My observations from today's TLX V6 test drive
 

First of all please note that I am the current owner of a 2010 TL SHAWD Tech Package car, and before I get "slammed" for my comments which follow, I will say that I like the TLX overall, and plan to get a TLX SHAWD Advance when it becomes available.
Now for my observations on the TLX V6 from a 10-minute test drive, and compared against my TL:
- Noticeably smaller on the inside; trunk space appears to be the same
- Less legroom for rear passengers
- Front seats fully-extended back provide less legroom; more noticeable to tall front seat passenger (my wife)
- Views out of the rear view and side view mirrors seem more restrictive, and rear door windows are smaller, noticeable when turning head to look out back
- Weird split-mirror for driver side view mirror; outermost 3rd is magnified perhaps?
- Tires are Bridgestone Potenza 225/50/R18s
- Annoying reflection/glare of left A/C vent aluminum/plastic trim into driver side view mirror
- Less "pick-up" off the line, and noticeable hesitation when trying to accelerate to pass cars on the highway (but, I only used the IDS "Normal" mode).
- It appeared to be a quieter ride; less road noise
- Hood has only ONE hydraulic strut to hold the hood-up, located about 1/3 across the width of the hood
- Door armrests have more padding but are smaller; center armrest has more padding.
- The most annoying part of the car for me was the sluggish/hesitation when trying to accelerate, but it might better in "Sport" or "Sport+" mode
That's all I can recall so far.

It is a lot better in Sport and Sport+

I had the same feeling when I test drove in that it seemed the transmission took a second to select a gear. I too am more excited about the SH-AWD version and cant wait to give that one a shot. My dealer said it would be a couple months maybe before they get one of those.

They have that on the MDX as well, it's not a magnifier but intended to be a wide angle so you can see if anybody is in your blind spot. Absolutely horrible implementation and both my wife and I hate it. They should have put a small mirror in the corner or even better just skipped it all together. That's what the blind spot monitoring system is for anyway.

It's sad to see they are putting it on all their cars. We've had the MDX for a year and still haven't quite gotten used to that distorted image every time you see it

My Accord Coupe has that also. I am used to it but can't say I really like it

All Acura's have had this feature since ~2013. You get used to it or ignore it all together.

I appreciate the insight, and no, you shouldn't get "slammed" for offering your observations.

I'm curious as how current 4G TL owners would view the TLX, esp the 4G TL 6MT, since the TLX is not likely to have a 6MT and the 4G TL is a larger vehicle.

I suspect interior space and dimensions may be a downgrade compared to the larger 4G TL.

Existing TSX owners may view the TLX as an upgrade given its slightly larger size than the TSX.

Agree. Our '13 Accord has it and I still don't like it after more than a year. Honda sent me a survey specifically asking about the mirror. I guess I was in the minority in my comments.

'13 Accord owner as well, got the same survey and I mentioned it as well.

I don't care about one strut to hold the hood open

I rather they use just a metal rod

- at least that won't fail like the 2 struts on my 4G

I have said it before; TSX upgrade, TL downgrade or lateral at best. I have not test drove one yet, just my observations from write-ups and others test drive. I do hope I am wrong.

Actually, if you go onto the acura.com website and do the "comparison" you'll see that the passenger volume of the TLX is slightly SMALLER than the TSX!
The TLX felt a bit smaller to me compared to my TL SHAWD Tech, and I felt that in some way which I cannot really describe, it felt like sort of a down grade to the build quality and "heft" and choice of materials compared to me TL.
BTW - When closing the hood on the new TLX, I recommend placing your hand on top of the hood and off to the side and as close as possible to the off-set hydraulic strut, to avoid bending/twisting the hood - just my opinion.

The TLX is Acura's way of trying to force TL owners into the RLX, which is NOT going to happen. The RLX is the ultimate luxury econo-boat, and there is not way that its sales are going to increase when it's going for $50k to $65k (with the same engine as a $27k Honda Accord).

With the TLX, not everyone is going to be happy with a compact sedan that's too small for a family.

By the way, I find it strange that the 2.4L ILX and 4-cylinder TLX seem to share such similar engines and have similar horsepower. The TLX might be a bit larger than the ILX, but they seem to be fighting for overlapping market segments, just like the 4G TL and RL/RLX.

What makes you think it is too small for a family??

This was my fear as well and these posts confirm it. Think about it, the 4G SH-AWD cost about the same as the 5G and the 5G prices with all the extra features has not moved, so where did they cut costs? Clearly by down grading the TL and upgrading the TSX. Also my guess is due to the long product lead time they were betting on the RLX filling the high end TL segment when the TLX released, bad bet from Acura.

Maybe flooring the demo car could have helped? :)

I did "floor it" a couple of times while on the highway; it took at least one-second for any acceleration to begin. I was discouraged by that, but maybe that is the expected performance in the "Normal" IDS mode? The TLX V6 seemed to have less power/acceleration than my current 2010 TL V6 SHAWD Tech with the 3.7L engine.

