When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Picked up my Obsidian Blue Pearl TLX SH-AWD Elite!
Picked this sucker up last night! 2016 Acura TLX SH-AWD Elite. Sorry about the poor quality of the image (my phone's camera SUCKS at night!). In late January when I'm less busy with work, I'm going to do a proper photo shoot of the car.
Also got the illuminated door sills! The dealer said I was the first one to order them. There is a small panel gap about 2mm in size and they said they were going to talk to Acura to see if they can get another one better sized.
Obsidian Blue Pearl is not a colour I see around very often.
I drove over 170 km last night just tooling around town. The car is equipped with Michelin X-ice xi3 tires. Let me tell you, SH-AWD + winter tires = amazing! I've never felt anything like that in my life. The amount of control I have on the road is ridiculous compared to my FWD TL-S with winter tires.
Now, the part that some of you guys have been waiting for. The transmission. I have to say, it's operating flawlessly! No 2-3 shift bump (I purposely tried this in Sport+ at various different RPM multiple times - no issues at all), zero hesitation when slowly moving and then leaving a parking lot (unlike the first 2015 I test drove). It also is ludicrously good on gas, even when not broken in yet. Sport is more 'sporty' than the 2015 model by a small but noticeable amount (my opinion), Normal also is moved up a little. Econ feels like a slug and I hate it with a passion. I get great fuel economy anyways in Sport, why would I ever use Econ?
The only thing that takes awhile is downshifts from 9->4 due to the double dog clutch shift (through 8 and 5). Single downshifts are quick as are upshifts. It seems to allow either 2 or 3 shifts by pressing quickly on the flappy paddles. It's at least 2 but I think I got it to do 3 once. Overall I am very happy with the transmission and the car in general.
Also used the remote start after getting food. Car was comfortable after just being on for 5 minutes. Remote start has a ludicrous range too. The car pre-heated my seat AND my steering wheel, defrosted the mirrors and rear window, and turned on the windshield heater element to clear ice from the wipers (also defrost air was on). Super impressed. And with 2 cars in my garage now the power folding mirrors are useful. Haven't had a chance to try the heated rear seats yet, lol.
I'll make sure to post photos in the Photo section of the forums when I get the chance to take some good ones with a DSLR in late January. The colour is hard to describe without good imagery from a quality camera.
Glad that your loving your car wish I didn't have the tranny issues grrrr!
In my opinion, all of the 2015 transmissions need to work as well as the 2016 one does. I think Acura needs to do something for you guys who have the problematic 2015 ones (not saying all 2015's have issues, but the ones that do need attention). Also, no vibrations on the highway in my car whatsoever that I can feel.
Also, thanks guys, I'm enjoying the hell out of this car. It's unbelievable in the winter and so far has put my TL-S to shame.
youngTL....Congrats on your TLX! The color looks great and I am looking forward to your photo shoot in January, although in Canada, I hope you can get a decent car wash prior to doing it I hope your transmission will continue to behave as well as it does....I want a TLX so badly but I am still on the fence until I am convinced this issue is resolved.
I guess I'll wait another year or so until we can see the TLX MMC with its visible dual exhaust before getting mine....That will be about the time our lease on the ILX will be done. I still have about 2.5 years left with my IS350 F which I may actually buy at the end of its lease....It is that good!
weather, yeah I'm going to wash it good beforehand. I use a two-bucket method usually and in the winter use Optimum No-Rinse (after going to a wand wash to spray off the crud). If I had an ILX lease, I wouldn't be sad to see it end, lol. I'm not a huge fan of that car by any means, although the 2016 wasn't bad, I think I'd rather have an I4 TLX over the ILX any day.
I really love the TLX. I guess coming from a 3G TL, the proportions are similar and the interior felt like 'home' right away (it's also more luxurious inside than my 3G). I very much liked the IS350 F-sport but it felt a bit alien to me, although I could have gotten used to it. It was the other serious contender here. There were multiple factors that elevated the TLX for me though above it (I drove both on 4 test drives plus a night home with each). Here is my list of things that I considered in the order that they mattered to me:
1. As of 2016 (and I was getting a new 2016 car), both Lexus and Acura only offer the IS350 and TLX in AWD models with the V6. However, I think Lexus made the RWD version of the IS350 way better than the AWD version. They force you into the 6AT versus the sweet 8AT for one thing, and the second thing (dealbreaker for me) was the hump by gas pedal from the differential! I have muscular calves and it bothered me to no end. I just couldn't get comfortable. Also I have a wide-ish back and the upper bolsters of the seat on the IS350 were a bit too aggressive for me.
