ESHBG

Very nice review and as an owner of a TSX and in the same boat I know exactly what they meant. This review is perfectly in line with what I have been saying all along and unfortunately what I was expecting as more details were released and pics were shown.

Ah well, maybe I will pick up a nice cheap 1G or something else entirely.

AcuraFan1980

FIRST REAL TEST DRIVE

Few mins in and she’s complaining about the 0-60 and fake piped in exhaust sound

Frustrating and lacking against the competition

fiatlux

So far the reviews are looking pretty good and I'm feeling pretty good about the overall package. I already knew this car would be like the RDX in the power department (namely, feels strong but has pretty crappy numbers due to neutering the power in lower gears), so if/when the numbers are underwhelming, I've already made my peace with it. Not sure why some folks refused to believe it when all the signs were laid out right in front of their eyes, but whatever...

In any case, what I was more interested about was how this car handles, because that's the big question mark as there's nothing to really go off of beyond knowing that it should have a great SH-AWD system (based on what I experienced with the RDX) and it would probably handle better than the 1G (hell, if it had any more body roll they'd have to change that A on the front to an L). So far it sounds like it checks all the boxes there. I'm pretty excited to take it out for a test drive to see for myself if it lives up to the hype.

So close to being the total package, but alas that's Acura for you. There's always something preventing it from achieving greatness, and this go around it's the weight/powertrain. I guess there's always the ILX Type-S; maybe that will finally be where Acura is able to come out with something that excels in each and every facet.

fiatlux

Who the heck are all these randos that got their hands on this car during the first batch? As for the 0-60...yeah that's pretty consistent with what you'd expect on the RDX. Feels good in the mid-range but runs out of steam at the top. It's almost like it's got a E85-esque torque curve that teases you. Feels great once the turbos spool up, but once you get to the top end you go "aw, no more?"

Barbecue Tech Tips

Reviews are live!

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/2...st-test-drive/

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/09/24/...x-first-drive/

fiatlux

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...y-the-numbers/
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2021-acura-tlx-first-drive-review/
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/acura/tlx/2021/2021-acura-tlx-first-drive-review/

AcuraFan1980

To add to this. Everything after the beginning was really really good. Seems like everything is improved, except the power.

fiatlux

Interesting tidbit from https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...nd-and-emotion

That's definitely not what we saw from the videos...

fiatlux

OK seriously who are all these random reviewers? This one is from someone called "MotorProMedia", but he quite literally only has 2 car videos (both about the TLX), and the rest are about how to make money using TikTok.

https://www.youtube.com/c/MotorProMedia/videos

Honda430

So far the only knock on the car is that for some reviewers it wasn’t fast enough. At this point I’d call it a RDX type home run. Welcome back Acura.

Tony Pac

A great review by CarBuzz but they started their website maintenance and kicked me out. I can’t copy the review.


Overall, thank you Acura and welcome back!

fiatlux

I don't know if I'd go as far as saying it's a home run...maybe a ground rule double . A triple if this could have matched the Accord in terms of acceleration, and a home run if they managed to throw in a fully digital dash.

Am I being too demanding?

Honda430

The simple answer is yes. Lol

fiatlux

But both are things the competition can do/have. What does that make them? Grand slams?

Tony Pac

https://acuraconnected.com/2020/09/2...x-review-list/

Honda430

At what price point? I’m frugal. I have no desire to spend $50,000 plus dollars just to shave a second off the 0-60 time. Give me a good looking, reasonably quick car, excellent handling, premium cabin, and an excellent sound system, and I’m a happy camper.

fiatlux

Based on the reviews so far, sounds like my prediction is right on track . This is the exact same playbook they used for the RDX launch, and who can blame them, that seemed to have worked out pretty well for them. Last time, it took about 3 months between the initial First Drive reviews and the Full Tests reviews, so I guess we'll see the numbers sometime in December?

fiatlux

You do realize the SHAWD Advance is just a smidge under $50K, right? Just how cheap did you think this car would be? I suppose if you want to save a few bones you could get the base or Tech package, but the interior would be decidedly less premium, and the feature-set well short of an Accord Touring, and you're still looking at almost $45K.

Honda430

With the spoiler I’d like to add retail will be just a hint over $50k. I’ll buy when I can get $2,500 off MSRP.

sonyfever

One thing I noticed over RDX is the infotainment interface seems more responsive than RDX, for example clicking the an app, it immediately shows up on TLX but on RDX it takes a second or two. If anyone is going to check out TLX in person, can you help check the SW version? (For example is it still on Android 5.1? Is the SW version D1.2.x or something else?

