Acura debut a totally new totally gorgeous TLX this week for the 2021 model year, and that's the subject of this episode of autocomplete.
Acura has been a fairly forgettable car brand for a while now.
But some of us are regrettably old enough to remember when Honda's luxury cousin made some truly desirable and truly exciting models like the NSX, the Integra, the TSX and the RSX.
Some of those even got operated in a special hotter trim level called type s. Now, those cars were never the fastest or the cheapest or the most luxurious cars when it goodbye but they did pack a lot of very clever engineering.
Into an affordableish car that you'd be proud to drive, until somewhere along the line, Acura lost its way.
It would seem that with the 2021 TLX that accurate is back and while we haven't driven it yet, nobody has.
There are a few details in its engineering and styling that make us believe that, first the new TLX is going back in time to hunters golden era at full at one of its best features Double wishbone suspension.
Double wishbones are great because they offer the most precise control of suspension geometry through its range of travel.
Honda used to offer this setup on basically all of us vehicles in the 90s.
And then somewhere in the early 2000s, it's switch to the cheaper and much simpler to manufacturer MacPherson struct design, aka, basically what every other affordable car uses.
The decision to go back to a double wishbone is assigned the accuracy engineers didn't come to play around.
When it comes to performance, this theme is carried out by the type S models plan to turbocharged V6 engine two.
Is it related to the one on the NSX?
I don't know.
The engineers aren't telling but work around the campfire is that it will output well north of 300 horsepower.
Now unfortunately, it's not likely that we'll see this new TLX with a manual transmission.
That's just the world we live in.
But that blows off by the fact that accurate isn't doing anything stupid like saddling a cool car with a CVT.
Instead it's getting a 10 speed automatic transmission, as well as optional super handling all wheel drive.
Pretty cool right?
also cool is the way the new TLX looks because Damn.
So many modern Japanese cars are getting increasingly fussy and busy and their design and the grills.
God the grills.
But the telex dodges those bolts two, the styling is aggressive but not overwrought.
The grill is even totally normally sized, no gaping mods to be seen.
Now, we know that people don't always buy the best car based on driving dynamics or engineering or even styling.
Look at For the Kia Stinger sales versus those of Coupe overs and Weep.
So it's hard to say whether the tail lights will truly offer a challenge to its European rivals.
But we hope so, and we hope that this is just the start of Acuras being awesome again.
That's it for this episode of Roadshow's AutoComplete.
I've been Kyle Hyatt, you've been just delightful.
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