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Moderators....I'm not sure if you want this in a new thread or in the Official-Acura thread. You can shift it if you want.
MM
MM Static-Review/Inspection: 2021 Acura TLX
^^^^^The 2.0L turbo in-line four produces 272 HP and 280 ft-lbs. of torque.
IN A NUTSHELL: A mixed-bag on the (former) traditional Acura quality, but with some notable faults.
https://www.acura.com/tlx
There seems to be lots of interest, on forums lately, in Acura's all-new 2021 TLX, and also a series of Internet and YouTube reviews that have been both glowing and critical of it. So, I thought, on a late morning that I didn't have my regular swimming scheduled (since our local County Fitness-Center pools opened back up in July from the pandemic shutdown, they have been on a strict time-slot-schedule-basis), I decided to take a little drive down to one of the nearest Acura shops (both are about 8-10 miles away from my place), and check out this rather controversial new sedan for myself. Since there are so many test-drive evaluations available right now, from so many reviewers, I didn't actually take one out on the road today (I will, if you forum members want me to). But I did look over a number of them carefully, inside and out...both regular TLX sedans and the A-Spec models. Acura prices their trim levels in a somewhat unusual manner...instead of conventional trim levels, they classify and price them according to packages (Standard, Technology, Advance, and A-Spec), and whether they are FWD or the SH-AWD. Typical in-stock list-prices, at the dealership, depending on Package-Level, run from around 40-50K. Because of the rather soft market for sedans right now, dealers do seem to have at least a reasonable choice of new 2020 and 2021 TLXs in stock.
Not very long ago, Acura and Honda were considered among the industry benchmarks in product quality and reliability, and, I myself thought, in many ways, especially until Hyundai's Genesis Division came along a few years ago, that Hondas and Acuras were probably assembled better at the factory than virtually any other mass-produced vehicles in the American market. The rock-solid Second-Generation Acura RL sedan and its standard SH-AWD, for instance (which IMO was built like a tank), sat around on dealer-lots and collected dust because, in spite of its build-quality and superb materials, it was considered too small and too Accord-like in its styling to be serious competition for its several upmarket rivals. It was a 45-50K sedan that, IMO, probably deserved to be 60K for its material quality, and couldn't sell at 40K even with steep discounts to try and move them. Go figure. I almost bought one myself until I decided that the Subaru Outback better-suited my needs at the time.
Unfortunately, the days of stellar quality from Honda and Acura seem to be largely in the past, although I did notice some of that nice old Swiss-Watch quality and workmanship in the exterior of the new TL (more on that below). But both brands have suffered distinct reliability-declines in recent years, from both Consumer Reports and J.D. Power, and no longer define the term as they once did. Because of that, I was especially careful, today, in how I checked the workmanship of the new 2021 TLX.
Like I said, I looked over several different TLX versions, both with and without the sport-oriented A-Spec package. A number of them were in stock, so I got to compare different paint colors and the quality of the paint-jobs....white and black were the two most common colors in stock. So, I'll start on the outside. Exterior-wise, the general body shape has a lower, wider, and somewhat more squat-look than the outgoing 2020 model, although the low height, thanks to the way the seats are mounted and the door-sills are designed, is not terribly difficult to get in and out of for older, less-lithe persons like myself. The front end, though new this year, is not vastly different from the outgoing 2020 model, and (Thankfully) avoids both the garish, oversize-grilles that other manufacturers use and the awkward Parrot-Peak look that Acura used for years. Indeed, some new Acura customers would not accept delivery of vehicles with the chrome or brushed-metal look of the Parrot-Beak grilles, and dealerships, at one point, were repainting the grilles body-color, at factory expense, just so they could deliver the vehicles and get them off the lot. The rather long-hood/short-deck look of the body reminds me of sedans of decades ago, with fore/aft-mounted engines, before the industry switched to transverse engines and FWD. Some people criticize that long-hood look (and, no, it is to the best for forward-visibility)....but, IMO, it does have advantages, including more room to work on engines and components, and more crush-space for safety in an accident.
