vhdoshi

Infiniti has announced that the 2016 Q50 will get a new 3.0 L twin turbo V-6 with 400 horsepower.

Article: 2016 Infiniti Q50 Gains New 3.0L Twin-Turbo V-6 with 400 HP

When will Acura release a TLX Type-S with a twin-turbo V-6 ??

My guess, maybe for model year 2017.

Acura already has a 3.5 L V-6 twin turbo for the Acura TLX-GT race car.

So they could use that...

TacoBello

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahaha

Oh wait... You're serious?

dezymond

Be lucky enough to get a turbo. But I bet Acura would release a 4cyl turbo variant before a v6 turbo

weather

vhdoshi....Don't expect a V6 twin turbo on any Acura sedans. I am hopeful that we could see a Type-S (or something sportier) at the MMC that would take away the wood grain and replace it with something more sportier, dual exhausts (which are coming to Acura in general), a more aggressive bodykit and maybe a modest power bump which potentially achieved through the use of electric motors.

Acura has the capability, they just need to start taping into it.

mapleloaf

Just what the world needs is another 400 HP car. Hell, why not 500 HP.

KeithL

IF they do a Type-S maybe for 2018 MY and then I would bey maybe 300-320HP out of the standard V6 maybe at 3.7L, but I don't expect Acura to ever (other than NSX) to offer true sports sedans. Sporty sedans yes, but not sports sedans.

BEAR-AvHistory

It will be interesting to see what they do. The whole industry regardless of segment is moving up the power curve.

This morning I took my grandson to pick up his new Genesis R-Spec Coupe. Thing has a 3.8L @ 345bhp. That's 2 more BHP then my BMW 435M-Soprt with the MPPK/MPE performance package.

I think the next go round Honda will decide whether the ACURA line is to feature performance or comfortable near luxury.

VR1

Even Lincoln has the 400hp MKZ coming out and Volvo has the 345hp Polestar S60.. Meanwhile we're still hoping for a TLX with exposed exhaust tips


Good job Acura I think they're the only ones in their segment that do not offer any sporty trim of the TLX but still use the "handcrafted performance' tagline.

atl7

Other than the wheels and small power boost, there doesn't seem to be a big enough difference between the 4 cyl and v6 model. With mmc there needs to be the 4 cyl model with better rims and then a type s v6 model. This v6 paired with the 9 speed is just underwhelming for me. Acura did an awesome job with the new technology in the TLX, they just skimped on the performance. It's very comfortable for cruising and gets a little excitement in, but not nearly as fun compared to my 2010 TL AWD. I miss the audible exhaust

Will probably be getting rid of my TLX late 2016. It's a great, beautiful car but I want something that is more fun to drive!

weather

I agree with several of the posts here...It is sad to see most car companies offering more and see Acura stagnating. At least, for a while, we could take comfort in knowing that their vehicles were reliable and such...seeing all the vibration/transmission issues, it seems we can't even brag about this.

If I am going to be driving a car with some reliability issues, might as well drive something that is engaging with a more aggressive design and better wheels.

There is no question that Acura nailed the TLX with the features it offers for the price point, but that should be Honda's role.

I am still hopeful that 2016 will be the turning point for Acura and we'll see the Detroit reveal....but even then, I recall how sexy the TLX concept came out and that thrill got lost pretty quick.

My apologies for the negative post....I really want Acura to come back and deliver a home run. We all know what needs to happen for this occur, why can't people in the car industry also get it?!?!

Stew4HD

The Genesis 5.0 (V8) has 420 HP, 3.8L V6 has 311 hp.. just saying

mapleloaf

Let's be honest here. Acura does not target folks looking for the fastest off the line vehicle. It's not consistent with their Acura/Honda company profile. They do target those folks, including the younger generation, in making affordable luxury cars that blend fuel economy, performance, reliability, technology, comfort and affordability. BTW, even though I have expressed my own concerns about VCM and the 9 speed "shift", I would not put these things in the true reliability category. When you drive a 2016 SH-AWD, you can focus on the driving dynamics rather than the "shift", which has been smoothed out.

I find it interesting that some folks talk about Acura/Honda losing their way and having no sense of direction. Yet, some folks want more and more HP (doesn't this always happen when gas prices drop…just before they end up higher than ever), cutting edge designs that lose their appeal quickly (like the current Lexus front end - sorry Weather), manual trannies, etc. I suppose that KeithL's suggestion of a Type S with 300-320 HP and a few other goodies, including those magical twin exhausts, would be a reasonable compromise for those willing to pay more. However, I don't think Acura will ever keep up with the Jones in terms of power and sport over balanced offerings, and to me, that's a good thing. If you try to be all things to all people, costs go up and you truly lose your way.

