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2021 Acura TLX Long-Term Update | Drive mode selector is a surprise delight

You may have seen last week my column espousing the sensory benefits of physical switchgear in cars. They can add a bit of fun and character in the smallest ways. As it turns out, our long-term Acura TLX has a great example of this idea: the drive mode selector. In most cars, drive modes are typically chosen via a nondescript button tucked away in the center console. Sometimes the selector is buried in an infotainment menu. But in the TLX, it’s a huge, gleaming knob placed front and center in the main control stack. It would be impossible to miss. ItÂ’s actually even more prominent than the buttons for shifting. 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec View 51 Photos With the size and placement, itÂ’s a nice dial to grasp, and works with smooth action and a solid stop in either direction for flipping through modes. But what really brings it together is the speed at which modes are selected, and the sound the infotainment system makes upon choosing one. In some cars it can take a long time for the system to acknowledge your selection and engage it, but the Acura activates it nearly as soon as youÂ’ve let the dial snap back to center. And it confirms your choice with sort of whoosh-y electronic clink through the speakers. ItÂ’s the kind of quick reaction and sound design you get from high-quality video game menus. All of these aspects make the TLX nicer to use and feel more premium. It doesnÂ’t feel like a hassle to change drive modes since it takes very little time and works well. ThatÂ’s especially welcome if you like driving it in the sport mode, since the car defaults to the normal mode on start-up. It also makes the car feel like it has fast-acting software befitting a premium car. It may seem like a small thing, but small things matter when cars have become so good. And I appreciate that Acura took its time with this seemingly little component. Related Video:

2021 Acura TLX to use dedicated platform and wishbone front suspension

Acura claims the 2021 TLX will be the "quickest, best-handling, and most well-appointed sport sedan in Acura history." The experts at Autoblog won't be able to put that statement to the test for several months, but all signs thus far are positive. After showing off the rear of the car a week ago, Acura just released a new teaser of the front fascia. Along with the photo, Acura announced the upcoming TLX will use its own brand-exclusive sports sedan platform and will have a double wishbone front suspension. Before the 2021 TLX's digital unveiling that will take place, May 28 at 1:00 p.m. EST (10:00 a.m. PDT) on Acura.com, Honda's luxury branch has slowly been releasing enticing tidbits about the all-new four-door. The teasers show the car will look very similar to the beautiful Type S Concept, and a Type S performance variant will use a powerful turbocharged 3.0-liter V6.   The new teaser focuses on the car's handling. In addition to the crude silhouette of the car's front end, the dark image shows that the TLX will ditch the Macpherson struts and use double wishbone control arms for the front suspension. Although the TLX nameplate is not old, as it first debuted for the 2015 model year as a replacement to the TL and TSX, this is a return-to-roots type of move. Acura has had success with the wishbone suspension in past performance cars that gave the brand name its weight such as the 1986-1995 Legend, 1990-2001 Integra, 1996-2014 TL and TL Type S, and 1991-2005 NSX. The current NSX hybrid supercar also uses the same setup, which Acura says has "more precise control of wheel camber, caster, and toe angles," and increases tire contact patches. The TLX is also expected to have a "highly rigid body" and a "performance-focused chassis."  For now, that's all that is known about the upcoming TLX, but enthusiasts won't have to wait long to learn more. Full info will arrive May 28. Related Video:

Honda HR-V could spawn Acura variant

We've been saying it for months now, but the compact CUV is the next big thing. Everyone, and we mean everyone, is at least considering getting in on the action, if they aren't already actively designing or selling, and that's true whether they're a premium or mainstream automaker. That, of course, includes Acura, whose parent company, Honda, has a compact CUV of its own coming to market very, very soon. With the arrival of the Fit-based HR-V, that begs the question of whether the near-premium marque will join this burgeoning segment. The idea of building a car below the company's entry level CUV, the RDX, is an appealing one to Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel, who called it "potentially the only place you could go," and would occupy the "white space" the company is looking to fill. While we might chuckle about the idea of a luxurious, Fit-based CUV, it's fair to say it could do well for Acura. It could certainly provide a foil to the very hot selling Buick Encore, and may even capture some sales from the luxuriously outfitted Jeep Renegade Limited/Fiat 500X Lounge. It remains to be seen, though, if Acura could build an HR-V capable of tangling with the new entries from Lexus, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.