Acura Redesigns TLX With New A-Spec Trim

TLX wears handsome new clothes with sport-tuned A-Spec on offer

Acura unveiled its redesigned TLX, including a new A-Spec trim, at the New York International Auto Show on April 11. Acura’s mid-size offering now carries a sportier look to its nose that includes a larger grille that carries a hyperspace-travel look to it. Add in some nice changes to the front and rear fascias to complete a contemporary luxury-sport sedan design.

The big news, however, is the introduction of the TLX A-Spec to give the TLX a high-performance driving option. The A-Spec gets special treatment that includes a different front fascia, round LED fog lights, side sills, a rear diffuser, round dual-exhaust tips, gloss black trim, “A-Spec” badging, and a decklid spoiler in flat black. It’s not just all looks, however. The A-Spec also gets 245 millimeter-wide tires on special 19-inch wheels. The power steering has been reworked for crisper feedback that will allow the driver to make better use of a sport-tuned suspension that includes “more aggressive damper settings.”

The A-Spec is available with the direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 that is good for 290 horsepower and the existing nine-speed automatic transmission. That engine and transmission can feed either a two-wheel-drive or an all-wheel-drive setup in the A-Spec. Those opting for the Super Handling All-Wheel Drive® (SH-AWD™), which uses torque-vectoring, also receive a stiffer rear stabilizer bar and stiffer springs.

Inside, the A-Spec gets better-bolstered black or red leather seats with Alcantara inserts, matching door inserts, brushed-aluminum-look trim, a thick-rimmed steering wheel, and red driver’s meter highlights. The A-Spec can borrow from the Advance Package the charging pad, ventilated front seats, and red ambient interior LED lighting instead of white.

All TLXs will have an available Technology Package with chrome side sills accents, new seats with contrasted piping and stitching, and a power-operated thigh extension for the seats. An available Advance Package for non-A-Spec adds trapezoid LED fog lights, Surround View Camera, wireless charging pad, white ambient LED lights inside, heated wheel, heated rear seats, a body-colored decklid spoiler, and power folding mirrors.