Tesla1856

Never heard of her, but the Car-Coach lady seems to know cars fairly well.
However, her score of 87 seems high, when the 2020 Audi-S4 V6 only gets a 91.
And my usual complaint applies again ... they keep showing footage of Type-S when this is quite obviously a TLX-2.0T Advance SH-AWD ... with a MSRP of $48,300 .

Tesla1856

For a performance increase like that ... I think that would take slightly higher revision hardware (like an upgraded main processor).
Months ago, I remember seeing a slide or page that said the 2021-TLX would have a newly revised head-unit, but I didn't capture it, and now I can't find it again.

Tesla1856

Thanks for posting.

Conflicting statements:

Unfortunately, in both Advance and A-Spec form, the new 2021 Acura TLX is under-tired for canyon-carving duty. The chassis greatly outpaces the standard Michelin Primacy all-season tires, with the relatively squishy rubber screaming at full volume even during low-ish speed maneuvers.

Power from the 2.0-liter engine feels healthy, but since the 2021 Acura TLX isn't exactly the lightest compact/midsizer on the block, acceleration feels somewhere in the mid-to-low 6-second range.

and the Acura has noticeably more power and torque than those Germans. (yet it's slower ?)

but far less expensive than the competition (how do you figure )
Sole 2.0-liter turbo-four engine one of the more potent in the segment (huh ? )

F23A4

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...y-the-numbers/


“In a drag race, the TLX won't be able to hang with the quick end of the segment, and annoyingly, it might be out done by its little brother, the Accord 2.0T, too, given the weight difference.”

“But the larger footprint brings with it that universal enemy of performance: weight. Top-trim TLXs, with the optional SH-AWD will be pushing 4000 pounds; that's more than 300 pounds heavier than a 330i xDrive and some 600 pounds heavier than a Honda Accord.”

CheeseyPoofs McNut

To summarize a half dozen reviews:

1) Inside is a nice upgrade - premium look and feel.
2) Car looks great in person.
3) Handling and driving feel is very nice.
4) Spacious in the front - not so much in the back.
5) Good tech.

1) Not a race car.
2) All season tires don't match the potential of the car

What's curious to me is the value prop - I've seen several reviewers claim it's a good value despite the price increase??? One of the things I found attractive about the 1G was the value prop - but I'm not sure with the added $$$$ it's in the "value" category anymore. Clearly that's what Acura is aiming for I guess.

TSX69

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a34126269/2021-acura-tlx-by-the-numbers/

2021 Acura TLX Shows Signs of Greatness

Until the higher-performance Type S model arrives, Acura's much-improved TLX sports sedan is a set of summer tires away from realizing its full potential.


By Dave VanderWerp
Sep 24, 2020 View Photos

Michael SimariCar and DriverIt's been a while since Acura built a worthy sports sedan. Although the TL and TSX earned comparison-test victories in their day, merging the two to create the tweener 2015 TLX failed to capture the magic of either. Meanwhile, Acura's other sedan, the Honda Civic–based ILX, has withered on the vine, and when the 11th-gen Civic debuts in the coming months, the ILX will be two whole Civic generations behind.

It's a good thing that the new TLX is an extremely credible and full-fledged effort. Parked next to a BMW 3-series, the TLX looks supercar wide, backing up Acura's boasts about the width and low roofline of its new sedan. Compared with the Bimmer, it has an extra 3.3 inches between its flanks. It's also 8.9 inches longer.
More on the TLX

2021 Acura TLX Type S's 3.0L V-6 Makes 355 HP

TLX PMC Edition Shines Only on the SurfaceThat added width isn't just for your eyeballs; it's for your elbows and hips, too. Interior room up front is generous, with lots of space between the driver and passenger. The cabin also shows off real wood or textured aluminum trim. But the larger footprint brings with it that universal enemy of performance: weight. Top-trim TLXs, with the optional SH-AWD will be pushing 4000 pounds; that's more than 300 pounds heavier than a 330i xDrive and some 600 pounds heavier than a Honda Accord.
View Photos

Michael SimariCar and DriverYet, despite its size, the TLX's rear-seat accommodations are on the small side for a luxury compact sedan. But Acura has a reasonable explanation: Consumers' widespread migration to crossovers gave the development team the courage to sacrifice interior space on the altar of beauty, as everyone who's shopping for maximum practicality has already moved on to an SUV.

