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Acura Says the TLX Is Better Than the Lexus IS 250 in This Video

Selling a sedan is hard these days, what with everybody buying crossovers. The people who do buy one expect exceptional handling, so Acura decided to pit its TLX against the 2017 Lexus IS.
Acura Says the TLX Is Better Than the Lexus IS 250 in This Video 4 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Acura Says the TLX Is Better Than the Lexus IS 250 in This VideoAcura Says the TLX Is Better Than the Lexus IS 250 in This VideoAcura Says the TLX Is Better Than the Lexus IS 250 in This Video
It's not really a fair comparison. The Lexus IS is not the best sports sedan, and the BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C-Class would have done a better job.

This idea Acura had reminds us of when Lexus tried to say the IS is better than the 3 Series, ignoring the turbo engines offered by the Germans.

At least the TLX has some party tricks, like the Precision All-Wheel Steer (P-AWS) and twin-clutch gearbox. We're not surprised the Acura gets better fuel economy too. But using "incredible" and "handles like it's on rails" is too over-the-top for my taste.

Something else I don't quite get is the timing. They just came out with a significantly refreshed TLX in New York, but this one in the video is the old TLX that looks like old Accords.

We wrote an article about that one earlier that you might want to check out. In short, they tried to check even more boxes with the A-Spec package that includes a blacked out grille, sports suspension, 19-inch wheels with 245 tires and twin exhaust pipes. Yes, they added visible tips.

A little bit like the new WRX, you can't get certain combinations. For example, the A-Spec package only comes with the V6 with the Tech package. You can't have the Advanced package. The upside is that Acura Watch is standard and includes all the safety systems you need.

Acura has also added Android Auto and Apple Carplay. So you could say that the 2018 Acura TLX is less bland, more technologically advanced and sporty than the Lexus IS. So you see, this video is pointless and they need to re-shoot it!

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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