Acura drew on several concept models as influence for the 2021 TLX sedan.
If you’re looking to get a full view of the 2021 Acura TLX you’ll have to wait a bit, the automaker planning a full, formal unveiling on May 28. That said, we can offer you this teaser image and a bit more insight into what’s coming.
The pic makes clear that the next-generation TLX draws heavily from two earlier concept cars, the Acura Precision Concept of 2016, as well as the Acura Type S Concept that was unveiled in August 2019. What we see is a new look for the sedan designed to make it seem broader and more solidly planted, with muscular curves and new, large diameter quad exhaust tips.
Also visible: new rear diffuser stakes that suggest what we are seeing here is the high performance version that will called the Acura TLX Type S. According to Honda’s luxury brand, that model will be powered by “a new dedicated 3.0-liter V-6 Turbo engine.”
(Acura moving upscale with handcrafted TLX.)
It’s easy to see the influence of the 2019 Acura Type S Concept on the back end of the new TLX.
Overall, Acura claimed in a statement, “The new TLX will be the quickest, best-handling and most well-appointed sport sedan in Acura history.”
As for the rest of the TLX line, the sedan will be powered by a new turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four shared with the current-generation Honda Accord.
The automaker isn’t revealing detailed specs but the V-6 in the Type S is expected to punch the needle to something in excess of 300 horsepower. And to make sure all that power reaches the pavement, look for Acura to offer the performance version with its torque-vectoring Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive, or SH-AWD, technology. (You might make out the logo on the rear haunches in the teaser image.)
We’ll have to wait until May 28 to see how close the 2021 Acura TLX is to the Type S Concept up front.
(First Drive: 2020 Acura RDX SH-AWD.)
Acura, like sibling brand Honda, likes to tease upcoming products first in concept form. But the 2021 Acura TLX doesn’t pick up the Type S Concept in whole. While it shares the LED taillamps, there are fewer creases to the sheet metal, at least from what we can see here.
The TLX is a critical model for Acura, by far its best-selling sedan, American buyers snapping up 26,548 of them last year. That was, however, down 12.9% from 2018 and well off from the nameplate’s demand peak of 47,080 in 2015.
That reflects the continuing shift from passenger cars to SUVs, CUVs and other light trucks. Still, Acura officials say they remain committed to their sedan line-up, as the launch of the new 2021 TLX clearly demonstrates.
(Acura Type S Concept officially breaks cover.)
We’ll have more on the new luxury model following its full, official debut at 1 p.m. EDT during an online webcast.