Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  Best Acura YET. Tranny ok. Nav = DINOSAUR - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Wes - April 9 - 9:03 pm

  I have owned or leased four Acuras before this one: 2003 TL Type S; 2004 TL; 2007 TL; 2006 RL. All great cars. This one is the best, IMO. Yet it is still not good enough to keep me loyal. Ive had my 2015 TLX for 14 mos. Generally happy with it. Common themes bring me back to Acura: 1. Drive and handling with descent fuel economy for MY driving style; 2. Sufficient amount of tech; 3. Unparalled reliability and durability; 4. Dealer experience; 5. Value. If you are an avid Acura owner like me, then I am sure you get where I am coming from. Brand loyalty is a funny thing, though. You can look across many car groups (Subaru, Mercedes, Jeep, etc.), and it is interesting to notice the "Seth Goden Tribal" phenomenon with so many. Humorous almost. I am sure it applies to me, until I open my mind to something else, right? That said, here is my review, and I will start with the bad. First, I think Acura dealerships and the OEM need to get a clue about their NAV system and the entire user experience on the dash. They need to stop boasting about being the inventors of NAV and that they have the best, most awarded technology. This is utter [non-permissible content removed] and so 1991. This system absolutely sucks! It is difficult to use, the voice prompts are useless and complicated, the menu structure on the touchscreen requires way too much attention for the simplest of tasks, the NAV wont integrate with any smart phone without a paid subscription (really, Acura?) and the on-board NAV system is absolutely HORRIBLE, in fact worse than past years. The 2-screen system is very cool and has potential for a well-designed solution, and it helps mitigate the user experience trainwreck that is like a tractor beam from the ditch. Anything that doesnt offer Apple Carplay or Android Auto (or both) is a dinosaur. Period. Hey Acura, these players own the space. Get on board already. Stop charging for it. Looking across the digital car technology ecosystem, this is downright insulting. You are going to have to invent another business model for upside. My hope is that Acura will provide an upgrade, and soon. This system alone will keep me from buying another Acura after this, as on-board tech is the new differentiator for car brands. This is where GM got it right, but I would have to own a GM, which is a non-starter. Training a device to bluetooth is tedious, should be easier. There are $29 bluetooth accessories that do better. Phone control once in bluetooth is also extremely tedious. Voice prompts are useless here. Next, the transmission was annoying at first, but like other owners, I got used to it. I drive in sport mode all the time and it seems to do okay. There is *slightly* noticeable lag, but quite frankly, it is not a deal killer. This car is "very fast enough". Now the good. I love how this car handles. I love how it feels. The acceleration is there, even if in need of minor refinement. To me, this car is the best of both worlds: good, smooth torque like my 06 RL and superb handling like my TLs. The car feels big, smooth and solid, yet nimble. Viva la SH-AWD. The engine sound is throaty, yet car looks like a lion in sheeps clothing. The fold-down rear seat was a huge seller for me, and a deal breaker without. (Hey cyclists, I can get my 56 cm road bike or medium size 29er MTB removing only the front wheel. Huge!) Despite my desire to haul my bike without an external rack, I love cars and how they drive, which is why I didnt look at Grand Cherokees, MDXs or Explorers, etc. I have the Advance package. The adaptive cruise is very nice, once you get used to it. I find the lane control feature a little flaky and still in need of refinement - will be looking for an update on next trip to dealer. I also love the rear and blindspot warnings and associated audible indicators. They are especially useful in the Costco parking lot where worst parking lot drivers on earth tend to congregate at velocity. Good looks, steering wheel controls, fit & finish. No noise w/sunroof open during bluetooth call. Here is what it comes down to for me: Acura, dont be arrogant. You have done great things to build the brand over the course of decades. I am a living example. But times are changing. Even your loyalest followers will look elsewhere. Pay close attention to the evolving definition of what makes the car/owner experience. Tech is a huge part of that. Gather quantifiable market and usability research, dont deny the findings, and keep up with rapidly changing consumer desires. In fact, get out in front of the curve. I am mainly referring to the touchscreen nightmare. But styling and tranny too. There are ways to improve this, to do things others have not, make it safer, and even more compelling. Otherwise you could end up in the disrupted pile. Yours truly, 14 year Acura loyalist slowly turning surfer of tinder for cars.

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  none - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Augustine Trinchese - March 29 - 2:08 pm

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  Great Value for comfort and tech features. - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Tom - March 28 - 10:40 am

  1) Its more comfort/quiet than sporty, more lexus ES then BMW 3 series. If you looking for a comfortable commuter car to make a few aggressive moves, this care will do the trick just fine. Plan for an extra lag time when you hit petal to the metal, unless you are in sport+ mode. Under all other modes pressing the petal will only accelerate the car slowly in the immediate second. 2) more car for the value. Car is almost the size of lexus ES (large midsize), not BMW 3 series (small midsize). It is quiet, It seems to be tune to weed out outside human voice and not so much traffic noise. traffic noise is hush to a very comfortable whisper. You can only hear the wind if you travel faster than 70mph. But not as quiet as top of the line BMW 7 or lexus LS. You hardly tell the difference between going 50mph vs 100mph unti you look at speeddometer. Technology package really adds a lot of value even though it may not seem like it on paper. Lots of standard features even in the base model (LED headlights, rear view camera, heated seats, side mirrors automatically tilt down when in reverse). One of the best audio systems. 2) Inexpensive, easy to own, premium fuel is recommended but not required. Buy pre-certified, and get benefits of cheaper price but has full new car warranty + 1 additional year. Maintenance is also cheap thus should buy rather than lease, compared to BMW or Mercedes which basically forces you to lease or sell the car once maintenance warranty runs out. 3) Lots of technology and features at much cheaper prices compared to the Germans. standard rearview camera. I really like the 3 views camera (no need for parking sensors with a top down view, where you can see exactly how many inches before the bumper hits the other car). I disagree with some professional reviewers, I prefer the dual screen setup, where I can keep the nav map on top and audio/climate on the bottom screen. Blind spot warning lights are on the inside, not on side mirrors like other cars. The Best lane keeping assist system, though I prefer if it work at low speeds also. Love the automatic record all CDs while you place in the car. Insert a CD and by the time you listening to the 3rd track, it has recorded the entire CD, so you never have to re-insert the CD again. Back seats fold down. Great night time ambient lighting. Lots of interior storage places. 4) Interior is Not quite full luxury experience. Very 2010 luxury feel than 2015-2016. No panoramic sun roof. Clean look, but no contrasting color scheme. Not all panels are leather or wood-like. Some use of soft plastics, hard plastic for the door trays. Lumbar support doesnt have height adjustment. No sun shades, only highest trim has cooling seats, heated steering wheel, and puddle lights. Overall TLX is a best value for the features and well rounded car with low maintenance cost. It not the best performance nor the best comfort luxury.

