Tony Pac

Who thinks Acura will showcase the 2020 Acura TLX in the upcoming car shows of 2019?

CheeseyPoofs McNut

I suspect the Spring shows will have a 2020 with a mostly-finished prototype on display with sales beginning in Sept/Oct - if history is any indication.

BEAR-AvHistory

Hopefully they will show an actual pre-production test model & not an almost there prototype. They came to quite a bit of grief showing a TLX prototype a few months before the reveal of the production car. The expectations the prototype raised a hype level that was not realized in the production car.

The prototype was a design killer in a great NSX color you could not get on the TLX.

Tony Pac

I know someone that works in the car industry and he told me that Acura will probably push 2020 TLX in spring/winter 2019 car shows. I am not saying my friend is 100% right but he is often right

Let's wait and see the 350+ TLX I highly doubt if Acura will push a 400 HP TLX.

CheeseyPoofs McNut

The new RDX they trotted out at the car shows was pretty much the same SUV that went on sale later in the year - except for the wheels and mirrors if I recall. I'm thinking we can expect them to mimic the new RDX in many ways for the upcoming TLX release.

KeithL

I suspect they will show it in by the NY Show in April/March with an on sale date of July.I will also be pessimistic and say no Type-S at launch, but they may tease it. My current plan is see the new car, drive my 35 month lease for 4 years and buy a Type-S at MMC if it looks good. I will be honest, if they had the 10AT in my 19 ASPEC I would buy this thing as it is actually pretty damn good other than the ZF. While Turbos have come a long way I know I could drive the 3.5 for 10 years if I wanted to with minimal maintenance costs, not sure about a turbo. This 3.5 is damn near bullet proof.

BEAR-AvHistory

Be interesting to see what number they pick remembering most all the advertised numbers are either fake or of not much value. You need to see actual weight vs horsepower power to the wheels to see how a car will fit into the pecking order. Gearing can effect the numbers a bit but generally the power to weigh ratio holds up.

dezymond

If they had released the TLX in that color of red it would've been their hottest selling color and I'd have a red car right now. The only other red I've seen come close is that Mazda red which is stunning in person and it looks great on the 6.

Tony Pac

BEAR-AvHistory

Our CX-5 is that red, great color in person.

dezymond

Great color. I really like how different it looks depending on the lighting and not only that but the design and body lines of the car work really well with it too. I test drove the new Mazda 6 just for fun and I walked away very impressed. The fit and finish of the car is amazing. I wasn't really looking at any other Mazda models, but I imagine the quality of the interior of the whole lineup is pretty damn close.

BEAR-AvHistory

They definitely play above their price class inside & out.

dezymond

Agreed, and they're such great cars. 3 years ago when I bought my TLX it came down to the TLX and the Mazda 6. I went with the TLX mainly because of its engine, if Mazda had a v6 or even the turbo engine available at the time, I could've easily been in a Mazda right now. Just wish their cars has a bit more power, once you've been spoiled by a v6 it's hard to go back.

BEAR-AvHistory

Agree we have a N/A 2.5L @ 187BHP. About 250BHP in a Turbo to kick up the torque would be real nice. That said, its for my granddaughter & was her pick so it fits OK. Thing that amazes me its a once price +1 available option (that I took) & the AWD truck was $32,600MSRP that I got under $30K. Has more "stuff" then my 440 some of which like heated rear seats that I can't get for any price on mine. The Soul Red Crystal Metallic paint was $595 extra & IMHO really makes the truck.

mapleloaf

So you are letting your granddaughter drive an "unsafe" 4 cylinder.....that's a little shocking! Sorry, couldn't resist

BEAR-AvHistory

Expect a lot of things shock you.

All things considered she is safer in the CX-5 then her moms 911 Carrera 4S, less likely for a young person to drive past her experience level. 4 cylinders tend to be good cars for the inexperienced or easily shocked driver & an SUV provides good visibility.

