NEW CAR REVIEW: 2024 Acura TLX Type S - by David Colman +VIDEO

If you’re looking for WOW, it’s right here!

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL

Over the years, sports oriented automotive manufacturers have used the letter "S" to denote the availability of Something Special. Porsche added the letter "S" to their 911 model back in 1967 to indicate a faster, better handling version of their then new sports car. Likewise, Acura has appended the designation "Type S" to sportingly tweaked versions of four standard model lines: the new ZDX EV, the Integra Sports Compact, the MDX SUV and the TLX Sports Sedan. We recently sampled the Type S variant of the TLX and found it to be not only a bargain at $58,795, but also an exhilarating sports sedan that will keep pace with Audis, BMWs, and yes, Porsches costing more than twice as much.

Acura demands that all Type S models "must follow rigorous requirements that result in a drive that goes faster, stops quicker and turns harder" than stock versions of the four models mentioned above. In the case of the TLX, stock means a four-door, five passenger family sedan. The basic TLX is powered by a turbocharged, 2.0 liter, four cylinder engine making 272hp and driving just the front wheels. This base model carries a $46,195 price tag. To convert it into a Type S, Acura replaces the four cylinder engine with a turbocharged and intercooled V-6 producing 355hp and 354lb.-ft. of torque. To accommodate the substantial power increase, Acura redesigns the platform to accommodate "Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD). They improve handling by adding high-performance chassis bracing, sports tuned adaptive dampers, and tighter variable ratio steering. The stock 19" wheels of the base TLX jump to 20" Type S rims (Berlina Black Split 5-Spoke) shod with Pirelli P Zero PZ4 extra load radials (255/35R20). A further Type S refinement peeks out from those black spoked rims: bright red Brembo brake calipers, with 4-pistons up front. Handsome 20" Copper Alloy rims are optionally available if black bores you.

The adaptive sports dampers enable the driver of the Type S to choose from four driving modes unavailable on the base sedan: Comfort/Normal/Sport and Sport+. The latter, exclusive to the Type S, sharpens throttle response, holds gears (there are 10 of them) longer, and opens up exhaust outlet valves "for a satisfying engine note." The Type S also sports significantly improved body work and streamlining compared to the base model. Its lower front splitter generates added downforce, while the black, open surface diamond pentagon grill feeds more air to the engine compartment via an underhood alloy duct. The rear spoiler and lower diffuser work in consort to smooth exit airflow and reduce lift, and both of these aero-pieces are optionally available from Acura in carbon fiber.

Done up with Type S emoluments, the TXL is a serious road runner. It will scat from zero to sixty in a wickedly quick 4.6 seconds, clear the standing start quarter mile in 13.3 seconds at 105mph and post a governor-limited top speed of 156mph. Even better than the drag strip numbers are the lap times this sedan is capable of posting on a road course or autocross. The SH-AWD, beefed up chassis, super effective damper rates and uprated brakes work in perfect coordination when you dial up Sport+ from the drive mode menu. Doing so empowers the TXL Type S to take on any piece of twisting back road, and pretty much any other sport sedan you're likely to encounter on your testy trip. I found that once I flipped the prominently located drive mode button from Comfort through Normal to Sport+, the TLX transitioned from pussycat to puma without hesitation. The steering sharpened noticeably, the muffler turned into a glasspack, and the newly sensitized aluminum throttle pedal suddenly barked its approval.

If you have any doubts about the bona fides of the Type S as a sports device, take a gander at the way Acura has contrived the interior. If the beautifully orchestrated red and black "Orchid" leather of our test car doesn't get your blood pressure racing, nothing will. The front seats are not just stunning to look at, they're perfectly contoured for maximum support when you're popping apexes on your favorite backroad. The rear seat is rather less supportive, but who really wants to tackle the twisties hauling a rear seat crowd around? For practicality sake, the split rear seat backs flip down to provide a clear load floor with trunk access good for 14 cubic feet of stuff. In case you have any qualms about Acura's psychological motivation in the design of this interior, be advised that they have provided 24 modes of interior lighting meant to evoke "famous performance driving destinations around the world" such as California's Pacific Coast or Acura's home racing circuit at Suzuka, Japan. Since I've done and won Route 1, it's on to Japan for a night run at Suzuka.

2024 ACURA TLX TYPE S

• ENGINE: 3.0 liter V6, 24 valves, DOHC turbocharged and intercooled, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 355hp@5500rpm
• TORQUE: 354lb.-ft.@1400rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 19MPG City/25MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $58,795

HYPES: Handling Prowess, Drag Strip Wow

GRIPES: Back Seat Legroom

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2024 David E Colman