jrdonta

I have been loyal fan/owner of multiple Honda/Acura vehicles. I always ended up buying Honda/Acura vehicles on the same day when I have test drive with them and it is not today with TLX TECH V6. I had concern with the jerkiness in the transmission when slowing down from 4 to 1 and I were right. My friend who sat in front passenger, the saleman in the back, and I were all felt the transmission jerkiness when it happened. Its drive was OK but not fun like my Honda Accord 4 cylinder and Acura MDX v6. I consider engine as a heart and transmission as soul of a fun/good car and TLX lost its soul due to 9 speed incompleted tune from ZF. I were so excited coming the dealer and leaving in sadness.
The saleman said several customers experience the jerkiness and Honda corporation unofficially consider bring back the 6 speed transmission and manual for 2018j - mid cycle refresh.
My next test drive is Lexus IS350 Fsport and GS350 Base and I hope their drive is good based on Car & Driver review. At the same time, I feel sad if I leaving Honda/Acura brand for Toyota/Lexus.
Lexus is Made in Japan and Acura is Made in USA go to opposite direction.
Lastly, Acura needs more innovation (F1 and NSX from 90s) else it becomes the next Nokia (phone) failure.

weather

^^ I can appreciate your deception in the Acura's transmission issues....This is why I have an IS350 F sport in my garage at the moment.

That being said, if they do get their act together for the MMC, I will be back.

jrdonta

To weather: Are you happy with Lexus IS350 Fsport ? I assume that you would consider to come back to Acura if they tune the firmware that control the engine and transmission correctly in MMC as a wish only unless you are not completely happy with Lexus IS350 Fsport.

weather

^^ I love the Lexus, it is a great car for me and despite the polarizing design and teh fact it is a small car inside, I just love it!

I am loyal to the Acura brand because of the dealership experience and relationship ... I feel like I am having an affair at the moment with driving a Lexus but it is a great car!

I have the AWD with the 6 speed tranny:

1. Great engine
2. Amazing thrttle response
3. butter smooth 6 speed transmission
4. great fits and finish
5. perfect combo of button and touchscreen

It is a bit more pricy so the TLX is a better deal but for now, I do not regret the IS at all and I strongly encourage you to at least test drive it....It may not be for you but trying it will give you the answer

quantum7

I am in the exact same boat. I am seriously looking at IS350 and GS 350 if Acura can not get the transmissions under control. Looks like the sw fix of the 9 speed ZF MIGHT be working, but waiting to see if time will tell.

Rocket_man

The test car you drove probably did not have the latest transmission software that was released only last week.

jrdonta

I am aware of the update release on July 24 to resolve hesitation, surge, and rough idle stop and I should have asked saleman to let me test drive car with latest firmware update. The jerkiness is a minor thing to me as I am get used to Honda/Acura transmission shift. Honestly, I try to like it so that I can save 8K approximately compare to Lexus IS 350 Fsport or GS350 Base models. I compare the whole driving experience that I have got from Acura Legend Coupe 89, Acura Legend 94, and MDX SUV 10.

I will try to test drive Acura TLX again if either Lexus IS 350 Fsport or GS350 Base fail to change my mind switching from Acura to Lexus.

Rocket_man

Lexus will soon have the new 2 liter turbo engine from the NX in the IS 200t if you are just looking for a little more power than the IS 250. Save a little over the IS 350.

jrdonta

Based on your tip that there is new firmware update for Acura TLX and new Lexus IS200t in Sept, now there are more choices and there are more test drive I have to do :-)

1. Acura TLX Tech SH-AWD (latest firmware for engineer/trans) with OTD price of 39K
2. Lexus IS350 Fsport RWD wtih OTD price of 45K
3. Lexus IS200t Base only RWD with OTD price of 38K (not much discount as new model)

mani

ahhhhh I wish I would have went for the GS350F i testdrove and it was cheaper lease deal then the TLX hahahahah

ultrapogi

I think some models have this problem and others did not. I lucky bought a non affected model not knowing beforehand there was a problem. I always had a hard time understanding what people were talking about. Just the other day I drove a 2016 RDX AWD with a six speed auto in drive and sport mode and personally I thought it felt like a pig compared to my tlx sh-awd tech. It is hard to describe but even in sport mode it didn't accelerate as well and had less throttle response. It felt Stone Age. Also after experiencing the nimble turning and cornering of my car I couldn't stand the turning or handling characteristics of the mid cycle changed RDX. Unfortunately I did not try the MDX. The only time I would describe any kind of "jerkiness" in my car would be decelerating In sport + but it is more of an engine braking feel (high Rpms) in each downshift not jerkiness. To overcome the dog-tooth downshift lag I stay in sport + all the time or if driving in sport (because of passengers) and I am about to do a California stop and turn I do a quick tap to the floor and up on the gas peddle then a second or two later when the corner is there I am downshifted and ready to go. It sucks that there is such a crap shoot of good and bad TLX vehicles. Overall I am very pleased with my TLX. I would give it a 9/10. Lately I have become addicted to goosing the throttle around turns to slide my backend around. I could never go back to front wheel drive again.

ultrapogi

Also I bought my tlx in March 2015 and have had no updates since on the software. It would be interesting to see the difference or not since I don't experience jerkiness even now.