My first 3 SCCA road race cars were 4 cylinders till I moved up to Corvette V8's.

neuronbob

Prior experience from Acura indicates they'd release a Type-S model a year after the base model, to keep interest up. This is how it was done with the 3G TL. It'd be super-nice if they released a Type-S simultaneous to the base model. I'd be able to transition my current TLX lease directly into one in early 2020. Or "downgrade" to an Accord Sport manual.

I know we're not going to see a manual, but I'm going to hope for one, anyway. That'd probably get my dollars. And yes, I'm a Luddite in that way.

BEAR-AvHistory

The last S was a two year end of cycle sales stiffener. The 3G was loosing sales by 2006, although the current marketing guys would kill to have those numbers, so the S was released to add some fresh interest into the brand. Slightly bigger engine with a little more power, the only way to get a 6MT, an upgraded interior, new wheels & over sized quad exhaust finishers.

Did not help much as sales fell from 71K in 2006 to 46K in 2008 (only reaching 46K once since) due to the G35 becoming the G37 & the introduction of the BMW 3 liter turbo.

BMW sandbagged the turbo introduction by using a stronger version of the N54 for a short time then it would use in following years till the limited production 335is. Up until the B58 engine was introduced with the 340 the first 18 months of the 335 series had BMW's strongest stock engine despite all subsequent variations of the N54/N55 being advertised at 300hp/300ft lbs.

Think it would be good marketing to buck the Hail Mary pass strategy & get the S out right away or as close to the introduction as they can.

ZipSpeed

See as their competitors all have turbo sixes, Acura needs to launch this engine earlier than later. None of this wait till the last two years or MMC nonsense. My lease is done in August 2020 so it would be nice to transition to a Type S.

KeithL

MGP99999

I suspect that the TLX redesign will debut at the NY Auto show with a early summer on sale date along with the TLX Type-S option available later in the year. My dealer also hinted at the redesigned RLX also coming out near the end of the year. The RDX doesn't need the Type-S yet so Acura can put maxiumum effort in their sedans. The only thing that the TLX really competes with currently is the Accord, some Buicks, and the Lexus IS. Please release something that can challenge Audi, BMW, Infinity, and Genesis, otherwise stay home. RIP TLX.

ZipSpeed

Tony Pac

I am with you. Acura will redesign TLX first followed by MDX.
The MDX got some new goodies with the current refresh, so Acura will push it till end of 2019 and release the new MDX in 2020 as 2021 model. But I will be shocked if Acura doesn't release the new TLX in summer/fall 2019 as 2020 model. As far as RLX and ILX go, no clue about the future of these two vehicles. I believe ILX will be cut and CDX will be introduced.

ZipSpeed

Yeah, Acura is about the only premium manufacturer that has more cars than crossovers.

MGP99999

The RLX is unchanged for the 2019 model year and the MMC from last year was minimal; they didn't even add the updated head unit from the TLX MMC, just new seats, better tuning, the corporate grill and improved taillights. The MDX will just be a carryover from this year I believe, as they have already given us a new A-Spec this year and a Hybrid model last year. The ILX's second MMC occurred this model year and It looks significantly better and has the updated head unit with AA/ACP. The only vehicles that haven't been improved this year are the TLX and RLX and if they lose the RLX then the TLX would have to be radically redesigned to be a true Acura flagship in both features and size. I am very confident we will see a new RLX next year.

TacoBello

I'm wondering about the ILX, too. I wonder if Acura isn't bringing over the CDX becomes it would be too close to the Honda HR-V and they would cannibalize sales off each other? I know the pilot and MDX are similar, but they're geared towards different buyers and one does pack more goodies than the other. The price point for CDX would have to stay competitive so it's not like they can cram a bunch of extra tech into it, like they can with the MDX. I think the MDX has way more wiggle room.

TacoBello

Both Honda and Acura have a history of stretching low volume vehicles way past their prime. The 2G RL sold for like 8 years. I'd be floored if Acura redesigned the RLX so quickly.

