Colorado Guy AF Ret.

Thank you much! Frustrating shopping for my car during these COVID times. Mostly done by email, phone, etc. After LOTS of
video watching, reading all articles etc, I was looking at Lexus, Supras, Corvette, Audi, Infiniti, another Mustang...my 12th, even
pre owned NSX's, Aston Martin Vantage....LOL...but, I came back "home" to Acura where my comfort zone is. But, this new Type S
better really WOW me!! LOL!!

I will post "the way I see it" with honesty. I don't classify myself as an "Acura fan boy" as some xxxxx on here like to label people like me.
I shop around. Just a fact. My wife looked at Audi Q5 and Q7's....we also looked at the Lincoln Aviator. And WE LIKE IT!
VERY popular...but, loaded the price
was just not what I wanted to pay...although I could. I try and find the "right veh." for a fair price that I'm comfortable with. I probably should just
spend the dough..my kids aren't getting what's left! LOL!!

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

YES, I miss the DVD-A. I found some great music on Amazon and bought a few. Pricey for sure...but, it sounded great. But, the audiophiles just didn't
"take to" that format and it died a slow death. I was really ticked when Acura dropped it. But, I understand why.
Where is the USB stick with Scheiner demo music??? Love to get it. I'll be buying some quality sticks to put music on for my wife. I do have an I-Pod...the mac
daddy of them...160gb! LOL! It's a damn mini computer...that I hardly use a fraction of it's capacity....and it's still holding up. As most know...no longer available.

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

Brandon Turkus did an early review of the '21 TLX and more specifically the new ELS 3D Surround, 5.1 system designed for it
in August. He said that Bohemian Rhapsody...hearing Freddie was AMAZING on the system. Placido Domingo singing "Ave
Maria"...and some other special pieces. I'm working with my Mgr at my dealer on IF they have one. Kinda late now since they
were sent to dealers around the August time frame.

ELIN

CPR first brought it to my attention so I immediately asked my dealer for more info:

bilirubin

Another review...
...the common theme seems to be that it needs stickier tires, the transmission/throttle could use a little more kick, and could use more power. So this bodes well for the Type S (assuming they sort out the transmission).

leomio85

Then the biggest point of contention will be whether or not it's worth the price tag. Looking at likely mid-$50k to start, it's going to have to be something special to stand out and be recommended over what's already available. Also, let's not forget, it's been said that Honda/Acura can be petty against people who negatively review their vehicles on social media. So, personally, I take these positive reviews with a grain of salt. The Type-S will be a great car, it's just a question of whether or not it will be "worth it."

As for the transmission, it seems they need time to "break in" to learn/program during the first few hundred miles. Our RDX's transmission wasn't the best when new, but it's become much better over time. Yes, there's still some throttle delay when punching it, especially depending on what you were doing beforehand, but that likely has more to do with drivetrain protection than anything else.

Tesla1856

Same here. Also, the auto-rip of CDs to on-board jukebox storage with Gracenote identification and naming.

Colorado Guy AF Ret.

According to Acura the trans will be calibrated to the needs of the turbo 3.0 V6, which is a lot different than what the base 2.0 turbo 4 cyl needs.
Tires..on the Type S...prob. a summer tire I believe...so I'll put on the best Ultra High Perf. All Season tires from Mich. Have them on my 480 hp
Mustang GT and they're amazing! Great grip too!
Now, that "stickier tires needed" complaint I believe was the complaint after "pushing the A-Spec hard" and you could hear the tires "yelling for help!" LOL!
I don't think the Type S tires will complain...but, again, summer tires, and not for me. I'll drive it in colder weather WHEN the roads are dry. I won't do any snow
plowing with it...nor do I with my Mustang.

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

For the upcoming TLX Type-S, it will come with super high performance all season tire, with the 20" Y-spoke rim and super high performance summer tire as new car order option.

mapleloaf

Very balanced review, it just depends on what your priorities are. For me, this review and most others reaffirm the reasons why I like this car - looks, inside and out,excellent handling, comfortable, killer sound, safe, plenty of grunt for most, and a good value proposition. Definitely on my radar next fall....of course a Type S in that canary yellow colour......

ELIN

The review mentioned the TLX shares the same engine as the Civic Type R. Any reason why Acura couldn't have tuned the TLX's engine to the same as the Type R's 306 HP and 295 ft-lb torque? That would have helped quite a bit with the added weight. My guess is the further hit to fuel economy but sometimes the additional power compensates.

fiatlux

It's not so much the tuning as the actual hardware. The TLX uses the smaller IHI RF05 turbo compared to the larger TD04 in the CTR. The smaller turbo means there's going to be less turbo lag and a more responsive power delivery, which is what you want from a normal road-going car, but the trade-off is a lack of top end power. That's why the TLX runs out of steam north of 5000RPMs, as the turbo is just too small to move the volume of air needed at those revs.

As for fuel economy, it might actually be improved with a larger turbo in normal driving, as it means that you'll be out of boost more frequently at lower RPMs.

