2021 Acura TLX Type S

[mikeavelli]

It is crazy to think the TL and ES used to fight toe to toe in the mid 2000s with sales and today the ES outsells it more than 2-1. Insane.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

It is crazy to think the TL and ES used to fight toe to toe in the mid 2000s with sales and today the ES outsells it more than 2-1. Insane.

Doesn't mean it's objectively better.

The TLX is one hell of a car. If the Type S V6 engine is as reliable as a typical German car (which is pretty solid nowadays), I'd pick the TLX Type S all day, any damn day over any ES. The only thing that the ES has over the TLX is the legendary 2GR V6 and is geared more towards being a true luxury car.

This Acura is a jack of all trades, and is proficient in most of them.

 

[mikeavelli]

Doesn't mean it's objectively better.

The TLX is one hell of a car. If the Type S V6 engine is as reliable as a typical German car (which is pretty solid nowadays), I'd pick the TLX Type S all day, any damn day over any ES. The only thing that the ES has over the TLX is the legendary 2GR V6 and is geared more towards being a true luxury car.

This Acura is a jack of all trades, and is proficient in most of them.

I didn't say the ES was better. I'm saying they both were their volume sedans then, they are their volume sedans today, and the TLX sells at half a clip.
FYI TLX sales were down 15% last month with an all new model and giving away 2020s. Not a good sign.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

I didn't say the ES was better. I'm saying they both were their volume sedans then, they are their volume sedans today, and the TLX sells at half a clip.

I know. My point was that on the other hand aside from the sales point, it doesn't mean that the ES is really the better car. It's like the story between the GS and the ES. The ES sucks in comparison to the GS in EVERY considerable metric. There is not ONE metric that made the ES a better car than the GS and yet it sold more. While sales do generally dictate what's a good product and what isn't and the sales do not lie, they aren't able to fully explain cases like these, and it's more due to outside factors affecting everything. In this case, it was the braindead dealership salesmen and the engineers purposely not giving a sh*t about the GS. They COULD have made it a true E-Class and 5-Series killer had they bothered to update the car.

TLX sales were down 15% last month with an all new model and giving away 2020s. Not a good sign.

This is grossly out of context as they're only now starting to sell them. There's still a bunch of older TLX's that need to be sold. You've had it out for this car ever since it came out and I am genuinely perplexed by this. You do you though.

 

[mikeavelli]

This is grossly out of context as they're only now starting to sell them. There's still a bunch of older TLX's that need to be sold. You've had it out for this car ever since it came out and I am genuinely perplexed by this. You do you though.

The car has been on sale since late September. The numbers don’t lie, sales were down 12% last month year over year.

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

The car has been on sale since late September. The numbers don’t lie, sales were down 12% last month year over year.

Yeah and people are just swooning to buy cars at this moment right? 🙄

That's still not a good indicator if the car is selling well or not. Neither you or I have the insider knowledge to prove concretely why the 12% decrease is happening. It could literally be due to a multitude of things. Also note that Lexus has been having their slumps as well. Their December to Remember sale will most definitely boost the dealers in being able to move units however.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

I think most would be MY21 TLX buyers are waiting on the Type S, not settling for the 4 cylinder A-Spec package on the lot now.

 

[Sulu]

Doesn't mean it's objectively better.

The TLX is one hell of a car. If the Type S V6 engine is as reliable as a typical German car (which is pretty solid nowadays), I'd pick the TLX Type S all day, any damn day over any ES. The only thing that the ES has over the TLX is the legendary 2GR V6 and is geared more towards being a true luxury car.

This Acura is a jack of all trades, and is proficient in most of them.

I am going to argue against this, for the sake of argument and to play devil's advocate.

There are 2 reasons that I can see for a drop in sales of a particular model while its competition does not: the automaker is cutting back on sales or its customers are no longer buying that model. If customers are no longer buying that model (and the automaker did not choose to limit supply), they have found something wrong with it; they have found the competitor to be better.

Remember that cars in this niche -- entry-level premium cars -- are built to be sold; they are the money-makers for the premium automaker. If a model sells, the customers have judged it to be a good car, regardless of how technically advanced or better its competition may be. In this market niche, the customer is king and the customer speaks by buying what they judge to be the better (for them) model.

Better could be defined in so many ways: better marketing (attracting shoppers to the showroom), better price (including incentives), better value, or simply, just providing what the market is looking for (better than the competition).

I do not know why the TLX is no longer selling. I will tell you why I am not shopping for the TLX but continue to be interested in the ES and interested in replacing my 2015 ES Hybrid next year with another ES Hybrid.

I am only interested in a Hybrid powertrain; the TLX is not available with a Hybrid powertrain. I am not interested in any overtly sporty model and the SH-AWD does not interest me at all.

I bought my ES for the Hybrid powertrain, but will shop for another ES Hybrid because of the unique combination of excellent fuel consumption (matching my 2010 Corolla) and excellent interior room. The TLX does not offer this combination.

 

[ssun30]

The TLX is a fine car. Its poor sales is from Acura itself. When a brand is in decline of course its products suffer with it.

