{"id":27383,"date":"2021-05-25T14:18:47","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T18:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=27383"},"modified":"2021-05-25T14:18:47","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T18:18:47","slug":"payne-acura-tlx-type-s-unveiled-while-riding-shotgun-with-helio-castroneves-at-the-wheel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/payne-acura-tlx-type-s-unveiled-while-riding-shotgun-with-helio-castroneves-at-the-wheel","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Acura TLX Type S unveiled. While riding shotgun. With Helio Castroneves at the wheel."},"content":{"rendered":"

Lexington, Ohio \u2014 \u201cYahooooo!\u201d yelled Helio Castroneves as we hit 117 mph in the new Acura TLX Type S on the back straight of the Mid-Ohio race course. Hard on the Brembo brakes, he crested blind Turn 9, then flattened the throttle. \u201cLove the grip!\u201d he said of Acura\u2019s signature, sophisticated all-wheel-drive system.<\/em><\/p>\n

Say hello to the ferocious, 355-horsepower Type S, the first performance sedan from Acura in over a decade. And say hello to the post-auto show world of car debuts.<\/p>\n

Rather than unveil the long-awaited, 2021 TLX Type S at a static car show display, media members like me got to experience the beast from the right-hand seat. Under the lash of the one of the world\u2019s premier race jockeys. In front of thousands of racing fans at IMSA Weathertech\u2019s annual Mid-Ohio speed-fest.<\/p>\n

\"IndyCar<\/p>\n<\/div>

The Type S debut was more than a coming-out party. It was the intersection of three 21st century auto trends: the shift to experiential car premieres, the marriage of racing and production cars, and the integration of foreign automakers in America\u2019s heartland.<\/p>\n

Acura last debuted a performance car in 2015 at the Detroit Auto How. There were videos. A light display. The NSX supercar on a turntable. Celebrity exotic car collector Jerry Seinfeld was in attendance.<\/p>\n

This time, the celerity was at the wheel on a race track.<\/p>\n

Adding to the excitement, Castroneves \u2014 the winner of four Indy 500s, not to mention \u201cDancing with the Stars\u201d \u2014 had never driven the car.<\/p>\n

Castroneves gunned the turbo V-6, and we were off, the Brazilian ringing its neck like the Acura ARX-05 dPi prototype race car he won with at Mid-Ohio here a year ago. \u201cAwright, here we go into Turn 1,\u201d cheered the veteran, who will enter his 21st Indy 500 at the end of this month.<\/em><\/p>\n

Type S was appropriately unveiled here at a track that Acura race has dominated. The dPi racer was part of a full-court press by Acura to return the brand to its performance roots after losing its way at the dawn of the 21st century.<\/p>\n

\"Helio<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Not only did Acura develop a halo, $160k, mid-engine NSX supercar sequel to the 1990 legend that wowed the world, it also developed a GT race version for the IMSA series. Not content with that, Acura also entered the ARX-05 at the pinnacle of U.S. motorsport \u2014 a 600-horsepower, winged weapon that won the last two IMSA championships under Team Penske\u2019s management.<\/p>\n

Type S, aimed at European athletes like the Audi S4 and BMW M340i in the heart of the luxury market, is the production beneficiary of that performance investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to try it,\u201d said Castroneves ahead of our Type S test. \u201cA lot that we have learned in sports car racing has been applied to this car.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on the $38,525 TLX sedan, the 4,221-pound Type S is stiffer and wider \u2014 its fenders engorged with 20-inch wheels rapped in Pirelli P Zero summer tires. Behind the menacing, black\u00a0Diamond Pentagon grille beats a 3.0-liter turbo V-6 unique to the Type S \u2014 and a major upgrade over the base TLX\u2019s 272 -horse turbo 4. The V-6 is a close cousin to the 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V-6 that makes 600-horsepower in the Acura dPi.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Type S does not follow the NSX supercar with hybrid drivetrain. The next-gen Acura prototype racer, due in 2023, is expected to utilize hybrid technology<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cI love how the car handles,\u201d said Castroneves later as we weaved through the Acura race team\u2019s garage \u2014 mechanics feverishly preparing the race car for battle later that day. Following my ride, he had given other journalists hot laps. \u201cWith each lap, I was giving it more. It handled very flat, very stable. Acura does everything so simple \u2014 the car was easy to learn.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Having seen the Type S on the track, race fans in attendance could see it up close \u2014 along with the rest of Acura\u2019s lineup \u2014 at a pop-up \u201cshowroom\u201d at Mid-Ohio. There, visitors could get in the cars, do laps on a simulator, and fill out an Acura customer survey.<\/p>\n

Like at an auto show.<\/p>\n

Auto shows have been laid low by the coronavirus pandemic \u2014 but were already struggling as social media and experiential opportunities have allowed brands like Acura to do more customer-targeted events. Auto shows are coming back to life \u2014 see Chicago July 15-19 \u2014 but they are no longer the exclusive domain of auto debuts.<\/p>\n

The Midwest is also no longer exclusively Detroit Three manufacturing. Indeed, Ohio is Honda\/Acura country \u2014\u00a0the track is just an hour northeast of Marysville, where Type S is built alongside the TLX, ILX sedan\u00a0and Honda Accord. A stone\u2019s throw away from Marysville is the Performance Manufacturing Center, where NSX is hand-built. Drive further west to East Liberty, and the Japanese transplant churns out Acura\u2019s RDX compact SUV, MDX three-row SUV and Honda\u2019s mega-selling CR-V SUV.<\/p>\n

All in, Honda\u2019s Ohio empire employs over 8,000 people over 8,000 acres, pumping out nearly 700,000 vehicles a year.<\/p>\n

\"2021<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Rounding Mid-Ohio\u2019s famous Carousel turn onto the pit straight in the Type S, the guardrail is plastered with Acura signs \u2014 the scoreboard sponsored by Honda. \u201cThe weight distribution is really good,\u201d Castroneves muses over the V-6 roar. \u201cI was not expecting it to be this quick\u00a0\u2014 wow.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mid-Ohio has become a training ground for tomorrow\u2019s enthusiast. Acura ILX and Honda Civic are official track school cars in which budding motorheads can hone their skills.<\/p>\n

While most Acura buyers gravitate to RDX and MDX SUVs these days, the Type S is targeted at motoring enthusiasts who won\u2019t consider an SUV. Interest, said a local dealer rep, has been intense ahead of the thoroughbred\u2019s arrival in showrooms next month.<\/p>\n

Right on cue to celebrate Type S\u2019s big debut, the Acurs dPi prototype \u2014 piloted by American ace Ricky Taylor \u2014 won Sunday\u2019s race for the fourth year in a row.<\/p>\n

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.<\/p>\n

\"2021<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

2021 Acura TLX Type S<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger\u00a0sedan<\/p>\n

Price: est. $50,000-$60,000<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 3.0-liter turbo V-6<\/p>\n

Power: 355 horsepower, 354 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 10-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, about 5 seconds (mnftr.); top speed, 155 mph<\/p>\n

Weight: 4,221 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 19 city\/25\u00a0highway\/21 combined<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lexington, Ohio \u2014 \u201cYahooooo!\u201d yelled Helio Castroneves as we hit 117 mph in the new Acura TLX Type S on the back straight of the Mid-Ohio race course. Hard on the Brembo brakes, he crested blind Turn 9, then flattened the throttle. \u201cLove the grip!\u201d he said of Acura\u2019s signature, sophisticated all-wheel-drive system. Say hello […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27383"}],"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=27383"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27384,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27383\/revisions\/27384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}