rwg105

Any other 2021 TLX owners notice that when the IDS is set to Sport mode (or Individual mode w/ Sport engine setting) that the transmission is limited to 8 gears even on the highway? I noticed that the RPM's were higher when traveling on the highway so I tried to upshift with the paddles and it flashes on gear 8 and won't go higher. Was traveling 80+ miles per hour, so I don't think it was because of speed. And no, I didn't have the transmission in S (sequential) mode which I know is limited to 8 gears.

jhb31

That's how they designed it. This isn't new with the 21 TLX. Acura did this in the first gen as well except whatever acura programmed in sports+ mode had the rpm's so high basically all the time in every gear it wasn't practical to use in general. The thing that drove me nuts using it was even after I would level off in speed it wouldn't upshift and continue to run at 3k or more rpms going 40 mph steady. It made the car more responsive but the wear and tear had to be more excessive on the motor and mpg went into the teens. Probably used that mode 4 times in 3.5 years. The other issue is the few times I wanted it for a quick pass or something by the time i found the mode button and pushed it enough to get it in the "performance"mode the opportunity to pass was gone. Hence why i prefer an actual shift lever that you can just tap without looking to engage sport with no looking or fumbling around. Push button trans added nothing and more of a gimmick imo.
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BEAR-AvHistory

Normal with most manufacturers. I have a ZF8 that will not go into 8th in Sport. Have to drop to Comfort or ECO to get 8th Adaptive Mode seems to do what it wants when connected to the GSP Nav system.

jwtarbaj

The higher rpm torque curve of the NA engines in the 1st gen vs the low rpm torque of a turbo motor. Sounds like it is more useable in the 2nd Gen but still can be too much at times.

My wife's Mazda in Sport mode with the 6 speed is a joke. Runs terribly high and very loud with their NA 2.5L 4 cylinder.

rwg105

I’m coming from a 2019 and that went into top gear on the highway in Sport mode and I was able to still get great gas mileage.

Nowhere in the documentation does it say 9th and 10th gear are unavailable in Sport for the 2nd gen. I’d like to set the Individual mode with the engine setting to Sport as I prefer the throttle response, but I do 50/50 city/highway daily so it would be nice having the extra gears for slightly better gas mileage.

Guess I’ll run a tank in Normal mode and one in Sport mode and see how much of a difference there is in gas mileage. In the 2019 the mileage was negligible between the modes for daily driving.

ELIN

I think there's a huge difference b/w Sport and Normal/Comfort. I only use Sport if I'm trying to enter the highway or trying to pass someone.

Someone in AZ claims to get close to 37 mpg, which I find very hard to believe.

BEAR-AvHistory

Why not just pull the paddle & downshift to merge or pass?

ELIN

To make adequate use of the paddles, I believe I have to put the car in "S"equential mode. I already hate the push button transmission as it is that looking for the D/S button is not high on my priority list.

I had the same setup on the MDX and maybe used it 3 times in the 33 months I had the car.

BEAR-AvHistory

Give it a try. In mine if I am in comfort & pull a paddle it will shift to manual mode for a number of seconds then shift back.

CPR

It was I, who averaged 36.9 MPG, between NYC, & East Hampton, CC, most of the trip at 70MPH; BELIEVE IT!

wdmacura

Been that way a while since Honda went to the S on the shifter instead of 2-3 low gears. My 2016 Accord V6 runs in 5 gears in S mode instead of the normal 6 gears (same with the 2013 Accord V6 I had...so at least 8 years).

rwg105

Yes, but the top two gears are being locked out without selecting the S (sequential) mode on the electronic gear selector.

jhb31

I could be incorrect but I don't think the 2nd gen has Sport and Sport + like the 15-20 model years. Sport+ on the 1st gen did seem to lock out the top 1 or 2 top gears from what I recall. Sport mode in the 1st gen was pretty much my default mode at all times. Anything less and the car had no response. You can get decent mpg in sport in the 1st gen tlx. Sport+ not possible.

