enchantedsky

I have a few comments/questions about the Acura TLX with i4 engine and Technology package:



1. LED fog lights appear to come with the Advance package only. The Advance package only comes with V6 engines. However, you can add LED fog lights as a dealer-installed accessory. My question is, why would Acura do this? If the TLX is marketed as a Sport/Luxury Sedan which is supposed to compete with Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti, etc, why remove an important standard feature that people associate with sportiness? (unless it's not really useful?) I speculate that most TLXs will not have the Advance package, and will not be equipped with dealer-installed foglights (if dealers don't offer a good deal with them), so I'm wondering if they are trying to start a trend where fog lights will not be standard on cars anymore (perhaps they are not as functional as the standard jewel-eye LED lights?) Heck, even the Honda Fit, Civic Si, Accord and CR-V come with fog lights on EX models.

2. The competition (BMW 3 series, Mercedes C-class, Audi, etc) appear to turbocharge their i4 engine for more power with good fuel economy (30+ MPG highway). Why didn't Acura do this with the TLX i4 engine? Why did they choose a naturally aspirated engine? I know Hondas are reliable, and usually naturally aspirated engines are associated with longevity. But this is Acura, which should take more chances than Honda and should have included a more powerful engine. The TLX should never come across as an overglorified Honda Accord Sport with leather seats and dual-clutch transmission instead of a CVT. Adding a turbocharger to the i4 engine would have further differentiated it from the Honda Accord, I believe. Perhaps they didn't want turbo i4 sales to overlap with V6 sales. I honestly don't think this should be an issue because people who want a 4 cylinder engine usually are stuck in traffic or do 100% city driving, and V6 power goes to waste under those circumstances.

3. The lack of all-wheel drive on the Acura TLX with i4 engine and Technology package might be a deal breaker and might force me into a crossover SUV such as Acura RDX (which is NOT as sporty as a TLX). The winter in northeast North America was rough last winter, and I can already imagine the Acura TLX with front wheel drive spinning wheels stuck in a snow bank. I know all wheel drive adds weight and cost to a vehicle, but still, I think Acura made a huge mistake to associate the V6 model as a higher trim level to get the Advance package and all-wheel drive. In Canada, you can get a fully loaded Honda Accord Touring model with an i4 engine for good fuel economy; yet in the United States, Accord Touring models come with a V6 engine only. Honda/Acura seems to associate luxury with V6 models for Americans.

4. I think the i4 rims look great in person (but don't look good in pictures online). I think most people here are not impressed because they are 17" rims. 18" rims will always look better, but ask those people what the ride is like (bumpy) and what it is like to drive into a pothole with tires with no sidewalls. The i4 rims look good because they are machined, and appear to have black paint in them. It's a good change from a boring 5 spoke rim design.



5. Is anyone cross shopping the Acura TLX with i4 engine and Technology package with other luxury cars? If so, which ones? As I mentioned above, I'll take a look at Acura RDX for its all-wheel drive system (not as good as SH-AWD unfortunately, but I need the rear wheels to spin if I am stuck in the snow). I'll also take a look at what Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Infiniti has to offer. However, my budget is strictly $40,000 out the door (tax and fees included). I would never buy a $30k BMW, and when fully loaded, it becomes a $60k car! Going into a Mercedes dealership and asking for a 2015 C-class base model ($39k) makes me feel cheap that the car is stripped down and that I bought it for the Mercedes name to impress people pretentiously.

I do admit that Acura seems to offer a lot of value for the money. Thanks if anyone has any insight regarding the points I brought up.

insanik

You're forgetting a few points that the i4 tech trumps almost all in its class

For us canadian buyers at least

1. LED headlights. most brands do not this besides DRLS
2. Remote start. standard on canadian i4 techs that pretty much does not come on a vehicle at this price point
3. Heated rear seats. Most do not this at this price point
4. heated steering wheel, most do not offer this
5. Acura reliability
6. power passenger seat. While this may seem noting to you, its an option in german competition

So youll go into an RDX due to AWD...when u can just get a v6 AWD? which does likely same or better milage than an RDX? Points make no sense

hadokenuh

Please don't beat on the dead horse, again

dysonlu

I don't get the complaint about fog lights. If it's important to you, just add them as an option. Lots of people don't care about them. It's either they don't give you a choice and put them standard on all models and increase the MSRP across the board or they offer you a choice (and consequently having a lower MSRP). What do you prefer? Seems the answer is obvious.

