The first Acura to make The CarMax Unicorn Blog. Not what I think of as an enthusiast car at first, until you consider the niche. Who else has a sedan this size, with a 300+ horsepower six-cylinder motor, a six-speed manual transmission, AWD, and bulletproof reliability? The Germans are out. The Cadillac ATS V with a 462 hp six and a manual transmission I covered last week here is only two wheel drive, and by the way cost over $30,000 more. Think of the fourth generation, 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD as a gentleman’s Subaru WRX. Plus, there are only two other manual transmission Acura TL SH-AWD’s for sale on Auto Trader – one at half the price with twice the miles, and another with 10,000 fewer miles for a third more. This one’s a unicorn.
The 3.7 liter V-6 puts out 305 hp, and moves the sub-4,000 lb sedan to 60 mph in about 5.3 seconds. The motor didn’t get high marks for being high tech when new, but it is certainly good enough, and extremely reliable. Reviews considered it satisfying and beefy at the 6,700 rpm red line. It’s the transmission, though, that get’s high marks – short, crisp shifts the old fashioned way.
The interior was a bit dated in 2012 and is damned near vintage now. Nothing horribly wrong, just bland. The Acura has seat heaters, nav, Bluetooth, a sunroof, keyless entry/start and a rear view camera. Just enough. Only 18 months ago CarBuzz revisited this car in the review, “The Manual Acura TL Is One Of The Coolest Sedans Ever Made“. They clearly dug it. Check it out here. The 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD sold new for north of $43,000 and is being offered for $21,995 nine years later at CarMax. Plenty of money left over for MaxCare, offered for another 100,000 miles, but would you really need it? Find this two-owner Colorado car in the Coming Soon category here in Loveland, Colorado, just three hours north of Pike’s Peak!