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  Solid buy - 2017 Acura TLX
  By Kevin - August 17 - 7:06 am

  I have owned the 6 cylinder FWD for 2 weeks. I am coming from a VW Passat TDI. The TLX is above the Passat in acceleration/ quality of materials. The TLX is below the Passat in interior room / MPG. The TLX does put a smile on my face when driving winding roads. It holds the road like no other car I have owned. I was between getting another Passat, Infiniti Q50, or this car. What won out was the interior quality and looks of the TLX. The Q50 trunk was way too small and interior very tight for my 62" frame. I would have got another VW , but thought I needed to look at something different. The things that I find frustrating on this car are the complicated radio, the Sirius only presets 12 channels, and you cant see what song is on Sirius until you turn the channel. Overall , the TLX provided a nice balance of quality materials, space, and amenities. Not perfect, but enjoyable car.

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  Love my TLX 2017 - 2017 Acura TLX
  By Toni Porzio - August 15 - 9:36 pm

  I have had Acuras int the past.. The car is extremely comfortable and has a nice smooth ride..I enjoy the IDS system which allows you to drive in sport mode etc. No Back seat USBS which I found surprising and the Technology features offered were expensive additional packages where other 2017 car manufacturers included these in the price of their cars..I went with the 4 cylinder which has a lot of pep and I enjoy the stick shift for a sportier interior look over the 6 cylinder with the push buttons. Overall I love the car , but they could have included more in the base model..

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  Great lease deal - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Yoav Cohen - July 21 - 5:39 am

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  Why two screens?? - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Diann Cox - April 26 - 2:51 am

  The car drove very well with good acceleration. It would have been on my contender list except for the awkward navigation display. The car actually has two screens, one a touch screen and the other is a navigation display screen. The screens take up so much room and the navigation screen is pretty far from the driver...too far to touch and a little tough to see.

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  Could be a great car - 2016 Acura TLX
  By acuradriver - February 28 - 4:35 pm

  Transmission is awful, 9 speed ZF just isnt right choice. Interior desighn is a bit rough and poor for luxury car. Handling is great. AWD SH is awesome. Could be a great car if Acura didnt cut corners and did not put that awful 9 speed transmission in. Also, poor customer service at acuralink, but Radley Acura where I got this car is outstanding.

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  Best Acura/Honda that Ive ever owned - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Zoomn - November 30 - 8:07 pm

  This new TLX replaces my 2013 TSX SE. The TSX was a nice enough car with a great interior (tu-tone suede on the SE trim) and a very sporty demeanor. Its negatives outweighed is positives, though, in that it had too choppy of a ride and too much road noise to be truly enjoyable over the long haul. Those shortcomings have long been Acura and Honda traits, but no more! The TLX has a truly quiet and comfortable ride that is well controlled and never truly harsh in any way. The rear steering, or PAW-S, allows compensation for the softer ride in giving back a sharpness to the handling that is equally appreciated. The only weak link in the handling is the stock 17" touring tires that are stock on the 2.4L models. The V6 that I also drove handled slightly better with its 18s without any appreciable difference in ride, so Ill likely swap up when the stock tires are worn. Other than that and in spite of some weak areas in design, this car is proving to be everything that I could ever want in a sporty daily driver. The 2.4L has a nice snarl under hard acceleration, the 8 speed DCT is responsive and generally very smooth and decisive in its shifts. Again, the balance in ride and handling is superb and tech features like standard lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and cross traffic alert is all above par and works quite well. The same can be said for the Tech packages ELS sound system that delivers crisp, clear sound. Lastly, the LED headlamps are truly impressive they are to headlights what Halogens were to sealed beams and Xenons were Halogens as they deliver brilliant light for good clarity and increased visibility. The only glaring shortcomings come down to Hondas tech packaging. The dual screen setup doesnt bother me so much as the number of steps needed to complete even simple tasks. Case in point is the seat heaters. You touch the screen and then a second tab pops up to select the level heat that you want. It would be much simpler to touch the screen, default to highest setting and reduce levels and to off by repeating that touch. This repetitive nature is similar for just about everything that youll do including audio, nav and bluetooth related functions. Lastly, I have noticed a pretty bad lag in responsiveness to inputs at times especially with bluetooth. Honda really needs to address this issue as having driven a number of cars before buying the TLX their system was truly the least user friendly that we encountered. Not a deal breaker, mind you, but still a glaring issue on an otherwise really nice car. So, in closing, the TLX is a great sporty sedan for those that desire a middle of the road approach in a car that delivers equal parts of comfort and handling in a truly impressive package.

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  2016 acura experience - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Susan Oliva - October 13 - 10:50 am

  Look around at other cars and then go to Acura for a THRILL