As for exposed exhaust tips, this is a style choice, given that almost every brand , luxury or otherwise, does this. If enough people want them back, it will happen, and I would favour something akin to the TL Elite look. In terms of wheels, there is always room for improvement, although it's such a subjective taste thing, and is never a deal maker or breaker for me. The upgraded rims are very attractive, but then your cost goes up. As for more power, electric motors is environmentally and technologically an excellent way to go, …but then there's that nasty cost issue. The RLX is a wonderful vehicle that has 377 HP and a combined fuel economy of 7.7 litres/100 km….but doesn't sell because at that price people want a more prestige badge.

With respect to turbos, I think Honda/Acura will assess the impact of the new Civic 1.5 turbo and consider implementation variations of that in the next few years, focusing on that balance of fuel economy,power, and cost. If I was guessing, I would see an initial implementation in the ILX and the 2.4 TLX in 3 years. It will have to be good, because I truly appreciate how good the 2.4 engine is, mated with the 8 speed tranny in the ILX and the TLX.

Happy Holidays to all!

EE4Life

Behind the Wheel
Report from the Acura Dealer Meeting

Behind the Wheel

BEAR-AvHistory

The 3.8 V6 in the R-Spec Coupe is 345BHP along with Brembos & the rest of the R package. Under $30K

BEAR-AvHistory

You might want to amend that to any more. My 3G TL 6MT was the quickest car in its segment & would run heads up with my BMW 330Ci ZHP 6MT except in cornering.

It was also the least expensive in the segment (TL was $31K OTD/ BMW $45K OTD) & Acura was knocking out 70,000+ units a year.

Might be just antidotal evidence but I believe the raw performance of the TL contributed to its popularity.

TacoBello

Bear is talking about the coupe, not the sedan.

TacoBello

Hmmmm... They mentioned a "gorgeous new grill design" for all Acuras in that article. I wonder if they're finally doing away with the beak? Either way, it sounds like manufacturer hype throughout that article. Everything is peachy and rose colored as it always has been!

TacoBello

Acura even showed off that silhouette of their new "performance" sedan, but it still sounds like it will be FWD (though with RWD proportions), but still, god dammit, they just refuse to change their stubborn ways. You know it's bad when you start mimicking RWD. They know people want it. But they won't give it.

So this new performance sedan, if it breaks the 315hp barrier, will likely only come in AWD configuration, which sounds good, but it will still be FWD biased. Sigh.

mapleloaf

Valid point, but that ship sailed in 2008, a long time in today's market. The pure performance sedan market is quite crowded these days however, and everyone adds HP every year….. BTW, the SH-AWD TLX does about 5.7 seconds to 60mph, so it's not exactly a slouch…and it's acceleration from 60 to 80/90 mph is excellent. Presumably a A/S version would add 20 - 30 HP to that without straying too far from the blueprint.

Do most drivers care if their car is the fastest or cuts a hairpin corner the sharpest…no. Do some folks pay for a badge and power and performance that they NEVER use…absolutely. Somewhere in there is a market niche for Acura. Interestingly, a lot of our younger posters who bemoan the lack of bigger engines and RWD are likely into Acura instead of BMW or Lexus because they get more for their limited bucks. Can they have it all at that price point…unlikely. IMHO.

Nexx

actually the g35 was a quicker than your TL. but as usual 3g TL owners think it was god gift to the car world.

weather

Mapleloaf....Thanks for your good response. You raise some good points but let me add a few extra points of myself, and you know how much I want Acura to succeed because I have the Acura DNA in me, much more than Lexus.

1. Today's Acura are not as bullet proof as they used to be...lets just look at the various glitches the new MDX has had, the clunking suspension in the RDX and ILX, the vibration of the TLX, transmission shifting hard and such....Again, many of these issues will not leave you stranded but certainly take away from a thrilling ride experience.

2. I am not suggesting that Acura creates RWD with 400HP engines, but it would be nice to see them create a slightly more potent version for the enthusiast that want to pay for a few extra sprinkles on their vanilla ice cream.

3. I fully understand about the polarizing Lexus spindle grill but you have to at least give kudos to Lexus for creating a sportier version straight from the factory...If Honda could just do like Lexus and offer the Acura brand more on the global market and have a little extra reason to develop something more unique for Acura.

4. The dual exhausts are coming back....There is hope afterall

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and happy 2016!

BEAR-AvHistory

Actually I never lost to a G35. Local track or stop light. Will have to look at what the spec/magazine racers have to say but think the TL will hold up. Believe a Lexus 350 would be quicker but don't remember ever facing one. Some local M3's would kick my butt but they are a different segment.

