Mine is a darker grey than this one.
I really love my new car. This has to be the finest automobile I have ever owned. Well, "owned" is a term I use lightly when talking about cars. I actually lease the car. I have leased my last three vehicles and find it a very useful tool. I get bored with cars easily and like to trade them in about every three to four years. For me, leasing has worked out very well. Little or nothing down, a monthly payment I find reasonable and I get a new car at about the time I get tired of the old one.
Let me say right off the bat that I am a "car" person in the sense that I like how certain cars look, both inside and out. I am not the least bit interested in how fast a car will go or how powerful it is. Those are nice, but for my driving habits, if the car moves forward when I press the accelerator and stops when I press the brake, that’s all I really need to know about its mechanics. In fact, I have never even popped the hood on this car. I'll probably have to do a short search for the button that releases the latch the first time I have to open it. (note to self, go open the hood soon) I know that there are plenty of people who do like all the technical and mechanical aspects of automobiles and I am very glad that such people are out there.
This is my first truly luxurious car. It has all the bells and whistles that I could want. XM radio came with a free trial period. While I am slightly disappointed with the quality of the reception of XM, I understand that it has something to do with the way they compress the signal(both XM and Sirius do this). The lack of commercials more than makes up for a slightly diminished quality. I have listened to the radio more in the last few weeks than I have in the last two years. Rediscovering the joy of listening to the radio has been a very pleasant by-product of the new car.
Along with XM radio, the TL comes Bluetooth equipped so you can talk on your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone hands-free. With a press of a button, you can have the radio muted and then recite the name or number of the person you wish to call. The microphone is hidden somewhere near the rearview mirror and you listen to your caller through the front speakers. When a call is received, a voice interrupts the radio and announces that you have an incoming call. Very cool. I tested this all out the other day with Bill's phone. Worked like a charm. However, in order for me to take advantage of this feature, I need to purchase a new mobile phone. My current phone is not Bluetooth enabled. I checked with my carrier and I will be eligible for a major discount on a new phone in about six weeks. A wait that I find excruciatingly long.
Another nice feature, the side mirrors automatically tilt downwards slightly when you put the car into reverse. This is to allow you to see the curb easier when parallel parking. The last time I parallel parked, the officer gave me a passing grade and allowed me to obtain a drivers license. None the less, it's a nice touch. I love the sound system in the TL too. In addition to playing regular CDs, it will also play DVD audio. These are a lot harder to find in the stores but the sound quality is very good. The system will play 5.1 surround. That means there is even a sub-woofer in the rear. I've had fun experimenting with the controls to get just the right mix of treble, base etc.
It's great driving a car that you really like :-)
