ACURA TLX 2021

Body, cabin and cargo space

The proportions of the Acura TLX were transformed to give it a sleeker, sportier appearance. With its long front end and a 1.4-cm height reduction, it looks more like the longitudinal-engine German sedans that are its main competitors. However, it maintains its basic, transverse-engine and front-wheel-drive architecture, though all-wheel drive is standard in Canada.

With a 9.5-cm increase in wheelbase, you’d expect the redesigned Acura TLX to be roomier than before, but it’s not the case. Rear legroom and foot room are limited, even behind an average-sized person. The low ceiling limits headroom in the back, and the plunging roofline hampers access, front and rear.

The trunk is equally unimpressive, mostly because of its narrow width and small opening. When you lift the carpet, you discover that the spare has been replaced by an inflation kit. It complicates the repair of a flat and the tire often has to be replaced. That in turn can be costly in the case of older tires, since an AWD car like the TLX requires four tires with uniform wear to avoid damaging the system.

Returning to the front, the seats prove comfortable on long hauls, even without the additional adjustments included on Platinum Elite trim. The seats are mounted lower than before, eliminating the high-perched feel behind the wheel of the former model. The seat heaters are very slow.

At least the seat heaters, like the climate control system, have dedicated controls on the dash. That avoids having to interact with the infotainment system and a touch pad that requires a frustratingly long period of adaptation. To bypass it you either have to navigate the unusual steering wheel controls or put up with a slow voice recognition system.

Why not just install a simple touch screen or a good control knob that provides instant feedback? More than just frustrating on a daily basis, the obsession of the luxury brands to set themselves apart is ultimately a threat to safety. Though less difficult to master, the push-button gear selector demands more attention than a traditional lever, especially during quick parking manoeuvres.

Other highlights

Finish: more meticulous than before, with materials that are as pleasing to the eye as to the touch. Though fun at first, the A‑Spec red ambient lighting eventually becomes hard on the eyes.

Instruments: the silver background of the two gauges of the A-Spec cluster often makes them hard to read in the daytime. The lettering of the screen between them is too small. The head-up display is impeccably clear, but it is restricted to the Platinum Elite.

Convenience: ELS audio system sound is clear, powerful and evenly distributed, notably because four of the 17 speakers are mounted on the ceiling. Notable improvement relative to ELS systems on former-generation Acura’s. Navigation and heated steering wheel are unavailable on base model.

Safety features

• Antilock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist
• Stability and traction control
• Hill start assist
• Front airbags
• Driver and front passenger knee bags
• Front side airbags
• Side curtain airbags
• Five head restraints, adjustable or foldable
• Tire pressure monitor
• Rearview camera
• Bling-spot monitoring with rear cross traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors (standard, Tech, A‑Spec and Platinum Elite; unavailable, TLX base model)
• Forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking
• Lane departure alert with automatic steering assist
• Lane centering assist
• Automatic high beams
• Adaptive cruise control
• Surround-view camera (standard, Platinum Elite; unavailable, other trims)

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Overall score: 5 / 5
Frontal impact: 5 / 5
Side impact: 5 / 5
Rollover resistance: 5 / 5

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS)
Moderate overlap frontal impact: 4 / 4
Small overlap frontal impact:
- driver side: 4 / 4
- passenger side: 4 / 4
Side impact: 4 / 4
Rear impact: 4 / 4
Roof strength: 4 / 4

IIHS Top Safety Pick+

Visibility

Sharply slanted A-pillars and wide B-pillars hamper visibility. Blind-spot information system is helpful on the highway; the warning lights are placed in the cabin rather than outside on the mirrors, and easier to see in the daytime.

Lights: LED multiple-lamp projector headlights received a top rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which is still quite rare in the industry. They are standard on all trims.

Mechanical overview

To say that the 2021 Acura TLX was redesigned from the ground up is no exaggeration. It gets exclusive use of a new and much stiffer Honda platform that earned it top IIHS crash ratings. Despite increased use of light-weight materials, including aluminum for certain body parts, total weight increases by nearly 200 kg—the AWD system accounting for half.

