Photo: Jeffrey Ross
Usually when people talk about the premium or the luxury segment, they automatically imply a high price tag. Considering how the word ‘luxury’ is perceived, that’s only natural but recent developments in the auto industry seem to point to better alternatives.
We had the chance to test the brand new Acura TLX that came out as a replacement for the aging TL and TSX but with a sleeker, more advanced look and more tech on board.
The first thing that hits you is how close the end product is visually compared to the concept that was unveiled nearly one year ago at Detroit.
The jewel-eye LED headlamps were kept on and, basically, the only two things that didn’t make it on the production lines were the 20” wheels and the red color on the body of it. That’s all. That means that this thing looks great.
Inside there haven’t been too many changes compared to other models in the range. If you’re used to Acuras, you’ll be feeling right at home in there. The only drawback we could notice was the lack of a gear shift lever that has been replaced with simple buttons that allow you to choose the direction in which you are heading.
That is functional and Honda’s are known for this character trait but at first you find it disturbing, especially if you’re used to driving with your hand on the stick, be that an automatic or a manual.
You now get to choose between two mills that are all too familiar to the Acura aficionado: the entry-level version has a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder with 206 hp and 182 lb-ft (247 Nm) of torque on tap, while the upper spec version is a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 290 HP and 267 lb-ft (362 Nm) of torque. We tested the latter along with what Acura calls the Super Handling All-Wheel Drive package.
As for the super handling, you’ll have to take it with a grain of salt. Don’t get us misunderstood, you’ll have to take the car close to the limit to feel some understeer but it’s still not a benchmark in the segment.
However, the TLX has one extremely strong suit: it’s cheap. Starting at just over $30,000, it will come fitted with a lot of standard kit and even the 3.5-liter V6 will be in range for most interested customers. We tell you all about it in our full 2015 Acura TLX review.
The first thing that hits you is how close the end product is visually compared to the concept that was unveiled nearly one year ago at Detroit.
The jewel-eye LED headlamps were kept on and, basically, the only two things that didn’t make it on the production lines were the 20” wheels and the red color on the body of it. That’s all. That means that this thing looks great.
Inside there haven’t been too many changes compared to other models in the range. If you’re used to Acuras, you’ll be feeling right at home in there. The only drawback we could notice was the lack of a gear shift lever that has been replaced with simple buttons that allow you to choose the direction in which you are heading.
That is functional and Honda’s are known for this character trait but at first you find it disturbing, especially if you’re used to driving with your hand on the stick, be that an automatic or a manual.
You now get to choose between two mills that are all too familiar to the Acura aficionado: the entry-level version has a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder with 206 hp and 182 lb-ft (247 Nm) of torque on tap, while the upper spec version is a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 290 HP and 267 lb-ft (362 Nm) of torque. We tested the latter along with what Acura calls the Super Handling All-Wheel Drive package.
As for the super handling, you’ll have to take it with a grain of salt. Don’t get us misunderstood, you’ll have to take the car close to the limit to feel some understeer but it’s still not a benchmark in the segment.
However, the TLX has one extremely strong suit: it’s cheap. Starting at just over $30,000, it will come fitted with a lot of standard kit and even the 3.5-liter V6 will be in range for most interested customers. We tell you all about it in our full 2015 Acura TLX review.
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