Not having a hybrid lineup for Acura could spell doom to the brand globally. Well, Acura has basically retreated to North America anyway.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

No wonder the TLX was getting beat

Acura Slashes 2021 TLX Lease Prices Ahead Of The New Year

The 2021 Acura TLX was one of the biggest redesigns this year as it went through a complete overhaul inside and out. Unfortunately, lease deals

www.carsdirect.com

This year-end deal makes the TLX much more competitive to what Lexus is advertising as well. The 2021 IS 300 has a regional lease offer of $339/month for 36 months with $3,999 due at signing. With an MSRP of $40,450 and a 10,000 mile per year allowance, the effective monthly cost equates to $450, $3 more than the TLX’s loyalty/conquest lease offer.

Unfortunately, the TLX still lags behind the competition in terms of financing offers. Promotional financing remains steady at 1.9% APR for 60 months which can be combined with Acura’s $1,000 loyalty bonus. The Lexus IS, on the other hand, qualifies for Lexus’ aggressive 0% APR deal for 60 months plus a $1,500 bonus for being a current Lexus customer. Based on a loan taken out at $40,000 with $0 down at 1.9% APR for 60 months, opting for the Acura leads to an extra $1,972 in interest costs.

 

[Ismelllikepoop]

I know. My point was that on the other hand aside from the sales point, it doesn't mean that the ES is really the better car. It's like the story between the GS and the ES. The ES sucks in comparison to the GS in EVERY considerable metric. There is not ONE metric that made the ES a better car than the GS and yet it sold more. While sales do generally dictate what's a good product and what isn't and the sales do not lie, they aren't able to fully explain cases like these, and it's more due to outside factors affecting everything. In this case, it was the braindead dealership salesmen and the engineers purposely not giving a sh*t about the GS. They COULD have made it a true E-Class and 5-Series killer had they bothered to update the car.



This is grossly out of context as they're only now starting to sell them. There's still a bunch of older TLX's that need to be sold. You've had it out for this car ever since it came out and I am genuinely perplexed by this. You do you though.

Thought I was the only one....was "warned" when I stated the same before....

 

[Sulu]

I saw one on the street today. It does not look bad, in my opinion, but the long hood, short rear deck styling seems a bit exaggerated; and despite the cab-rearward styling (to provide the longer dash-to-front-axle length), it still has a rather long front overhang.

There is no way to get around the long front overhang on (transversely-mounted) FWD-based cars, especially ones that have to leave room for a V6 engine (as the TLX does).

 

[mikeavelli]

It’s DOA. Sales were down 28% in December with a full marketing blitz in the busiest month of the year.

The IS with no marketing campaign (it started January) outsold it by 4 units lol. The ES outsold both by double.

 

[Ismelllikepoop]

As my wife tells me. Cool story bro.

 

[mikeavelli]

As my wife tells me. Cool story bro.

She must not have a strong sense of smell lol.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

Added by @hondaprojason Instagram post The 2021 Acura TLX TYPE S!! Powered by a dual-scroll turbo V-6 engine with an estimated 355-HP and 354 lb-ft tq & Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ SH-AWD® 💥Spotted in somewhere in Ohio #wow #Acura #acuratlx #type

Instagram post added by hondaprojason The 2021 Acura TLX TYPE S!! Powered by a dual-scroll turbo V-6 engine with an estimated 355-HP and 354 lb-ft tq & Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ SH-AWD® 💥Spotted in somewhere in Ohio #wow #Acura #acuratlx #types - Picuki.com

www.picuki.com

 

[Gor134]

Looks cool. Still wish it packed more chops, 355hp for this segment feels almost average, and it needs to make a splash.

 

[mikeavelli]

The car is a tremendous flop. They only sold a bit over 1,300 last month. They need to be at around 3k a month as ACuRa set a modest 35k a year sales goal.

Honestly it’s really shocking it’s so poorly received by consumers. It had all the hype and it is vastly better than the last gen in most areas.

The new MDX is now hitting dealer lots that won’t help.

A Type-S honestly won’t help much. Yes more power and better looking but too heavy and less power than most of the competition. If you review sales of the last TL type S in 2007 or so, sales went down. It didn’t increase sales.

Poor ACuRa.

 

[Gecko]

Looks cool. Still wish it packed more chops, 355hp for this segment feels almost average, and it needs to make a splash.

I agree. Unless that engine is massively underrated (and why would they do that?), 355hp puts it in no-mans-land. A round 400 would have made a better splash.

Don't get me wrong: A 355hp turbo V6, AWD midsize car is still an attractive package and IMO, much more car than anything Lexus offers. But the engine has left me scratching my head since the official numbers were announced.

 

[MichaelL]

The car is too big for the segment. 195 inches long and 75 inches wide, more GS, 5 Series size than IS, 3 Series size and that segment is the better seller. This extra size adds weigh and bulk, not exactly good for a sport sedan. Strangely it is reported to be tight in the back seat, smaller in space than the A4, or 3 Series. People that want bigger vehicles have moved to SUVs... no stick shift either, who exactly is the customer for this car?

I think Acura miscalculated the market. I just saw the review of this car in Consumer Reports and it wasn't very positive. I know this isn't the best car magazine out there, but their opinions carry weight. Acura vehicles that last couple of years haven't been very reliable either, so what is their advantage over the Germans? The brand is a mess... don't get me started on the ILX.