2018 TLX A-Spec Pics
 

Was out looking for a replacement for my totaled 2004 TL and stumbled across one of two MMC TLX's at Flow Acura in NC. As everyone else has said this car looks 10x better in person. Initially I thought the lines wouldn't flow well and the car would look too square for my tastes, but I must say it's a very handsome car. The test drive will determine if this thing can fill the shoes of the mighty 3G TL. Thoughts?

Even in black it still looks bad
 

Even in black it still looks designed by committee, cheap, and Accord based. Acura should have just made the TLX "red-carpet athlete" prototype. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...1682e4e4ca.gif

I don't love the black (the red looks great), but you should probably come up with more original attacks on the TLX instead of vomiting out the usual complaints.

The red MMC looks a ton better than the "red carpet athlete" prototype.

Gary Force Acura here in Nashville had 2 TLX Aspecs this weekend- one in blue pearl and one in red. The red one sold yesterday and I drove the blue one yesterday. It is an amazing upgrade from the earlier TLX. I will be buying once they get one in AWD in. The lines of the car are stunning in person and from the drivers perspective, you look out over a sculpted hood with two hood bumps. The blue pearl is gorgeous and the driving experience of the Aspec is very sporty and sensory. The sound of the engine from the cabin is really a nice change. Took it out on a windy road in the hills here and the handling and driving experience was a definite step above a base TLX.

My store got a white 2 wheel drive and black all wheel drive. Im normally not a fan of black but the black looks SOOOO good in person. Im anxious to see the blue one!

I am surprised how well the MMC TLX A-Spec has come together. It looks noticeably better.

I think it looks good in dark colors. The blue, red, and even black look sharp.

just looking at the black a-spec here, I wish it had some massive silver brembo calipers behind those gunmetal wheels. It would look so sharp. I wonder if guys could mate the 3G TL brembos without too much work. :ninja:

I totally agree with you. The new pentagon grill works really well on darker colours just like in the MMC MDX. I dropped by Southview Acura the other day. I wanted to see the A-Spec in dark grey (forgot the proper paint name). I can see myself getting a 2019 model once they fix little quirks if there are any.

I'm impressed as well. The mid cycle refresh combined with the A-Spec package breathe much needed life in the TLX lineup. It looks so much better! If Acura will build upon this with some serious performance enhancements in the 2G TLX coming in a couple of years, they could have a really fine sports sedan to offer. Kudos to Acura! The ship is turning.

My dealer had a Red over Red A-Spec SH AWD which I test drove yesterday. Very, very sharp. The '18 is a pretty significant step up over the '17, which I also test drove (Advance). I'm mulling over buying it. If I had to guess, it will be gone within a few days. So, thinking long and hard about it tonight. It's almost like a different car!

I stopped by today and snapped a couple of pictures...the winner for me was the V6 SHAWD trim. The A-spec looks nice, but maybe a tad overdone.

I feel bad for the i4...it still has the bland rear end, but now matched with even uglier wheels (and still undersized) on top of it. I wish the DCT was available on all models.

What do you guys feel about the larger front logo?? I'm not loving it. I think it will grow on me but it's so damn big.

They also put the dinner plate sized logo on the facelifted MDX as well. Honestly in person it is not that large of obnoxious. They made it so large because it has the adaptive cruise sensor behind it. At least it doesn't glow like the mercedes logo lmao.

Logo is too damn big. Should be a third smaller

Right. I feel like it has been too small before (it looked kind of stupid on the beak), but now it's too big. Mercedes has large logos, too, but the calipers are not the three pointed star.

I went to my regular dealer to test drive the A-Spec without taking an appointment and unfortunately I couldn't drive it. The entire day was booked for A-Spec :(
My guy said come on Monday or Tuesday evening and he will arrange something for me. The dealer said when they got the TLX in 2014, they did not have this many clients to test drive but with the MMC, especially A-Spec, they have a lineup of people....

I hope this A-Spec meets the expectations and does not disappoint the enthusiasts.

Saw on Facebook that my local Acura dealer (Fox Acura, Grand Rapids, MI) got a few in. I've largely been unimpressed with the TL/TLX since the 3G (miss mine), but this thing. Holy shit. The blue is gorgeous in person. Lease on my Edge isn't up for another 18 months. Maybe by then I'll be able to get a good deal on one of these.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...3ed9acaa54.jpghttps://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...671d8a2e94.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...5a1e22e6a3.jpg

Looks pretty good in that blue. Much better than the black in post #1.

Remove A-Spec badge, drop, and lighter wheels and it could actually look pretty sharp.

After viewing these pics, I can definitely envision an '18 TLX A-Spec in my future. It looks so good to me!

I have seen two ASPEC Techs in person (I4 - no need to feel sorry for it in Canada:)) and they look very fetching - in white with ebony Alcantara leather and crystal black pearl with red leather. This is a well designed car inside and out. Of course some won't like it, but overly caustic comments on the design team (or lack there of) are not even worthy of further comment. I haven't seen one negative review from professionals without an axe to grind. I have always liked the looks of my 2016 2.4, but there is no question the car stands out in a positive way, without being gaudy. The new front, hood lines, and rear end look good in all the colours, IMHO. I am looking forward to seeing the Still Night Blue Pearl in person.

I'm afraid to even go look at one. There's no way I could talk my wife into one without giving in on a new kitchen...

I really like the A spec, but I hate the A spec badge. It's too much.

I walked the lot at my local dealer yesterday also (they were closed of course). They had every imaginable combination of equipment levels sitting out except no A-Spec. Here is my take.....

