3 Reasons the Acura TLX Type S is Underrated

We recently spent a week with the 2023 Acura TLX Type S and concluded it’s one of the best kept secrets in the luxury performance sedan market. Although the usual German entries from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi grab most of the headlines and attention, Acura has been quietly producing a great vehicle as well.

Three main factors sum up our admiration for the mid-size sedan; the engine, all-wheel drive system, and price point. Below we dig deeper into each factor, explaining why this car is underrated and deserves a bit more attention.

Powering the Acura TLX Type S is the brand’s 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine that pumps out 355 horsepower and 354 pound feet of torque. Although those figures trail in comparison to many other turbocharged six-cylinders on the market, it’s not all about the numbers.

The amount of usable torque is plentiful, and the engine is so eager to rev. It utilizes every bit of that output. Whereas some engines seemingly run out of oomph at higher rpms, the Type S engine has power throughout the range.

Perhaps the best feature of the turbocharged V6 is how smooth it operates. Most consider inline-six engines as the optimal choice for a serene, silky power plant, and for good reason. With all the pistons in a row, these engines by design create less vibrations. But the Acura V6 can rival the best inline engines Germany has to offer in terms of fluidity and overall refinement.

The Acura TLX is built on a front-wheel drive bias platform. That means the V6 engine is turned sideways, transversely mounted. This puts the sedan at a disadvantage in terms of power delivery and handling dynamics compared to rear-wheel drive bias cars like the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Lexus IS.

Acura’s Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) virtually erases that deficit though. Now in its fourth generation, SH-AWD is a torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system that uses the rear wheels to help steer the car. It can send up to 70% of the available power to rear wheels. Of that power, up to 100% of it can be sent to an individual rear wheel. The system also overdrives the rear wheels by 2.9% which means the rear wheels spin faster than the front wheels.

This all adds up to help give the TLX a more rear-wheel drive feel. With most of the engine’s power being sent to the outer rear-wheel during hard cornering, it helps rotate the car around quicker and more naturally. There are many systems that have similar claims, but very, very few perform as well as SH-AWD. The speed and precision the heavy sedan can corner at is impressive.

Finally, there is the price. Even though it is slightly larger, the Acura TLX Type S competes in the same market space as smaller luxury sedans. The 2023 Acura TLX Type S we sampled a few weeks ago came in at an as tested price of $57,745 ($64,095 CAD) including destination charges.

That gives the Acura a significant price advantage over more powerful, but less spacious competitors like an equivalently equipped Audi S4, Mercedes-Benz C 43 AMG, or BMW M340i xDrive. Looking at sporty sedans from other countries, the Acura TLX Type S just under cuts the Genesis G70 3.3T AWD Sport Prestige and Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 AWD.

Although the Acura TLX Type S does also have a few faults, the whole package is well put together and includes a relative value. It really is a more serious contender in the sporty sedan market than many give it credit for.

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