The chassis is also a major differentiator. Set up and engineered for the handling needs of the performance-focused Type S model that will launch in spring of 2021, the structure is stiff, with perfectly dialed-in chassis tuning. TLX Advance models feature adaptive damping and a handful of driving modes, but the Comfort and Normal settings have too much float. The base car's nonadjustable suspension tuning strikes us as just right. Remember when BMWs used to have one excellent setup? The regular TLX is like that.
View Photos

Michael SimariCar and Driver

Laying the Groundwork

Building a great-driving car starts with a firm foundation of stampings, castings, and extrusions. Acura's TLX benefits from an overhauled architecture, designed with the fortitude to make the high-performance Type S work. No chassis parts are shared with the Honda Accord, which is built in the same Ohio assembly plant. Lengthening the distance between the dash and front axle yields almost rear-drive proportions. Only the longish front overhang hints at the transverse-engine, front-drive setup. The control-arm front suspension is a return to Acura sedans of the past, and it's a claimed 85 percent stiffer laterally than the last TLX's strut setup. The rear suspension gains a link (to five total) for better wheel control; lateral stiffness is up 45 percent. Under hood, the four-cylinder sits so far ahead of the axle, it looks as if you could remove the steering rack from above. That extra room is to accommodate the TLX Type S's turbo V-6. The battery moves to the rear for the first time in an Acura, shifting a claimed 52 pounds to the tail, while the use of aluminum for the front fenders and shock towers removes 29 pounds from the nose. Acura says the center of gravity shifts 3.4 inches rearward. All-wheel-drive models have a 57/43 percent front/rear weight distribution.
View Photos

Michael SimariCar and Driver

Far More Expensive, but Still a Bargain

The price is up $4500, but the TLX's $38,525 entry point is still $3720 less than a 3-series'. Add $2000 if you want all-wheel drive. At launch, the TLX gets a transversely mounted 272-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four from the RDX and Honda's 10-speed automatic. It's a satisfying powertrain, and the electronically enhanced engine noises are natural-sounding and pleasing, which isn't the norm.

The fourth generation of Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (a.k.a. SH-AWD) reacts quicker and with more available rear bias than the last, and you can feel the system tightening your line during vigorous cornering as it overdrives the outside rear tire. The 10-speed serves admirably across the Honda and Acura lineups, but the programming and responses aren't much different here than they are in, say, an Odyssey minivan. And its lazy reaction to paddle inputs and refusal to hold gears stand out as detriments. The brakes are the same electro-servo system used in the NSX but with slightly less aggressive tuning. The pedal is firm and easy to modulate, unlike some similar systems.
View Photos

Michael SimariCar and DriverIn a drag race, the TLX won't be able to hang with the quick end of the segment, and annoyingly, it might be out done by its little brother, the Accord 2.0T, too, given the weight difference. Acura fits the TLX's 19-inch wheels that come on everything but the base model with Michelin's Primacy A/S, a tire chosen not for its grip but probably its long tread wear, ride comfort, low noise, and minimized rolling resistance. For this reason, although the steering is quicker than before, and with progressively wider gear-tooth spacing so the response quickens as you turn the wheel off-center. But turn-in is dull, and the tires squeal even at responsible street speeds.

Acura's choice of a laid-back tire is a shame, as the dialed-in chassis is begging for more grip. Torsional rigidity is up by a claimed 50 percent, and you can feel it. There's greatness in the latest TLX, but it's going to take the Type S's 355-hp turbocharged V-6 and 20-inch Pirelli P Zero PZ4s to fully realize it.

Specifications

2021 Acura TLX

VEHICLE TYPE
front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

BASE PRICE
$38,525; SH-AWD, $40,525; A-Spec, $45,275

ENGINE TYPE
turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement
122 in3, 1996 cm3
Power
272 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque
280 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm

TRANSMISSION
10-speed automatic

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 113.0 in
Length: 194.6 in
Width: 75.2 in
Height: 56.8 in
Passenger volume: 93 ft3
Trunk volume: 14 ft3
Curb weight (C/D est): 3800–4000 lb

PERFORMANCE (C/D EST)
60 mph: 5.7–5.9 sec
1/4 mile: 14.3–14.5 sec
Top speed: 130 mph

EPA FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST)
Combined/city/highway: 24/21/29 mpg

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TSX69

MSZ

The Straight Pipes:

Speed Guy

These all seem to be rather good reviews. And considering discounts from MSRP against the competitors, Acura is trying to build something that will outdrive the competition and have a better set of equipment for a lesser price. of course, as discussed elsewhere, in a straight line it is not going to be faster. But, at the end of the day, that might not really be what people are looking for, or if they are - that is what the Type-S well be for.