BEAR-AvHistory

That's what is missing from the current outlook. Acura did have it all with a fully competitive performance with the other players & the best bang for the buck of any of them.

I also think you are selling the performance part of the sale short. I have yet to see a TLX commercial including the current do over series, where the guy keeps repeating the same morning. that does not allege performance. So from a corporate marketing point of view they very well do recognize its importance.

Non car people might buy the image that Acura is selling, but they no longer have "influencers" people who know cars talking the TLX up in the what should I buy water cooler chats.

atl7

Totally agree! Saying "well that's not how Acura does performance" is a lousy excuse. Acura has been struggling lately in their sedan segment and I'm sure driving experience is a lot to blame. When I say I don't want this 9 speed in the mmc model, I'm not referencing to the issues some owners are having. I don't like it because it limits the car and is boring to drive.

Looking back, I've bought my TLs because, for the most part, they did well in 4 categories; driving experience, technology, design, and interior materials. The TLX on the other hand does well in technology and design for me. Interior materials are average. Other than the upper dash it has as many hard plastics as a Nissan Altima. Driving experience is comfortable but not sporty, my 3G and 4G TLs had a good balance of both.

Acura has really lost its edge in the midsize sedan segment and I hope they gain it back with this new generation of sedans. They're all talk so I'll believe it when I see (er, drive) it.

Nexx

g35 is quicker by a few tenths in the quarter mile, honestly its a drivers race, same can be said about the IS350, the 330ci or 335 or whatever. you just made it sound like the TL was far above and beyond faster than the other cars in it segment which it isnt. 3G is what is is, decent performer, okay looker out the factory, highly overrated by their owners. ive had two, 07 base and 07 types, neither impressed me but i thought it was a good solid car.

BEAR-AvHistory

^^^^^
Its an # of angels on the head of a pin thing.

C&D said this in a multi car test:


"Curiously, the additional power didn’t do a lot for the G37 at the test track, where we logged a 0-to-60-mph time of 5.2 seconds and a quarter-mile run of 13.8 seconds at 104 mph. Although quick, those digits lag 0.1 second each behind the best runs posted by its 3.5-liter predecessor (5.1 seconds and 13.7 at 104 mph). Admittedly, the results of various G35 Sports ranged as high as 5.5 seconds to 60 and 14.1 seconds through the quarter, and our G37 was a nearly factory-fresh car with a green motor, so there’s a chance the latest G could improve its results. Curb weight could also be a bit of a factor, as the G37 rang in at 3703 pounds, 120 pounds more than the slimmest G35 Sport we had previously weighed."

IIRC they also had a very quick run set (faster than above) with the TL in one issue of the magazine that I did not believe based on my own runs. It did tend to get quoted a lot in the threads. A couple of guys were getting the TL 6MT into the 13's but it took a lot of skill & drag radials. They are posted in the TL racing section here. My best with the car on summer 255 street tires was 14.0

That said no matter how you want to split the hair the TL was well into the pack for a very very good price.

BTW never considered it a rocket-ship owned to many truly quick car for that.

neuronbob

Actually, it was. It was also the high point for Acura in the last decade. I owned one, so I can tell you from personal experience how good it was. It looked good and drove well. It was one of the best handling FWD cars made, and that's a HoMoCo strength.

I hope Acura releases an A-Spec or type S or type R or whatever they want to call the performance variant, soon. We could excuse the lack of performance variant in 2008-9 when the economy was in the tank. Now, HoMoCo is doing quite well and so is the broader economy. It's time, IMHO. Even if they just release a J37 variant, with improved suspension and maybe a 6MT, that'd be helpful.

TacoBello

I don't foresee the 6MT returning (), but, HoMoCo should at least build a DCT capable of handling the torque of the V6 engine. It's not that much power.

A J37 would be all good, so long as HoMoCo doesn't do what it did with the 4G TL, by taking the 3.5L and boring (sp?) it out to a 3.7L. That engine was just plagued with oil consumption issues. I hope they learned from that mistake.

Getting back to my first sentence- it's kind of unfortunate for the guys who bought the DCT equipped TLX. Turboing and Supercharging is likely not even an option, as who knows what that transmission can withstand. That makes it even less likely that aftermarket companies will even bother with developing stuff for the TLX (besides simple bolt ons). It was bad enough for the 3G.

