I had hoped it would never happen to me, but over time I had been unknowingly lulled into a sense of numb complacency – not with my work but the subject matter itself.
With countless crossovers and electrified machines in recent times, I’d reached the point where a vehicle’s range, seating real estate, or the slickness of its all-glass command centre was almost all that mattered anymore. I feared I was losing my appreciation for the harmonics of a beautifully-tuned, high-performance engine, or the telepathic responses to subtle steering inputs. It used to be about the love of driving. It used to be about vášeň.
However, a week with the 2023 Acura TLX Type S – the sportiest variant of the brand’s midsize sedan – reawakened my love of driving, with an experience behind the wheel that’s far more engaging than I expected.
Styling: 9/10
The allure of the TLX begins before the push-button ignition is engaged. It’s an attractive car that’s well-proportioned – long, low, and lithe in this era of bulbous, blobby SUVs that dominate the roads. In Type S guise, it gains a host of subtle visual upgrades, from the darkening of any chrome trim, to its deeper chin spoiler, while less subtle changes include a contrasting trunk-lid spoiler, and four proud exhaust tips.
There’s also a set of spidery 20-inch wheels painted a dark charcoal. Simple, and clean in design, they’re perfect on this Acura and leave very little of the sexy red Brembo calipers to the imagination. Even the Platinum White Pearl paint ($500) sparkles and gleams, and suits this car so well.
Inside, the TLX’s dashboard is driver-centric, with the controls wrapping around the pilot and keeping the front-seat passenger very much in what feels like a separate space. The materials don’t all look or feel as premium as they might in such a costly car from another premium brand, but they’re assembled with precision. And while the controls are laid out for serious driving business, the bright red leather seats are downright naughty by comparison.
Pocit z jízdy: 8/10
Expecting the Type S to be little more than styling exercise (like the A-Spec), the snarl from the exhaust after depressing the starter button was downright shocking. A few stabs of the throttle pedal produced an engine note unlike those from the TLX’s German competitors. BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz have tuned theirs for deeper, more gravelly sounds, but this Acura offers a distinct note with a higher pitch that’s more Formula One than NASCAR.
Before even leaving the parking lot at Honda Canada headquarters, the Type S was ready to reveal its frenetic personality. The steering is very quick and precise, the brakes bite with immediacy, and the throttle is borderline jumpy for those of us who’ve spent too much time in soccer-parent buses lately.
That’s just in the normal drive mode, too. Crank the giant knob in the middle of the dash to the right and you’ll unleash sport mode, elevating the energy level further in the process. Throttle response becomes more immediate and the 10-speed automatic transmission holds gears until the revs reach the higher digits on the tachometer. With a heavy foot on the accelerator, first gear is dispatched in a blink, then second, third, and fourth rev out farther until you’re well into the danger zone for your driver’s licence. The upshifts are very quick, while the Type S isn’t afraid to downshift and let its revs sing again and again when slowing down.
The TLX is a bigger car than the BMW 3 Series or Audi S4, but the lightness and quickness of its steering helps make it feel friskier. The sticky summer tires cling to pavement with ferocity, and Acura’s all-wheel drive system works its sorcery to apportion torque wherever it’s best utilized.
A favourite road with an uphill left-hand curve that ends with a sharp, nearly 300-degree right put the Type S to the test. Most cars – even those with sporting pretenses – will wash out in a wave of understeer when pressed as hard as the Acura was as it clung ferociously to the tarmac and rocketed away.
