The Acura TLX has been a fan favorite amongst the American luxury compact sports sedan buyers ever since the launch of the first generation TLX back in 2015. The sleek design language, top-notch quality and refinement, and smooth and torquey powertrains were some of the qualities that made the TLX a leader in the segment. It was a popular option too, being one of the best-selling models. With the arrival of the 2022 TLX, which is part of the second generation, Acura has brought forward all these qualities, while providing more.
Being launched for a base MSRP of $37,700, the 2022 Acura TLX ticks all the right boxes for a powerful and capable compact luxury sedan. It is easily one of the most fun-to-drive sedans of the segment, and the coveted Type S trim is offered too if you want even better performance and handling. The luxurious interior, long list of standard features, and superb NVH levels are on board too. Competing with the BMW 3 Series, Audi A5, and Genesis G70, here are 10 things you need to know before getting the 2022 Acura TLX.
10 One Of The Fastest Offerings In The Segment
The 2022 Acura TLX comes with two engine options, depending on the trim that you opt for. All the trims like base, technology, A-spec, and advance come with the same 2-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor producing 272 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. In terms of acceleration, the car equipped with this motor managed to do 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds. The mid-range acceleration is pretty decent, and overtaking fast-moving traffic on highways is easy.
However, if you want the car to feel in line with the likes of the Audi S4 and BMW M340i, the TLX Type S trim is the one to go for. This trim comes with the more powerful 3-liter turbocharged V6 motor, producing 355 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. Mated to the same 10-speed automatic transmission and an optional SH-AWD drivetrain, the acceleration and refinement are a notch above the base motor. It could also do 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph.
9 Gas Mileage Is On Par With The Rivals
Coming with no major changes from the outgoing 2021 model, the fuel efficiency has seen no variations. The trims of the Acura TLX that comes equipped with the 2-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor managed to do 22 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway, which are pretty decent for a compact luxury sedan.
The 15.9-gallon fuel tank capacity is one of the highest of the segment, too, and that helps in giving out an excellent highway range of close to 493 miles. If you opt for the AWD variant, the combined gas mileage sees a dip of 1 mpg. However, the Type S moniker offered an even lower 19 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.
8 Looks Gorgeous
The second generation of the Acura TLX came to the United States market last year, and the same gorgeous design has been carried forward to this 2022 iteration as well. Offered with six exterior colors along with a host of optional accessories and packages, the 2022 Acura TLX does look handsome from all angles. This helps it stand out from the rivals too.
The sharp-looking front end is highlighted by the LED headlights with LED DRL, pentagonal grille with chrome surrounds, and blacked-out grille and air dam inserts. The masculine side profile and the coupe-like rear quarter looks beautiful. The LED taillight and the dual exhaust come as standard on all the trims. If you opt for the Sport Plus Black Styling Package offered for an MSRP of $3,009, the TLX gets a whole host of blacked-out exterior elements, making it quite sinister-looking.
7 A Capable Handler
In terms of handling, the ethos of the outgoing model has been carried forward with no changes. This is still one of the finest handling machines of the segment and the drivers are going to enjoy taking this sedan through the winding roads. If you opt for the initial four trims which come with the 2-liter turbocharged motor, you would be surprised by the lack of body roll and the impressive grip on offer.
The car only understeers at the limit and the body control is impeccable. The same applies to the steering as well, which turned out to be a superb electronic unit offering excellent feel, feedback, and precision. However, we would advise you to get the top-spec Acura TLX Type-S since it comes with bigger wheels, a stiffer suspension setup, and a more powerful motor, all of which make it an even more fun-to-drive vehicle.
6 Space Is Not Its Forte
Being a 5-seater compact sedan, the 2022 Acura TLX is expected to be similar to the likes of the Lexus ES 350 and Genesis G70 in terms of space and comfort. However, we found the interior space to be a tad bit disappointing, especially when it comes to the legroom, both front and rear. The front seat occupants wouldn't find 36.3" of legroom to be very comfortable, especially the taller folks.
All the rivals in the segment come with 40" plus legroom for the front seats. However, the shoulder room and headroom are in the same ballpark as the rivals. The lack of legroom is also present in the rear row, which is about 5" lower than the Lexus ES 350. The under-thigh support is on the lower side, and so is the seat padding. All of this makes the 2022 Acura TLX not the best offering of the segment in terms of comfort. However, the cargo capacity of 14.3 cu ft is pretty decent.
5 Ride Quality Is A Bit Underwhelming
The 2022 Acura TLX's suspension setup feels more sporty, and that makes it a bit harsh in terms of ride comfort. Offered with double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear suspension with coil springs on all four corners, the suspension is tuned more for cornering and less for absorbing all the irregularities of the roads, irrespective of the speeds.
When driving through the slow city traffic conditions, the potholes of the roads are felt in the cabin, which tends to unsettle the ride. As the speeds rise during freeway driving, the ride quality never managed to remain completely flat. This does take away the traveling experience quite a bit, and in comparison to the rivals, it is a bit disappointing too.
4 One Of The Best Value For Money Propositions
The 2022 Acura TLX comes at a base price of $37,700 and tops out with the Type S trim with an MSRP of $52,600. In comparison to the rivals, the Acura TLX is easily the most value-for-money compact luxury sedan that comes with impressive performance, luxurious interior, and a long list of standard features which are offered with even the lower trims.
Even the lower trims come with sports seats wrapped in leather with contrasting stitching, heated and powered seats, a 60/40 split rear seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry and ignition, and many more as standard. All the driver-assistance features are on board due to the standard AcuraWatch and this offers forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, etc. In comparison, the Audi S4 lacks many of these features as standard.
3 Infotainment Could Have Been Better
The 10.2" True Touchpad Interface comes as standard with all the trims of the Acura TLX. This infotainment is controlled through the touchpad that is present on the center console, and the overall user experience remains pretty decent. However, the interface has a learning curve, and it is not as smooth and polished as the MMI or the iDrive systems out there.
Nevertheless, all the connectivity and entertainment features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi hotspot, SiriusXM radio, voice recognition, and many more come as standard. The audio is handled by the 10-speaker Acura Premium Audio System and the audio turned out to be superb with punchy bass and clear vocals.
2 Impressive Safety Performance
Similar to the outgoing 2021 model of the Acura TLX, this 2022 iteration also managed to be one of the best offerings of the segment in terms of safety. With superb build quality rivaling the Germans of the segment coupled with all the bells and whistles in terms of safety and driver-assistance tech coming in as standard, it managed to get great scores in the crash tests.
The NHTSA gave an overall crash safety rating of 5-stars and the IIHS gave a good rating in most of the subsections too. In terms of features on offer, with the inclusion of AcuraWatch coming in as standard, the TLX gets the lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking, etc. A few more optional features can be had too.
1 Brakes Are Sharp
The braking hardware sees no changes and the same 13" front and rear ventilated rotors coupled with all the braking features like ABS with EBD, hill hold control, brake assist, and electronic parking brakes are on board. This helps the car to give out a 60-0 mph braking distance of 113 feet, which is pretty decent for the segment.
The brakes turned out to be sharp and sure-footed, and the brake fade is very minimal too. Even when thrashing around a racetrack which requires heavy usage of brakes, the brakes felt perfect. The front-end dive is minimal. The initial bite is superb and the braking progression is impeccable too.