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

maybe never

fsttyms1

I think a Type-s badge with nothing more than a body kit, and a 3.7 engine with its 305 rating would be nothing more than a huge slap in the face of Acura/Honda loyalists. Even IF they manage to put the new turbocharged 4cyl in the new civic Type-R tuned a little higher than the 306 hp in civic i still feel it would be a slap in the face. Everyone else is getting more and more power, Acura is going backwards. Hyundai has a new 3.3 twin turbo v6 coming out in the new luxury genesis (G90) brand they created making 365hp which im sure will make it into the "genesis" or G80 if that is what they will end up calling it.

fsttyms1

The 3.7 was more than just a bored out 3.5 I have a sneaking suspicion as to what the oil consumption issues were/are on the 3.7 (as i had it on one of my builds and finally cured it)

BEAR-AvHistory

Lots of issues when you get close to the max bore for an engine that's been around for a while.

Built a Might Mouse .030 overbore of a 400CI Small block Chevy truck motor for 406CI which itself was a stretched (bored & stroked) small block that started at 265CI. Great sleeper motor looked just like a stock 327 when painted the Chevy red/orange

Was very strong with lots of torque pushing the old StingRay well into the 12's.

Issue was head gasket sealing. As the bore continued to be opened up the space between the cylinders got smaller & smaller. Eventually it was so small that head gaskets were failing between the cylinders.

Had to groove the tops of the cylinder bores to fit fire rings to keep the gasket alive. No way this could be done on a production engine - too expensive - so from the factory stopped at 400ci.

The 427 small block of today is a modification of the original design not a straight descendent.

TacoBello

I'm curious to know what you think it is. Last I read, it was that coating Honda put on the cylinder walls after boring out the engine that was causing the issues. Or at least partially causing them. I think Honda did the same with the old H22 Prelude engines as well. Those things were notorious for oil consumption as well.

silverTL6

iTrader: (2)

'Part of the new performance push will be bringing “Type S” models back to market.'

BEAR-AvHistory

Problem is they will need to get to the low/mid 4 second 0-60 high 12 second 1/4 mile to be thought of as a player in the "sport sedan" category.

Big jump from where they are now but the 4X4 package will help them. A few packages are there now & in a few years it will be commonplace.

weather

I may be a bit different than others here but I don't necessarily consider straight 0-60 performance as a determining factor. For me, the vehicle has to be competitive somewhat for the segment it is in, so a low 5 would be acceptable to me. But it needs to have a sporty exterior (not bland), it needs to have great driving dynamics (handling and such), it needs to feel sporty inside with carbon fiber trims (instead of wood) and luxury material, and 4 doors of course

KeithL

I have mentioned this before, but if you look at Lexus with the F Sport trim it is very popular. Many people don't care about 0-60. They want a car that look at drives sporty. The acceleration needs to feel decent and the ride needs to handle well. I think if you look at the 4G SH-AWD suspension and seats then add some nice sporty trim pieces, such as the prototype fascia , wheels and 19 or 20 inch wheels the car will sell well.

weather

^^ I agree 150%!!

The 2009-2014 TL would have been a great seller if the design wouldn't have been so polarizing. It had great power, amazing handling, gorgeous interior and from some angles, it looked amazing but from others, not as much. The problem is that its styling was poorly received by the media and once they start their propaganda, the mass follows, regardless of how good the product is.

I must admit I am curious to see what will be presented in Detroit in a week or two....Acura has more than a styling image problem lately but if they can at least get that right, it will hopefully inspire a change in momentum for them...It seems that they haven't been able to get their game 100% since the 2009 TSX/TL - Almost as if they have lost their confidence and just keep making blunders after the other....

SSFTSX

the Civic Type R engine has tremendous power even slow start from FWD platform and not efficient hatch back aerodynamics and still top of the line fuel economic from 6MT.

Putting in sedan like TLX. the top speed can easily suprass 300km/hr.

BEAR-AvHistory

The Civic Type R 306 - So far Honda claims that "the car rockets from zero to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds and that it can achieve a top speed of 168 mph". Not quite a player yet. Where it does stand out is in its road holding ability, looks to be a very well balanced car. That said the prototype they were running was pretty much stripped & had a roll cage.

Honda has not done well converting prototypes to production cars in the past. In the movie industry thgey would say to much left on the cutting room floor.

306CHP in an I4 is a very nice number, higher than most & the lighter the car the quicker it will be. That said 306CHP never gave the old TL great numbers. Still think for the TLX they need to boost the V6 to 350 to get into the game if that's what they want.

Top speed is pretty much meaningless here unless to do AirPort Runs. Tires specs will impose a limit around 155mph like it does on most cars. There are very few 155mph USA legal cars that can't do over 155mph. Most of the tests will say factory limited as opposed to drag limited. Drag limited is the real number for top speed.