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I'm listening with caution. We've been burned before.
I don’t quite understand why they are talking about RWD? Just because it has wider wheels and/or rear track doesn’t mean Acura suddenly pulled a RWD platform out of their ass. If anything it’s just a new powertrain ona fwd platform. However I will eat my shoe if it ends up being a RWD platform.
I guess they can aim for the lower AMG like AMG C43! An Q50 Red Sport alternative.
This is my guess. Making an actual Type S because people have been bitching about it since the TLX first rolled on stage.
Originally Posted by RDX10
I don’t quite understand why they are talking about RWD? Just because it has wider wheels and/or rear track doesn’t mean Acura suddenly pulled a RWD platform out of their ass. If anything it’s just a new powertrain ona fwd platform. However I will eat my shoe if it ends up being a RWD platform.
It absolutely won't be RWD, there's no reason for them to do that. They'll just make AWD standard and call it good.
I hope CTR designers were not involved in Acura's design.
They aren't because that 3rd grade class is probably now in at least 6th or 7th grade. The new one will probably still be ridiculous but penned by a different group of kids.
Difference I’ve noticed between the type-S and base so far as driving feel is that base has softer suspension, car sits .5” taller. It’s noticeable that the base sits higher as your driving. The seats are not as bolstered in the base. The base has blue interior lighting while Type-S has red. The wheels are .5” wider each, so the traction is slightly better. The steering wheel in the base is all leather without foam underneath, type S uses different leather and foam for steering wheel. The base exhaust uses 900 cell catalytic converters, typeS uses 600 cell.
The 6mt starter sounds very Honda Civic. While the 5AT has a proper V6 starter sound.
So, I have to ask, what do comparisons between a base TL and a Type-S 6MT have to do with the Peugeot Fractal?
Next, I have to question your conclusion the wider wheels (but same size tires) has anything to do with the handling of the car; without ever researching it, just the sniff test says, "Not a chance". True, the Type-S has better steering and a stiffer suspension all around, so those things will in and of themselves improve handling and handling feel; then there are the differences in tires (unless you have the same tires AND the same amount of wear on both cars).
I scrolled down too much looking for the reply box.
Im not a big wheel guy, but I assumed a wider wheel will take a wider tire?
Yes, a wider wheel can take a wider tire, but there is quite a bit of overlap; case in point, 235/45 R17 tires (the OEM size for both the base TL and the Type-S) are designed to fit on wheels which range from 7.5" wide to 9.0" wide.
My 2007 TL does this, I think... When it shifts from 2nd to 3rd, if don't ease off the gas, the rpms will "jump" 300 to 600 RPM before engaging in 3rd gear. When the transmission does engage into 3rd gear after the "jump" it is smooth, however, the car nose diving from the lack of momentum is disconcerting. I can also feel every single shift. I have replaced 3rd/4th gear sensor and done a 3 x 1. Hoping that is's a "feature" lol. Only other issue besides that is that I can feel quite a bit of drag, unless I brake perfectly, when down shifting from 3rd to 2nd. That drag was greatly improved after replacing the sensors. I feel like these cars just weren't meant to drive like a Buick, Chevy or Ford with super smooth shifting.
The mighty Acura NSX supercar is built at a place called the Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio. Hence the name of the 2020 Acura TLXPMC Edition–a limited-run sedan built in the same handmade style as the NSX. Neat, I guess, but mostly I’m hoping this is a harbinger for more intense Acura models.
If you’re wondering why Acura would bother doing a handmade version of one of its mass-market sedans, the company has preemptively and cheekily answered your question:
I’m not going to pretend that the car looks anything less than lovely with Valencia Red Pearl paint, black accents those sweet 19-inch wheels. But how did Acura manage to send the TLX to a place called the Performance Manufacturing Center for hours and hours of special treatment, and get it back without any tweaks to the engine or suspension?
“This is just step one,” an Acura spokesperson told me over the phone. Though he didn’t divulge any future product secrets, he did strongly allude to the idea that the company was planning to expand its utilization of the PMC facility to dial up its cars in more significant ways in the future.
Or maybe he just let me believe that after sensing I was disappointed that the 2020 TLX PMC, of which only 360 will be built, wasn’t getting any extra horsepower.
Here’s the full rundown of what you get with a 2020 Acura TLX PMC:
Valencia Red Pearl nano pigment paint
Unique PMC Edition numbered serial plaque
Gloss black 19-inch split-5-spoke wheels with black lug nuts
Gloss black roof panel
Gloss black door handles
Gloss black diamond pentagon grille with body-colored grille surround
Dual 4-inch black chrome exhaust finishers
Premium black Milano leather seats with Alcantara™ inserts, black piping and red stitching
Perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel with red stitching and paddle shifters
Red stitching on door panel, center console, and armrest
Premium floormats with metal A-Spec badging
“We designed the PMC not only to build NSX, but to give Acura the flexibility to explore handcrafted production of limited edition models,” Acura Brand Officer Jon Ikeda said in a press release. “The TLX and MDX PMC Edition are the first to take advantage of this unique capability, and we intend to explore additional options.”
