Switched From A Tl

rapid-richard · April 15, 2007

Hi all

Been on the sidelines for around a week or so and I decided to jump in an say hello. I had an 06 and 07 Acura TL till the 31st of last month when my wife and I were on vacation traveling to Myrtle Beach, SC. We were around 50 miles from our hotel when a truck ran two red lights and a stop sign ad hit us in the drivers side on the front and back doors. We were going around 50 mph and he was going around 40 as best we could tell. Totaled the car and put my wife, who was driving, in the hospital with a broken rib and a punctured lung. All the air bags on the drivers side deployed and I have no doubt that saved her life. I was in the passenger seat and was not injured. We both had our seat belts on and that helped a lot. After we got back home to Missouri I looked around and decided on an ES350. Got the UL package and every air bag available. ES is rated excellent on front side impact and TL is rated good. Any way we love the car and it is a real change from the TL. Great car and so quite and smooth which is good with her rib. Interesting to compare the two cars back to back. ES is a much better luxury car and the TL is a better sporty cat. Seems like a really good forum and I have learned a lot just reading. Any way that is my story and I am very happy to be in a lexus.

RJ

amf1932 · April 15, 2007

Welcome to the club......Happy to hear that you and your wife are recovering nicely.

I'm aware of the trauma that you must have gone through, since my wife's Toyota Corolla was also totalled last week, and she also spent a day in the

hospital where they did all kinds of tests (MRI, etc.). Thankfully, she's recovering nicely also. Somebody ran a stop sign, and was also talking on a cellphone.

I'm sure you'll love your new ES.

Good luck! :)

rapid-richard · April 15, 2007

I would have bought an 07 ES350 when I got the 07 TL but it was impossible to trade the TL for a lexus and easy to trade for another TL. I wanted the back-up camera but the camera on the lexus is far and away better than the Acura. My wife has a 06 Ridgeline with the backup camera on it too and it was the same as the Acura. If you have not compared them it is like night and day. Also the Nav screen is much higher resolution. Glad to hear your wife is doing ok. Seems to many people don't pay attention to stop light and stop signs. This guy never even slowed. he was speeding up when he hit us. I have no idea what he was thinking of. The truck was so big all we could see was this big grill and bumper coming at us. Knew we were going to get hit but could not get out of the way. Difference in the Lexus and Acura is much more than I would have thought.

Rx330driver · April 17, 2007

well thank goodness your wife is safe. side curtain airbags are so important because it can keep the glass away from the body. the lexus is so smooth on the road, you will never buy another brand ever again.

I agree, the backup camera is my favorite feature on the lexus range. It helps with more than parking, but watching out for pedestrians etc. stay safe!

SW03ES · April 25, 2007

Thank Goodness you're both okay!

That goes for your wife as well Alan.

rapid-richard · April 26, 2007

Thanks, she finally got to drive the ES yesterday. Doctor released her to drive. Loved it. She always did think the TL was a little too harsh and the seats were too firm. The TL was a great car, however and I miss it some times. ES is quieter and smoother and has more comfortable seats for us. I must just be getting old.

Both cars are great autos however. After seeing the TL and knowing what hit it and how hard and how we got out alive I have a new appreciation for safe cars. You just never know when someone will come out of nowhere and hit you no matter how safe you are driving. I thought it would never happen to us because we are pretty defensive drivers, now ever more. but you just cannot anticipate all situations unless you drive down the highway at 25 and then you would cause a wreck by driving so slow.