ZipSpeed

Flagship or not, the RLX is a low volume product so I'm doubtful Acura will be devoting resources to that until the TLX and MDX get their FMC. Look at the ILX. It should have had a FMC by now, but the thing just received a second MMC. Not many vehicles get a second refresh. I'm not saying the RLX won't get a FMC, but Acura needs to bolster their volume products first because that is their bread and butter (i.e. RDX and MDX). If they want to showcase a halo car, they can plop a NSX in their showrooms. My dealer has three in theirs.

If anything, I'm not even sure if Acura needs three sedans in their lineup. With crossovers going through a love fest in North America, they should showcase a crossover one class above the MDX as their flagship. Slot in the CDX at the bottom. Leave the TLX as the sole sedan. Introduce a coupe based on the Civic Type-R with SH-AWD.

KeithL

Tony Pac

kurtatx

RDX is a crossover. It's also a great value. TLX is not a crossover (still a good value). I'm not sure we can read "RDX is proof people want Acuras" or is it just "RDX is proof people want affordable options on their upscale crossovers".

Hopefully the former is true but either way Acura is in good shape on the crossover front. Looking forward to seeing the new MDX.

I do wonder if the ILX is the reason the CDX isn't here yet. The fact that the HR-V could be better than a CDX could potentially lead to an ILX-Civic relationship where the economy model wipes the floor with the upscale model.

ZipSpeed

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-mdx-...e-want-974539/

So the guys on the MDX 3G forum thinks next year is when Acura will debut the new MDX. What do you guys think? I know it's not impossible, but has Acura ever introduced 2 FMC vehicles in the same year? And being rather dinky in size, do they have the engineering resources to launch two new vehicles? The one thing for sure, is that we've seen a TLX test mule. Nothing whatsoever for the MDX. I can't remember what Acura said earlier this year, but did they specifically say the Type-S is coming to the TLX first? If so, then we'll probably see the FMC TLX first before the FMC MDX.

Tony Pac

Tony Pac

kurtatx

Probably a good idea. Crossovers sell. Acura needs to stay on top of the trucks world because, for whatever reason, the Germans can sell a lesser model (or a less equipped competitor) and do really well. The MDX should be on the most aggressive life cycle.

csmeance

Acura did the new MDX and RDX in 2007, and they have done the TL & TSX together in 2004, and in 2009 as well. Honda/Acura is learning that it can't stick with 5/6 year cycles with minor updates every 2-3 years. Look at the new hondas with a physical volume knob!

If MDX gets redone in 2020, that'll be s 6 year cycle which isn't that bad. If it gets redone in 2021, that's 7 years and can be brutal. But at the end of the day it comes down to how much money they have to recoup on the costs of the 3G MDX development such as changing to the 9 speed, the updated SH-AWD system, etc.

RL probably had to be sold for 8 years since they had that many parts sitting in inventory! Plus acura was very adamant (personal experience) in not budging on pricing on RL's. Was ready to get a Cherry RL Advance but the dealership thought MSRP including the "protections" would be enough to appease me for paying MSRP on a car that barely sold 10 units a month. Ended up talking to a friend at BMW who got me into the 760 for about 10K more including tax. Dealership wanted nearly 90K, came home with it for less than 60.

jhb31

Hope they do something with the transmission. Was looking at threads on the 2019 RDX and they are reporting the following issues with the 10spd trans in those cars:
"1) Abrupt 2-3 shift in some light acceleration situations
2) The same rolling stop issue Stew4HD describes above
3) The sluggish downshifts when hit the gas hard at 40-60 mph"

These sound all too familiar and really are a disappointment to hear about given how some of these issues are the biggest complaint tlx owners have with the current trans. Particularly items 2 and 3.

KeithL

hadokenuh

That is the problem with too many gears and I am not very surprised to hear that. We just need to get used to how it shifts IMO.

I personally still think 6 speed is the sweet spot for auto transmissions.

BEAR-AvHistory

Right now the top rated AT is an 8 speed. Agree 10 speeds might be a gear to many but FORD, GM etc are also going that way. We will see a lot of 10 speeds in the 2019 & 2020 cars. Think Europeans will stay with the 8ZF as all 2019 announcements so far have them. Some are also dropping their 6MT's in the new generations.