Tony Pac

finally SG review is here i haven't watched it yet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwGf...5eBKC4iAYaGDlI

cammy5

^ I watched it as soon as I got the notification this morning, lol. I feel he hits the nail on the head - it's a great car that is leaps and bounds better than the previous gen save for V6 sound, but a sports sedan/car it is not in it's current trim levels. It was fun to watch him and Mark disagree about it's match up against the Germans.

bilirubin

Thanks for sharing, Savagegeese IMO is the most reliable reviewer out there. The fact he really liked the TLX speaks wonders for Acura!

pyrodan007

What I find weird is that he never directly compares it to the A4, just the 3 series. Yet the A4 and the TLX are very much FWD related so more comparable. He seems to be biased to the audio system, and from that tries to stick to it being a really good daily drive. Omitting the back seat is fairly limited, and that the infotainment is not really that user friendly. Jack tries to push the performance aspect for price, but Mark says the TLX drives better even if slower (~7s 0-60). It's weird, Jack was being more realistic when compared to competition. Also, the A4 has excellent reliability so far, something Mark doesn't mention at all, just BMW and Mercedes flaws. The old TLX isn't a good benchmark for reliability, so I find it weird he tries to sell it that way.

Tony Pac

Thanks SG for one or I would say the best review out there.

In terms of production value, detailed, and honesty! Well done SG team. You guys just nailed it and produced the best review just before the end of the year!

Loved the disagreement...this was a beautiful review to end the year

izzle22

Great review! I agree with him 99% and have been driving the car for 2 weeks now.

fiatlux

Seems like he got one of the ones without the weird laggy transmission. Maybe Acura has sorted through that issue already, or have a software update if it's a tuning issue. When I test drove the car, of the 4 I was able to test drive, 2 of them had some really bad lag like what TSP experienced, and 2 were OK, like what Raiti experienced. This one seems to be much improved, so I'll have to go for another test drive in a few months to see for myself.

(And before anyone asks, yes, I did test it in both normal and sport mode).

Tony Pac

Fun review...the argument part was well captured and it was fun to watch. I was waiting for this review since October. Finally, it's here and like usual it never disappoints. Anyway, let's wait for all the comments: SG sucks and Acura paid Mark to say good things. or may be we hear this was not SG..their account was hacked LMAO!

But one thing they forgot to mention which I was very disappointed. They did not penalize the TLX for not having digital gauges hahahahaha!

Tony Pac

Congrats on your new car and glad that this review is aligned with your real experience

izzle22

My A-Spec drives just the the one in this review. I have no laggy transmission issues.

ELIN

Thanks for the explanation!

izzle22

Thanks. Out of all the reviews (and I've watched them all) this one aligns closest with my real life experience of this car. I had the 2018 A-Spec V6 for three years. As much as I really liked that car and the V6 I like this car much better.

ELIN

Perhaps I'm not skilled enough to recognize turbo lag, but I haven't experienced anything that would kick the TLX out of bed. It's a great commuter car and completely confirmed by SG (esp if you love music).

Tony Pac

Reviews are subjective and we have to respect the reviewers and their point of view. One thing I like about SG is that there is no BS. If something is not good, Mark says it. He is not one of those to be careful and not offend the brand. We clearly see here he did not care for one of the biggest brand out there, BMW. He technically said the 3 series is overrated. BMW is the benchmark... from C class, A4, TLX , Q50, all of these want to build "sporty" car like 3 series. Also, he shut the Korean argument down. I always say the Korean have accomplished a lot and I respect them. But they are still not BMW or Acura. They have the potential to become one of the best out there for a few reasons: they have resources, vision and not scared to experiment.

V6 is smooth by nature. Even the 3 series, my best friend has it and I drive it quite often. It's a great car but it shows that it's not a V6.

fiatlux

It's not so much turbo lag, which is minimal, but transmission lag. If you're cruising at around 15-20mph and stomp on the go pedal, the amount of time it takes for the car to accelerate is the lag I'm referring to. As I said, on two cars it took 2-3 seconds, which is really bad. That's what TSP also experienced, if you watch the video and count how long it takes for the car to start moving. On the other two, it takes a second, which isn't great, but it's nowhere near as egregious. I would expect it to behave more like the Accord 2.0T since it's the same engine/transmission combo, and it seems like for SG's press car that was the case.

fiatlux

LOL I wonder if he read my assessment:
https://acurazine.com/forums/second-.../#post16635399

As I keep saying, this car's worst enemy is Acura marketing. They hyped it up and billed it as something that it just isn't, rather than on focusing on what it does do well. They set misaligned expectations with enthusiasts, who now judge it as a sports sedan (which it doesn't do that well) instead of as a sportier and nicer Accord (which it does really well). I know they want to distance themselves from the Accord comparison, but come on, the Accord is already at the top of its class, so there's no shame, and at the end of the day that's what this car does really well.