The 2021 TLX marks the return of sophisticated mechanical components that disappeared in the transition from the former TL and TSX to the first-generation TLX. Among them are a double wishbone front suspension and variable-assist steering.

All-wheel drive is now standard in Canada, following the clear trend towards four-wheel-drive luxury sedans. Acura’s SH-AWD system can relay up to 70 percent of power to the rear, during strong acceleration or in case of front-wheel slippage. That torque is then distributed between the two wheels to improve handling in corners or on slippery surfaces. Torque transfer to the rear is 30 percent quicker than on the former model.

All TLX models except the upcoming Type S now are powered by a 2.0‑litre four cylinder turbo engine. Already used on the Acura RDX and Honda Accord, this engine develops 272 hp, or 66 more than the former 2.4‑litre normally aspirated four cylinder. The 280 lb-ft of torque not only surpasses that of the old base engine, it is also slightly more than last year’s optional V6. Moreover, it is available at 1,600 RPM, rather than at 4,500 for the previous engines.

Acura enthusiasts who want more will have to wait for the next Type S, to be equipped with a 3.0‑litre turbo V6 producing 355 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. With those specs the TLX should be better prepared to compete with the Audi A6 55 TFSI, BMW M540i and Mercedes-Benz E 450.

The only available transmission is a ten-speed automatic. Designed and manufactured by Honda, it replaces both the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox of the 2.4‑litre and the traditional nine-speed of the V6. It comes with a manual mode and steering-wheel paddles.

A drive mode selector lets the driver adjust the response of the transmission, steering and throttle, and even the stiffness of the adaptive dampers of the Platinum Elite model. For the first time Acura provides a practical Individual mode to obtain, for example, the firmer steering of Sport mode without the high-rev gear shifts.

Considering the big boost in power, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that fuel consumption of the new engine is higher than that of last year’s four cylinder. Still, you might have expected it to be more frugal than the V6. Yet their combined city-highway rating—9.8 L/100 km, according to Natural Resources Canada—is the same, and exactly what we obtained when we tested two models, one after the other, in mid-winter. In comparison, a TLX V6 tested briefly in the summer of 2020 turned in 9.4 L/100 km.

Driving impressions

Praised in the past for its products’ sporty handling, Acura lost ground in this respect in past years. The redesigned 2019 Acura RDX marked a comeback, confirmed by arrival of the redesigned Acura TLX.

Though heavier than its predecessor, the 2021 iteration proves significantly more agile on a winding secondary highway. The weight transfer is more progressive, turn-in is more incisive and understeer (the tendency to plough straight ahead in a curve) has become almost undetectable, even when the vehicle is pushed a bit.

The steering has made gains in both precision and quickness; it reacts more naturally than before, though road feedback is still relatively low. The long turning circle handicaps manoeuvrability in the city. On the other hand, stability and straight-line tracking on the highway finally reach a good European level, with a similarly solid feel on degraded pavement.

The Acura TLX quickly makes you forget the noisy, overly stiff suspension of the former generation. The ride is still firm, but it is less punishing that that of an equivalent Mercedes-Benz or BMW equipped with very low-profile tires. Soundproofing is improved, especially under the floor of the vehicle.

As before, there is still a bit too much engine noise during acceleration. It is partly the fault of the artificial sound sent through the speakers, especially in Sport mode. It is less aggressive than in the case of the RDX or the old TLX V6, but clearly unnecessary.

You become more conciliatory when you experience the zesty performance of the four-cylinder engine. Brimming over with character, it is powerful right up to the red line, whereas several turbo engines run out of steam well before. You don’t even miss the V6 it replaces, which doesn’t happen often. The well-matched transmission is ideally geared, with well-synchronised shifts and no trace of the jerking and hesitation of the nine-speed transmission mated to the V6 of past years.

Other highlights

Braking: electric rather than hydraulic with no physical link to the pedal. The change is successful, combining judicious bite with a firm and progressive pedal.

Driving assistance: adaptive cruise control is less abrupt than before but no more precise, uphill or down, than the traditional cruise control on a 1994 Honda Accord! Forward collision warning still a bit too quick to intervene.