IMO, the workmanship, materials, and quality on the exterior of the TLX generally agrees with the glowing reviews...but with some notable exceptions. The paint jobs were all A-1 in quality and smoothness, particularly with the White-Pearl paint, although all the colors I saw were very well-done. Workmanship and materials over virtually all the exterior were excellent, although the shiny-black side-mirror housings had a cheap plasticky look and feel. Doors closed with a goodly amount of the old Honda/Acura precision-thud; the hood and trunk slightly less-so but still fairly impressive. Under the hood, the A-Spec model had extra-bracing on the front-suspension/wheel-wells for body-stiffness (Sorry, I forgot to check for that on the regular, non-A-Spec models), there were nice gas-struts to hold up the hood instead of a cheap manual prop-rod, and, as I mentioned before, a fair amount of room to work on components, although the large plastic engine-cover does block some things. One thing I didn't like outside, on any of the versions I looked at, were the alloy wheels...they all had what was IMO a cheap, basic look for a vehicle in this class.
Some of the new TLX reviews I saw also were very glowing about the new interior. There, I don't necessarily agree. Much of it was indeed very nice, but, IMO, there were also several glaring faults. One thing I've learned, in many years of vehicle-reviewing, that new vehicles can look very nice on camera or in photos/images at first (sometimes seductively so)..but then, at close-range, reveal things more in line with the real world of cost-cutting. I remember saying, earlier, that I was impressed with the interior in the pictures (and it did look nice on paper). In person, it generally used decent materials, and several interior colors and different wood/brushed-metal/imitation-carbon-fiber trims are available depending on model, but the trim materials, in general, looked better than they felt. But I wasn't impressed with the way the tacky-looking, cheap-feeling video-screen housing was mounted...it wasn't much nicer than on a base-model Ford Escape, at half of the TLX's price. Surprisingly, there was (barely) enough headroom for six-footers in back, even despite the low roofline and sunroof-housing, and I was also surprised that six-footers could get in and out in back without bumping one's head on the upper door-sill. On the A-Spec model, a huge third dead-pedal provides a resting place for your left foot. The steering column has manual tilt/telescoping, but IMO, on a vehicle in this price-class, it should be power-operated. Legroom was a little tight in back for tall people with the front seat adjusted-back, otherwise adequate. The gauges were generally clear and easy to read.The black-plastic column stalks for turn signals /light/wiper functions looked a little cheap but operated smoothly and crisply. The black-plastic buttons and controls (except for the transmission) were arranged logically and were clear, easy to read and use, but looked and felt a little cheap. The gauges, particularly in the A-Spec with its red-trimmed gauges, were clear and easy to read. Although the door/console trim was different in A-Spec from other TLX models, the biggest difference, inside, was in the seats. Usually (and I can often set my watch by it), sport-oriented seats, for someone of my size and frame, will be tighter, stiffer, less-confining, and more uncomfortable and difficult to sit on. The A-Spec was VERY surprising...in a rare exception, it turned out to be the complete opposite from the usual. I really liked the A-Spec seats...they were comfortable, supportive, and fit my wide frame like a glove. I didn't actually test the A-Spec seat on the road, but it felt like I could ride for hours in it without a backache. In contrast, the standard (non-A-Spec seats), though wide enough for my frame, lacked support. I felt like I was sitting on rather than in the seat, and the Leather / Leatherette seat-surface (depending on package-option) was slick enough that I slid all over the lower cushion like it was an ice-block. Although it's possible (?) that the dealership itself may have caused at least some of that seat-slickness with a silicone-spray/preservative, if it was my money, I'd spend the extra bucks on the A-Spec just for those front seats alone. But there was one (IMO) big problem inside that extra $$$$$ won't fix.....Acura really screwed up the shifter-buttons on the console. Not only were they cheap black plastic (with white markings) but they didn't even all operate in the same way. You push the P (Park ) and Neutral (N) buttons one way, the (Drive) button another way, and the R (Reverse) button doesn't move at all...it is fixed, and you pull back (not push) on a cheap, flimsy-feeling black plastic tab behind the button itself. How designs like this ever get approved beats me.