Some other manufacturers charge you extra for some paint colors. So...

keith7120

I'm not sure if you consider the Dallas, FT Worth area a city, yes there is traffic but plenty of opportunity to air out that V6 when needed.

iutodd

Read the reviews about the I4 and how it drives. Not one review that I've read complained about it being too slow and the ride, features, comfort, and the state of the art transmission set it apart from the Accord by quite a long way.

Read Jeff's review over at TOV to really understand why the lack of a turbo isn't an issue. Especially at under $35K.
http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...&page_number=1

I think the Fog Lights just aren't as important with the Jewel-Eye system. Fog Lights aren't a part of ANY of the trim levels on the MDX - they are dealer installed only. And the MDX runs to over $55K. It hasn't seemed to hurt MDX sales any.

reddogTL

1) Yes, up until the redesigned 2013 RDX and 2014 MDX, fog lights were standard on all Acura vehicles. However, they're not standard on the 3 series or A4. So it's a growing trend among luxury & premium brands to not include them on base models. I havent driven the new TLX at night so I dont know how good those new jewel lights are yet so maybe the fog lights arent really needed.

2) Honda/Acura has bucked the turbo trend. Only the previous gen RDX had a turbo and it was great performance wise, terrible for fuel economy. However, the new Civic Type R in Europe has a new 2.0L Turbo 270HP engine that may eventually trickle down to us. We have yet to see any track tests for the i4 TLX but if the estimates of 0-60 in the mid 6 sec range is true thats quite a feat for a 2.4L 206HP NA engine on a 3,400lbs car.

3) I agree, its disappointing there's no AWD for i4. But Acura made a lot of changes with new technologies and drivetrains with this 2015 model year TLX. Perhaps once this rollout is complete they will add this to the 2016 or 2017 models.

4) At first I hated the 17's on the base TLX. They have started to grow on me however. I have yet to see them in person.

5) I've spec'd out Audi A4, BMW 328, MB C & CLA class, Lexus IS, and Volvo S60. Hands down due to the TLX's size(leg, hip, & shoulder room) nothing else can touch it in this class for the technology it comes with and price. You will have to step down to an Audi A3, MB CLA, BMW 320, or Lexus IS250. The IS powertrain is 8 years old and is due for a major revamp which looks like it will get the new 2.0L Turbo from the upcoming NX model. The A3 and CLA are too small and dont compare to the TLX in size in my opinion. and BMW 320 will most likely get whipped in performance compared to the TLX i4, but it does have an AWD option so that's a plus.

MardiGras

Hope you're right, but probably no changes of that magnitude until 2018 model year.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

1.) I don't think most cars in this class have LED foglights as standard equipment. Most are just standard halogen foglights, not LED.

2.) IS250, ATS 2.5 are not turbocharged. I think we should wait for some road test results before we can say anything. According to Shawn from Temple of Vtec, this engine is good for 180-190whp. I'd say that's competitive against most competitors such as 320i, IS250, ATS 2.5, etc.

3.) Would be nice to have AWD option on the I4, I agree.

iutodd

I think the 8DCT doesn't hook up to the SHAWD system currently - probably because in part it is so new. Maybe they'll figure it out and give people an AWD version. An I4 Tech SHAWD at $37,025 would basically be right next to, in price, the base V6 SHAWD if they had one. There was a rumor that the base SHAWD (which is available in Canada) will come to the states eventually. Acura seemed to purposefully pair the base V6 and I4 Tech right next to each other in price so maybe they are waiting to be able to do the same with the SHAWD versions. If they came out with a base I4 SHAWD it would be at $32,995 and be right there where the ILX will hopefully be able to compete soon. For the sake of the ILX I think they'd rather have it be the SHAWD Acura sedan option below $35K (but who knows if/when that will happen). So I think they are going to look at what paying customers are asking for and figure it out from there. With rumors of a hybrid or Sport hybrid and/or a Type-S floating around you have to wonder what will happen first or at all. These are multi-multi-million dollar decisions. Which would be the best thing to come out with first?

Colin

All this talk about AWD and 4 cylinder. IMO, SH is too expensive and heavy for a car with the 2.4. Not to mention, is there really any gain for torque vectoring in a car with 180ish lb-ft? If they did AWD, my guess is that it would be RealTime AWD or whatever is in the RDX. How would everyone feel about that?

enchantedsky

Thanks for everyone's responses. By the way, I don't mean to come across as anti-Honda/Acura in my original post. I am a Honda fan (own an 8th gen Civic) while my parents drive a CR-V. I just wanted to make sure the TLX is the right car for me.

