![]() Sport+ also makes the car more apt to rotate around corners by upping the rear-steer effect of the torque-vectoring rear end. Set the Type S's Dynamic Control knob to Sport+ mode and its adaptive dampers tighten up and react more quickly to inputs from accelerometers at each corner. Back on the street and fitted with the stock pads, the brakes didn't show any signs of fade on brief canyon-road blasts. ![]() Acura had us play at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for a few laps to fully experience the all-wheel-drive system in a safe environment, but in the interest of surviving journalistic abuse on a road course, those on-track TLXs were fitted with track-oriented pads that Acura promises to recommend to interested customers. While the minimal brake-pedal travel takes some getting used to, after a few miles we're adjusted and appreciative. An electrically assisted brake booster is tuned to provide a very firm pedal with good bite. Stops from 70 mph require 165 feet, a few more than the brake feel suggests. Hitting the other pedal erases speed quickly and confidently, thanks to 14.3-inch front rotors and four-piston fixed calipers. Basically, just stomp the accelerator and the TLX does all the hard math to turn your foot's request into speed. Punch the gas out of corners and the system resists power understeer by shifting torque rearward, which then is split side to side by its torque-vectoring rear differential to create a rear-steer effect. Acura's all-wheel-drive system overdrives the rear end to give the Type S a rear-drive attitude when you're hard on the throttle. Compared to the regular TLX, Acura fits 40 percent stiffer front springs and larger anti-roll bars front and rear. While the added width means that the TLX doesn't seem as nimble as its smaller rivals, the body control is excellent. Slightly wider and longer than the German competition that it's priced against, the TLX is about the length and width of an Audi A6 or BMW 5-series. Opting for those $800 summer tires also scores you NSX-inspired 20-inch wheels that save a little more than five pounds per corner compared to the standard alloys. ![]() Grip levels from the optional 255/35R-20 Pirelli P Zero PZ4s are high, registering 0.96 g on the skidpad. There's a sweetness and liveliness to this car's steering and turn-in that makes it seem lighter than its 4201-pound curb weight. LOWS: Small rear seat, ride harshness, heavier than expected.Ī few turns of the TLX's thick-rimmed steering wheel, and it's obvious that the Type S is about more than just going straight, thanks in part to Acura's return to a control-arm front suspension in place of the previous struts. But the TLX Type S falls behind competitors such as the Audi S4, which is similarly powerful but almost 300 pounds lighter and manages 4.2-second runs to 60 mph and a 12.7-second quarter at 110 mph. ![]() A rush of torque at low rpm helps keep the transmission from having to hunt for lower gears on hilly freeways. Acura's all-wheel-drive system puts the power down with zero fuss, and the 10-speed automatic flutters through the gears imperceptibly. We measured a 4.9-second time to 60 mph and a 13.6 quarter-mile at 103 mph. Power builds aggressively, and the surge is eye-opening, but the V-6 is working against a 4201-pound curb weight. It saves space, reduces the number of parts, and makes us wonder why this hasn't been done in the nearly 120 years of overhead-cam engines. To reduce the height of the engine, the cam cover now incorporates the camshaft bearing cap. Engineers assure us that this DOHC V-6 is a new design, sharing only its bore spacing with older Honda/Acura engines, while a single twin-scroll turbo does the boosting. There's a hint of low-rpm turbo lag as the engine reaches its max boost of 15.1 psi. Hear the 2021 Acura TLX's New Turbo V-6Īcura's new 3.0-liter V-6 pulls hard through the 10-speed automatic transmission.Tested: Acura TLX Shows Signs of Greatness.
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