2021 Acura TLX SH-AWD A-Spec 

Whether you’re hitting the links or the open road, the 2021 Acura TLX will get you to your destination in style.

By Isaac Bouchard 

Acura’s return to its roots as the first premium, sporty Japanese brand continues with the all-new TLX. Calling from the same playbook that has made the RDX crossover such a hit, it is well built, has very sporty handling and is dramatic looking. Some of us are old enough to remember how groundbreaking it was when Acura debuted; their showrooms were lovely, sales and service on another level and the two vehicles themselves superbly engineered. Never before had the Japanese directly challenged Lincoln, Cadillac and the European luxury brands. Over the decades Acura’s fortunes have waxed and waned, though, as its offerings have drifted from unique cars, to merely warmed–over Hondas, to some truly astonishing machines like the original NSX. That mid-engined supercar handled so well it forced Ferrari back to the drawing board for the F355.  

Acura has been on the rise again, thanks to the inherent excellence and subsequent sales success of the RDX. While the TLX can never hope to achieve its sales numbers, if it can bring the same value play to the sports sedan segment that BMW ruled for decades with the 3-series, the company will have accomplished its mission. And by and large, it does. The TLX certainly looks the part, with a hood length to rival cars like the Bimmer, despite that its engine faces east-west, not north-south like the rear wheel drive based German. Its fenders are flared dramatically and its tapered greenhouse and sweeping roofline are fetching. Inside, the design is equally pleasing and overall quality not far off the Continental competition. Probably the biggest demerits are that plastics on some adjoining panels—such as the dash and door panels—doesn’t match in grain or color, a common ailment in newer vehicles, where different companies supply different parts. The driving position, room and seating comfort for those in front is excellent. In the rear it’s a different story; the TLX is tighter than a 3-series, Audi A4 or even Mercedes C-class. Its trunk is smaller as well. This matters much less than it once did, since most sedan shoppers switched to crossovers, meaning these four doors now function more like coupes of yore: slinky, standouts that put style over pragmatism for owners who are usually on board solo, or with a single passenger. Acura spent years developing the True Touchpad interface strategy for the 10.2-inch screen. It is akin to a laptop trackpad, and while one does get used to it, it isn’t as slick as a BMW, which allows one to control functions either by touch, or use of the iDrive control wheel and buttons.

Many years ago, Acura pioneered a system called Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, and it pays dividends on the optional AWD version of the TLX (front drive is standard). It uses sensors to tell the computer controlling the rear differential how much drive to send to each wheel. In a corner, if the car starts to wash wide into understeer, it speeds up the outside rear wheel. This causes the Acura’s path to tighten, meaning it handles neutrally. Not only is this rewarding to the driver, it’s safer as well, because the car goes where the pilot thinks it will. Many other companies now employ similar system, most notably Audi, but Acura did it first. Combined with a stiff new platform and a return to a control arm front suspension (which allows the front tires to stay in better contact with the road at the limits of adhesion), SH-AWD imbues the TLX with very high levels of grip, excellent body control and quick reflexes. The steering is precise, though like almost all modern systems, it lacks real feel and feedback. Brake pedal progression and stopping power are excellent. All in all, the TLX is one of the most rewarding new sports sedans to carve a corner in quiet some time. What the Acura lacks—for now—is a powertrain as good up to its chassis.  

While its 2-liter, turbocharged engine has decent outputs (at 272hp/280lb-ft, it is up there with Ze Germans), the longer and wider Acura is heavier by 250-300 pounds. This blunts performance; the TLX takes almost 6 seconds to crack the 0-60mph sprint, while a 330xi or Audi A4 can do it in the high-4s to low-5 second range. In this respect the TLX is like the first Acuras; the original Integra took over 10 seconds to do the same, which was slower than some of its competitors. The engine’s only partner is a 10-speed automatic; in the sportier drive modes it rips off shifts like a superbike, but in normal use it isn’t quite as slick as the ZF-sourced 8-speed in most rivals. A forthcoming Type S model will certainly be faster, since it will have a 3-liter V6 with about 355 horses. Where the current model really scores is in value. The basic AWD form it comes in at $40,525 after shipping charges, which is only $2,000 more than the average transaction price of a new vehicle last year. The A-Spec test vehicle plenty of cosmetic and luxury upgrades baked into its modest $2,750 surcharge (though you have to take the $4,000 Technology package to get it) meaning its all-in of just over $47,000 undercuts a loaded 330xi or even A4 by a substantial margin. If Acura continues its historic tradition of being much less expensive to maintain and repair than those two—or almost anything else for that matter—it’s a true inheritor of Acura’s original remit and a worthy heir of the company’s best moments.  

EPA Ratings: 21/29/24mpg 

0-60mph: 5.9sec (independent test) 

Price as tested: $47,275 

Here is what has to say. 

4 Stars  

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Contact Isaac Bouchard for help saving time, money and hassle when buying or leasing one at [email protected]

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