2. Since the Lexus and Acura dealerships are across the street from each other, I took both cars on the exact same test drive circuit more than once, and drove with a similar driving style each time. On all my test drives and a test of my work-home-work commute route, the TLX returned substantially better fuel economy. I do a lot of road trips and long distance driving, so that was major bonus points for the TLX.
3. Cost/value. The TLX was substantially lower cost (similarly equipped almost $4k less). Neither dealer was willing to negotiate very much though given that I was going to factory order the car either way. The TLX came with a number of extra features that were not even options on the IS350.
4. NVH - The TLX wins this one. My dad bought a Lexus ES350 last year, and the TLX is at least as quiet if not slightly more so. The IS350 F-sport is noticeably harsher than both of those cars although not objectively harsh (and I'm older now so those things are starting to matter to me a lot - that's one reason I'm divesting myself of my 2007 TL-S). Great suspension on the TLX too. It's compliant yet still quite sporty around corners (especially with proper tires).
5. Handling - The IS350 won that one, but for the type of driving I do, the TLX is plenty athletic, especially with good tires. Also SH-AWD > plain jane AWD.
I see that you guys got already snow in Edmonton. Here on Montreal we have a "green" Christmas and I didn't get a chance to see how SH-AWD performs. I believe it should be on par with my 2009 TL.
It's encouraging your small review and I may finally by the MMC after my lease is up.
Picked this sucker up last night! 2016 Acura TLX SH-AWD Elite. Sorry about the poor quality of the image (my phone's camera SUCKS at night!). In late January when I'm less busy with work, I'm going to do a proper photo shoot of the car.
Also got the illuminated door sills! The dealer said I was the first one to order them. There is a small panel gap about 2mm in size and they said they were going to talk to Acura to see if they can get another one better sized.
Obsidian Blue Pearl is not a colour I see around very often.
I drove over 170 km last night just tooling around town. The car is equipped with Michelin X-ice xi3 tires. Let me tell you, SH-AWD + winter tires = amazing! I've never felt anything like that in my life. The amount of control I have on the road is ridiculous compared to my FWD TL-S with winter tires.
Now, the part that some of you guys have been waiting for. The transmission. I have to say, it's operating flawlessly! No 2-3 shift bump (I purposely tried this in Sport+ at various different RPM multiple times - no issues at all), zero hesitation when slowly moving and then leaving a parking lot (unlike the first 2015 I test drove). It also is ludicrously good on gas, even when not broken in yet. Sport is more 'sporty' than the 2015 model by a small but noticeable amount (my opinion), Normal also is moved up a little. Econ feels like a slug and I hate it with a passion. I get great fuel economy anyways in Sport, why would I ever use Econ?
The only thing that takes awhile is downshifts from 9->4 due to the double dog clutch shift (through 8 and 5). Single downshifts are quick as are upshifts. It seems to allow either 2 or 3 shifts by pressing quickly on the flappy paddles. It's at least 2 but I think I got it to do 3 once. Overall I am very happy with the transmission and the car in general.
Also used the remote start after getting food. Car was comfortable after just being on for 5 minutes. Remote start has a ludicrous range too. The car pre-heated my seat AND my steering wheel, defrosted the mirrors and rear window, and turned on the windshield heater element to clear ice from the wipers (also defrost air was on). Super impressed. And with 2 cars in my garage now the power folding mirrors are useful. Haven't had a chance to try the heated rear seats yet, lol.
I'll make sure to post photos in the Photo section of the forums when I get the chance to take some good ones with a DSLR in late January. The colour is hard to describe without good imagery from a quality camera.
Nice color combo, wish our (US) blue color came with a black interior! Also, are your fog light bezels (frame around fog lights) color matched to your car, or is it just the glare in the photo? They look color matched, here in the US there gloss black plastic.
If the blue colour came with grey interior in Canada, I would have gone for it, as the blue colour is SHARP on the TLX!
Yes, I got Michelin X-ice too - they are really great with the SH-AWD - I recently saw a 3 series (probably with RWD) struggling in the icy parking lot in the shopping mall but my TLX did not have any problem with it at all....
Picked this sucker up last night! 2016 Acura TLX SH-AWD Elite. Sorry about the poor quality of the image (my phone's camera SUCKS at night!). In late January when I'm less busy with work, I'm going to do a proper photo shoot of the car.
