2021 Acura TLX Type S

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Levi

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In the past Lexus had the latest most advanced tech compared to Germans too, and was still the most reliable. It is all about how much work and effort you put, with which goals. Most goals in the industry are now disposable cars (thanks to leases).
 
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mikeavelli

mikeavelli

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Sounds like the Acura guys aren’t happy at all. To get the same features as an accord you got to load up to 48k with the same I-4.

The type S is going to be 55k or so and it has none of the features of the advance model. It’s missing a lot of basic things like puddle lamps. It also comes next spring.

Why is destination charge over $1000 when it’s made in Ohio?

It is also much larger than before, the size of an A6 but the Interior hasn’t grown from the last tlx. That’s American execution, not Japanese. In comparison an ES will feel huge inside though length is about the same.

I do think it’s much improved and it’s great to see the type s. But the value has shrunk considerably compared to the Type S nearly 20 years ago.
 
mmcartalk

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mikeavelli said:
Why is destination charge over $1000 when it’s made in Ohio?
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Destination charges, today, are not necessarily based on actual distance from the dealer to the plant....and, yes, they average around $1000 or so, across the board, from subcompacts to Suburbans. I don't like the system very much myself, but we're pretty much stuck with it if we want a new vehicle.
 
mikeavelli

mikeavelli

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Reviews are so so. Looks better, nice interior, drives decent, nice stereo. Its slower than the Accord, the interior is small, the trunk is small, MPG is average and it costs more. Some reviews are not in love with the drive either.

I dunno on this car. The problem with Acura is at their core is imitation crab meat. So instead of making a true RWD sport sedan, they make it look like one, they make the engine try to feel like a V-6 but its an I-4 and you get this compromise. But it at least it looks better.

To me it has always been their version of the ES. While this will drive sportier it doesn't have the room, trunk or hybrid. Both have similar dimensions.
 
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Sulu

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mikeavelli said:
Reviews are so so. Looks better, nice interior, drives decent, nice stereo. Its slower than the Accord, the interior is small, the trunk is small, MPG is average and it costs more. Some reviews are not in love with the drive either.
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I have only read one review of the TLX. Autoblog, perhaps not surprisingly, really loved it. Am I allowed to say that they preferred it to sax?

mikeavelli said:
I dunno on this car. The problem with Acura is at their core is imitation crab meat. So instead of making a true RWD sport sedan, they make it look like one, they make the engine try to feel like a V-6 but its an I-4 and you get this compromise. But it at least it looks better.

To me it has always been their version of the ES. While this will drive sportier it doesn't have the room, trunk or hybrid. Both have similar dimensions.
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I have always wondered what the extension of the dash to front axle ratio on a transverse-engine FWD car (as Volvo and now the Acura TLX have done) gives you, other than "looks better" (which is subjective). Ok, it looks like a sporty, RWD car.

Does it give better balance? No. It is still a FWD car with the engine and transmission in front of the front axle.

And compared to another FWD car with a similar wheelbase, interior passenger and cargo space is compromised.

Will it boost sales? Time will tell, but I am not convinced. I believe that the market for sporty mid-sized sedans is small and it can be met by the German luxury brands. Just as the mass-market mid-sized sedan market is pretty well owned by Toyota and Honda (which explains why Ford and Chevrolet abandoned the mid-sized sedan market), the mid-sized sport-luxury sedan market is owned by the German luxury brands (Lexus realized this and cancelled the GS). It seems to me that buyers looking for a family-sized (mid-sized) vehicle have migrated to crossovers, leaving small demand for mid-sized sedans.

As a competitor for the ES, a nice, comfortable, premium, nicely-executed mid-sized FWD sedan, there may be a market for it, but I do not believe it will sell as a sporty, premium mid-sized sedan.
 
F1 Silver Arrows

F1 Silver Arrows

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mikeavelli said:
www.motortrend.com

2021 Acura TLX Track Test Review: Not a Numbers Car

Appreciate the 2021 Acura TLX for its many strengths, but don't dwell too much on the numbers. There's value here, just not a lot in the way of performance.
www.motortrend.com www.motortrend.com

0-60 in 7 seconds and underperforms all over. It’s an ES competitor not IS.
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C&D got a way faster time though (something like mid-5's). I don't get why you're dogging this car so much. It's a way more attractive option than a lot of other cars that exists in its segment, including the Lexus ES.
 
Tragic Bronson

Tragic Bronson

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Keep in mind, this is the regular 2.0 turbo TLX, the Type S hasn't been tested yet. But it isn't off to a good start if the base car is barely faster than the Accord 2.0T. Acura/Honda could've made up for it if they offered it with a manual, since the Accord 2.0T Sport dropped its 6MT for 2021.
 
F1 Silver Arrows

F1 Silver Arrows

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Tragic Bronson said:
Keep in mind, this is the regular 2.0 turbo TLX, the Type S hasn't been tested yet. But it isn't off to a good start if the base car is barely faster than the Accord 2.0T. Acura/Honda could've made up for it if they offered it with a manual, since the Accord 2.0T Sport dropped its 6MT for 2021.
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The Accord is 400 lbs lighter. I'm not surprised. In fact, that's still very impressive for the Acura.
 
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bogglo

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And now a brand new IS 350 F sport is looking way more interesting than the Acura I4. I wont be surprise if we get more concrete information about the IS500 after we know what to expect from Acura type S.
 
F1 Silver Arrows

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bogglo said:
And now a brand new IS 350 F sport is looking way more interesting than the Acura I4. I wont be surprise if we get more concrete information about the IS500 after we know what to expect from Acura type S.
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That Lexus is an order of magnitude prettier and will most definitely drive better than the Acura. However, is it more competitive than the Acura as a whole? No.
 
Gecko

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If you think about what the TL/TLX has always been, this is that same formula but significantly improved and sharpened, so I am not seeing a reason for the hate either. We would be lucky if Lexus gave the ES the same level of attention and investment over the Avalon. Much like Lexus has given up on chasing the Germans, I think Acura has realized they must do the same and build cars that will appeal to their buyers because they're not going to be cross shopped much with BMW, Mercedes, etc.

0-60 in 6-7 seconds for a car that weighs ~4,000lbs and has a 270hp I4 sounds about right to me. The interior space was sacrificed for design, as engineers saw that people seeking space chose CUVs anyway.

Based on size alone, I do not see this car being cross shopped with an IS 97% of the time. ES is the prime competitor, and this shreds the ES, product-for-product point. I see this TLX as the sporty, techy competitor to the ES, which is probably the best place for it in terms of competitive placement. Bigger, softer, cheaper than a 3/C/A4, more like the 5/E/A6 but not as expensive and not as much product, either.

I know the last decade has sucked, but the idea of the Japanese luxury brands finding their own ways and carving their own path is exciting to me.
 
mikeavelli

mikeavelli

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F1 Silver Arrows said:
C&D got a way faster time though (something like mid-5's). I don't get why you're dogging this car so much. It's a way more attractive option than a lot of other cars that exists in its segment, including the Lexus ES.
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Not hating on the car. I’m sure they will hit their sales goal of 26k units. But the Honda fanboys acting like it’s the second coming look ridiculous when it’s a slug. And there’s some major misses.

Comparing C&D data to their own Accord, the new TLX falls short in every key metric from braking to handling to acceleration.

You get a car much larger but the interior nor trunk has grown.

MPG is not better than the competition.

It put on significant weight.

Still fwd but made to “look” rwd. A fake.

No V-6 yet. So you gain power on the base model but lose power compared to the v-6.

It’s clearly better than the last gen but the last gen was pretty blah.
 
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