Hello,

I am very interested in swapping out my 21' RDX Aspec for a TLX Type S. I just received a call from my local dealer, who stated that they will have one late September/early October. I'm entertaining the idea of possibly going in and talking numbers on it. However, I have a few concerns.

1. I have never driven a Type S. How much different is the Type S drive-wise than the regular TLX? Obviously there is a big power difference, but as far as handling, etc.goes how much different is that?

2. If I like the regular TLX, will I like the Type S, or is it a vehicle that you will either absolutely love or hate?

Anyway, not sure which way to go on this. I would love to drive a Type S, but I can't find one anywhere near me. For those of you do that have/driven one, what were your recommendation/thoughts be on it?

Thanks!

 

1. The handling is definitely more sporty and aggressive. The main reason for the Type S would be the increase in power though. Also, I love having the adjustable bolstering in my front seats. I’m not a fan of how loose the standard seats in the RDX/TLX are. I was pleasantly surprised to see the RDX ASPEC Advanced had the adjustments too.

2. If you like the TLX in general you’ll absolutely love the Type S so long as you want the extra power. Just be aware to gain the power you’re giving up MPG but honestly I don’t mind. I’ve had an ASPEC as a loaner and couldn’t really imagine driving one daily after having a Type S. It’s just too slow and unresponsive in comparison.

 

Where in IL are you located? We should meet up and you can take me for a spin in your Type S!

 

Just wanted to mention, there is so much information posted about the Type S - much of it from people who have never even driven the car. I had read so much negativity around it that I personally was completely ready to be disappointed by the Type S but instead it was one of the most impactful short test drives I've ever had. I was in love and immediately sold on the idea of owning it. It seems to be a car that can do that to people. I'm sure if you like the regular TLX, you will love the Type S, but still, I would go out and test drive one!

 

With that type of lead-in, the OP is bound to be underwhelmed .

I too thought the car drove better and felt more fun than the numbers would indicate. It's a good balanced car even if it doesn't have the brute power of the BMW. And yet some folks here think me a hater for not getting on my knees and blowing the car :p.

 

Lockport.

Its definitely a fun car to drive. There’s a lot of hate surrounding it but for those who want a performance sedan it’s great. The problem is it’s not all straight like speed but it does get up and go quickly. It’s aggressively stylish inside and out which I love and it’s comfortable. Can’t beat that.

 

What is all of the hate about with the Type S? I don’t follow this forum too often, so I’m not sure exactly what there is to hate about this vehicle.

 

I think, to be fair, some people took Acura's messaging before release to mean that they were releasing some like track beast that would compete with an M3 or something. People were upset with the 355hp number as it was less than some German competitors. While you could track it, that's not really where this car shines. This car shines at just putting a damn smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel. The sensory experience is phenomenal, and this car just spoke to me. I'm sure some will agree, others might not. I've driven the M340i, I also owned a 2021 M2 Competition - call me crazy but the Type S is much more fun then either of these cars. I just highly reccommend anyone who's interested in a performance sedan to at least test drive the Type S. Might not be for everybody but for some people it will be exactly what theyre looking for.

 

Yes, Acura's pitch was/is a little fast and loose when it came to the Type S notably654321` as they were clearly benchmarking the C43 and S4. (I dont think many here were anticipating an M3/RS5 competitor when the Type S concept debuted at Pebble Beach.) Unfortunately, most independent reviews/tests seem to show that the C43/S4 still outperform the Type S in most conventional performance metrics. Now the 355hp/354 lb-ft numbers while compartively low comes up much shorter with respect to the Type S curb weight, which is pretty much the same as a 3G MDX SH-AWD.

All that said, it's definitely not a disappointing experience behind the wheel provided there's no drag racing involved and particularly without consideration of the competitors in this segment. (Even the regular TLX has some great driving dynamics given the thoughtful effort that went into its chassis tuning.)

I generally regard the Type S as a Honda alternative to the CT5 V and G70 3.3T AWD, each of which have their brand following who may not be too comfortable with purchase any of the three Germans.

But that one shouldn't pass judgment on the Type S solely based on what they see on YouTube and/or what they read in auto publications. It really needs to be experienced and flogged a bit to be appreciated.

 

Car responds well to mods. Couple of bolt ons and his best time was 12.4, no tune. With a tune this car is in 11's. If that's not enough for some people they need to give their heads a shake. You want a 10 sec daily driver under $60K 🤣🤣🤣.

 

Adding 10MPH to a trap speed with no tune is actually really impressive. The amount of power that can be added playing with the ignition timing and boost may end up being dramatic, especially in the mid range. The cylinder head seems to be designed for flow velocity vs high volume flow - meaning it is capable of spooling the turbo fast but probably runs out of breath up top. A ported head will probably take this car to a crazy place, but also completely change the dynamics of the powerband - More flow = slower turbo spooling. So it may not be desirable to just have a high peak number and less mid range. Regardless, most DI platforms have big time tuning potential and I can't wait to see how this all unfolds.

 

It’ll be exciting to see the market unfold with the Type S. The 4cyl TLX is already in the 12s with bolt-ons and a tune. It’s always a joy to see DRob(IMW) and Vega(Phearable) work their magic on new platforms.

Have a look at Vega’s site (Phearable.net) for the power gains he’s able to extract from other platforms. 62whp from a stock Integra (1.5T) with a Phreable tune. 😱

 

6MPH, and mind the -2856DA and 23*F ambient air temps on that run. With that same air quality, a stock M340ix would be in the 11's. Realistically it's more consistently going to be running high-12's, very low-13's. Regardless, it's a good sign for the tunability of the TLX-S. With a larger turbo and/or ported cylinder head, you would also want to think about moving the rev limiter up from the stock 6200RPM, but you'd have to see how much the powerband is shifted. But, if this thing is capable of breaking into the 11's with tune, downpipe & turbo while remaining reliable, it will certainly silence the naysayers, myself included.

