This company has performed some slight changes into its naming scheme in the past few years, but we can’t say it’s like what Infiniti has been doing because Acura went much more smoothly. Altering the nameplates only as the models are replaced takes much longer to finish, but it’s a more adequate solution if you’re still struggling to retain your public because there are no cars getting outdated in excessively short periods of time. This article’s sedan is very important because it starts to set its automaker towards an interesting kind of sportiness. Instead of investing on high-performance models and blatant designs (at least by now), Acura’s products will be pleasant to drive. It’s a little like what BMW has done for decades.
Only “a little” because discretion will still be a very important factor here. Analyzing the first official pictures released about a new vehicle is interesting because it’s the automaker’s first opportunity to express what image it intends to create for the newcomer. High-performance vehicles, for instance, are likely to appear in impactant angles and in bright colors. Off-roads, in turn, are usually photographed in outside locations, specially during a professional maneuver while riding on sand, snow or shallow lakes. TLX’s pictures, as you can see, combine sports cars’ poses to scenario and colors usually used for luxury ones. And this is pretty much what Acura was shooting for: offering “a thrill like no other” without becoming some sort of M3 wannabe.
In other words, the automaker’s current design language received a very attractive expression here. TLX replaces both TL and TSX with a very interesting style. The vehicle looks solid, before sporty, futuristic or anything else. Acura’s signature grille is visually connected to a set of headlights which remind of RLX’s, although with only one LED row here. The sides favored the traditional sedan silhouette once again, which will please those who are already tired of four-door coupés. However, being 9.6-cm shorter than TL makes it look much nimbler, dropping that stereotype of luxury vehicles having to look like old-fashioned limousines – some could even find a hint of Citroën C4 L (also called Lounge) in this section.
The rear end repeats the same proportions of sportiness and elegance. The very clean bumper keeps up with the imponent figure, while the tail lights (all LEDs here, too) compose a great déjà vu of the headlights. There are no panoramic sunroof (just a standard unit), floating-roof effect, extra engine logotypes or accessory packages with spoilers and sportier bumpers, and that’s fine. All these are found in other vehicles because they are not Acuras. On the other hand, if you agree that being stylish and sporty has nothing to do with being flashy, Honda’s luxury division is one of the very few automakers capable of pleasing you without necessarily springing for models like BMW 5-Series, Jaguar XF or Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Inside, you’ll have soft-touch materials in pleasant colors and paired to aluminum and/or wooden inserts. The list of equipments will include the typical array of connectivity, entertainment and information functions, which are concentrated here on the latest AcuraLink system, along with real-time traffic data for the navigation system and Siri Eyes Free – the optionals include Milano leather upholstery and a 10-speaker, 455-watt ELS premium audio system. When it comes to safety, TLX not only repeats all those electronic assistants seen at pretty much every new car as well as adds Road Departure Mitigation: this one uses a forward camera to monitor the car’s position and can apply necessary corrections through braking and steering.
Acura’s pleasant-driving intentions weren’t translated into many numbers yet, but it’s already known that TLX is up to 104 kg lighter than TL, thanks mostly to the 60% of high-strength steel applied here. Such structure will be paired to updated iterations of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) and Precision All-Wheel Steering (P-AWS) two brand new automatic transmissions and Honda’s VTEC and iVTEC engines: the 2.4L uses four cylinders, reaches 206 hp and uses eight speeds, while the 3.5L goes for V6, 290 hp and nine speeds. Both transmissions, the first created by ZF and the other by Honda, use an electronic gear selector with pushbuttons, therefore dropping the traditional shift lever. TLX will hit the streets in a few months.