jhb31

You and I may be in the minority on hating the push button trans. Was one of the things I was hoping they would eliminate in the 2nd gen or at least on the type S. I don't know if anyone uses an actual mechanical shift linkage any longer which means they can do more with less effort with a well designed shift lever rather than multiple buttons imo is 100x better. You never have to look for anything and the shift lever is a natural place to rest your hand while driving which also means you can pop into sport mode or manual mode instantly without even a look off the road, Even an inset button on the front face of the handle that you can push to go into park. Not in a way you would hit it by accident but placed so you can easily push it with your thumb. Same for backing up and putting it in drive, no look, easy and fast. I also didn't like if you pushed the reverse button to soon after starting the car it would stay in park. I tended to start the car and go and put the seatbelt on afterwards so I got tripped up a lot on that one.

Auto stop start was also up high on the list but secondary to the push button trans. I like that with a plug and play module my current default is off and I have to enable that feature for it to work (which I never enable it), don't car about the small gas savings. More stop signs here than traffic lights which having the engine shut off and re-start immediately got to be annoying. Acura made their system very difficult to defeat and have it maintain the off setting each time you drive.

ELIN

2G TLX (both Type S and non-Type S) has "Sport" selectable in the IDS (along with Normal and Comfort). "Sport+" is only available on the Type S.

sooner_luvr

Wonder why. The 2020 RDX with the same engine has both Sport and Sport+.

rwg105

This is correct, there is no Sport + on the non-Type-S models. Sport mode was also my default on the 1st gen, which is why I was going to set up Individual mode with the Sport engine setting. Also, if you put it in Sport mode on the 1st gen, it will stay in Sport upon the next start up (assuming you you have it setup that way under settings), which is nice. Not the case with 2nd gen, but I knew that prior to picking one up.

I didn't realize this. Will the RDX go into 9th and 10th gear on the highway when in Sport?

sooner_luvr

[QUOTEI didn't realize this. Will the RDX go into 9th and 10th gear on the highway when in Sport?[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure - it's my wife's car, so I don't drive it too often. I'll try to find out next time I drive it.

wdmacura

I typically drive our RDX in the Sport setting (using the dynamic drive dial). It seems to run through all 10 gears, even on the highway...if I switch to Comfort, the RPM's don't drop. However, in Sport+, I think it limits at 8th gear. Maybe the type S performs the same way in the Sport setting since it doesn't have Sport+?

rwg105

That is pretty much how the 1st Gen TLX was, but is missing on the 2nd Gen. Why oh why, Acura, does the RDX have Sport + and the TLX (excluding Type-S) doesn't?!

ELIN

I'm guessing fuel econ needs to be a lot better on the TLX compared to the RDX. On paper it's somewhat better but in reality they're probably more alike than not.

An RDX SHAWD A-Spec is only 25 lbs heavier than a TLX SHAWD A-Spec.

Hihopes

Ok I will double check but I am very sure my 2021 Aspec, in sport mode, uses all ten gears on highway cruising. What I did notice was at 100km/hr it would take several seconds to settle into 10th. But it does use 10th.

jwtarbaj

Funny because mine in Sport doesn't go any higher than 7th gear. 100km/h = ~62mph on the freeway doing 70-80mph here it won't go above 7th unless I turn S-Mode on the trans and manually put it in 8, 9 or 10

7-10 are all overdrive gears if you aren't aware. Makes sense it would use the first overdrive only.

Hihopes

Yes, 112-128 km/h might keep my car in 7th gear. When I read the thread which mentioned “highway” my brain said 100km/h. And I assumed we were talking the actual posted limit.
So I will double check this morning. I do recall mine will drop into 10th at highway speeds, and something above that my be different, but that’s speeding and not highway speed.
Just trying to be clear.

Hihopes

So, I stand corrected. The car does in fact stay in 7th at highway speeds. Probably even at 120kph but I ran out of highway and time on my detoured route to work. I had just reached 120kph at my off ramp but it was still in 7th.