Acura Type S badge headed for MDX and ILX replacement, leak suggests
A leaked Acura dealer presentation shows the brand clearly has big plans for its reborn Type S badge.
While the second-generation Acura NSX was heralded as the brand's true rebirth, the 2021 TLX and TLX Type S really underscore where the Honda-owned luxury brand plans to go in the future. While we eagerly await more details on the new TLX Type S, it's good to know the performance badge will head to other models.
That's the word, according to Acura fan site Acurazine, which nabbed screenshots of a dealer presentation before the video was taken down. The presentation included a product roadmap, which explicitly shows a new MDX is coming with a Type S variant, as well as a "new compact sedan" that will replace the ILX. This small sedan will also receive the Type S treatment. If you're thinking of the Integra and associated glory days, you're not alone, reader.
Acura declined to comment on the vehicles mentioned in the product roadmap, but a spokesperson said, "We've expressed Acura's steadfast commitment to Precision Crafted Performance since the launch of the second generation NSX. While this presentation is intended for Acura dealers and is not all-encompassing or definitive, it does demonstrate that we intend to deliver on that brand promise, step-by-step, starting with the 2021 TLX."
We can only speculate on what will help create an MDX Type S and what the new compact sedan will entail. Common sense points to a Civic-based car, with borrowed performance chops from the Civic Si. If Acura feels rowdy enough, maybe this compact car could even receive goodies from the Civic Type R. The MDX Type S could share the TLX Type S' hardware: a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that should make well over 300 horsepower.
Until Acura's ready to say more, we'll have to wait patiently, but boy, it's good to see Acura embracing performance again.
