2002 Acura Tl 3.2 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Weekly Recap For 7.29.16 | Autoblog Minute

A recap of the week in automotive news, including the latest video of Acura's NSX GT3, and the IIHS' most recent Top Safety Pick+ award recipient. Acura Hyundai Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video autos gt3 recap acura nsx gt3

2021 Acura TLX Type S officially goes on sale tomorrow

The 2021 Acura TLX Type S is arriving at Acura dealerships tomorrow. After over a decade hiatus here, we’ll have an Acura with a Type S badge available to buy once again. It wonÂ’t be too much longer until the MDX Type S joins the TLX, too. You can read everything there is to know about the TLX Type S in our first drive review. ItÂ’s the high-performance model of the four-door sedan, featuring a new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6, sport-tuned suspension and AcuraÂ’s excellent SH-AWD system. Power is rated at 355 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Acura dropped a video (you can watch below) with todayÂ’s on-sale announcement to dive into some of the nitty gritty details of this new V6.  One item the video misses is the TLXÂ’s new active exhaust system, though. ItÂ’s a new exhaust that is passed down from the NSX. As active exhausts go, this one is fairly standard. There are butterfly valves within the system that open depending on your throttle position or selected mode. Sport+ mode leaves them open 100% of the time, and theyÂ’ll even open in Comfort mode if you rev beyond 4,000 rpm. Acura says the exhaust is 5-7 decibels louder when the valves are open versus closed. If you want a new TLX Type S, the starting price is $53,325. Tack on the High Performance Wheel & Tire Package, and the price goes up to $54,125. YouÂ’ll probably want the wheel and tire package, too. The standard tires are Pirelli Cinturato P7 all-season tires, whereas the upgrade rubber gives you Pirelli P Zero summer tires. Those P Zeros are wrapping lighter wheels that save 5.8 pounds at each corner. The design is also inspired by the five-spoke wheels on the Acura NSX, so youÂ’ll be going faster and looking cooler. We have a feeling that itÂ’s $800 well spent. Related video:

2021 Acura TLX Long-Term Update | Tuneful turbo-four soundtrack

I used to be enamored with the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine format. I owned a 2004 Subaru WRX, with its turbo boxer mill, and liked it quite a bit, rough though it could be. Then turbo-fours, often displacing the same 2.0 liters, began replacing heavier and thirstier naturally aspirated V6 powerplants across the industry, and I was on board. Since then, they’ve become much more refined and responsive, all while their often uninspiring soundtracks faded into the background as automakers worked to improve the experience inside the cabin. TheyÂ’ve also become so ubiquitous that, apart from certain standouts like the turbo boxer in the Porsche 718, they ceased to be as exciting to me. Then AutoblogÂ’s long-term 2021 Acura TLX arrived in my driveway, equipped with a 2.0-liter turbo I4. I was excited about the styling and the handling, but I didnÂ’t expect this four-pot to make a huge impression on me. The first time I opened her up under wide-open throttle, though, I was pleasantly surprised. This 2.0TÂ’s 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque are ample motivation for this sporty sedan, even with all-wheel drive and a 3,990-pound curb weight. It wonÂ’t knock your hat into the back seat, but itÂ’s quick enough, especially in Sport mode. The thing that really won me over with this 2.0T, though, is the sound. Ripping to this thing's 6,800-rpm redline produces a melodious song that sounds a lot more exciting and expressive than most other fours. The cherry on top is the punctuated hiss of the turbo releasing its pressure when you get off the throttle. The amplitude of the engine note is manipulated using AcuraÂ’s Active Sound Control. As an Acura spokesperson explained it: “Active Sound Control uses the TLXÂ’s speakers (whether audio is playing or not) to add sound (same-phase or reverse-phase) to the cabin that smooths the sound of the engine heard inside the cabin. Engine noise doesn't increase in a linear way with rising revs; instead there can be many resonances that create peaks and valleys in the sound pressure level and an uneven sound. The level of ASC is tailored to each drive mode (Comfort, Normal and Sport).” Put another way, ASC is basically an electronic filter that can deaden or amplify the sound and smoothen it out, similar to how active suspension damping adjusts to the situation and drive modes to either let in more or less road feel, while actively eliminating the harshest of vibrations.