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2021 Acura TLX Long-Term Introduction | Loving the style, testing the substance

It’s not an understatement to say that the 2021 TLX is AcuraÂ’s most important car in years. Its purpose is ambitious: to be an authentic sports sedan with premium flair. When Acura is at its best, thatÂ’s what it does, as exemplified by the Legend and the third-generation TL. Can the TLX live up to that pedigree? WeÂ’ll spend the next year seeking answers as the attractive TLX joins our long-term fleet. The TLX is the sedan for Acura, carrying most of its aspirations as a sporting brand. Sure, thereÂ’s still the NSX, but a halo car needs to shine its light on something for mainstream enthusiasts to buy. As a reminder, the ILX is a dressed-up Civic and AcuraÂ’s former flagship, the RLX, is done. Put simply, thereÂ’s a lot riding on the TLX, but early indications are promising.  You will be able to find all future posts on our Long-Term 2021 Acura TLX page.  What we got Our new long-termer is a TLX A-Spec with Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. ItÂ’s powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder rated at 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque teamed with a 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. It costs $47,775, including destination charges, which puts it near the top of the TLX range. Among the TLX's standard features are LED head- and taillights, a sunroof, heated front seats, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Acura's unusual True Touchpad interface. Beyond the basic equipment, Acura then breaks down content into three packages, but they're more like trim levels since you can't mix and match them, nor are there any additional options beyond SH-AWD. As such, the A-Spec basically takes the Technology package items (blind-spot warning, navigation, leather upholstery, ambient cabin lighting) and adds additional content, including 19-inch Shark Grey aluminum alloy wheels, LED fog lamps, ventilated front seats, a sport steering wheel, a wireless phone charger, and a 17-speaker Panasonic/ELS sound system. The A-Spec also looks different with gloss black accents, smoked light casings and a matte grey diamond grille that really stand out when paired with our long-termer's striking Apex Blue Pearl Paint ($500 option). Our car also arrived on 255/40 R19 all-season tires but we plan to swap them for winter rubber. Why we got it The A-Spec is the enthusiast version. It looks and feels the part of a proper sports sedan. The interior, with the supportive seats and flat-bottom steering wheel, reinforces the idea of athleticism.

Comparison test: 2019 Acura RDX vs. compact luxury SUV competitors

Truth be told, if we were to compare the all-new 2019 Acura RDX with those compact luxury crossover SUVs it would most likely be cross-shopped against, you'd be looking at a different list. Even Acura admits that Lexus and Infiniti are the most likely bogies, but with the 2019 RDX, Honda's luxury brand is attempting to attract those customers who think as much with their hearts as with their heads. And for the most part, those folks have been buying from German brands: the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class. So, to show how the new RDX compares to them, Acura actually provided examples of each during the recent press drive along with a Volvo XC60. All were determined to have greater emotional appeal than the last RDX, and we would certainly agree. For, as much as the previous-generation RDX made sense on paper, it was really hard to get excited about it. And when you're paying extra for a luxury vehicle, shouldn't you get a little excited? Well, as luck would have it, Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and I were on hand in Whistler, British Columbia, for the press launch. We didn't have an abundance of time in each RDX competitor, but in conjunction with our usual comparison chart, our impressions should provide a good first taste of how the new RDX compares. Performance and fuel economy Contributing Editor James Riswick: On paper at least, the RDX is gutsier than its comparably powered European rivals. It also weighs the same or less, which logically should mean it'll be the quickest in a straight line. During my brief drives, though, I'm not sure it really stood taller than the three Germans. It at least matches them for smoothness, which is something that can't be said about the Volvo. Fuel economy is lower than them all when you consider all but the Mercedes come standard with all-wheel drive. It's also worth noting that all the competitors are available with engine upgrades, and unless Acura's forthcoming resurrection of Type S models includes the RDX, it should stay that way. Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: Line 'em all up in a drag race, and I have a feeling the Acura would squirt away to victory. A good bit of that, though, would be due to its 10-speed automatic transmission, which offers a huge spread of ratios and fires off extremely quick shifts. In the real world, I'd guess fuel economy will be similar across the board, so I'm willing to call that category a draw.

2021 Acura TLX Long-Term Update | Seats look great, feel less so

There's a lot to like about our Acura TLX A-Spec's interior. In particular, I love the vivid red leather upholstery, the satisfying drive mode selector, and the loads of space inside. What I'm not so in love with is the actual design of the front seats. They look great and are quite shapely with the undulating black faux suede inserts and leather piping separating the aforementioned red leather panels. But they're underwhelming when they're under you. My biggest complaint is that the seat bottom is extremely short, and the adjustment for angle is a bit limited. As such, my thighs lack support, and on a long trip, this can become quite uncomfortable. The Acura is far from the only car I've experienced with this issue, but with our car priced over $45,000, it's surprising there isn't more adjustment, or some sort of seat base extender common in sportier cars (most notably BMW). 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec View 51 Photos Also disappointing is the lack of lateral support. The seats look like they have some decent bolsters, but they're very soft and fairly wide apart. As such, they don't do much to keep you in place. And although this isn't the full-force Type S, the A-Spec still has an air of sportiness about it, so it seems like something Acura would want to improve a little. It's not all bad, though. The seats themselves have thick and reasonably soft cushioning, so the parts of you that are supported are comfortable. The adjustable lumbar support is actually quite excellent with the ability to add quite a bit over a large area. Overall, I'm not angry with the TLX's seats, I'm just a bit disappointed. They wouldn't put me off the car, I just think that, for as good as so much else is, it deserves something better. Related Video: