It has a different name, but Acura's new TLX looks to resurrect the company's misfire with the last TL sedan. In this video, Cars.com reviewer Joe Bruzek says it mostly does the job with a variety of engines and powertrains.
Transcript
(light rock music) (seatbelt clicking) (engine starting) (brakes squealing) (upbeat music) Acura has always been a brand focused very squarely on the value aspect of luxury. And for 2015, they're giving you two cars for the price of one.
The 2015 Acura TLX essentially replaces the TSX and the TL, with four cylinder and six cylinder versions. Now, it may not look a whole lot different or really grab your eye, but a lot has changed underneath compared with the Acura TL. But is it enough? Acura's design isn't really too groundbreaking here. A lot of the aspects you've seen on their other products, like the ILX, but the overall shape is tighter, it's more athletic. It has a smaller footprint than the TL, and the wheelbase is actually the same as the TL, it just fits into a smaller space. Up front, one of the few standout features are these really nice headlights. They're LED, LED low beam and LED high beam. So these outer three are the low beams, and the inner two are the high beams. Really nice touch for standard equipment. The chassis is both stiffer and lighter than before, and that impacts the way the car drives in a very positive way. The TLX has three powertrains. You have the entry-level four cylinder, which is 206 horsepower. That pairs with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. And you have the V6 with 290 horsepower that comes in front or all-wheel drive, but it's not your typical all-wheel drive system, it's Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. Kind of a goofy name, but it is a very, very smart all-wheel drive system. They've been using torque vectoring to change the speed of the wheels in the corner to help it rotate around the corner, and it works to even more significant effect in the 2015 TLX, as the whole system has been gone through and revised. If we're ranking the three powertrains, it's easy. V6 all-wheel drive at the top. That car is a blast to drive, and the all-wheel drive does a great job getting the car through the corner. In the middle though, I'm gonna pick the base engine. That engine and that eight-speed automatic transmission are a fantastic combo. They have a lot more energy than you'd expect from a non-turbocharged 200 horsepower four cylinder. There's plenty of torque in the middle of the rev-range for passing, and the transmissions shifts are just very crisp. So overall, it's a very feisty experience for an entry-level engine and transmission. The V6 with front-wheel drive, there's just a lot of wheel spin, and it's not the most dynamic of the three. All front-wheel drive models have a standard rear steer system. Now, that increases low-speed agility, and increases high-speed stability. It's part of why the base four-cylinder front-wheel drive is so much fun to drive. Now, for someone who isn't as in tune with the TLX's great driving experience, it's otherwise very apparent that this is a budget luxury experience on the inside, especially compared with cars like the Mercedes C-Class, which is just fantastic now with the new 2015 redesign, and the BMW 3-Series. The wood trim and the silver aluminum accents don't really pop in any special way, and the design is all very Acura-like. There's nothing here that they really haven't done before, but this starts at 32,000, which is hugely less expensive than those other cars I had named, and you get a massive suite of standard features, and very good optional features for the money, as well. Included in the LX's standard features on the base 2.4 liter is a sunroof, as well as heated seats. And then the multimedia suite, you have USB, Bluetooth streaming audio, Bluetooth, and an entire suite of applications for your smartphone, like Pandora and Aha. I'm six feet tall, and had plenty of seating comfort up front, and in the back. I'd like a little sportier seats up front, especially considering how well the TLX drives. And in back, it's essentially, only have enough room for two adults or a child in the middle. This rear center raised seat just is not gonna work. The TLX's cargo space is competitive for the segment. And new for 2015, you have an equal amount of cargo space across the whole lineup of TLX models. Now, that's important because in 2014, the TL had less cargo room than all-wheel drive models, because the bulky all-wheel drive system took up usable cargo space. But now, the TLX's all-wheel drive is much more compact. You don't have to make that sacrifice anymore going with the super handling all-wheel drive. In the grand scheme of the luxury segment, the TLX doesn't move the needle a whole lot, but it is an excellent replacement for the TSX and the TL. Buyers familiar with the Acura brand have a whole lot to like in the new TLX. (car driving off)