@insanik: The Canadian Honda/Acuras have more features, but you are paying for it with higher MSRPs, eh?

@dysonlu: The thing is, do fog lights have any functional purpose? Other than looking cool? What if you are in a dark country side with no electricity and need the additional lighting? That's my concern regarding Acura TLX not having them standard. They don't have to be LED, but standard halogens. Adding them on as an option isn't great because imagine the dealer drilling holes in your TLX to add a fog light button (or otherwise modifying a perfectly good brand new car to have functional fog lights instead of having them installed in the Acura factory).

@iutodd: I've read every review and every post on this forum, and understand the i4 drives better than the V6 (no 1 second launch delay). However, a turbo charged engine would really differentiate the TLX from its competitors. Remember a Honda Accord Sport makes 189 HP, while the TLX makes 206 HP. That's only a 17 HP difference! Acura can do better than this.

The Temple of VTEC review's conclusion actually recommends Acura adds a turbo to the TLX in the last paragraph: http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...&page_number=3

@Colin Yes, you're right. Any form of AWD is better than no AWD at all. Even Real time AWD (if it's lighter and easier to pair with a lightweight i4 TLX) instead of SH-AWD.

insanik

Uh? Not really? lol

USD - TLX TECH 2.4 - $35,025
CDN - TLX TECH 2.4 - $38,690


Current dollar value currency exchange

USD $35,025 = CDN $38,278.12


So for an extra 400 bucks i get heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, double capacity washer fluid, remote starter, power folding side mirrors, 2 years free service maintenance. And I got 500 off MSRP so im identical US price for a vehicle with more options


So yes, you americans getting ripped in dollar for dollar comparison to what you get compared to canadian counterpart

Colin

Regarding each of the highlighted points:
No drilling for a fog light switch is required. You get an entirely new turn signal stalk with the fog light switch on the stalk as with a factory installation.

Not clear on the turbo charged issue. In your original post you said the competition are all offering turbocharged engines, Mercedes C class, Audi, and BMW 3 series. Wouldn't adding a turbocharger only serve to make them "the same as the others" versus differentiating Acura from them?

Jeff over at Temple of VTEC is advocating a different trim level (Type S) that would be a good place for a turbocharged engine. Also, just to be clear, this is not a case of "adding a turbocharger" it is replacing the entire engine and possibly drivetrain.

As for the last point, for people living in snowy areas it is likely that a all-wheel-drive four-cylinder would be a welcome trim. However, if they were to add anything but SH AWD I can only imagine the howls of rage on the Internet. Which brings me back to my original assertion that it is likely there isn't sufficient torque to drive the SH system, and anything less then that would be received poorly.

Also, there are quite a few trim levels already and adding more complexity is not guaranteed to generate more sales. If they were to add anything to the TLX lineup, I would rather have and Advance Package on the four-cylinder than all-wheel-drive. All IMHO of course.

JTRADAR61

Don't forget the heated windshield and low washer indicator .....

LaCostaRacer

I don't see the fog light omission as being a huge deal personally- I rarely use mine. I think adding some form of AWD would be a great idea for 4-cyl models so somebody that really needs AWD could get into an Acura rather than a Suburu or some other AWD vehicle at a reduced price point. Adding AWD to a 4-cyl Acura would also differentiate the Acura brand from Honda as it relates to the Civic/Accord that doesn't offer AWD in 4cyl form (I already know the CrossTour offers AWD but that's no sedan). The 2.5 Tech option would also be a good way to go- perhaps 2016 will offer that?

Nedmundo

I agree that Acura's NA VTEC engine is actually unique in the segment with all the others going turbo. Modern turbos have very linear power deliveries that don't always provide the high-rpm screaming surge of acceleration like Honda VTEC motors. I might prefer a turbo overall for the midrange torque, but IMO it's cool that Acura is still offering a high-revving NA four cylinder, and thus providing some of the classic Honda performance experience.

When the VTEC turbos arrive, I wonder whether they will be designed to provide some of that high rpm Honda magic, which might be the best of all possible worlds.

unr1

time to move to Canada

Glashub

My 50K IS 350 Fsport did not come with fog lamps. The regular IS does. I had fog lamps installed aftermarket. Glad I did. The aftermarket are LEDS -- the factory installed are regular bulbs.