{"id":32098,"date":"2024-01-24T19:12:55","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T23:12:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=32098"},"modified":"2024-01-24T19:12:55","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T23:12:55","slug":"payne-to-hell-and-back-in-the-acura-tlx-type-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/payne-to-hell-and-back-in-the-acura-tlx-type-s","title":{"rendered":"Payne: To Hell and back in the Acura TLX Type S"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hell<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 At a time when electric vehicle mandates are forcing a commoditization of auto products, the Type S dynamic duo of the Acura Integra and TLX are welcome rebels.<\/p>\n

I fell hard for the Integra Type S when it debuted last year, and now the TLX Type S gets a healthy mid-cycle update for 2024. Dressed in Urban Grey Peal, body stampings you could slice paper with and quad tailpipes the size of ship cannons, the TLX Type S isn\u2019t shy.<\/p>\n

I took it out on Hell\u2019s asphalt dance floor this January to tango. When I turned the fat DRIVE MODE knob to SPORT+, the Acura suspension noticeably stiffened. The 10-speed transmission dropped a gear. The engine growled. We danced across Hadley Road, the big sedan\u2019s turbo V-6 delivering effortless power while the neutral chassis rotated beautifully through corners.<\/p>\n

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With a 355 horses and a liquid-smooth, 10-speed transmission, the 2024 Acura TLX Type S was a joy in Hell’s winding roads. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n

Born in 2020, TLX is still cursed by inherent flaws of a mouse pad-controlled console screen and cramped rear seats in a brutally competitive luxury muscle space. Those flaws were corrected on its Integra stablemate.<\/p>\n

The pair make for an intriguing choice. But first, let\u2019s hear it for muscle.<\/p>\n

Performance auto fans are blue as the auto industry struggles with a government-forced transition to electrics. Mandating battery-powered drivetrains is inevitably breeding homogeneity: quiet, smooth soap bars focused on maximizing range.<\/p>\n

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The 2024 Acura TLX Type S goes 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds with its turbo V-6 engine. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

That\u2019s the opposite of highly individualized, multi-cylinder hellions aimed at enthusiasts. Recent years have seen low-volume standouts of the breed \u2014 Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Kia Stinger, Hyundai Veloster, Audi TT, Ford Focus\/Fiesta ST, Alfa Romeo 4C \u2014 sacrificed for low-volume EVs aimed at meeting government regs.<\/p>\n

Increasingly enthusiasts must seek refuge \u2014 not in bespoke models like Camaro and Challenger, but in performance sub-brands of existing models like Cadillac CT5-V, BMW M340i, Audi S5. Type S is Acura\u2019s sub-brand that endows TLX with a special 355-horsepower six that immediately got me thinking of Hell.<\/p>\n

Hell, Michigan, that is, where the roads are curved and people scarce \u2014 a playground for Type S, which is aimed at enthusiasts, but not track rats. For the hardcore motorhead, there are steroid-fed 500-plus-horsepower cyborgs like the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, BMW M3 and Audi RS5. The Type S is a middle ground between beauty and beast \u2014 a sedan upgraded to thrill without a supercar bill (my favorite CT5-V Blackwing, for example, rings the register at $100K).<\/p>\n

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The interior of the 2024 Acura TLX Type S shows off the latest wireless tech. Its mousepad controller, however, is out of date. Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

My $58K TLX Type S tester, meanwhile, boasts a sticker not far from some of our dearly departed favorites: the $53K Dodge Charger Scat Pack and $53K Kia Stinger GT2, for example. It does this while providing luxurious red leather confines, rad styling handed down from the NSX supercar and an array of standard safety features, including blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control and Brembo brakes.<\/p>\n

For the new model year, Acura also gifted TLX standard jewelry like a fashionable, frameless front grille, new wheel designs, digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch dash screen, wireless Apple CarPlay\/Android Auto, 360-degree camera and 10.5-inch head-up display. That\u2019s a lotta goodies under the Christmas tree.<\/p>\n

The ergonomics complementing these tech goodies are typically excellent for a Honda product, including NSX supercar hand-me-downs like a compact trigger shifter and meaty Drive Mode knob. Notably, the head-up display is operated by a button on the left dash so 5\u20195\u201d Mrs. Payne and her 6\u20195\u201d husband don\u2019t have to fish around in the infotainment screen every time we swap seats.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
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The 2024 Acura TLX Type S was at home on Hell’s challenging roads. . Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

So it\u2019s a surprise the Type S\u2019s two big negatives are ergonomic: remote-controlled screen and small back seat. Even Lexus has abandoned its mouse-pad screen controller \u2014 joining Bimmer, Audi, Mercedes and Cadillac with touchscreens (ooooh, check out the 2025 CT5\u2019s new Lyriq-like 33-inch screen).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a smartphone world, and touchscreens rule. The TLX rear seats? Too small for a sedan this size.<\/p>\n