Acura TLX
Best Luxury Sedan is always a hard one to pick, as luxury has many meanings. But, the all-new Acura TLX fits our definition with technology, comfort, space, plus an ample helping of performance, that made it our hands down favorite. Now, the TLX doesn’t always stand out from the crowd in the ways of traditional luxury cars; it never feels overly posh or pretentious. Yet, it offers a great mix of well-done amenities, compliant ride, and precise handling; plus great techie stuff, that makes it seem a little smarter than the rest, and you a little wiser for choosing it.

The airbag, reimagined
In the US, car accidents account for more than 16,000 fatal brain injuries every year, and a portion of those happen in the passenger’s seat. Acura’s 2021 TLX features a uniquely redesigned bag that eases impact on those delicate noggins. While a conventional airbag inflates into a bulbous balloon that heads can easily slip or slide off, the TLX’s offering looks more like a catcher’s mitt. Immediately after impact, three chambers inflate, two of which extend out to wrap around the rider, gently guiding their head into the bag like a baseball going into a well-padded glove. The formation cushions passengers earlier in impact than past models and keeps them cradled on the airbag during an off-center hit. Ultimately, the design promises to reduce the profound rotational forces that slam brain tissue into the skull during a wreck. Though the bag debuted in the TLX, Acura’s parent company, Honda, has agreed to let other manufacturers use the technology down the line.

2021 Acura TLX Sport Sedan Earns Pinnacle Safety Award from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

December 18, 2020 — TORRANCE, CALIF.
TLX achieves highest possible 2020 IIHS safety rating: TOP SAFETY PICK+
2021 TLX debuted all-new passenger front airbag design, recently dubbed a "Best of What’s New" by Popular Science magazine
The all-new 2021 Acura TLX sport sedan has earned a TOP SAFETY PICK+ (TSP+) rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the highest possible safety rating from the Institute. The 2021 TLX earned TSP+ by achieving a top rating of "GOOD" in all crashworthiness tests, a "SUPERIOR" rating for its Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™) with Pedestrian Detection as part of the standard AcuraWatch™ safety and driver-assistive technology, and standard "GOOD" rated headlights. The all-new TLX joins the Acura RDX compact SUV in receiving the Institute’s pinnacle 2020 award for the brand.

Continuing to advance Acura’s "Safety Through Innovation" approach to enhancing safety performance, the 2021 TLX features the newest generation of Acura's Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, new high-strength steel door stiffener rings, and for the first time, eight airbags, which includes new driver and front-passenger knee airbags. The AcuraWatch™ suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies is standard on every 2021 TLX, which, in addition to Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™) with Pedestrian Detection, includes Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Forward Collision Warning, Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) incorporating Lane Departure Warning (LDW), and Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS). Acura JewelEye™ LED headlights help TLX achieve its best-in-class ratings.

Breaking new ground in safety equipment, the all-new TLX debuted an innovative new multi-chamber passenger front airbag technology which was recently recognized as a "Best of What’s New" for 2020 by Popular Science and was further distinguished as the "Grand Award" winner among all of the year’s automotive award entrants. Representing a major leap forward in airbag design, it is the world’s first passenger front airbag intended to address the recently recognized issue of severe brain trauma associated with angled frontal collisions. This ground- breaking new technology also will be standard equipment on the all-new 2022 Acura MDX 3- row luxury SUV when it goes on sale early next year.

Full details on Acura’s next-generation passenger front airbag and other safety innovations, as featured in the all-new 2021 TLX, can be found here: acura.us/safetyinnovation.

To earn the 2020 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, a vehicle must earn "GOOD" crashworthiness ratings in all test modes, including the challenging passenger-side small overlap test. The vehicle also needs available front crash prevention (standard on TLX) that earns an "ADVANCED" or "SUPERIOR" rating in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to- pedestrian testing and standard headlights with a "GOOD" or "ACCEPTABLE" rating.

With the fully redesigned Acura TLX and new MDX, we’re seeing Honda’s luxury brand return to its roots with an emphasis on performance and technology. This is much more than an Accord wearing its Sunday best. Brian says the new TLX is an “excellent sport sedan” that’s “fun and good-looking.” He added that the car “revives the spirit of the old TL but does it in a completely modern way,” which is exactly what we hoped to see in the new TLX. Rob thinks the TLX “embodies confidence and comfort with its nimble handling, smooth ride and pleasing engine note while providing a bevy of tech features, well appointed-interior and refined exterior.” Nestora adds “What’s not to love?” Chris praised the TLX as having “similar sensibility as Lexus, but closer to the Europeans in terms of emotional appeal.” If you’re in the market for a midsize sport sedan, but you don’t like the price or ownership costs of the German all-stars, then the TLX is an excellent alternative with little compromise.