Drive Notes: 2024 Acura TLX Type S

by Tim Healey

Published: September 9th, 2024

This past week I've been behind the wheel of a 2024 Acura TLX Type-S. Stylish, sporty, and quick -- this is what a luxury sport sedan should be.

The Type S adds a front splitter, rear spoiler, rear diffuser, quad exhaust outlets, and Brembo brakes with red-painted calipers to the TLX.

Changes for 2024 include the addition of a 360-degree camera and head-up display, a new 20-inch wheel design, and what Acura says is improved throttle response when the Sport+ drive mode is engaged.

The turbocharged V6 displaces 3.0 liters and makes 355 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. It mates to a 10-speed automatic transmission and the power gets to ground via all-wheel drive.

Pros

This is luxury with a kick. There's more than enough power on tap and the peak torque is available as low as 1,450 RPM. Passing is a breeze.
I don't think I ever drove the previous TLX Type S, so I can't compared the Sport+ mode throttle response, but I can tell you that there is instant yet progressive response from the throttle in every drive mode but Comfort.
It's a joy to wheel this car through corners, especially in Sport and Sport+ mode, but there is a bit too much body roll, and the Sport modes can only mitigate so much of it.
The ride is tuned for sport but rarely stiff -- only the worst potholes and bumps upset it. A freeway ride to the suburbs and back was comfortable enough.
As per usual with Brembos, the brakes are stout and smooth.
The steering is perfectly weighted and spot-on accurate.
The sound system, while far from being the best I've tested, sounds good.
Cargo space in the trunk is generous.
The engine sounds glorious, but it's only loud when the revs are summoned. Wind and tire noise are well muted.

Cons

I was constantly confounded by the mousepad infotainment controller -- I often had to swipe it two or three times to achieve the action I wanted.
I didn't love the push-button shifter or the dropped-in and tacked-on infotainment screen.
Rear-seat room is not bad, but it's merely adequate. I fit fine at six-foot-one, but taller adults may be bumping their head.
HVAC controls are a mixed bag. The climate controls are easy to see/reach/read/use, but I don't love having to use the accursed mouse pad so much to make simple audio adjustments such as changing the station. At least there's a volume knob and you can change the volume via the steering wheel.
Although I had plenty of legroom and head room while driving, the car's design makes the interior feel a tad more cramped than it probably actually is.
Some of the materials, particularly on the doors seemed a bit less luxurious than one would expect at this price point.
That extra power will cost you some fuel economy. The numbers are 19/25/21.

I didn't get a Monroney for this one, but building and pricing this car with this paint color -- a $600 option -- cost $57,600. Add in the $1,158 D and D fee and the as-tested price would likely be $58,795. A Type S bases at $57,000 and outside of some accessory choices/packages, the car already comes pretty fully equipped.

When I test vehicles one of my metrics is a simple pass/fail. I take money and the competitive set out of the equation and ask myself: "Would I drive this car everyday for three to five years?"

The answer here is a resounding yes. Its biggest flaw is the outdated and annoying infotainment setup, but it's not that hard to live with, and the TLX Type S is so fun to drive that you'll forgive it.

Acura has had its misses in recent years, but between this car and the Integra A-Spec and Type S, it's getting its sports sedans right.

Style, sport, and smoothness -- this one does all three well.

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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2 of 40 comments

Jonathan Baker on Sep 11, 2024
My take on the interface is that it works better if you are left-handed. This is because right-handers likely use their dominant hand for laptop pads and/or a computer mouse, so your muscle memory expects the car's pad to work a certain way. Instead, it mimics the screen location. Tap it on the upper left, and the upper left of the screen is engaged. tap the middle, and you highlight or activate something in the middle. It actually makes logical sense, and southpaw that I am, my hand had no issue with it. But of course, making an interface that works for a small minority of the population has its issues. Of course in Japan, everything is reversed, so right-handers have the advantage, so there's that.

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Nrd515 on Sep 12, 2024
$600 for (IMHO) the worst color ever put on a car? Hilarious. They would have to pay me whatever it would cost to wrap it to something tolerable. Gray Primer Clearcoat for free is a "no sale" for me, let alone having to pay for it. I bet it sells though. I just don't understand it's appeal, or the pricing.

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