Cmyoung

I hate to hear that op...while you are trying lexus out don't forget to try to rc350 if it meets your daily needs ;-) very eye catching and my first time ever owning a lexus and has been great so far the past couple weeks.

Jinx223

How do the suspensions compare? Yours is adjustable. In comfort with those 19" wheels, is it still breaking your back?

saturno_v

I cannot even imagine someone driving an IS 350 F-Sport going back to a TLX.....I bet, eventually you will not do it....the IS is superior in every possible way....

jrdonta

Lexus RC 350 is my son's favorite car. He is is only 7 and knows/loves car crazily. I have two young boys so Lexus IS350 Fsport is already a bit for us already. However, thank you for the suggestion/recommendation.

Cmyoung

Gotcha! You know they say, kids are the best judge when it comes to looks, lol. I thought you were also considering the base GS which the price is on up there too..around or close to 50k? Mine was listed for $47k and I got it down to $42,000. Good luck to you I'm sure you will love the Lexus whatever you decide :-)

jrdonta

to Cmyoung, I saw your profile shows that you own TLX Tech I4 and it is fun to drive ? Lexus RC 350 is fun plus fast ?

Cmyoung

The TLX had a few transmission issues when I first bought it in October 14. It still does have a somewhat jerky transmission but I seem to have gotten over it eventually to the point I stopped noticing it.It seemed like the cold weather made it especially worse with cold shifts. Also I did have an update done earlier this year when I went for oil change that seemed to improve it some. I'm not saying you should do the same thing I did and get "use" to it because that's quite a bit of money you are spending for something you know you aren't happy with out the gate from a test drive. No transmission issues in the RC btw.

The TLX is a big gas saver compared to the RC and I value that along with all the other technologies like lkas and brake hold .. While I think it's fun to drive (TLX), personally it obviously doesn't have the speed and the fun factor that the RC has to answer your question! Plus the attention from the RC that I receive continuously can be a bit overwhelming for some.

However, we are comparing a sporty coupe and a sporty four door. Personally, both are great cars that offer something different.

jrdonta

Thank you for your details regarding to TLX 2.4 and RC 350. I just had test drive with Lexus IS350 Fsport today and my friend who was sitting in the passenger said " 8K difference between TLX V6 Tech and Lexus IS350 FSPORT is worthy". I was not surprised when hearing that SINCE I really like the car (still I want to test out TLX SH-AWD) but was surprised since he was a very very family budget guy.

The engine/transmission up shift/ down shift is flawless.

mapleloaf

It's not his money! To me, it comes down to a balance between cost and features. In Canada, without any money off the Acura (and there is lots of discounting these at the end of the year), it costs $188 less per month to leaser a SH-AWD Elite vs a comparably loaded IS350 F-Sport. Both excellent cars, but the Acura still has more Safety features. The AWD is superior in the Acura (the universal opinion of experts). Most give the Lexus a leg up interior wise, but to me it's very close - and i love the dual screen configuration of the TLX. Transmission wise, the 6 speed, of course, is a little smoother, but really, I have 7 smooth shifts and 1 periodically notched shift, so I prefer the considerably improved fuel economy of the nine speed, and fabulous cruising/passing performance. Finally, even if the extra cash was meaningless to me - and it isn't - i would look elsewhere as the Lexus front end is less than attractive (IMHO!!) and is going to get real old real fast.

The the Lexus is an excellent car, as it should be for its price. So is the Acura, despite the over hyped transmission critique. BTW, I have extensively driven the TLX with the 8 speed dual clutch tranny, as well as the new ILX, and find that to be an excellent transmission - as do the numerous reviews I have read. I paid the extra for the SH-AWD and to get the colour combo I wanted, otherwise, I would have been happy with a 2.4 Tech.

Enjoy the process and good luck with your decision. Buying a luxury vehicle is a fun and fascinating process!

jrdonta

I had a chance to test drive my friend's car BMW 2015 335 M Sport. The car was fast and fun than Lexus IS 350 Fsport but it is not reliable after warranty is expired. Before Honda has 9 speed ZF transmission, their MDX and TL always have been rated #1 or 2 on US News Report magazine and I always consider the following these value when buying a car so ACURA first on my list
1. Money
2. Reliability
3. Fun
4. Fast

Now Lexus first on my list
1. Reliability
2. Fun
3. Money
4. Fast

I think Acura has a fix for 8 speed dual clutch already unlike 9 ZF speed still have several new complaints on carcomplaints and edmunds as I am typing today. Probably 9 speed is reliable but not safe and fun for driving experience based on the money.

Buying luxury car is a small investment which identifies a social status and gives person joy ( which money can buy). Importantly it is a financial loss.

I did not have such stress when buying a property LOL.