I’m not going to lie. When Acura announced that it was discontinuing the sporty TSX sedan (and its bigger and more elegant brother, the TL), I was saddened. A good friend of mine owns one and I always thought it was a good-looking, well-performing vehicle for its segment that had some character to it. Meanwhile, I knew next to nothing about the TLX. Could it possibly do the job of two cars that catered to different audiences? I spent a week behind the wheel to find out.
Let’s start with the exterior. The car looks more compact than the TL, but it’s actually only 98 millimetres shorter. One of the reasons for this is they shortened the front overhang by 31 mm and the rear 67 mm, making it stubbier and less boat-like in appearance.
People who see the car for the first time often comment about the unique headlight design, which Acura calls the Jewel Eye. Rather than using conventional halogen or xenon technology, the TLX headlamp housing holds a series of LED bulbs that provide intensely bright lighting over a wide radius, and as a bonus look really funky during the daytime.
Inside, it’s surprising that the TLX retains the same passenger room as the TL, despite not being as lengthy. The black-leather-covered seating surfaces (heated and ventilated for the front) are classy and comfortable, and there are little details that remind you that you are indeed sitting in a luxury car, like a soft-touch dash covering, frameless rearview mirror, and aluminium/wood accenting throughout the cabin.
