The 2021 TLX Is What an Acura Sport Sedan Should Be

The 2021 TLX Is What an Acura Sport Sedan Should Be

Enthusiasts fell in love with Acura because its cars offered excellent Honda engineering with more luxury at an attainable price. But like its parent company, Acura drifted from the original formula in the 2000s and 2010s, and while sales remained strong, the thing that made Acura special faded away. But over the last few years, Acura has tried to win back enthusiasts. First with the amazing NSX, then with the surprisingly sporty RDX crossover, and now this, the second-generation TLX. The 2021 TLX Is What an Acura Sport Sedan Should Be

Here's how you know Acura is serious—the new TLX has a double-wishbone front suspension. It’s more expensive and harder to package than a McPherson strut, but it also provides superior ride and handling characteristics. The 2021 TLX Is What an Acura Sport Sedan Should Be

Throughout the Nineties, Honda and Acura bucked the compact-car norm with double-wishbone front axles, but eventually switched to simpler, cheaper setups. The 2021 TLX rides on a dedicated platform with double wishbones at the front and a five-link setup out back. This is no fancified Accord, proof that Acura is putting in the work. The 2021 TLX Is What an Acura Sport Sedan Should Be

We appreciate the effort, and the chassis is the highlight of this new TLX. Our top-spec Advance trim tester felt more sport than luxury sedan, with a reassuringly taut ride. It's a little harsh on bad city roads at low speed, but opens up beautifully as speeds rise.

Acura engineers worked on stiffening up the body structure for the new TLX, and this has provided the best combination for a great ride/handling balance—a stiff shell, with suspension that actually suspends. Advanced models also come with standard adaptive dampers that never feel too firm, even in their sportiest setting.

So The 2021 TLX Is What an Acura Sport Sedan Should Be