The rear cargo area is a little tight, perhaps (?) due to compromise from the emphasis placed on interior and underhood room further up front. The trunk-lid itself has a rather small opening that limits the size of what you can stuff in past it...if you need more cargo room, then walk over to the other end of the showroom and look at an MDX, or maybe an RDX. There are remote-releases for the rear-setbacks, though (a nice convenience), which allow the ear seats to fold down for more cargo space. Carpet and limning-materials in the cargo area are nice and generally in line with the TLX's price. There is no spare tire of any kind. Under the rear floor-panel is the battery, and, in a special styrofoam compartment, an interesting Fix-a-Flat device that I've never seen before. It looks like one of those portable air-compressors, and is, to some extent. You connect it into the power-plug, it runs off the car's electrical system, and gives you the choice of putting air in a low tire, or, if the tire is punctured, you push the "REPAIR" button on it, and it shoots the tire full of sealant to cover the hole and allow the tire to hold air until you can get it to a tire shop. An interesting concept...but I don't know how well that idea will work on radial tires, which, with standard plugs/patches, cannot be driven with them in the sidewalls, above the tread-grooves. The sealant might work higher up the sidewall, with radials...if so, than Acura may have something. And I'll assume that, to be legal for sale in the U.S. market, that system was DOT-approved.
All in all, in the static-review, I was generally impressed with the new TLX, and it rates more Plusses than Minuses, despite the fact that some of the reviews have over-hyped it. But the transmission buttons are an abomination, and, IMO, large-framed or small, one should not have to spend more on the A-Spec model to get comfortable seats.
And, as Always, Happy Vehicle-Shopping.
MM
__________________
DRIVING IS BELIEVING
MM
MM Static-Review/Inspection: 2021 Acura TLX
^^^^^The 2.0L turbo in-line four produces 272 HP and 280 ft-lbs. of torque.
IN A NUTSHELL: A mixed-bag on the (former) traditional Acura quality, but with some notable faults.
https://www.acura.com/tlx
There seems to be lots of interest, on forums lately, in Acura's all-new 2021 TLX, and also a series of Internet and YouTube reviews that have been both glowing and critical of it. So, I thought, on a late morning that I didn't have my regular swimming scheduled (since our local County Fitness-Center pools opened back up in July from the pandemic shutdown, they have been on a strict time-slot-schedule-basis), I decided to take a little drive down to one of the nearest Acura shops (both are about 8-10 miles away from my place), and check out this rather controversial new sedan for myself. Since there are so many test-drive evaluations available right now, from so many reviewers, I didn't actually take one out on the road today (I will, if you forum members want me to). But I did look over a number of them carefully, inside and out...both regular TLX sedans and the A-Spec models. Acura prices their trim levels in a somewhat unusual manner...instead of conventional trim levels, they classify and price them according to packages (Standard, Technology, Advance, and A-Spec), and whether they are FWD or the SH-AWD. Typical in-stock list-prices, at the dealership, depending on Package-Level, run from around 40-50K. Because of the rather soft market for sedans right now, dealers do seem to have at least a reasonable choice of new 2020 and 2021 TLXs in stock.
Not very long ago, Acura and Honda were considered among the industry benchmarks in product quality and reliability, and, I myself thought, in many ways, especially until Hyundai's Genesis Division came along a few years ago, that Hondas and Acuras were probably assembled better at the factory than virtually any other mass-produced vehicles in the American market. The rock-solid Second-Generation Acura RL sedan and its standard SH-AWD, for instance (which IMO was built like a tank), sat around on dealer-lots and collected dust because, in spite of its build-quality and superb materials, it was considered too small and too Accord-like in its styling to be serious competition for its several upmarket rivals. It was a 45-50K sedan that, IMO, probably deserved to be 60K for its material quality, and couldn't sell at 40K even with steep discounts to try and move them. Go figure. I almost bought one myself until I decided that the Subaru Outback better-suited my needs at the time.
