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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Hey everyone, I'm Miguel Cortina with Motor Trend,
00:07 and today is a very special day here
00:09 at the Honda Proving Center in Southern California,
00:12 as we get to take a deeper look
00:14 at the all new 2021 Acura TLX.
00:17 Joining me is John Aikera,
00:19 who's Acura's brand officer and vice president.
00:23 John, thank you so much for joining us.
00:25 - Yeah, we're looking forward to introducing this car
00:27 to everybody, get to know the car a little bit better today.
00:29 - And what a moment for the brand.
00:31 First with the NSX a few years ago,
00:33 launching it as the halo car for the brand.
00:35 Then you went on to racing, you're winning races,
00:38 and now we have a TLX, all new TLX,
00:41 that has a bunch of key ingredients
00:43 to really compete in the sports sedan segment.
00:45 - 2015, we came out with the NSX,
00:47 and we were reorienting ourselves back to our heritage,
00:50 which is precision craft and performance,
00:52 and this is the next piece.
00:54 The next piece is a sports sedan.
00:56 I love sedans, and we're really happy
00:58 about the introduction of this car.
01:00 - And the Type S, of course, is coming, right?
01:02 I mean, not only are you getting a sports sedan
01:05 in and of itself right here,
01:07 but also sort of like this pinnacle more of performance.
01:11 - Yes, Type S is back.
01:13 We told everybody that we're serious
01:15 about our performance brand,
01:16 and sports derivative is one of the big pieces
01:20 that we want to bring, and the Type S is coming.
01:22 It's a turbo V6, we talked about that,
01:24 and it's coming soon,
01:25 and it will be in this vehicle also,
01:28 and so we're really, really, really excited about that part.
01:32 - Well, let's talk more about the TLX,
01:34 but I also hear that there is an open winding road for us.
01:37 - Yes. - So let's make use of that.
01:40 But because of the pandemic
01:42 and physical distancing measures and all of that,
01:45 you are going to jump in the TLX,
01:47 I'm going to jump in the RDX,
01:48 and we're going to go for a spin.
01:49 - This is a performance vehicle,
01:51 we got to get on the winding track, let's go.
01:53 - All right, let's do it.
01:54 (upbeat music)
01:56 - Well, John, you know, I just love that the new TLX
01:59 keeps a lot of lines from the Precision concept
02:03 and the Type S concept.
02:04 - Absolutely, I mean, I could tell you,
02:07 you know, Mark Ernst, the lead engineer
02:09 for this beautiful car,
02:12 really took a hard look at that car and said,
02:13 "What do we need to do to,
02:15 from a package, platform, layout perspective,
02:18 so that the design team can execute
02:21 something that is very close to that design?"
02:23 And I think they've done a really good job with that.
02:26 - I'm just so happy that from the front,
02:28 from the profile, from the rear,
02:30 you can still see that DNA in the TLX.
02:34 I had a chance to look at the TLX in person
02:37 in a studio first.
02:38 And this is the first time I'm looking at it
02:40 on the road, moving.
02:43 And even though the rear is what I'm looking at right now,
02:48 I think that's the best angle.
02:50 I don't know, you as a designer, what do you think?
02:52 - I just love the proportions in general,
02:54 the stance of the vehicle.
02:57 The cabin being pulled back,
02:58 it's kind of like a slingshot kind of a feel to it.
03:02 And it really looks like it's ready to go,
03:04 even if it's standing still.
03:06 So yeah, long, wide is the look we wanted.
03:09 So obviously even the headlights are pulled out
03:11 to the corner, the tires are pulled out to the corner,
03:13 but the grill proportion,
03:15 we want it to be more wide than obviously vertical
03:18 to help enhance all of that.
03:20 So it's a really clean and updated look
03:23 and we really like it.
03:24 (car engine roaring)
03:27 - Moving on to the interior,
03:29 it's like a night and day difference
03:31 compared to the outgoing TLX, no?
03:34 When I had a chance to sit inside,
03:35 I thought the sitting position was actually lower.
03:39 I don't know driving it,
03:40 how do you feel on the sitting position?
03:42 - The driving positions,
03:44 all of these things from a package and layout point of view,
03:47 they really think hard, the engineers do,
03:50 because we wanna make sure that,
03:52 yes, it has to be sporty,
03:53 but at the same time, it should feel comfortable.
