventilated seats and blind spot monitoring while sanding the edges off the controversial face, but the underpinnings remained basically the same from 2010 through 2014.

So, being essentially a Honda, you’d expect the Acura TL SH-AWD manual to be as reliable as a quartz watch, right? Well, almost. See, oil consumption on the J37 V6 in the TL SH-AWD manual is a well-documented issue, and if any engine is allowed to run low on oil for an extended period of time, significant internal damage can occur. If you’re looking to pick one of these cars up, a used oil analysis as part of a pre-purchase inspection is a good idea, and if everything checks out, it’s worth measuring oil level at every fill-up and adding a little bit as necessary. Otherwise, though, these cars seem pretty solid. Remember, this generation of TL uses front brake calipers from a Ridgeline, front discs from an Odyssey, and a whole range of Accord suspension parts. It’s still a Honda, so it’ll get you where you need to go.

Mind you, finding an Acura TL SH-AWD manual will be a challenge, but they’re out there, and they’re going for somewhat reasonable money. For instance, if you’re looking for the cream of the crop, a relatively low mileage facelifted example with the less in-your-face grille, this 2013 example with 92,721 miles on the clock is up for sale in Virginia for $17,995. That’s not a bad price for a rare, engaging, comfortable sports sedan.

Or, if you’re alright with an earlier car with a little more mileage under its belt, this 2011 model with a wild set of dealer-installed OEM accessories including a lip kit and two-tone wheels is up for sale in New Jersey for $10,886. Sure, it might have 151,245 miles on the clock, but with a clean Carfax, this looks like a damn good way of spending just under $11,000 on a used car.

The Acura TL SH-AWD manual might not have been the sharpest or fastest sports sedan of its era, but it owned the title of the best shifter like an absolute champ. So, if you’re looking at a used manual V6 Accord, why not get more adventurous and hunt for one of these rare Acuras? If you live anywhere that gets snow, I have a feeling you’d be glad you did.

(Photo credits: Acura, Autotrader Sellers)

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