I also drove the V6 today and there really is a significant difference between Sport+ and Normal mode. There was no hesitation in Sport+. It does a lot of downshifting in Sport+, which is interesting and will probably take some getting used to.

It's interesting that you felt that way about the power, especially since the TLX has a 9-speed, while your 2010 4G SHAWD has a 5-speed transmission. You do have a bigger engine with more torque and horsepower, though.

To tell you the truth, I probably wouldn't even know how quite to approach a car with 9-speeds... when you floor it in 9th gear, should you expect it to instantly kick down 4 gears for better acceleration, or is it downshifting one gear at a time, which would seem to imply that there will be quite a bit of delay.

The mirror is similar to my 2014 MDX.

Hesitation on the MDX was fixed by a software update.

yeah perhaps normal mode is more eco minded to save gas. $1.30 per liter.

Someone said sport+ is much more agrgressive, maybe regular sport IDS is the way to go.

On my MDX we leave it in sport+ ALL the time. its fantastic.

Seems to me that you guys are doing way too much extrapolation here to jump on a conclusion.

You take a comment that says "I have not test drove one yet, just my observations from write-ups and others test drive. I do hope I am wrong" and made it a confirmation. Basically, you based your opinion on an opinion of another person who based his own opinion on one (or two) other guy's, who actually sat in and drove the car.

As you know Doc a few of us here are in the minority driving a 4G 6MT and also wanting a TLX SH manual version as well but my take on it is simply that the TLX appears to be a great car by Acura at a great price, generally speaking. There is so many things to like this time around and I would go as far as to call just about all of them improvements. It's too much to list when you stop and think about it and who wouldn't want all that stuff in their car?

Honestly though, Acura is asking a lot of me in order to get one and give up my 6MT and torque vectoring AWD vehicle. Outside of one hanging on to that, it's hard to say it would be a downgrade even with less interior space but just my thoughts not having seen or been in one in person yet.

They are not overly important areas for most but are to me. I really want to ride the manual thing as long as I can, I simply like the engagement even if it sacrifices a few tenths and returns worse fuel economy. Need AWD for my demographic and torque vectoring is usually the most dynamic of AWD's. So to make matters even worse trying to find a 6MT+AWD as it is, now make that one with torque vectoring nonetheless.

Maybe the next S4 still has this but if I feel it's too much money and not warranted and the combo is not really available elsewhere and I have to settle on an auto and less interior space, I may just consider an MDX and be done with a sedan altogether. Unless a TLX Type S comes out and is at S4 and 335 level for $50k or less maybe that would work, maybe. I would however take the current version if it had a manual. Less likely but maybe even upgrade to a left over 2014 6MT if I can find one while I wait to see what happens and what other vehicles come out.

As for the space, that little bit of extra size has been a deal breaker for me in the past when it came to the 3G and now the 4G when compared to smaller cars, however I will not rest it all on the on paper stats or dimensions because they can be deceiving. This will be decided when I get some time behind the wheel. So I'm also curious there as well. It could be a matter of how the space is allocated or utilized as opposed to just total amount.

For example, not at all a knock, as I may be considering one, plus it offers AWD and 6MT, but the 3 series is listed as having nearly as much volume as the 4G with 96 cu ft where the TL has 98.2 but in all honesty, it just isn't there to me. I can't find it and I'm not talking about two foot either, seems like several. It's clearly narrower all around inside and there is less total front to rear space. Could be that a TL comes standard with a moonroof while only the 335 does so the base measurements are probably impacting the stats, moonroof usually takes up 2 or 3 cu ft on a sedan.

I did however notice what is about a .5 inch notch (if not more) in the headliner even with a moonroof in the 3. It cuts up for most of the roof space and that alone can amount to 8 cu ft of additional measured space if you count it as a 4x4 area (and my math is not totally off base) as an example but that is useless space IMO. I feel you can usually compensate for headroom and some legroom but not width including shoulder and hip and not overall front to rear distance, others may feel differently though.

Not to mention the seats and bolsters are smaller and the seat backs are cut in for the rear passengers. I had similar findings with the Infiniti G, can't speak for the Q however. And the other thing is this technique can push these cars into mid size territory in a technical sense or on paper but not feel anything remotely true to a mid size with smaller seating and the extra space remotely spread across the headliner with or without moonroofs which can also be misleading. Just my opinion though.

So now the TLX is smaller inside and may give it the type of feel as I just described but don't know just yet. However, it appears as though the front seats and some bolsters are bigger/thicker as is the center console area/armrest vs the 4G, and the front seat backs don't cut or curve in as the 4G did too, not sure if these measurements work this way but if that is the extent of the reduced dimensions, it should be fine by me. However, if it starts getting that cramped feeling where you get protrusions into the driver leg room area and/or generally feel you are getting squished from the sides impacting shoulder and hip room, it would count for a lot in my book.

I think if you are highway cruising and want to pass that 18 wheeler in front of you, you kick down a few gears and off you go. Also like it is one more thing to manage in the car. But that is the trade off of the higher fuel efficiency.

Look toward the end of this video where the driver uses the paddles to down shift while keeping the speed high.