03:56 The key thing that you notice in the interior
03:59 once you're in and you sit in this beautiful seat
04:02 that we've carried over from the RDX
04:04 is it's just such a great seat,
04:06 is the width between the distance
04:09 between your passenger and the driver.
04:11 The center console being higher,
04:13 it really has a first-class feel, if you will.
04:17 I think those little things add up
04:21 and people will feel some of the premiumness of it,
04:24 not just the sportiness of it,
04:26 but premium feel about the interior
04:28 just by the layout itself.
04:29 - I mean, at the end,
04:30 that's where you're gonna be spending
04:31 most of the time anyways, right?
04:32 So it's just as important,
04:35 if not more important than the exterior.
04:37 - Absolutely, absolutely.
04:39 - Talking about the platform,
04:42 it's all new from the ground up
04:43 and there are everything, you know,
04:46 a better suspension system, it's lighter, right?
04:51 It's more rigid too.
04:52 So there are a lot of things that come into play
04:54 to make it a better sports sedan.
04:56 - Absolutely.
04:57 And I guess the biggest thing for me
04:59 from a platform perspective
05:00 is the return of the double wishbone suspension.
05:04 You know, I mean, it says so much
05:07 about what we wanna do with this brand.
05:09 The double wishbone is back.
05:13 Obviously, the contact patch
05:15 and consistency through the corners
05:17 are gonna be a lot better now.
05:19 And from a designer perspective,
05:20 you know, it allows us to have that lower fender.
05:23 It's a trademark heritage point
05:26 with a lot of our early Honda Acura cars.
05:28 You know, we did the double wishbone
05:30 and it allowed us to do a lot of things
05:32 that were lower in the front end.
05:33 The guys have done an incredible, incredible job with that.
05:37 - So we're coming here on the straightaway.
05:38 Why don't you push it a little bit
05:40 and tell me about the performance.
05:42 - All right, so the turbo, the 4-cylinder turbo,
05:47 lot more torque with this.
05:49 The way they've toned it
05:51 isn't where, you know, you have a little lag
05:55 and then a big push.
05:56 It's very linear, even though it's a turbo.
06:00 And I think once you push it though,
06:02 it definitely will go.
06:04 - It's actually, you and I,
06:06 if the RDX and the TLX have something in common,
06:09 it's that engine, right?
06:11 Here, obviously in the RDX, it's a bigger car, more weight.
06:15 The TLX, you are getting even more performance out of it,
06:18 right, because it's a smaller car, lighter weight.
06:22 At Motor Trend, we tested the RDX
06:24 and got from zero to 60 in 6.6 seconds.
06:28 So what do you expect the TLX to be hitting the zero to 60?
06:32 - Zero to 60 is the numbers,
06:35 but based on exactly what you say, obviously faster.
06:40 Even though it's the same engine, it's tuned to be a sedan.
06:44 And so you're gonna definitely feel the difference there.
06:47 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:48 Now we can talk about performance and leave the Type S out.
06:52 I think that's what I'm most excited about.
06:55 - Yeah, Type S is Type S, you know?
06:58 And so once the company decided to go back
07:02 to precision crafted performance, you know,
07:05 we started with the Halo car, with the NSX.
07:08 We went racing.
07:10 We were winning trophies.
07:12 Sports derivatives is a very critical component
07:16 for the future of our brand as a performance brand.
07:19 And the commitment to make a brand new engine,
07:23 a V6 turbo engine to compliment vehicles like this
07:28 and to take, you know, performance to the next level
07:32 as a derivative is huge.
07:34 And everybody, everybody's excited about it
07:38 because how we look at the way we develop these vehicles now
07:42 is we look at the Type S, what do we need to do for a Type S
07:47 and then we work backwards from there
07:48 because we built everything to that spec,
07:51 knowing that we're gonna do that.
07:53 So yeah, it's changed the way we look at cars
07:55 and design cars all together.
07:58 And so it's not just a badge with a bigger engine coming.
08:01 It sets it up for everything that we're doing
08:03 top to bottom.
08:04 - And it's also not only for the TLX, right?
08:07 I believe that the Type S sub-brand is gonna be expanding
08:10 across other Acura models.
08:12 - Absolutely.
08:13 We've already talked about, you know,
08:15 bringing two Type S's in the near future.
08:18 You know, we're transforming the brand right now
08:20 and we really feel good about it.
08:22 - So John, you were saying we can speculate
08:25 about what's coming, as you were saying about the Type S.
08:29 We know there's a new MDX coming.
