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2021 Acura TLX A-Spec Drag Races Alfa Romeo Giulia Q4 Ti, Someone Gets Walked

Until the Acura TLX Type S arrives at U.S. dealers this summer in limited numbers for the 2021 model year, the Acura TLX A-Spec remains the automaker’s most performance-oriented sedan in the lineup. The question is, can it keep up with a Ferrari-developed sedan in a straight line?
New Acura TLX vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Q4 Ti Drag and Roll Race 24 photos
Photo: Sam CarLegion on YouTube
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Although lighter than the Giulia Q4 Ti at 3,709 pounds versus 3,715 pounds (1,682 and 1,685 kilograms), the Japanese contender produced by Honda in Ohio isn’t as potent as the Alfa Romeo. From 2.0 liters of displacement and a turbo, these cars develop 272 and 280 horsepower plus 280 and 306 pound-feet (380 and 415 Nm) of torque, respectively. The differences don’t end here, though.

Honda gifts the TLX with a 10-speed box for better fuel economy on the highway, but even though it features two more forward ratios, the Acura falls one mile per gallon short of the Alfa Romeo’s automatic. On the combined driving cycle, make that 25 versus 26 miles per gallon (9.4 versus 9.0 liters per 100 kilometers) if you drive steady and with a light right foot.

As far as retail pricing is concerned, Acura has the upper hand at $44,250 compared to $45,000 for the Alfa Romeo, excluding destination charge and other goodies such as a fancier paint finish, adaptive dampers, and so forth. That said, care to guess which of them is faster on the quarter-mile?

On a prepped surface, namely the Toronto Motorsports Park dragway in Cayuga, the TLX Type S launches harder off the line in normal mode. The Giulia Q4 Ti gains ground, and by the end of the run, it steals the win away from the Acura. The second attempt sees the Alfa Romeo launch better.

Putting the transmission in Sport and turning off the traction control results in a win for the Italian sedan once again. Considering that Ferrari technical director Philippe Krief oversaw the Giorgio RWD vehicle architecture development, the four-cylinder Giulia’s performance is hardly surprising.

As expected, the Alfa Romeo wins from a 50-kph (31-mph) roll as well.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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