The TLX’s best drivetrain option is currently a 3.5-liter V6 turning out a claimed 290 HP with a nine-speed automatic and torque-vectoring all-wheel drive, by the way.
So the primary payoff of the Performance Manufacturing Center’s labor here is prestige, and I presume Acura is hoping this will spill some halo-effect sauce onto every other TLX on dealer lots.
The TLX PMC, Acura’s people told me, will not be treated like “every other TLX,” and will in fact ride to dealers individually wrapped on their own carriers if that means anything to you.
I’m not sure the 2020 TLX PMC Edition is a guaranteed candidate for future classic status without any adjustments to the car’s driving dynamics, but I’d have to see one parked next to a lesser trim before passing judgement. It is possible that the hand-assembled interior really is way, way nicer than what’s in any other TLX.
At $50,000, the 2020 TLX PMC is at least consistent with the pricing of any other Acura–you’re basically getting the standard TLX with the big engine and every option, which already books out to about $47,000, plus easily a few grand worth of decorative pieces.
Acura’s planning to give the same treatment to the MDX crossover SUV, and show off both at the New York Auto Show later this month.But what I’m really hoping is that a Mercedes AMG and BMW M-rivaling sedan is the next thing to come out of Acura’s special factory. That, or something like an electric Integra revival.
So, the entire PMC consists of: 1) "hand-built"; and 2) cosmetics. Not a single performance upgrade of any kind. Not.One.
Yeah...whichever marketing moron who came up with this idea should be fired. No one is lining up to buy a normal TLX let alone one that is marginally different for a lot more money. Epic fail.
Also, in this case at least, "hand built" probably means "worse than factory assembly".
I think the following from the article pretty much describes the what and why for the TLX PMC:
“This is just step one,” an Acura spokesperson told me over the phone. Though he didn’t divulge any future product secrets, he did strongly allude to the idea that the company was planning to expand its utilization of the PMC facility to dial up its cars in more significant ways in the future.
“We designed the PMC not only to build NSX, but to give Acura the flexibility to explore handcrafted production of limited edition models,” Acura Brand Officer Jon Ikeda said in a press release. “The TLX and MDX PMC Edition are the first to take advantage of this unique capability, and we intend to explore additional options.”
So the primary payoff of the Performance Manufacturing Center’s labor here is prestige, and I presume Acura is hoping this will spill some halo-effect sauce onto every other TLX on dealer lots.
The TLX PMC, Acura’s people told me, will not be treated like “every other TLX,” and will in fact ride to dealers individually wrapped on their own carriers if that means anything to you.
Seems to me there's more in the pipeline for future models to make use of the PMC. If Acura wanna be seen as a proper luxury brand, having more cars hand-built would help IMO, other than having actual good performance, etc. Like they said, it's step 1.
I saw the PMC TLX and MDX at the NYC auto show. While they are stunning versions of the current vehicles, Acura really dropped the ball (again) with this special edition not having ANY performance upgrades.
They do look really good but I still don't know why we have not seen a twin turbo awd tlx. Make it a TypeS model and it would be a great car. That would have been a good PMC. Acura still doesn't get it
I saw the PMC TLX and MDX at the NYC auto show. While they are stunning versions of the current vehicles, Acura really dropped the ball (again) with this special edition not having ANY performance upgrades.
The Acura TL's are pretty High Tech so my guess is that they really depend on the correct voltage and amps to run like they're supposed to, which obviously equals having the correct ohm's (aka: No bad wires). My buddy owns a 2006 TL with about 130,000 miles on it. It was having a number of odd issues, but his main issue was delayed shifts, especially into 3rd or 4th gear (I don't recall specifically). So I helped troubleshoot and noticed that he had a small battery. Looked up what battery he should of had and found he needed a much bigger one (had a 600 CCA - 750 AMP). So we bought a 800 CCA - 950 AMP Battery. That's when we realized he had the most corroded battery wires I've ever seen in my life! Both wires going to the POS terminal were green and disintegrating all the way through and down the full length of the wires! It wasn't too obvious at first. We were going to simply cut away the first couple of inches and be done with it. But to our surprise it only got worse! He may as well been using speaker wire!
We changed out the battery and all battery wires. Not only did this fix the transmission slipping issue, but his car ran like it was brand new! Note that it didn't seem to be running that bad to begin with, except for the transmission and a couple of other minor issues with dashboard lights going on and off randomly, but WOW! It seemed like he gained a lot more HP - Crisper shifts (Automatic Trans), and no more odd dash lights! I believe the combo of the new cables and new battery solved his issues.
Tired of waiting for a change in the engine for new type S (twin turbo V6). I'm closer than I have ever been of leaving my manual imports through my life and going to American power. Mustang premium GT 2018 or 2018 Camaro SS, tired of waiting and drooling over the Camaros and mustangs I hear on the streets....