As for me, I will not be buying any of the TLX that are not a Type-S. If the Type-S can even come close to hanging with the Germans and has a better price point, I think Acura might actually have a winning vehicle here. To be fair, I was highly skeptical before the reviews came out.

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

Thank you for sharing! I love The straight pipes and savagegeese. TLX does look incredible in that beautiful red color. I'm not at all surprised with the performance being very lack luster. It's been beaten to death at this point but honesty, Acura really dropped the ball by hyping the TLX to be this superior sports sedan and it's very much run of the mill performance to what you can find on other vehicles for less. It would have helped them if they didn't put such a tremendous amount of hype on the performance portion. I'm glad they called out the Type-s for that "Drift". I mentioned it before that it was modified to do so. As Justin mentioned before (I think in here) that the 2.0T are having issues with stalling or cutting out. It's clearly held back as he floors it (3:55 mark) and it falls flat on it's face. This has been the whole debate. Where does your money work better for the performance / options. While I think the TLX has great options (When loaded) and be willing to give up the looks of the A-spec, the performance for the same $$$ isn't there. This is where other vehicles shine for the price bracket vs options / performance. The market is competition is fierce and the sedan segment is slowly dying. Personally think, Acura is trying to place this vehicle in a class where it doesn't quite belong in. Again, it's my personal opinion. I think the base model looks like it will end up as a rental unit. A large vehicle with small wheels, It just doesn't seem right.

AcuraFan1980

Yikes. That drive review. The lag was pretty bad.

They kinda ripped the car through out the review.

I know it’s beautiful. The drive is more important. I’m disappointed. I watch these guys a lot so I trust their reviews more then the others out so far.

They said every other competitor over this.

I think they were harsh

I will test drive though.

Vicious Type S

Yea Yuri was especially harsh and they are 1 of my favorite reviews along with Savage geese too, but I've only been considering the Type S so hopefully that will take care of some of the driving performance issues, as far as the harsh comments about the looks compared to the concept, I get his view but I am happy with how it turned out. I just wish the carbon bit in the front around the fake intakes were just as big as the concept. And had real vents, but I'm sure someone will make a body kit to match the concept. Spring cannot come soon enough!

fiatlux

Wow, they’re usually pretty generous heaping praise on the cars they drive. Odd since they really really liked the RDX.

pyrodan007

Finally a legit review with solid opinions instead of marketing regurgitation. The reviews mentioning value only deal with base versions, they don't really expand and say stuff is missing higher up, and performance doesn't match others.

fiatlux

It’s so incredibly ironic that a company best known for making great 4cyl engines somehow came out with a 4cyl car where the powertrain ended up being the weakest link.

Slquic

Yea its not looking good for the TLX. The TheStraightPipes gave the RDX a really good review and this car shares the same drive train as the RDX and Infotainment. Cant wait for Savage Geese to review this, though it takes a while for him to get his hands on cars.

fiatlux

I suppose a less responsive and lower performing powertrain is acceptable in a crossover, but not so much in a purported performance crafted sport sedan. Once again Acura marketing oversold this car. In a vacuum this sounds like a pretty good car, and it likely really does have the handling to make good on that part of their performance promise, but acceleration and responsiveness is such an important aspect of performance that they seemed to have just punted on. Such a shame, as that engine/transmission combo is quite good on the Accord. Seriously sounds like they didn’t beef up the SHAWD system over the RDX. Certainly they must have seen this coming.

iutodd

A Tech SHAWD TLX stickers for $43,500. The Mercedes C300 4Matic base model stickers for $43,400. Matching the features puts the C300 close to $50k.

It’s also amazing how often the Germans put optional summer tires on the cars the media gets for review. As in...basically every single time!

ESHBG

Nah I am with you and at this price point it's a fairly basic car and it shouldn't be. Using the 2G vs 1G A-Spec trim you are getting improvements on what is already there but feature to feature you aren't really getting anything extra.

Well she did say that the TLX has run flat tires so...

pyrodan007

I believe they did for the Type-S, I guess they didn't add it to the regular version. Now if the Type-S also has similar issues, there's no way it can compete if engine needs to baby itself into higher gear.