Tony Pac

3 hours and ~16K views! This shows how well he is perceived in the industry and how much people were waiting for his review!

fiatlux

I'm surprised Mark didn't mention the brakes. I thought the brake feel was a very noticeable improvement over the outgoing car. When I got back into the 1G, the brakes felt incredibly spongey compared to the 2G.

fiatlux

It's funny, I think this review actually benefits the MDX more than the TLX. I don't think anyone has any expectations for the upcoming MDX (debut is tomorrow) is to be performance oriented, so if all the non-performance-related pieces of the TLX carries over to the MDX, it's going to be in a really good spot. Plus, it'll have the option for a fully digital dash, and it should be pretty roomy, so that addresses the two biggest knock on the TLX's interior. And lastly, it still comes with a V6, so the refinement issue folks have about the turbo-4 is addressed too. Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting old, but I'm actually finding myself more excited about the regular MDX than the TLX Type-S, because it really does have a good chance at being the best in its segment. That is, unless Acura marketing decides to sell it as a performance SUV that's more at home on a racetrack than ferrying the kiddos to soccer practice. If the MDX commercial shows the paddle shifters and tachometer and vroom vroom sounds I'm going to be so pissed.

mapleloaf

Its a pleaseure to hear an expert review that doesn't take the old assumptions at face value. He's basically saying this car does a lot of things as well or better than the Germans and offers I nice balance between Sport and Comfort. Not to mention the "the tired old enthusiast complaints about a car like this".....

fiatlux

I think the enthusiast complaints are because Acura told us this car would be something that it's not. They made enthusiasts think this would be a car for them. All this talk about performance would make one believe this would be a performance car with a sprinkle of luxury, rather than a luxury car with a sprinkle of performance. It's like if you were told that you were going to get lobster, but instead got a filet mignon. A filet mignon is still great, but I'm sure you'd be ticked off if you were expecting a lobster.

mapleloaf

Stay calm - and who buys a 60K vehicle based on commercials? I know you don't! As I've said many times, almost all brands focus on sporty these days. It's all about the test drives and in person experience. We worry about having to categorize vehicles into someone's pre-determined constraits for makes it a sports sedan or sa porty sedan, etc. This must be a millenial thing because my friends and colleagues that are closer to my age could care less about such labels. Neither do my adult children and their friends for the most part. They care if it's roomy enough for them, is it fast enough for ttheir needs, does it handle nicely, is it comfortable and ergonomic, etc. etc.

Tony Pac

SG nailed the review....Mark wasn't shy at all. His comments about the enthusiasts, BMW 3 series and G70. As I mentioned earlier, people will say SG's account was hacked. LMAO.

Pretty much everyone was saying: " I am waiting for SG review." And here you go...it's here.

ELIN

I don't know how big your other cars are but since you were testing rear-facing child seats, your best bet is getting that MDX. I've just graduated away from the big car to spoil myself a little with a "me" car in the TLX.

fiatlux

I'm going to have to disagree about commercials not mattering. When it comes to the content marketing matrix, car commercials largely fall into quadrant 1 and 2 because they seek to elicit an emotional response and prime the consumer. That sets up potential buyers to have a particular expectation for the product they're buying, and when they discover that the product does in fact meet said expectations, their likelihood to convert increases. They're more likely to believe other things the company says about the product because credibility has been established, and there's a positive response when expectations are met. There's been tons of studies that have shown that expectation setting plays a huge role in consumer's purchasing decisions. Take a random group of people, show them content that accurately depicts the products strong points, take another random group of people, show them content that doesn't accurately depict the products strong points, then let both groups experience the product. People in group 1 end up being more likely to enjoy and want to purchase the product than people in group 2 because psychologically having pre-existing notions confirmed is more rewarding and comfortable.

mapleloaf

Again, most people are not going to care what you or others think Acura promised you. I believe the reviewer above was quite clear that this car is equal or exceeds the Audi 4 or the BMW 330 in many aspects. If its not a sport sedan, then neither are those cars, but as I suggested in a previous post, who cares?? I think his reference to "tired old enthusiast arguments" was interesting. I remember some of the ridiculous posts about catatrophic delays and a pile of other shit that was just silly. Newsflash, the 2.0 turbo was never going to be the car for the "enthisiasts" who measure a car by how fast it gets off the line. That is going to be the Type S, and I thought that was always clear.

Carnage719

I've only experienced this engine/trans combo in the RDX, and I experienced both. Acura's poor transmission programming struggles to figure out the right gear to keep the engine in the meat of the powerband. IMO, the trend of adding gears for fuel economy and poor software programming are definitely culprits, whereas turbo lag is an engine tuning issue.

fiatlux

That's bullshit. Enthusiasts love the 2.0T in the Accord, so why should it be any different here? And if you look at most complaints, they still mention how the mid-range in the car is strong, and there's minimal turbo lag. The issue has to do with the transmission (it's got to be the way it's tuned because the hardware is shared with the Accord) and the small turbo (which is the price you pay for more low-end).