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Acura promises it will be the quickest and best-handling sedan in their history.
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The Type S moniker returns with a dedicated 3.0-litre turbo V6 engine.
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Last August, Acura revealed the very pleasing Type S Concept.
We’re going to have to be honest: Expectations for the all-new 2021 Acura TLX are extremely high. Back in 2016, Acura revealed the Acura Precision Concept at the Detroit Auto Show and we thought Honda’s luxury division was on to something. Then, in the course of Monterey Car Week in August 2019, Acura released the Type S Concept and we occasionally still bring it up as one of our favorite concepts from 2019. We’ll finally get to see if Acura actually delivers as attractive a production sedan on May 28th at 10:00 am PDT.
Above all however, it’s the rebirth of the Type S moniker that has sparked our attention. Without delving into our deepest thoughts on Acura, the car company has disappointed us at almost every turn since the late 2000s. Hope was rekindled when we first drove the current RDX SUV and in a strange twist, we’ve always liked the RLX, which has sadly been discontinued. We’ll stay quiet on the NSX…
As for the 2021 Acura TLX Type S, it has HUGE shoes to fill as it will need to not only look as good as the concept, even in lower trims, but it will have to at least dynamically match the likes of the BMW M340i, the Audi S4 and the Mercedes-AMG C 43 and, not to mention, be more affordable. News of the boosted 3.0-litre V6 is encouraging as are Acura’s words: “The new TLX will be the quickest, best-handling and most well-appointed sport sedan in Acura history,”
When Acura gets to do its thing and dig into its roots, we’re never disappointed.
