{"id":28032,"date":"2021-10-02T13:41:15","date_gmt":"2021-10-02T17:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=28032"},"modified":"2021-10-02T13:41:15","modified_gmt":"2021-10-02T17:41:15","slug":"payne-acura-tlx-type-s-struts-its-type-a-personality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/10\/payne-acura-tlx-type-s-struts-its-type-a-personality","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Acura TLX Type S struts its Type A personality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gaylord<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Get it in Tiger Eye Pearl.<\/p>\n

With\u00a0its dramatic color (don\u2019t call it bronze), my 2021 Acura TLX Type S is meant to be noticed. Angular jawbones. Diamond pentagon grille. Hooded\u00a0Camaro-like headlights. Front and rear spoilers. Quad tailpipes the size of ship cannons.<\/p>\n

\u201cCool car,\u201d said a passerby in Gaylord.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally like that car,\u201d said another in Charlevoix.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid a great job on the styling,\u201d said my gearhead son.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Type S is the Japanese luxury brand\u2019s Type A personality. It\u2019s a return to the brand\u2019s sporty roots (Acura is even bringing the sporty Integra nameplate\u00a0back) and a Type S badge that graced its performance models like the TL, CL\u00a0and RSX in the 2000s.<\/p>\n

To emphasize the point, Acura introduced the Type S in May at Mid-Ohio race track in the hands of none other than IndyCar supercar Helio Castroneves, who wrung the sedan\u2019s neck around one of North America\u2019s most demanding tracks with your loyal Detroit News\u00a0scribe strapped into the right-hand seat. It was his first time in the car as well as mine.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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\u201cI was not expecting it to be this quick \u2014 wow,\u201d exclaimed the four-time Indy 500 winner as he mashed the throttle onto the front straight.<\/p>\n

This go-round, the Type S is aimed squarely at luxury muscle cars like Audi\u2019s S-line, BMW’s M-series, Cadillac’s V-series \u2014 vehicles that beg you to bypass the interstate and take the long way home on country roads.<\/p>\n

West of Interstate 75 in northern Michigan, I turned right on to M-32 \u2014 its serpentine curves flowing like a fast river to Lake Michigan. I held the Drive Mode selector to the right until it registered SPORT PLUS.\u00a0HUNNHHH!<\/em>\u00a0The engine quickly downshifted with a grunt. Type S, meet S curves.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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Its muscles taut, the Acura leapt from turn to turn, the 355-horse\u00a0turbo-6 \u2014 unique to this car in the TLX lineup \u2014 roaring. The paddle shifters \u2014 unlike many vehicles \u2014 responded quickly to my touch, downshifting 4-3-2 into a hairpin turn with a matching engine blip.\u00a0HUNHH! HUNH!\u00a0<\/em>Big red Brembo brakes slowed the 4,221-pound all-wheel-drive beast. Back up through the ratios in this 10-speed box, the Type S was confident, smooth.<\/p>\n

The Acura is worthy of the segment. But the joy of the Type S is not just in its eager drivetrain.<\/p>\n

This is a sedan that aims to be as different as the mid-engine NSX supercar that rebirthed Honda\u2019s performance brand back in 2015. While not as radical as Tesla, the TLX is a comprehensive reassessment of each vehicle feature.<\/p>\n

Take the aforementioned Drive Mode selector. Like Cyclops\u2019 eye, the selector is the focus of the Acura console. I spun the selector to the desired setting \u2014 COMFORT, NORMAL, SPORT, SPORT PLUS (yes!) \u2014 then tucked my fingers into the \u201ctrigger shifter\u201d buttons below. It\u2019s intuitive and an Acura signature. Over time, you learn its contours and don\u2019t even need to look when shifting between, say, reverse\u00a0and drive.<\/p>\n