The non A-Specs have way too many chrome accents front and back that look just plain stupid. The grill still looks like they used an extra large when the car should wear a medium. I stand by my statement a while back that it looks like they just grabbed MDX grills off the parts shelf.

After looking at them and doing a variety of builds on the website I've concluded I'd have to do a gray A-Spec as it has no bright chrome and the color blends with the grill to minimize the look of how big the grill is. I'd put on aftermarket wheels as I don't like dark wheels on a dark car. The diamond cut accessories wheels look okay, but for the price I'd prefer aftermarket and try to fill the wheel wells a little better.

I wish they did something from the factory about that wheel gap, it strips a lot of the sporty look away for me.

Already put a deposit, just waiting for mine to arrive at the dealer. I am getting white with black interior! Seriously cant wait. Lease is up next month, so perfect timing. Thanks for posting the pics!

as for the drive does anyone ave any feedback on

- Vibration above 60mph is it still happening?
- Transmission Lags - does the transmission perform like the older models or is it as responsive and peppy like the 2016 MDX that is great to drive
- Shifting - are the shift quick or do the rpm take forever to climb then shift.

if all of these are corrected ill be on board myself.

I saw a grey Aspec yesterday on the lot. It looked damn good. I usually shy away from darker colors due to showing dirt, etc. But I have to say if I decide to go the TLX route, it will be in that color.
I still want to see an Aspec in white though..I think it could also look cool. Also agree too much chrome add-on's on non ASpecs

Ive did a pretty long test drive last week. I was going to add to it and post it up within a day or so after I pick my car up and get some more seat time. I will say this however, as a former 2015 3.5 TLX owner, the 2018 doesnt even feel like the same car.

Im boggled that all Acura had to do is put an "A-Spec" badge on the car and two exhaust cutouts on the back, for the TLX to be so in demand.

I wonder when my local dealer will get some in so I can go check it out in person. At this point, they still have a couple of 16's in stock.

My issues with the TLX still revolve around the interior still. That is where the driver spends most of the time, and i do think it was a step back from the 4G TL.

I used to own the 3G and 4G as mentioned...now I have moved on to the Lexus GS350 because Acura's interior on their mainstream sedan just did not cut it. Does anyone know if this cycle refresh has any notable differences for interior and quality versus initial TLX release?

I will admit htat the new Black A-SPEC looks pretty intriguing. I believe this color works best because the grille and its proportions aren't as "In your face" as the other colors in this setup. It allows you to appreciate the new grille along with the other lines the car has to offer up front. With other colors, the eyes immediately shift to the massive grille for scrutiny.

I do agree. The interior is still behind a car like the A4. And in 5 years it will be very dated. That's an issue.

That's exactly what I mean when saying price per feature. The TLX may look good but tech wise it's still dated. Will be different once it's discounted but at full price it's not a best buy.

I am OK with the log, but is needs to be sculpted and 3D it is a flat logo and in person looks cheesy.

I've owned eight black cars and always swear I'll never buy another. I have not had black in 16 years, and I buy a lot of cars. But those pics a few post above have me thinking about it again. Damn you!

I owned one black car and said I'd never own another. Then I saw that black in black A-Spec and I was done. While waiting for the discounts to appear I'll keep saying to myself, "I can do this. Plenty of people have black cars and I can afford to wash it weekly and detailed every three months". I am smittened.

yeah, because that is all they did..:facepalm:

I have owned 3 black/dark coloured cars (2 black and 1 dark blue). However this time I have effectively swore off of black cars for life. After I sell my current black vehicle I will NEVER EVER get a dark colored car again. The upkeep and maintenance is just not worth it, spend 3 hours detailng the hell out of it, enjoy it for 10 minutes. Go for a 5 minute drive on a nice sunny day or even just leave ot outside for 30 minutes and it looks like shit. I'm personally absolutely sick and tired of busting my ass to make it look good only to have it look like shit 20 minutes later. In contrast my silver MDX looked clean for WEEKS after a single wash! Next car has to be either white, silver, or gold. Period.

Don't even start me with the chips and scratches and door dings and scuffs and spider webs and halo effects.......enough said. Never ever ever again.

Sorry had to get that off my chest. I clean my car so often I get asked "you're washing it again?!"

Agreed....the '18 is so far removed from what my 2013 felt like, it does feel like a totally different car....all in a good way. After test driving the A-Spec, and the Advance, I ended up with a red over red A-spec which is now sitting in my garage.

Vibration? At any speed, it is as smooth as any car on the market....lots smoother than something like a C300, 328i, or A4. Transmission reminds me an awful lot of the one in the 335I I test drove last year.

Interior....I used to think Volvo seats were some of the best in the industry....followed by the BMW sports seats. Not anymore. A-Spec seats get the crown. They're bolstered in all the right places and comfortable. The leather (not MB TEX, not BMW vinyl)....REAL leather is creamy soft. Very high quality.

ELS always set the standard for factory stereos. This one is no different. Better than the HK in BMW or the Bang and Olufson in the A4, or the Burmeister in the C300.

There's RED led piping in the cabin that adds a nice ambiance. The Speedo and RPM gages seem to hand in mid air in the pod in front of the driver at night....looks 3D. Quite sharp.

Then, there's the drive. It may not be as fast as an S4, or a 340i, but it's still fast. Drivetrain makes WONDERFUL noises. It tracks as solid and as true as anything I've driven (including the afore mentioned BMWs and Audis). I can't think of one other option I'd want that it doesn't have.

I haven't been this excited about a new car is an awful long time. Dealer had 2 A-Specs, all gone in 48 hours. They sold 2 '18 TLXs to every one '17 TLX. They won't order any more until end of June is what the Sales Manager told me.

Acura has a hit on its hands.