The 2021 Acura TLX successfully gets the automaker back to its performance roots

The 2021 Acura TLX.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail

This new TLX is the sporty one, the car to bring Acura back to its performance roots. It’s the car that states luxury and convenience are all very nice, but power to the ground, though the corners and out the other side, is what really counts.

So does it all come together at last? Is this the vehicle that will woo all those BMW drivers, those Audi drivers, even those newly poached Genesis G70 drivers, back into the Acura fold?

I drove the top-trim edition of the new TLX and headed directly for my favourite long route home, on back roads and around Ontario’s low rolling hills. At the first tight curve, I remembered a comment from my interview with the marketing head of Acura Canada, when I spoke with him back in May.

“As you mature and develop as a brand, sometimes you make some great decisions and sometimes some decisions that could have been thought out a little bit more,” said Emile Korkor. He was talking about Acura replacing its original double-wishbone suspension with the more comfortable McPherson Strut system in the front. That setup provided a smoother ride, but at the cost of some stability in the corners and feedback to the driver.

In Acura’s newly refocused world, stability and feedback are priorities. For some drivers, they’re everything, and those are the drivers Acura wants to welcome back.

This totally new car is wider, longer and lower than the previous generation, with wider tracking at both front and rear. It’s also at least $5,000 more expensive. There’s no stick shift available, but the steering-wheel-mounted paddles flick through the 10-speed automatic transmission like a video game. Acura’s latest generation of all-wheel drive includes improved torque vectoring for sending power to any of the individual wheels.

I snapped down three gears and set up for the approaching S-bend. This “Platinum Elite” trim tester was not the sportier-looking (and less expensive) A-Spec edition, with a flat-bottomed steering wheel, rear spoiler and blacked-out 19-inch alloy wheels, but all trims share the same power. Horsepower is actually down from the previous V6, but torque is up a bit and kicks in at much lower rpm – Acura says it’s an increase of 48 lbs.-ft. at 1,500 rpm.

The redesigned TLX is wider, longer and sits lower than its predecessor.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail

Through the curves, the new TLX held flat and steered true; its AWD system is biased to the rear, though I couldn’t feel any bias at acceptable road speeds. Leaving the curves onto a straighter stretch of highway, the engine pulled strongly even in the higher gears – with so many gears to choose from, I was never quite sure which I was in.

In the old car, even with the stronger V6 engine, I always felt I was driving a gussied-up Accord. This new TLX with its significantly stiffer chassis feels like a performance car. It’s not the most powerful or the most hardcore – maybe the new Type S will help achieve that in the spring, though we still don’t know many of its most important details – but it did make me want to stay on the back roads, setting up for the next sequence of curves.

Tech specs

2021 Acura TLX

Base price/As tested: $44,490 / $52,190, plus $2,075 Freight and PDI
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo inline-four; 272 hp, 280 lbs.-ft.
Transmission/Drive: 10-speed automatic / AWD
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 11.2 city, 8.0 hwy, 9.8 comb.
Alternatives: Lexus IS, Genesis G70, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4

Looks

The car looks quick, no doubt about that. It’s all business, front and back, and with a roof that’s 14 mm lower than before. All designers strive for performance cars to be low and wide, and somebody at Acura clearly succeeded with the new TLX. I like the shallow grille, shallow headlights and wide but classy rear haunches. I also like the good-looking but basically useless black rear spoiler, but while that’s standard on the $49,790 A-Spec, it costs an extra $723 on the top-trim Platinum Elite.

Interior

The cabin is comfortable and spacious, with the controls focused toward the driver and reasonable space in the second row. It feels high-end – and it should, as this is an Acura, not a Honda. It also feels airy despite the low seats and higher windows and busy fascia, thanks to a push-button transmission on the flying centre console, not a shift stick.

It doesn’t feel particularly special, however. Where’s the option for all-digital dials, which even the new Honda Civic and Hyundai Elantra offer their buyers? Where’s the panoramic sunroof? Where’s the 12.1-inch central display touch screen? The TLX’s 10.2-inch screen feels small compared to most of its competition. And why can I only get the snazzy flat-bottomed steering wheel with the A-Spec edition?

The optional heads-up display on the windshield, however, is useful and always clear, even through my polarized sunglasses, which obscure the HUDs in Mercedes, BMW, Genesis and any number of others. Honda’s got it right (and so has Volvo and Ford) – why can’t those other makers learn from this?

Performance

Ah, now we’re talking. The TLX is a pleasure to drive, both fast and slow. I didn’t take it onto a racetrack, so I can’t advocate for its pure performance, but I can say that on public roads, I was as happy swinging through the curves as I was cruising on the highway or just scooting out for a carton of milk. Acura says the chassis is 50-per-cent stiffer than before and 100-per-cent stiffer around the double-wishbone suspension mounts.

Acura offered two engines in the previous generation, an anemic 2.4-litre four-cylinder and a punchy 3.5-litre V6, but this new 2.0-litre turbo is better than both of them. It’s the same engine that powers the larger RDX crossover. The 10-speed automatic is always responsive, and as mentioned, there’s now a lot more torque available much lower down in the powerband.

The brakes are electro-servo brake-by-wire – technology taken direct from the NSX halo car – and work exceptionally well without feeling too savage.

The top-trim Platinum Elite includes adaptive damping to firm or soften the suspension, and this can be set through the four electronic drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport and Custom, which also lets you change the transmission response and the steering feel, as well as the ambient lighting and auto stop-start.

That push-button transmission and well-tuned engine helps improve fuel consumption. Acura’s official claim is for 9.8 L/100 km, and premium fuel is recommended. I saw an average of 11.1 L/100 km, but I wasn’t usually sparing the horses.

Technology

Acura is Honda’s premium brand, so you’re guaranteed the TLX will be loaded with the very latest advancements in safe driving. All the active and passive safety features are provided with all trims – things like traction control, forward-collision warning and lane-departure assist – while blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic monitoring are on all but the base trim.

There’s full connectivity, of course, and the little charging tray for your phone on the centre console – which tucks half-under the centre armrest – is one of the nicest designs I’ve seen. On the other hand, the finger-operated mousepad just ahead of it, which controls the display screen, is one of the worst. I don’t especially like the haptic mousepad on Lexus models, but at least it helps direct the cursor. Perhaps this Acura pad will grow easier with practice, but I found it to be finicky and a distraction while driving.

Cargo

The trunk is large enough for a couple of golf bags.Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail

There’s plenty of room for front passengers, reasonable room for four passengers, and squished room for five passengers – the three in the back, at least. The trunk has 405 litres of cargo space, which is fine for a couple of golf bags, but it’s a fairly average space for a mid-sized sedan. The rear seats split 60/40 if more cargo space is needed.

The verdict

The TLX is a driver’s car again, and so it really cannot be compared to the “soft” vehicle of the previous generation. It’s more expensive than before, but it compares well to its Asian competition and certainly undercuts the German brands. If you’re truly focused on sport-driving though, you should wait a few months to see what the Type S will offer. Rumour has it the V6 engine will produce 355 horsepower, with bigger brakes, bigger wheels and all that other good stuff.

Shopping for a new car? Check out the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the latest discounts, rebates and rates on new cars, trucks and SUVs. Click here to get your price.

Stay on top of all our Drive stories. We have a Drive newsletter covering car reviews, innovative new cars and the ups and downs of everyday driving. Sign up today.