2003 Acura Tl 3.2 on 2040-cars

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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:

2013 Acura ILX 2.4

Going Mainstream Has Its Privileges
Acura's experiment with niche models has failed. Competing in the luxury car business by filling white space with product just didn't work for the Japanese automaker. In place of slow-selling models like its ZDX and quirky first-gen RDX, the mindset at Acura has recently switched to more conventional products with vastly improved volume potential. The redesigned 2013 RDX, for example, sold almost as many units in 2012 as it did in 2010 and 2011 combined, and the all-new 2013 ILX has sold more units each month - since going on sale in May - than Acura sold in ZDXs and RLs in all of last year.
While the redesigned RDX is a crucial product to compete with luxury compact crossovers, the ILX might be the most important new product for Acura, as a growing number of premium makes are starting to realize the importance of upscale entry-level compact cars. Ironically, this segment was a pivotal part of the brand's success in the 1980s and '90s thanks to the Integra, but Acura completely abandoned the genre when it killed off the RSX coupe in 2006. The addition of the ILX not only gives Acura a competitive small car again, it also drops the brand's entry price by almost $5,000.

Production Acura NSX spied getting sharper on the 'Ring

Acura hasn't been shy about trotting out the concept version of its upcoming NSX hybrid supercar - we've seen it colorized on Facebook, wearing Super GT drag and running wrapped at Mid Ohio - but until now, we've missed seeing the production version at all. Thankfully, our boys in the field have been diligently camped out by the Nürburgring, just the place for Acura engineers to get the NSX shaken down and ready for the public.
The first thing you'll likely notice (and no doubt appreciate) is that Acura is staying very true to the concept car. The same wind-tunnel-carved wedge shape is in evidence in the car's silhouette, and details like aggressively scalloped engine vents behind the cabin have made it through unscathed.
We do notice that there are some vertical elements at the bottom of the front fascia/grille that appear to be revised, and the mirrors are considerably less slinky than those of the concept car. Still, by and large, we're seeing a direct translation from show stand to real life here.