2021 Acura TLX Type S

[Tragic Bronson]

Is it going to save Acura? Probably not. But the bits we are seeing about dedicated platform, dedicated suspension, next gen SH-AWD and dedicated engine for Type S... are impressive to me.

Don't think any sedan except Tesla can sustain sales right now for a brand. RDX and MDX are keeping the brand relevant.

 

[ssun30]

This TLX is DOA, but I always applaud Honda for insisting on creating well-engineered products even if they know their future is grim. They are too old school Japanese and don't go down without an honorable fight.

 

[Gecko]

So most of the details are out now, though a few remaining tidbits about the Type S which are being held closer to launch.

My overall feeling is right car at the wrong time, unfortunately for Acura. I greatly applaud the effort. This is a much higher level of execution from Acura than we've seen before... dedicated platform, dedicated suspension and dedicated turbo V6 engine, combined with an exterior that wears their design language better and an interior with some genuinely impressive detailing. Next gen SH-AWD with rear bias is about as good as it gets and I wish Lexus would do something similar. SH-AWD was already one of the best AWD systems on the market, so retuning it to be RWD biased is pretty kick ass.

This angle looks great to me, and I feel like you get the best sense of how different the car looks. This is lower, wider and much beefier looking... I get some Audi S5/S5 Sportback vibes in the shape of the front end and hood.

Nobody is going to mistake it for a RWD car, but the long hood and short trunk lid go a long way in creating a sporty appearance. Hard to tell the details in white, but this is a more mature and cohesive Acura design than we've seen in a while.

Back end strikes me as logical progression for Honda/Acura design: clean and conservative with a flair of sport.

I want to see more photos of the non Type-S interior. I like the Type S a lot, but the detailing in the luxury version looks beautiful.

 

[Gecko]

The car looks good in motion:

 

[Ian Schmidt]

My overall feeling is right car at the wrong time, unfortunately for Acura. I greatly applaud the effort

My feeling as well. It seems to be a great car, but an effort like this is probably 10-15 years late both for the brand and because it's launching fully into the teeth of an all-SUV/CUV market.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

 

[Tragic Bronson]

My feeling as well. It seems to be a great car, but an effort like this is probably 10-15 years late both for the brand and because it's launching fully into the teeth of an all-SUV/CUV market.

It will be a challenge. The last TL Type S was well received and surprisingly its prices have gone up especially for the 6MT, but IDK if there are enough of those enthusiasts or VTEC fanboys (cough Sofyan Bey lol) that are in the market for the new one now. At that time, most of them were purchased whereas now, the market will probably just lease them.

 

[Sulu]

Is the TLX truly on a dedicated platform, or is it only a dedicated platform until the next-generation Accord is introduced in a year or so?

How can Honda / Acura afford to place a relatively low-demand premium sedan on its own dedicated platform?

 

[Gecko]

Is the TLX truly on a dedicated platform, or is it only a dedicated platform until the next-generation Accord is introduced in a year or so?

How can Honda / Acura afford to place a relatively low-demand premium sedan on its own dedicated platform?

The Accord was new for 2018 and launched on an all new architecture at that time. There is no next-generation accord coming within a year... probably a mid-cycle refresh for the current one.

If you watch the TLX product video, there are various components of the chassis that are unique to the TLX, so my sense is they probably took this new midsize FWD platform from the 18 Accord as a starting point and re-engineered specific parts for weight reduction, rigidity, strength, etc. The 2021 TLX and Accord also have different wheelbases.

 

[Sulu]

The Accord was new for 2018 and launched on an all new architecture at that time. There is no next-generation accord coming within a year... probably a mid-cycle refresh for the current one.

If you watch the TLX product video, there are various components of the chassis that are unique to the TLX, so my sense is they probably took this new midsize FWD platform from the 18 Accord as a starting point and re-engineered specific parts for weight reduction, rigidity, strength, etc. The 2021 TLX and Accord also have different wheelbases.

I realize now that I am rushing the Accord but the new model may be only 2 years away.

Honda has become known for claiming that a model is on a dedicated platform, only to introduce a similar model a year or 2 later. I remember Acura did that for the current-generation MDX, until Honda introduced the Pilot on the same platform 2 years later.

Honda is well-known for platform sharing so it has no true dedicated platforms, at least not for long.

 

[ssun30]

That interior is a disaster. So busy.

 

[CRSKTN]

Interior is fine. Theyll figure out which parts are "Acura" and refine as they go.

This will be good for them. The value here isnt just the sales of this vehicle, it's the total package of this and their new rdx and mdx. This will help to push those.

Expect to see a lot of custom TLXs, higher spec aftermarket projects, etc.

They're brand rebuilding. I am sure they hope and wish the TLX will print money, but theyll know if the project was really worth it in 5 years.

 

[mediumhot]

This car is so wide. That's gonna look great on the road. Proper premium midsize sedan.

 

[Will1991]

So, Lexus does infotainment with a trackpad without touchscreen and it's a bad move, Acura does it and it will end up being easy to use?

 

[Motor]

 

[mikeavelli]

I realize now that I am rushing the Accord but the new model may be only 2 years away.

Honda has become known for claiming that a model is on a dedicated platform, only to introduce a similar model a year or 2 later. I remember Acura did that for the current-generation MDX, until Honda introduced the Pilot on the same platform 2 years later.

Honda is well-known for platform sharing so it has no true dedicated platforms, at least not for long.

Yeah I'm sure its related to honda's. There is no way Acura the king of cutting corners is suddenly dropping money on its own platforms when every company is sharing more and more. If they really had an all new platform, why would they not go with RWD instead OF LOOKING like its RWD. Fake.

This car is so wide. That's gonna look great on the road. Proper premium midsize sedan.

But not efficient with space. The interior dimensions and trunk are near identical to the last model. That is a huge miss for such a large car.

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

I realize now that I am rushing the Accord but the new model may be only 2 years away.

Honda has become known for claiming that a model is on a dedicated platform, only to introduce a similar model a year or 2 later. I remember Acura did that for the current-generation MDX, until Honda introduced the Pilot on the same platform 2 years later.

Honda is well-known for platform sharing so it has no true dedicated platforms, at least not for long.

There is no way Acura the king of cutting corners is suddenly dropping money on its own platforms when every company is sharing more and more.

Totally agree with both of you, but perhaps Honda has the right idea rolling out its new platforms on Acura first, then dumbing them down for Honda, as opposed to what Toyota/Lexus are doing with their crossovers in the transition to TNGA architectures, where Toyota C-HR preceded Lexus UX, RAV4 precedes NX and Highlander will precede RX.

 

[bogglo]

Lol you can also flip it that lexus use toyota as guinea pig to make lexus a perfection.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

Lol you can also flip it that lexus use toyota as guinea pig to make lexus a perfection.

Toyota historically has used lower-end cars (Prius, Yaris, and to an extent Corolla) as beta testers for things that show up in Lexus (and Camry and Avalon) later. It's frustrating to Lexus customers, but it's also definitely safer than rolling out untested things on your high-end cars and it's why Lexus still has a great reputation for quality.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

It's frustrating to Lexus customers, but it's also definitely safer than rolling out untested things on your high-end cars and it's why Lexus still has a great reputation for quality.

I think it is a double edge sword. You keep the folks that you've been selling to that made you successful, but IMO, the driving enthusiasts are the ones that have gone elsewhere. Most of them feel that Lexus caters to the audience moving up from Camrys and the like. But as @Gecko said the pursuing of the Germans with the way they cover the market is getting tougher.