Unfortunately, the days of stellar quality from Honda and Acura seem to be largely in the past, although I did notice some of that nice old Swiss-Watch quality and workmanship in the exterior of the new TL (more on that below). But both brands have suffered distinct reliability-declines in recent years, from both Consumer Reports and J.D. Power, and no longer define the term as they once did. Because of that, I was especially careful, today, in how I checked the workmanship of the new 2021 TLX.
Like I said, I looked over several different TLX versions, both with and without the sport-oriented A-Spec package. A number of them were in stock, so I got to compare different paint colors and the quality of the paint-jobs....white and black were the two most common colors in stock. So, I'll start on the outside. Exterior-wise, the general body shape has a lower, wider, and somewhat more squat-look than the outgoing 2020 model, although the low height, thanks to the way the seats are mounted and the door-sills are designed, is not terribly difficult to get in and out of for older, less-lithe persons like myself. The front end, though new this year, is not vastly different from the outgoing 2020 model, and (Thankfully) avoids both the garish, oversize-grilles that other manufacturers use and the awkward Parrot-Peak look that Acura used for years. Indeed, some new Acura customers would not accept delivery of vehicles with the chrome or brushed-metal look of the Parrot-Beak grilles, and dealerships, at one point, were repainting the grilles body-color, at factory expense, just so they could deliver the vehicles and get them off the lot. The rather long-hood/short-deck look of the body reminds me of sedans of decades ago, with fore/aft-mounted engines, before the industry switched to transverse engines and FWD. Some people criticize that long-hood look (and, no, it is to the best for forward-visibility)....but, IMO, it does have advantages, including more room to work on engines and components, and more crush-space for safety in an accident.
IMO, the workmanship, materials, and quality on the exterior of the TLX generally agrees with the glowing reviews...but with some notable exceptions. The paint jobs were all A-1 in quality and smoothness, particularly with the White-Pearl paint, although all the colors I saw were very well-done. Workmanship and materials over virtually all the exterior were excellent, although the shiny-black side-mirror housings had a cheap plasticky look and feel. Doors closed with a goodly amount of the old Honda/Acura precision-thud; the hood and trunk slightly less-so but still fairly impressive. Under the hood, the A-Spec model had extra-bracing on the front-suspension/wheel-wells for body-stiffness (Sorry, I forgot to check for that on the regular, non-A-Spec models), there were nice gas-struts to hold up the hood instead of a cheap manual prop-rod, and, as I mentioned before, a fair amount of room to work on components, although the large plastic engine-cover does block some things. One thing I didn't like outside, on any of the versions I looked at, were the alloy wheels...they all had what was IMO a cheap, basic look for a vehicle in this class.
