Acura’s TLX Type S will have sport-sedan power with a luxury-car price
When Acura unveiled the next-generation TLX sedan early last summer, the big news came from the resurrection of the Type-S model, which returns to the U.S. in 2021 after a 13-year hiatus. Today, Acura doled out a bit more information on its imminent sports sedan.
Acura says that the TLX Type S will start in the low $50,000 range and arrive in dealer showrooms beginning in late May of this year. That price tag places the Type S in a list of solid competitors ranging from the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 to the BMW M340i and Audi S4. Needless to say, we’re excited to see Acura step back into the sports-sedan ring.
Pony up approximately $50K, and you’ll get a TLX sedan with an all-new 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 engine producing 355 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. That new engine will pair with a sport-tuned 10-speed automatic transmission and Acura’s venerable Super-Handling all-wheel drive system, which makes its first-ever appearance on a Type S with this TLX. In today’s market, 355 horses is by no means an obscene amount, but we’re more interested in the Type S’s agility than we would be in raw quarter-mile times, anyways. The TLX Type S offers a specially-engineered double-wishbone front suspension, Brembo four-piston front brakes, and a Type-S-exclusive Sport+ driving mode. On paper, it looks like a roaring good time.
Type S owners will also be able to choose a model-specific exterior color—Tiger Eye Pearl (pictured above)—and an exclusive interior leather option—Orchid—as well. Acura, as of this writing, has not deigned to bless our eyes with photos of the latter, which is available with only three exterior colors; Platinum White Pearl, Apex Blue Pearl, or the aforementioned Tiger Eye Pearl. Other Type S-specific design cues include a special grille, large quad exhaust outlets (one of our favorite features of the TL Type S, the last Acura to wear the Type S badge), and two special wheel designs, including a lightweight option derived from the venerable NSX supercar.
The whole package looks like a fitting return for a nameplate that has a lot of enthusiast respect backing it. We just hope that the driving experience can cash the check that the TLX Type S’ good looks write.
