Though the 2024 Acura TLX seems larger than other luxury sedans wearing similar price tags, it is an optical illusion. Stretched like taffy on a front-wheel-drive (FWD) platform, the 2024 TLX places its occupants and their belongings far back from the front wheels to give the car a more dramatic appearance.
As such, the Acura TLX looks long and wide, like a midsize model. However, the price and interior space, particularly concerning the back seat and trunk, put the TLX squarely in compact premium car territory. That’s not bad because people who still buy luxury-branded sedans instead of SUVs tend to choose models in that segment.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Since we last published an Acura TLX review in 2022, the company has made numerous changes to the car.
In 2023, Acura:
In 2024, the Acura TLX got a refresh, including:
In addition, the 2024 TLX lineup slims down to just three variants ranging in price from $46,195 to $58,195, including the $1,195 destination charge. Your choices include:
This review focuses on the TLX’s updates for 2023 and 2024 and how they potentially impact its overall consumer appeal.
In the following sections, our independent expert analyzes a 2024 Acura TLX Type S equipped with the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $59,909, including the $1,195 destination charge to ship the car from the Marysville, Ohio, assembly plant to your local dealership.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
By placing the TLX’s cabin and occupants farther back on the car’s platform, Acura successfully masks the model’s FWD origins, giving it a longer, lower, and sportier look similar to its rear-wheel-drive rivals from BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz. However, the TLX still suffers too significant an overbite related to the excessive overhang forward of the front axle. The Audi A4, also based on a FWD platform, does a better job of hiding that.
Viewing the Acura in profile, it is hard to identify the styling changes to the 2024 TLX, aside from the copper-color wheels and the new Urban Gray Pearl paint on the test vehicle. In front, Acura’s subtle updates eliminate the reflective panel housing the radar unit for the safety systems, giving the reworked grille a cleaner, more sophisticated, and upscale look. With A-Spec trim, the new round exhaust outlets add plenty of attitude.
Serving as a showcase for Acura’s latest design language since its debut in 2020 for the 2021 model year, the second-generation TLX is an appealing car. However, due to its dramatic design, the rear-seat room is tight, and you can only carry two adults or three children in the back seat. Also, the trunk is small, measuring 13.5 cubic feet. Practically speaking, the smaller and more affordable Acura Integra is equally or more accommodating.
Acura TLX prices increased dramatically in 2024, mainly due to the cancellation of the previous base trim level. That makes the TLX with the Technology Package the base model, adding plenty of extra standard equipment compared to last year. In addition, the Technology Package itself now includes thicker carpets for a quieter cabin and USB-C charging ports for rear passengers.
The TLX A-Spec prices also jump due to the sporty model’s newly standard SH-AWD system. This version of the car also has new 19-inch wheel designs in a Shark Gray finish and added sound deadening to quiet the interior.
My 2024 TLX Type S review vehicle also gains new standard features such as a surround-view camera and a 10.5-inch head-up display. In addition, Acura reports that acceleration response is improved when the car is in the Sport+ driving mode. Like the TLX A-Spec, the Type S gets a new 20-inch wheel design in a Berlina Black finish. My test car’s optional copper wheels replaced them.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Get into any version of the 2024 TLX, and you’ll see the new 12.3-inch configurable digital instrumentation display. It replaces traditional analog gauges separated by a small driver information display, and in Type S specification, the improvement is dramatic. Previously, the Type S had silver gauge faces with red needles and markings, and the lack of daytime contrast was enough to make your eyes water trying to read them.
In addition, the infotainment system’s screen grows in size, expanding from 10.2 inches to 12.3 inches. A faster processor improves response to inputs, and the infotainment system features Amazon Alexa Built-in, wireless Apple CarPlay, and wireless Android Auto. A wireless charging pad is now standard in all TLX models.
Those changes make the TLX’s infotainment system more enjoyable to use. However, it still doesn’t have a touchscreen display. Instead, you must use Acura’s Remote Touch Interface trackpad on the center console and focus on hand-eye coordination to operate the infotainment system. It causes distraction while driving and can’t disappear fast enough.
Thanks to its new camera and radar systems, the 2024 TLX can better see and detect its surroundings. Generally speaking, those upgrades improve the car’s standard AcuraWatch collection of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS).
However, while using the adaptive cruise control on a multi-lane section of the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California, the TLX incorrectly identified a car in an adjacent lane as an obstacle. That happened at a bend in the road, and the TLX suddenly braked with other motorists following relatively close behind. I immediately pressed down on the accelerator to resolve the situation. A slower driver reaction to the technology’s error could have caused an accident.
Acura does not change the 2024 TLX’s drivetrain, suspension, steering, and brakes. That means many of the driving impressions found in this review of the 2021 TLX apply to the base 2024 TLX Technology and A-Spec models with the 272-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.
The TLX Type S is the performance-tuned model in the lineup. It costs $7,000 more than the A-Spec and boasts a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine delivering 355 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 354 pound-feet of torque between 1,400 rpm and 5,000 rpm.
In addition, the 10-speed automatic transmission includes rev-matching downshifts, and the Type S has an exclusive Sport+ driving mode. Acura also fortifies the chassis with added bracing, installs thicker front and rear stablizer bars, and bolts in an adaptive damping suspension. Quicker steering and Brembo front brakes clamping larger discs with four-piston calipers are standard. The 20-inch wheels wear 255/35 Pirelli P Zero tires.
Weight penalties make the Type S the pudgiest TLX in the lineup. It tips the scales at 231 pounds more than the A-Spec and has the worst weight distribution in the lineup at 59:41 front-to-rear. However, it is still the most fun version of the TLX to drive.
Storms closed my usual testing loop in the Santa Monica Mountains, forcing me to take a narrower, more technical road as an alternative. The TLX felt too wide, and the driving position was too low to maximize outward visibility and driver confidence through the slim passages and tighter turns. However, despite its ten forward gears, the transmission performed beautifully, and thanks in part to its SH-AWD, the Type S delivered plenty of power, precision, and poise. It is a fun car to drive fast.
Unfortunately, fuel efficiency is elusive. The EPA says the TLX Type S should get 21 mpg in combined driving, but the test car averaged 18.4 mpg on the evaluation loop.
Photo: Christian Wardlaw
Though Americans increasingly choose crossover SUVs instead of traditional sedans, the 2024 Acura TLX faces more rivals than expected. Alternatives include the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Cadillac CT4 and CT5, Genesis G70, Jaguar XF, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Volvo S60.
Nearly every one of these competitors brings something unique or compelling to the road, from the Acura’s available torque-vectoring SH-AWD to the Volvo’s optional plug-in hybrid powertrain. Choosing one over the other depends on your personal preferences and lifestyle requirements. Rest assured, the 2024 Acura TLX is a likable member of the compact luxury sedan family unless you need a roomy back seat and a decent-sized trunk.
Christian Wardlaw is a veteran automotive journalist with 30 years of experience in the field and has held automotive editorial leadership positions at Edmunds, JD Power, and The New York Daily News. Today, Chris owns a content agency called Speedy Daddy Media, and in addition to JDPower.com, his work appears on Capital One Auto Navigator, CarGurus, and Edmunds.
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