Some of the new TLX reviews I saw also were very glowing about the new interior. There, I don't necessarily agree. Much of it was indeed very nice, but, IMO, there were also several glaring faults. One thing I've learned, in many years of vehicle-reviewing, that new vehicles can look very nice on camera or in photos/images at first (sometimes seductively so)..but then, at close-range, reveal things more in line with the real world of cost-cutting. I remember saying, earlier, that I was impressed with the interior in the pictures (and it did look nice on paper). In person, it generally used decent materials, and several interior colors and different wood/brushed-metal/imitation-carbon-fiber trims are available depending on model, but the trim materials, in general, looked better than they felt. But I wasn't impressed with the way the tacky-looking, cheap-feeling video-screen housing was mounted...it wasn't much nicer than on a base-model Ford Escape, at half of the TLX's price. Surprisingly, there was (barely) enough headroom for six-footers in back, even despite the low roofline and sunroof-housing, and I was also surprised that six-footers could get in and out in back without bumping one's head on the upper door-sill. On the A-Spec model, a huge third dead-pedal provides a resting place for your left foot. The steering column has manual tilt/telescoping, but IMO, on a vehicle in this price-class, it should be power-operated. Legroom was a little tight in back for tall people with the front seat adjusted-back, otherwise adequate. The gauges were generally clear and easy to read.The black-plastic column stalks for turn signals /light/wiper functions looked a little cheap but operated smoothly and crisply. The black-plastic buttons and controls (except for the transmission) were arranged logically and were clear, easy to read and use, but looked and felt a little cheap. The gauges, particularly in the A-Spec with its red-trimmed gauges, were clear and easy to read. Although the door/console trim was different in A-Spec from other TLX models, the biggest difference, inside, was in the seats. Usually (and I can often set my watch by it), sport-oriented seats, for someone of my size and frame, will be tighter, stiffer, less-confining, and more uncomfortable and difficult to sit on. The A-Spec was VERY surprising...in a rare exception, it turned out to be the complete opposite from the usual. I really liked the A-Spec seats...they were comfortable, supportive, and fit my wide frame like a glove. I didn't actually test the A-Spec seat on the road, but it felt like I could ride for hours in it without a backache. In contrast, the standard (non-A-Spec seats), though wide enough for my frame, lacked support. I felt like I was sitting on rather than in the seat, and the Leather / Leatherette seat-surface (depending on package-option) was slick enough that I slid all over the lower cushion like it was an ice-block. Although it's possible (?) that the dealership itself may have caused at least some of that seat-slickness with a silicone-spray/preservative, if it was my money, I'd spend the extra bucks on the A-Spec just for those front seats alone. But there was one (IMO) big problem inside that extra $$$$$ won't fix.....Acura really screwed up the shifter-buttons on the console. Not only were they cheap black plastic (with white markings) but they didn't even all operate in the same way. You push the P (Park ) and Neutral (N) buttons one way, the (Drive) button another way, and the R (Reverse) button doesn't move at all...it is fixed, and you pull back (not push) on a cheap, flimsy-feeling black plastic tab behind the button itself. How designs like this ever get approved beats me.
The rear cargo area is a little tight, perhaps (?) due to compromise from the emphasis placed on interior and underhood room further up front. The trunk-lid itself has a rather small opening that limits the size of what you can stuff in past it...if you need more cargo room, then walk over to the other end of the showroom and look at an MDX, or maybe an RDX. There are remote-releases for the rear-setbacks, though (a nice convenience), which allow the ear seats to fold down for more cargo space. Carpet and limning-materials in the cargo area are nice and generally in line with the TLX's price. There is no spare tire of any kind. Under the rear floor-panel is the battery, and, in a special styrofoam compartment, an interesting Fix-a-Flat device that I've never seen before. It looks like one of those portable air-compressors, and is, to some extent. You connect it into the power-plug, it runs off the car's electrical system, and gives you the choice of putting air in a low tire, or, if the tire is punctured, you push the "REPAIR" button on it, and it shoots the tire full of sealant to cover the hole and allow the tire to hold air until you can get it to a tire shop. An interesting concept...but I don't know how well that idea will work on radial tires, which, with standard plugs/patches, cannot be driven with them in the sidewalls, above the tread-grooves. The sealant might work higher up the sidewall, with radials...if so, than Acura may have something. And I'll assume that, to be legal for sale in the U.S. market, that system was DOT-approved.
All in all, in the static-review, I was generally impressed with the new TLX, and it rates more Plusses than Minuses, despite the fact that some of the reviews have over-hyped it. But the transmission buttons are an abomination, and, IMO, large-framed or small, one should not have to spend more on the A-Spec model to get comfortable seats.
And, as Always, Happy Vehicle-Shopping.
MM
__________________
DRIVING IS BELIEVING