Also got the illuminated door sills! The dealer said I was the first one to order them. There is a small panel gap about 2mm in size and they said they were going to talk to Acura to see if they can get another one better sized.
Obsidian Blue Pearl is not a colour I see around very often.
I drove over 170 km last night just tooling around town. The car is equipped with Michelin X-ice xi3 tires. Let me tell you, SH-AWD + winter tires = amazing! I've never felt anything like that in my life. The amount of control I have on the road is ridiculous compared to my FWD TL-S with winter tires.
Now, the part that some of you guys have been waiting for. The transmission. I have to say, it's operating flawlessly! No 2-3 shift bump (I purposely tried this in Sport+ at various different RPM multiple times - no issues at all), zero hesitation when slowly moving and then leaving a parking lot (unlike the first 2015 I test drove). It also is ludicrously good on gas, even when not broken in yet. Sport is more 'sporty' than the 2015 model by a small but noticeable amount (my opinion), Normal also is moved up a little. Econ feels like a slug and I hate it with a passion. I get great fuel economy anyways in Sport, why would I ever use Econ?
The only thing that takes awhile is downshifts from 9->4 due to the double dog clutch shift (through 8 and 5). Single downshifts are quick as are upshifts. It seems to allow either 2 or 3 shifts by pressing quickly on the flappy paddles. It's at least 2 but I think I got it to do 3 once. Overall I am very happy with the transmission and the car in general.
Also used the remote start after getting food. Car was comfortable after just being on for 5 minutes. Remote start has a ludicrous range too. The car pre-heated my seat AND my steering wheel, defrosted the mirrors and rear window, and turned on the windshield heater element to clear ice from the wipers (also defrost air was on). Super impressed. And with 2 cars in my garage now the power folding mirrors are useful. Haven't had a chance to try the heated rear seats yet, lol.
I'll make sure to post photos in the Photo section of the forums when I get the chance to take some good ones with a DSLR in late January. The colour is hard to describe without good imagery from a quality camera.
Congrats on your purchase. That color combo looks very nice.
Thanks for posting pictures of the illuminated door sills, never seen those before, and they're kinda cool.
I also had a 3G previously and your assessment of the fuel economy is quite accurate. Granted I have the I4 vs. the V6, but I'm loving the improved gas mileage. I always drive mine in Sport mode, because I like the tighter handling, and based on what I could tell, there is virtually no impact on fuel economy compared to Normal mode. ECO mode is awful and not something I would drive in.
I also had a 3G previously and your assessment of the fuel economy is quite accurate. Granted I have the I4 vs. the V6, but I'm loving the improved gas mileage. I always drive mine in Sport mode, because I like the tighter handling, and based on what I could tell, there is virtually no impact on fuel economy compared to Normal mode. ECO mode is awful and not something I would drive in.
Enjoy your new car!
Thanks. I'm getting roughly equal fuel economy to my 3G in most conditions, which is amazing considering that it's SH-AWD and heavier overall. It might even improve after break-in is done. My TL-S felt a little more eager to go because I didn't have to shift as often, but if I put it in Sport+, the TLX is about as aggressive as I would drive my 6MT TL-S. I haven't done a lot of that yet, still breaking it in (I'm at about 485 km now).
Here's a picture during the day that I took today while I was at the gym. I figured it's easier to see what it looks like in the sun. There is a good reason I didn't just go for the black, and this is that reason!
I'm still struggling to figure out if this Obsidian Blue Pearl is different than the Fathom Blue Pearl that the USA gets. I THINK it's the same but I can't tell, lol. The car is a little bit dirty here (not very though, considering it's winter!).
Here's a picture during the day that I took today while I was at the gym. I figured it's easier to see what it looks like in the sun. There is a good reason I didn't just go for the black, and this is that reason!
I'm still struggling to figure out if this Obsidian Blue Pearl is different than the Fathom Blue Pearl that the USA gets. I THINK it's the same but I can't tell, lol. The car is a little bit dirty here (not very though, considering it's winter!).
I believe that they are the same color. In the US, new Honda models are Obsidian Blue Pearl while Acura models are Fathom Blue Pearl, but both are the same paint code B588P.
I just took delivery of a 15 TLX in Fathom Blue Pearl, so once I get it detailed, I'll post a photo on this thread to compare. After seeing your photos, I can't wait to see mine all cleaned up!
12-24-2015, 01:01 PM
I hope your transmission will continue to behave as well as it does....I want a TLX so badly but I am still on the fence until I am convinced this issue is resolved. 
