Acura TLX

This time its a road review of the 2024 TLS Type S from Throttle House, since James (and a lot of their viewers) felt the track was not the best place to review this car. Shorter review but captures the essence of the car in a nutshell - I'll let you listen to Thomas' conclusions yourself.

I recently learned that the 3 liter turbo utilized in the Acura TLX and MDX Type S has 6 bolt main caps and forged internals. The 6 bolt main caps help to provide rigidity and durability of the crank, plus the forged crank and connecting rods are a sign that the motor is designed for increased stress due to boost and high power. The over square engine design says the stroke is kept short for a higher rev limit, and all in all this appears to be a wonderfully understated from the manufacturer motor. We appear to have a motor that comes from the manufacturer and that is designed to handle high boost, to be spun at faster revolutions, and is built to last ❤️

It was mentioned on a recent review of the MDX-S that the automatic transmission also had a hardened gear set for increased durability. I have not been able to verify yet if the TLX-S also receives the hardened gear set, and can anyone confirm one way or the other?

The message that I have received from all of this is that Acura has offered an overbuilt turbo 6 cylinder and transmission that can handle a whole lot more than what they are offering in stock trim.

I wasn’t very interested in the TLX-S at 1st but now that I understand how well built Acura is offering the motor from the factory, I am very interested in what an aftermarket pro tuner can do without anything added beyond 93 octane fuel and the usual “stage 1” tune.

Has anyone reading this post purchased a 2022 TLX-S or seen anyone who has started tuning these cars yet? What are you seeing from the aftermarket community and if you own one what if any are your plans to modify it?

PS: I would love to see a tune that incorporates more aggressive gear changes and allows the transmission to hold higher revs for longer, as well as an in increase in WHP/WTRQ near to 400. It certainly sounds as if the components can reliably handle this!

Verdict

I like this car. I regret is not being able to drive some car before commiting tho. The value for me comes down to the price I paid for it.

Pros:

• Rides well

• Handles well

• Looks good (subjective)

• Reliable (best guess based on the drivetrain)

• Physical controls for everything

Cons:

• Poor interior room relative to size

• Bad technology - even after a year, I haven't gotten used to the touchpad

• Low on power compared to peers

Pictures

How does it drive

I can happily say this car is a pleasure to drive. Strong disclaimer - I've only had economy cars long term. The fastest thing I dailied before this was a mk7 TSI.

But I genuinely think this car handles exceptionally. I've only understeered once - in really bad conditions & slow speed. But when the roads are clear, I feel invincible. I can take turns and ramps at any speed I want, and the limit is a matter of courage than mechanical grip.

This wasn't somethign I could say about my family's mk7. That car was a joy to drive too, but it didn't feel anything like this.

Even after a year, I can hit some back roads and get a smile on my face.

The Drivetrain

Coming from economy cars, there was initially a huge wow-factor. At 270hp, it's significantly faster than anything else I'd driven before. Now that I'm used to it, the power doesn't surprise me anymore.

In good conditions, the car should be able to do a 0-60 in about 5.8 - 6.0s. I think in reality, this car can do much better but it's unable to because of the tranmission ...

The transmission

I just don't know what's it's doing. There are too many gears and it always feels like it's in the wrong one.

If you're driving on the highway and you want to just quickly complete a pass, the car will need to downshift when you put your foot down.

Downshifts are not really rev-matched, so accelerating suddenly always causes a lurch and is super unsettling. Manual mode has crappy shifts that are annoying for the driver and nauseating for a passenger. I've found a balance of keeping the engine in 'SPORT' but the transmission in drive. The immediate throttle response paired with the lazier shifts seems like the most tolerable way to drive.

Living with it

For my needs - this car is the perfect daily. The audio system rocks, and for a front passengers, the car is quite comfy.

The tech sucks, but in a way I like it because it forces me to focus on the road. I find myself much more distracted when driving my family's mk7.

Speaking of which - physical controls. I was dead set on a Golf R, but the lack of ergonomics in the mk8 made me look elsewhere.

Mileage

It sucks. I average about 19mpg in city driving. It's not a deal breaker for me because I don't drive that much, but it does pinch on weeks where I have to visit someone far away

The looks

I think this is a handsome car. It's wide, it's sleek, and it's unique. You don't see many of these rolling around.

Ok but why?

The reality is, I bought this car because I got a killer deal on it. It's too big for me, it can't even fit in my garage. I was deadset on staying in the hot hatch/ or small luxury car realm -

But I got a 6% discount on it and a 2% lease rate on it at the height of the shortage. The audi dealers in comparison were giving me a 6% lease rate and a 5k markup. The audi dealers I dealt were grade A jerks so I was happy to just take this car since time was running out.

Regrets

I didn't really get to drive the competition. I drove the IS and was underwhelmed and had that whole experience with Audi. Would have loved to get behing a 330i, maybe even a C300. But most of all - I wish I'd driven the G70. After watching all the reviews, I think it ticks all my boxes. But, the shortage made car buying quite tricky so it is what it is.

Should you buy one

Maybe. I lurk this community, and know what the general consensus is. Yes, it's quite flawed, but ultimately - it's not a bad car. If you can get it for the right price, I think you'll be happy with it.

Get behind the wheel and rip it around some back roads if you can. I think you'll be surprised :)