And the tuning potential doesn't come so much from DI, but rather from the turbo(s). Factory turbo applications lend themselves to big power gains from just a tune due to the fact that you can easily increase boost levels via a tune for sizable gains, along with the fact that cars are almost always very conservatively tuned from the factory, especially with forced induction.

 

And a M3P would be mid 11s instead of just barely in the 11s.

 

I agree about forced induction being optimal for tuning but also wanted to point out that DI is definitely a factor. DI produces massive amounts of fuel pressure(think 1,000's of PSI vs maybe 30-50 PSI), which is advantageous for making power. This is helpful until you find the limits of the HPFP. Most tuning applications I've owned have required a HPFP upgrade at some point. Some end up being before tuning at all(risk blown motor oitherwise) others are at just required to make max HP.

 

Cool!

Yea, it will be interesting to see what the fuel system limit of the Type-S is. Another thing too is what the car can do with the E-blends. Civic Type-R's are making some great numbers (440wHP+) with E40 blends. I know Ford's 3.0TT (in the Explorer ST and Bronco Raptor) makes over 500wHP on E50+ blend tunes with no other power mods, just a HPFP & injectors.

Somebody on KTuner's forum just asked a week ago about updates on the Type-S tune and they're still saying it's in testing and can't give more info. I dunno ... maybe it's the pessimist in me, but I don't see it being a good sign that it's been in testing for four months and they're still mum about it.

 

I figured since we’re talking about cars that were not mentioned in your quoted post, why not just add another unmentioned car that’s much faster.

 

Yea. C43 would probably barely get into the 11's in those conditions as well. M340i xDrive would probably be comfortably in the 11's ... 11.7-11.8 I'd presume. S4 would probably still not get into the 11's, but deeeeeep in the 12's ... probably 12.2. Stock in more average conditions, they're still trapping higher than the TLX-S in the quarter. Acura's 3.0T needs most of its help on the big end. I will say though, if I wanted the poor build quality of a Tesla without the straight line performance and restrictions of having an EV, Acura would certainly be my top choice.

 

Sounds like you’re a big drag racer. To each their own. It gets boring quick IMO. EVs will always win there.

 

I like doing top end runs too. This is where EVs lose a lot of steam. I found myself with a wide open Parkway coming back from the gym today and hit 140 in the GTO. Helps get the juices flowing. I'm gonna miss her when she's gone.

 

Perhaps a bike then? I did a lifetime worth of speed when I had my GSXR back in the day. Now with my profession, I’ve got too much to lose for getting caught doing over 100.

 

I got all my top speed beans out in my early 20's. Miracle to survive it. Now I've come to realize I actually find it much more exciting to do small spurts of acceleration / carve up some twisties. Safer physically, less risk of a ticket and to me it's actually more fun.

 

Well, I did too, but, I owned many Mustang GT's, Cobra Mustangs, etc, so I "played on the streets" of So. California in to my 40's. I still have "the kid" in me and rarely do I take on someone's challenge
to my current '21 GT Perf. Pack.1 car....but, I have. And, also did so for the first time in my '22 TLX Type S. Challenged by...yes, a Mustang GT with some really young kid driving. I dusted him...and
I'm sure he was wondering "what the hell was I driving and what was under the hood??" LOL!

The Type S has turned out to be a much more enjoyable and fun car than I expected it would be. Yes, I drove the first '21 that came out at my dealer...but, it was a short drive and didn't really give me all that
I know now of what the car is REALLY like. I enjoy it every time I drive it. The small, short bursts of lay me in the seat accelerations....done periodically is a blast. Fastest on the roads?.....of course not. But,
damn quick for sure. And, coupled with the great handling, ride, seats, comfort, great ELS sound system as always....it's my 11th Acura....I appreciate all the good things, and I do know it's short comings, but,
that is not enough to wipe the smile off my face after each outing with it.

 

So, I've come the realization that a acquiring a Type S in the near future is far-fetched. I decided to stop by the Acura dealership today and drove a TLX Aspec. (Black with red leather interior). I really liked it a lot, and have been tossing the idea of trading in my RDX Aspec for one. I originally thought I needed more cargo area, but it turned out that I didn't. I also don't really need much back space for passengers, so I am thinking it might be more fun having a sedan than an SUV.

For those of you that have a TLX Aspec, what do you like/dislike about it?

Thanks!

 

Depends on what you consider the "near future." There are changes to chip production & market that could hopefully ease the supply shortage by the end of the year. If you can wait about a year, obtaining a Type-S may be probable. I wouldn't think about getting something now to tide you over because used car prices seem to be on the cusp of imploding. Of course, this is all speculative ...

 

Honestly, you can probably approach Type S power levels by getting a Phearable Stage 3 tune. But be warned that you still wont have the quick transmission shifting and braking ability of the Type S. Lord knows, I driven beyond the capability of my brakes with this tune; sometimes I wish Wilwood had a brake kit for this thing.

The A-Spec is a nice car for a bells and whistles version of the Tech model; with the best features being it's ELS Studio 3D sound system and it's Type S styling (granted the A-Spec preceded the Type S with this styling). Note: I originally intended to get a Tech and have the dealer install the rear spoiler and fog lamps but, thought better of that plan. What I dont like about the A-Spec is that they didnt carry over the exhaust outlet styling from the 18-20 A-Spec AND that it's wheels (a shark gray version of the Tech's wheels) have some of the worst styling I've ever seen on a TL/TLX.

All that aside, any other pros/cons that I could list can easily apply to the base/Tech/Advance as well.