I see the very same thing. They need to find anything to justify their reasons they dislike the car, without ever actually seeing one.

Boy: I hate spinach! I won't eat it!
Mom: Why not? It's very good for you and tasted great!
Boy: Bobby doesn't like it because it's green and his cousin says it doesn't taste good, sooooo, I hate it!

I don't get it. I haven't seen one in person so I am reserving judgment.

:thumbsup:

Spot on.

People have been jumping to conclusions about this car since day one, and I too am guilty of this. But haven't driven one, hopefully I get a chance next week.

Also what made to switch out the gs350?

I drove a V6 PAWS TECH yesterday (2.4 was not in stock yet). One of the things I was looking for was steering feel (biggest complaint with my current 6MT) and I'll have to say IDS was not the big improvement I was hoping for. Even in Sport+ it felt over boosted and not as heavily weighted as I prefer. On center feel at highway speeds was slightly better though.

Coming from a 6MT, its difficult for me to get excited about the 9AT ZF. I drove the car for about 30 minutes in mixed highway/local driving in all IDS modes, but mostly stayed in Sport+ to play with the paddle shifters. My initial impressions is manually shifting up and down through 9 speeds feels like overkill.

Interior volume you can feel is very slightly tighter, but not that noticeable to me. Trunk volume is up fairly significantly. But neither of those are priorities to me as it is used 99% for commuting.

I like the car overall, it is more refined, quiet, very smooth. But it definitely leans more toward luxury than sporty. Overall it felt softer to me, and the brake feel was slightly mushier. Need to drive the 8DCT and SH-AWD versions before making a decision to upgrade, but I'm leaning toward sticking with my 6MT for another year to see if Acura will offer a sportier version.

I said it was a fear and while I feel it is confirmed I also stated I would test drive one to confirm before making ultimate decision. I alos just may wait for MMC hoping for a Type-S.

Based on one of the reviews I read, if you put it in Sport+, you will just have to play with seven gears. :)

Ha ha... when I was a kid I hated anything green.. :yuck: I didn't know why I just didn't want to have anything to do with 'them green things.' Brought back funny memories.. :tongue:

So why didn't you push the IDS button and go into sport mode? I can't get my head wrapped around all these complaints about the hesitation, when all it takes is a simple push of a button to see if IDS helps. That would be the first immediate thing I would try knowing that is the entire purpose of IDS, is to change how the car feels, responds, and drives.

A button push! lol

I guess when people press on the gas they expect the car to go. Having to push a button to make the car responsive is a let down. I hope they don't make you push a button before you hit the brakes.

It's instinctive for people to expect the car to just "go" when you press the accelerator. Think about it this way - if you're merging onto a freeway, you may punch the gas... if the car takes a second to think about going, your timing may be off in merging and you'll find yourself hitting the brakes to merge behind the car or between cars instead of where you thought you'd be merging because you're running out of real estate to merge. Also, when trying to pass a car, this could be annoying as hell. Lastly, who wants to "hey, remember to push the button before you mash the gas pedal because otherwise you may not go anywhere for a second". lol. :)


I guess the alternative is to drive around in Sport or Sport+ if that helps any, but then I'm guessing your gas mileage may take a massive (?) hit.

Reading everything about the TLX makes me happier by the day that I pulled the trigger on a '12 SH-AWD last December.

I haven't driven the car yet, but I hear "downgrade" being thrown around vs the TL (and not just because of the size). I didn't see mentioned the advancements the TLX has in terms of features over the outgoing TL. Some of those certainly account for cost.

I just wish these cars had some more exciting colors. Soooo let down that the color they teased us with isn't a color they're going with. If they think people would like it, then offer it (even if it costs extra). I'll have to see the red and blue in person to find out if the red doesn't look like an old man car and if the blue has class. Why couldn't they at least keep Milano Red?

Thanks for commenting on this. Numb steering is my biggest complaint with my 2010 TSX, and also my biggest gripe with the current BMW 3 Series, so I'm curious about the TLX in this respect. I don't expect much true feedback, which seems very difficult to produce with electric assist, but decent on-center tracking feel would be a huge improvement IMO. (Tires play a role of course, and I've experienced better steering feel by switching to Continental Extreme Contact DWS. I still wouldn't call it good though.)

Oddly, the only car I've driven with EPS and strong on-center feel is the Ford Focus, both base and ST, and the latter gets a new steering rack for 2015 so it might improve from there.

Unfortunately EPS is here to stay. If I could magically transplant the rack on my 1G TSX, I'd be a happy camper. :nod:

Having said that, will say the IDS Sport+ is an improvement, just not the BIG improvement I was hoping for. Different strokes, for different folks I suppose, but my preference is for a firmer feel.

Yeah, the TLX is just a POS :tomato: There is absolutely nothing to like about it...

My S2000 has EPS, as did the NSX. Both were highly praised for their feel, so it IS possible to retain it.

For one, the 4G has already lost 15-20% of its value. I'm sure it will be a keeper anyway so it won't matter in the end.