The four-piston Brembo brakes, joined by an NSX-inspired "electro-servo" braking system – better known as brake-by-wire – are too grabby. Hard on the brakes into the first turn and the Type S exhibits some unusual squirreliness, too. While Acura won't publish an official 60 time for the Type S, my butt dyno tells me that most of its competitors would be quicker down the same stretch of track. Torque peaks at a low 1,400 RPM – quicker than any alternative – but it still doesn’t feel like enough. Only the Audi S4 is less powerful, producing 349 horses.Īnd it’s blatantly obvious as we blast down the front straight of Laguna Seca that the Type S could use more power. Yeah, that's not a lot of power against the competitive set the BMW M340i, Genesis G70 3.3T, Mercedes-AMG C43, and even the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport all have more juice by comparison. The end result of all that awesome engineering is – wait for it – 355 horsepower and 354 pound-feet sent to all four wheels. Manufactured in Anna, Ohio, just down the street from where the company cobbles together the NSX, this powertrain has six-bolt sintered main caps to help keep the block rigid, a forged crankshaft and connecting rods, and for the first time in any Acura product, variable cylinder management paired to a twin-scroll turbocharger. Track Testedįrom a technical standpoint, the Type S’ new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 is amazing. The rest of the cabin is essentially a clean carryover from the traditional TLX. You can get some carbon fiber accents, a unique Orchid color borrowed from the NSX, and the "Type S" moniker stitched into the headrests. Very little about the inside of the TLX Type S, though, screams "sporty" like the emboldened exterior does. Plus the TLX Type S is wider than anything else in the class, stretching out to 75.2 inches, which gives it a properly aggressive stance. Key carryover elements from the base TLX, like the long hood and fastback-style rear, look even sharper with help from new wheels and additional sporty cues. We prefer the look of the latter and drove that setup exclusively in our street and track test.īeyond that, the proportions of this car are damn near perfect from a visual standpoint. On top of that, blacked-out mirror caps, a shiny black spoiler (with the option of carbon fiber), and tinted taillights complete the aggressive look.īuyers get the choice of two 20-inch wheel options wrapped around four-piston Brembo brakes: The busier 10-spoke setup comes standard with Pirelli all-seasons, while the cleaner five-spoke units get stickier Pirelli summer rubber. The Type S–exclusive color wraps around the signature Diamond Pentagon grille, complete with a new mesh that allows for 10-percent better airflow to the engine. Designers tossed all subtleties out the window starting with the paint the new Tiger Eye gold hue is absolutely gorgeous in person. Bold In GoldĪcura engineers said that the TLX Type S "needed to be distinct from every angle" – and boy is it. A new turbocharged V6 lives under the hood, an adaptive suspension rides underneath, and some additional sporty upgrades dot the exterior, so the TLX will at least look while good barreling down the Corkscrew.Ī vehicle's verdict is relative only to its own segment and not the new-vehicle market as a whole. The TLX Type S is no race car, but on paper at least, it does have some proper performance accolades to take on the challenge. This is one of the most challenging tracks in North America, headlined by the dreaded Corkscrew, a three-story blind drop into an apex on the uphill approach that pushes cars to their limits. Soon we'll even see performance variants of the MDX and RDX SUVs, too.Īcura was so confident in the return of the Type S that the company hauled us out to Monterey, California – more specifically, Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca and the surrounding roads. But with a reinvigorated lineup and a snazzy new sedan, the performance moniker makes its long-awaited return in the form of the 2021 Acura TLX Type S. Acura retired its Type S nameplate in the US in 2008 with the departure of the TL.
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