08:31 Is there, do you think, the possibility
08:33 of having an MDX Type S?
08:37 - Absolutely.
08:38 Why not?
08:39 I can't say enough.
08:40 We're a performance brand
08:41 and we need to have performance derivatives
08:43 of the cars that we build
08:45 because that's where it starts from.
08:48 And get ready, 'cause MDX is gonna be incredible.
08:51 - And how about a performance compact sedan?
08:54 - Oh, you heard about the performance compact sedan?
08:57 (both laughing)
08:59 Are you talking, obviously you've been doing
09:01 your homework online, but you know,
09:03 I'm gonna tell you something.
09:04 We told you, you know, back in 2015,
09:07 this is what we're gonna do.
09:09 You see our lineup that's coming online
09:13 and what else would you expect?
09:15 You know, what else would you expect us to do?
09:17 The time's come.
09:18 I mean, a lot of things that we've been putting
09:20 in the oven, it's baked and it's time to come out.
09:23 And so get ready, Acura, you know,
09:25 and Precision Crafted Performance for real
09:27 and we're here.
09:29 - Nice, nice.
09:30 Well, that's great to hear.
09:31 Now, I also know that you like wagons,
09:34 that you're a big wagon fan.
09:36 And so do you think with, you know,
09:40 the TSX wagon having left a few years ago,
09:45 could we have a TLX wagon?
09:48 - It's, you know, wagons are cool
09:50 and people that get it, get it.
09:52 But who knows, you know, I mean,
09:55 we gotta get the sedan out there
09:56 and we'll look at what we need to look at.
09:59 But if things are working out,
10:03 I'd like to think that there might be something
10:05 in the future.
10:05 I'm, you know, that's just me.
10:07 All the wagon guys out there, I feel you.
10:09 I hear you.
10:10 I've seen the iterations of the side view of this car
10:14 already, you know, have a wagon version of it online
10:17 and props and kudos to the guys that did that.
10:21 - And how does it look?
10:23 - It looks amazing.
10:24 And I mean, I always, I always had the designer guy,
10:30 you know, do a wagon version of what we're doing.
10:33 You know what I mean?
10:34 Please do a wagon, you know,
10:36 let's take a look at it at least.
10:38 But it's always a discussion.
10:40 It's always a discussion point.
10:42 - When can people expect the TLX to be on dealers?
10:46 The Type S, when is it coming?
10:47 That's I think the questions that everybody wants to know
10:51 how much it's gonna cost, all of that.
10:53 - Okay, so pricing, you know, for this car,
10:57 not to type S, you know, somewhere from the mid thirties
11:01 is where we're at.
11:01 We're out there competing with, you know, the three series,
11:06 the A4s, the C-Class.
11:09 So that's what this car's geared to compete with.
11:14 Once again, though, having said that,
11:16 once you see how wide this car is
11:19 and how low slung and everything else,
11:21 yeah, we're gonna really go at it.
11:24 But, you know, starting in the mid thirties
11:26 is what we're looking for with this vehicle.
11:29 The Type S is obviously going to be a little bit more
11:33 'cause you're gonna hit a lot more hardware.
11:35 We're not ready to discuss all that yet or the launch of it,
11:38 but it's, believe me, it's right around the corner.
11:41 This vehicle, you know, end of summer, beginning of fall,
11:45 you know, look forward to seeing this car, you know,
11:47 and so stay tuned.
11:50 I'm hustling the car through here a little bit quicker
11:52 because we got it in the sport mode
11:53 and I'm starting to have a little bit more difficult
11:56 time talking to you, Miguel.
11:57 (laughing)
11:59 I'm gonna have to stay concentrated here.
12:01 I'm gonna find myself doing off-road driving
12:04 in the new car here.
12:05 (laughing)
12:07 - Well, John, thanks again, man.
12:08 It's been a pleasure talking to you.
12:10 - Yeah, thank you so much for having us, Miguel.
12:13 It's been a lot of fun driving around the course today.
12:18 And yeah, it's the new era for Acura.
12:22 It started with the NSX and the RDX.
12:25 The TLX is the next big piece.
12:27 Type Ss are coming.
12:29 Yeah, we look forward to letting it get behind the wheels.
12:32 - All right, well, that was a deeper look
12:35 at the all new 2021 Acura TLX.
12:38 I wanna thank Acura and John for being here with us.
12:41 And for more information, head on to motortrend.com.
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