{"id":25473,"date":"2020-06-05T17:15:44","date_gmt":"2020-06-05T21:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=25473"},"modified":"2020-06-05T17:16:44","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T21:16:44","slug":"out-of-ohio-remade-acura-tlx-challenges-cadillac-bmw-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/out-of-ohio-remade-acura-tlx-challenges-cadillac-bmw-performance","title":{"rendered":"Out of Ohio, remade Acura TLX challenges Cadillac, BMW performance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/03\/PDTN\/ea1be945-c0d1-45f3-9bcf-2ace51479988-tlx_fr-low.JPG?width=520&amp;height=390&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2021 Acura TLX brings back Acura's Type S performance model equipped with a high-powered turbo-V6.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p>The 2021 Acura TLX brings back Acura&#8217;s Type S performance model equipped with a high-powered turbo-V6.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Acura, Acura)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">The Cadillac CT4 and CT5 aren\u2019t the only important luxury sedans being built in the Great Lakes states this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">Acura has introduced its all-new, 2021 Acura TLX, one of only two Asian luxury sedans made in the USA (Lexus\u2019\u00a0ES sedan is Kentucky-produced). The TLX will be bolted together in Marysville, Ohio \u2014\u00a0just down the road from the Performance Manufacturing Center which produces the Acura NSX, the only mid-engine supercar made in\u00a0the U.S.\u00a0in addition to the Corvette C8.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Though SUVs dominate the American market, the athletic TLX \u2014\u00a0like the Lansing-made Cadillacs \u2014\u00a0is key to defining its brand\u2019s performance aspirations. With all-new, turbocharged 4- and-6-cylinder engines, dramatic styling\u00a0and a BMW M-fighting Type S badge, the TLX completes Acura\u2019s return to performance prominence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cIt\u2019s one of the most important pieces\u00a0for us as we rebuild the brand for the future of Acura,\u201d said Acura North America chief Jon Ikeda.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Once an enthusiast brand with such icons as the Integra and free-revving RSX Type S, Acura lost its way in the early 21st century. With the NSX supercar introduced in 2016, Acura began its return to performance under a new brand mantra \u2014\u00a0Precision Crafted Performance \u2014 and a new leader, Ikeda, who came to the company as a designer in 1989 inspired by its performance cred.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Swj2wl4nFSo\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/02\/PDTN\/341ce87c-844e-4269-987f-52725fcadf88-tlx_side.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2021 Acura TLX gains nearly 4 inches of wheelbase and sits on wide haunches at the back of a long hood. A high-tech AWD system makes the Type S model handle like a rear-biased car.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/02\/PDTN\/341ce87c-844e-4269-987f-52725fcadf88-tlx_side.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/02\/PDTN\/341ce87c-844e-4269-987f-52725fcadf88-tlx_side.jpg\" \/>The 2021 Acura TLX gains nearly 4 inches of wheelbase and sits on wide haunches at the back of a long hood. A high-tech AWD system makes the Type S model handle like a rear-biased car.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: MAGROUND GmbH, Acura)<\/span><\/aside>\n<\/div><div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">To underline its renewed focus, Acura partnered with Troy-based Penske Corp.\u00a0to race in the IMSA Weathertech sports car series.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Acura Precision Concept car,\u00a0introduced at the 2016 Detroit auto show,\u00a0and Acura Precision Interior Concept defined the brand\u2019s new design direction. The TLX sedan\u00a0\u2014\u00a0along with the popular RDX SUV introduced in 2019 \u2014\u00a0are the first manifestations of those concepts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The TLX is longer (by 3.7 inches) and wider (by 2.2) than the outgoing model with signature \u201cJewel Eye\u201d headlights staring out from under a long, low hood. Body panels are deeply sculpted with the car sitting back on wide haunches like a predator ready to pounce. The 113-inch wheelbase now exceeds the BMW 3-series though it is shy of the Cadillac CT5\u2019s class-leading 116 inches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cWe doubled down on the things that sports sedans do best: styling, performance, emotion,\u201d said global development boss Max Ernst.