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Ohio built 2015 Acura TLX staged to dominate Euro, Japanese performance sedan sedan segment

With Acura’s announced release of the U.S. built TLX Performance Sedan to dealerships in August, BMW, Mercedes and Lexus dealers will take note as former customers head for the new benchmark in affordable sports performance.

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Acura has finally announced the long anticipated delivery month for a U.S. built car that will dominate the mid sized performance sedan segment.

As reported by Torque News from the New York International Auto Show in April, while the production model TLX was not as candy coated as the concept car, it came darn close. We were impressed by the car’s overall styling and restrained yet measurable opulent inference and indicated performance attributes.

Back in April we reported that the 2015 TLX would Give BMW, Mercedes and Lexus a run for the money. Acura with MIke Accavitti at the helm is making all the right moves towards position Acura as the go to brand for enthusiast wishing for a relatively affordable, quality built high performance sedan.

You can read what we like about the TLX here. But cutting to the short story, we like the Acura’s price point, styling and heightened performance and handling attributes via two direct injected non turbocharged engine choices.

Back in April we put it this way: “Beyond the reduced drag coefficient of the 2015 TLX lays the true beauty of this tech-rich innovative driving conveyance.” Claiming 10% more horsepower and 15% greater torque than the retired TSX, the TLX retains the interior comfort of the retired TL and does so with greater fuel economy and handling.

Handing it to the crew at Acura, the 2015 TLX comes in at a price point comparable to that of last years TSX. By holding the base price and offering pre-purchase incentives to the returning Acura loyal, Accavitti and company insure the success of the August TLX roll-out.

With a base MSRP of $30,995 Acura offers power and road manners exceeding BMW 320i territory. In base trim, a 2.4 liter direct injected DOHC 4 cylinder produces 206 horsepower and 182 lb-ft. Married to a standard 8 speed DCT, this Civic sized Acura should turn a few heads.

We expect Acura’s patented advanced drive and handling systems to smoke the metric competition in the S turns.

For those Acura enthusiast wishing for something that their BMW and Mercedes driving peers don’t have, we recommend taking a closer look at North America’s next best selling midsize performance sedan. Taking TLX to the next logical level in performance automotive development, Acura combines the race bench tested attributes of Honda’s 3.5 direct injected and variable timed V6, mates it to a 9 speed DCT and throws in P-AWS for good measure.

What you find here is a Euro Sedan killer rated at 290 hp and 267 lb-ft with a beginning MSRP of $35,220. Acura presents a mechanically bullitproof “E” ticket ride for less $ then a well equipped Accord Hybrid.

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Comments

John Goreham    July 16, 2014 - 3:42PM

I'm rooting for Acura. The one platform for all sedans approach makes sense financially. The TLX formula has not changed much since the 2003-2008 Accord formula. Same power to weight ratio, same platform. Better transmissions (we hope). Acura makes a great premium mid-sized sedan when it uses the V6. However, real performance sedans are rear-wheel drive. Definitely not front, and AWD is a waste of weight. Just my two cents. The FWD Acura may be more practical, but let's not confuse practical with performance. It will be interesting to see the real MSRP of a TLX V6 with Nav and the common options. Acura says the V6 TLX "Starts" at $42,500. The 2014 Lexus IS 350 with Nav, beat all the Germans in Car and Driver and Road and Track's comparison tests - at a much lower price point. $47K is what the Lexus costs with the normal luxury options. The benchmarked moved last year. Either way it is a win for team Japan.

Parks McCants    July 16, 2014 - 3:53PM

In reply to by John Goreham

Damn... John, when did they move Acura manufacturing back to Japan? We'll see where it goes. You and I are old school. I also enjoy a rear wheel drive V6 or V8 for sliding and tire burning. However, I must hand it to Acura engineering for uable torque transfer where and when it's needed. As to the retail price? It's published. While that may change at the dealership, Acura won't touch it. Thanks for dropping in.