The TLX for the 2021 model year looks great, offers a ton of standard equipment, and performs beyond expectations in a straight line if you opt for Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. The SH-AWD rear differential can distribute 70 percent of the available torque to the rear axle, of which 100 percent of that oomph can be distributed to either rear wheel.
Mazda, on the other hand, couldn’t make a case for all-wheel drive in the Mazda6 although there’s a lot of demand for this option in colder states. Another drawback comes in the guise of a six-speed automatic that doesn’t like to be hurried, not even in sport mode and with the traction control off.
Acura further boasts more horsepower (272 vs. 250) from a smaller four-cylinder turbo engine, but on the upside, Mazda offers more torque. If you fill the gas tank with premium fuel, the SkyActiv-G 2.5T is much obliged to crank out 320 pound-feet (434 Nm) versus 280 pound-feet (380 Nm) for the K20C6 force-fed engine that comes standard in the TLX for the 2021 model year.
As far as drag racing is concerned, the only advantage the Mazda6 has over the TLX comes in the guise of curb weight. More to the point, we’re dealing with official ratings of 3,582 and 3,969 pounds (1,625 and 1,800 kilograms).
Sam CarLegion had the opportunity to compare these direct rivals at the Toronto Motorsports Park in Ontario, and the results are pretty obvious before pressing the play button. In addition to a disappointingly sedate automatic transmission, the Mazda spins the front wheels like crazy off the line.
The 10-speed automatic of the TLX provides an exceptionally wide ratio spread for the sake of fuel economy, but the drive-by-wire throttle and shift-by-wire transmission work together to improve smoothness and shift performance, making it far superior to Mazda’s geriatric SkyActiv-Drive.
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. Full profile
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