We started receiving e-mails and even a phone call on Friday asking if we'd seen the "official photos of the 2009 TL" in the new issue of Car and Driver. Since the TOV's been around (going on 14 years now) and knowing how things generally work with new model launches and the timing of releases and such, without even seeing the photo I was pretty certain it was a photoshopped image. One person who contacted me took a photo of the magazine page and e-mailed it to me, and seeing it pretty much confirmed that notion.

My copy of C/D arrived in the mail today, and though there aren't any credits for the image in the magazine, I'm 100% convinced it's a photoshop. Interestingly, the information attached to the image only mentions a front-drive layout, which pretty much flies in the face of all the rumors on the 2009 TL that've been circulating for the past 18-24 months. Car and Driver also predicts that it will feature the 300hp 3.7L V6 from the RL. Past rumors have mentioned a 3.5L for front-wheel-drive versions, and 3.7L for all-wheel-drive versions.

So to summarize, this image is a confirmed fabrication (update I just found the PR photo upon which it's based - see below), based off of a PR photo of a 2009 TSX. Furthermore, we don't feel that this is an accurate representation of how the TL will actually look. There may be a few similarities, but based upon the camouflaged mules we've seen in the past, we're expecting far more of a wedge shape, with a higher trunkline.



Source Image: 2009 TSX

Last edited by JeffX on April 28, 2008 15:58