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Swj2wl4juYM\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/02\/PDTN\/6b4f0b28-1bbc-422a-9995-cedb7fc69fc5-tlx_int.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The interior of the 2021 Acura TLX will come with a dash-mounted tablet screen, touch-pad controller, and 16-way leather seats.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/02\/PDTN\/6b4f0b28-1bbc-422a-9995-cedb7fc69fc5-tlx_int.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/02\/PDTN\/6b4f0b28-1bbc-422a-9995-cedb7fc69fc5-tlx_int.jpg\" \/>The interior of the 2021 Acura TLX will come with a dash-mounted tablet screen, touch-pad controller, and 16-way leather seats.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Acura, Acura)<\/span><\/aside>\n<\/div><div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The interior takes cues from the NSX with \u201ctrigger\u201d-style gear and drive mode selector anchoring\u00a0the console. \u00a0A tablet infotainment screen, recessed in the dash, is controlled by a touch pad. The pad has received mixed\u00a0reviews in the similarly equipped RDX, which Acura hopes to alleviate with a hand-rest pad located at its base.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But the key to the TLX\u2019s transformation lies under the skin. The chassis has been stiffened by 50 percent, and a race car-like double wishbone suspension added to the front end for better handling.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cThe new TLX platform shares nothing with its predecessors, and not with anything else in our model lineup,\u201d said Ernst, referencing past Acuras that shared the same bones as Hondas. \u201cIt\u2019s an Acura-exclusive sports sedan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Despite its makeover, TLX remains a front-wheel-drive biased car with transverse-mounted engines, putting it at a disadvantage to class rear-wheel-drive athletes like the Caddy, Bimmer, Genesis G70\u00a0and Alfa Romeo Giulia. But the new suspension should help \u2014\u00a0as will its highly regarded, optional SH-AWD (super-handling all-wheel-drive) system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">SH-AWD is standard on the much-anticipated Type S performance model. This hottie\u00a0\u2014\u00a0dressed in 20-inch wheels, Brembo brakes, and huge,\u00a0corner front air intakes \u2014 also introduces an all-new\u00a0turbocharged, 3.0-liter V-6 engine so the Acura can run with the big dogs. The\u00a0base\u00a0turbo-4 engine is no slouch either, boasting a best-in-class 272 horsepower for 4-cylinder engines (a whopping 66 more horsepower than the last gen\u2019s 2.4-liter 4-banger).<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Targeted at the U.S. market, the TLX has deep American roots. Its body was styled in California\u00a0and engineered in Ohio. It will be manufactured exclusively in Marysville with its engines coming from Anna, Ohio, and its 10-speed automatic transmission from Tallapoosa, Georgia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">For all its performance ambitions, the TLX will retain Acura\u2019s claim as one of the best values in class. Its RDX SUV sibling comes standard with AcuraWatch, which offers such safety goodies as adaptive cruise control and blind-spot assist for thousands of dollars less than competitors. AcuraWatch will be standard on TLX also.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The TLX will also offer 27\u00a0programmable, interior light themes, 16-way leather seats\u00a0and four drive modes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Expect the TLX to arrive this fall with a starting price around $35,000 \u2014\u00a0thousands less than BMW and Cadillac competitors and competitive with Korea-made Genesis. The Type S model will follow in spring 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2021 Acura TLX brings back Acura&#8217;s Type S performance model equipped with a high-powered turbo-V6.\u00a0(Photo: Acura, Acura) The Cadillac CT4 and CT5 aren\u2019t the only important luxury sedans being built in the Great Lakes states this year. Acura has introduced its all-new, 2021 Acura TLX, one of only two Asian luxury sedans made in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25473"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25473"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25475,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25473\/revisions\/25475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}