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Acura\u2019s next innovation in its so-called Acura Precision Cockpit is more problematic. Like a Mazda 3, the remote infotainment screen is high on the dash for better driver visibility. Unlike\u00a0the Mazda\u2019s rotary dial (familiar to users of Audi, BMW, Genesis), TLX uses a touchpad as controller.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not as unworkable as Lexus\u2019 maddening touchpad, but it\u00a0takes time to learn. May I recommend learning it when stationary? It\u2019ll save you distraction. I\u2019ve grown accustomed to the pad after driving multiple TLX, RDX\u00a0and MDX models \u2014 and it has its charms. In particular, I love the \u2014\u00a0CHING!<\/em> \u2014 sound it makes when I swipe from screen to screen. Like all systems (save, ahem, the dreaded Lexus) you\u2019ll eventually settle on a pattern of icons you prefer (aided by corresponding steering wheel buttons).<\/p>\n

The dramatic cockpit offers separation from Acura\u2019s more spare Honda sub-brand. That\u2019s good. Indeed, the Type S bears no similarity to the Civic Type R,\u00a0Honda\u2019s halo hellion. The two vehicles crystallize the difference between the two brands. Both are fast. But the Type S is sophisticated, stylish. The Type R \u2014 with a wing here and black tattoos there \u2014 looks like it was designed by a teenage gamer.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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Still, the Acura is a cautionary tale in how quickly technology is moving. The 2021 platform has already been lapped by the 2022 Civic, which boasts wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, compared with\u00a0the Type S\u2019s wired connections.<\/p>\n

Curious, too, is the midsize TLX chassis layout. Its 113-inch wheelbase puts it squarely between the 115-inch Audi A6 and 111-inch Audi A4. However, the Acura\u2019s 32.9-inch rear seat legroom is significantly smaller than the Civic\u2019s 35 inches (on a 110-inch wheelbase). That makes for tight rear-seat confines if you pick up your six-foot-tall buddies for a night out.<\/p>\n

That space consideration might drive performance advocates to the roomier Audi S6. But Acura is betting everybody else on the block has an Audi. And that four-ring badge will cost you a whopping $79,440, while my comparably equipped Type S tester is $53,825. Oh.<\/p>\n

Roll down the cu-de-sac in your Tiger Eye Pearl Acura \u2014 Jewel-eye headlights shooting daggers \u2014 and no one will mistake you for an Audi. The Type S exudes a muscle-car vibe \u2014 consistent with its birthplace in the industrial\u00a0Ohio heartland.<\/p>\n

In that regard, the Type S\u2019s most natural competitor is the Cadillac CT5 V-series \u2014 itself equipped with a special turbo-6 with specs remarkably similar to the Type S: 10-speed tranny, exquisite handling, sculpted design. And the Caddy easily fit my 6\u20195\u201d frame in back. I was enthralled with it after an aggressive drive to Hell (Michigan) and back.<\/p>\n

But the Acura makes a strong value play with its standard AWD system compared with the $57,000\u00a0Caddy\u2019s RWD offering. Add AWD and the Cadillac\u2019s price balloons to $64,000.<\/p>\n

Michiganians might appreciate that AWD in, say, February.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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2021 Acura TLX Type S<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger\u00a0sports sedan<\/p>\n

Price: $53,325, including $1,025\u00a0destination fee\u00a0($53,825 as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 3.0-liter turbocharged 6-cylinder<\/p>\n

Power:\u202f355\u00a0horsepower,\u00a0354\u00a0pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

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

Performance: 0-60 mph\u00a0(4.9\u00a0sec., Car and Driver); top speed, 155 mph<\/p>\n

Weight:\u00a04,221\u202fpounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA, 19 mpg city\/25\u00a0highway\/21\u00a0combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/strong><\/p>\n

Highs: Head-turning style; smooth, powerful drivetrain<\/p>\n

Lows: Small backseat; quirky touchpad<\/p>\n

Overall:\u00a03\u202fstars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gaylord\u00a0\u2014 Get it in Tiger Eye Pearl. With\u00a0its dramatic color (don\u2019t call it bronze), my 2021 Acura TLX Type S is meant to be noticed. Angular jawbones. Diamond pentagon grille. Hooded\u00a0Camaro-like headlights. Front and rear spoilers. Quad tailpipes the size of ship cannons. \u201cCool car,\u201d said a passerby in Gaylord. \u201cReally like that car,\u201d said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28032"}],"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=28032"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28032\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28033,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28032\/revisions\/28033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}