Archive for October, 2020

2021 Acura TLX SH-AWD Advance – Week in Review

Posted in TLX, Vehicle Reviews on October 27, 2020 by tysonhugie

Odometer (TLX):  927

Usually when a car’s getting dropped off at the house, it means that I’ve added to the collection.  This time, the delivery was just a short-term loan — but it was a fun one!

I’ve followed the launch of the second-generation TLX since the August 2019 reveal of the “Type S Concept” in Monterey, California.  Last month, the car went on sale in non-S trims, and next spring the model lineup will be fully complete when the Type S variant with an all-new 3-liter V6 turbo goes on sale.

The TLX’s original platform which debuted in 2014 was revamped from the ground up, and Acura did its homework to place the car at the front of the competitive segment in terms of design, technology, performance, and handling.  The car I received was configured in Advance spec, coming in at $49,325 including destination and handling.

I’ll keep things short & sweet with regard to my takeaways, because after all, I’m just an everyday journalist with an oddball Acura-ddiction.  I’ll share my review in bullet point form, just like I share data with senior leaders at the office.  I guess I’m still in my 9-5 mode this evening.

Love it:

  • Performance from the 2.0-liter 272-hp inline-four is surprisingly snappy.  The car delivers easy acceleration especially considering its size.
  • The TLX steering, for some reason, is one of my favorite things.  The radius is small, the wheel is nicely weighted and has the right thickness to it.
  • Interior fit & finish are top-notch, with quality materials including open-pore wood and nice leather.  Ambient lighting (customizable in over 20 colors) gives a luxo-vibe.  My fellow Acura-driving friend Daniel (who’s currently in an RDX A-Spec) said the same.
  • Adding onto that, the cabin overall just feels “cozy” to me.  The positions of the armrests are nicely laid out, and thanks to a console-mounted volume knob, you don’t have to reach for anything.
  • Tech & audio system are A+.  I like the resolution of the infotainment screens.  The ELS 17-speaker 3D sound system will really knock your socks off.
  • Aesthetically, I think the car looks really wicked from the front and I like the LED-everything lighting.  The rear, I’m not yet too fond of but I think with some aero accessory treatment could be pretty sweet.
  • SH-AWD delivers really good cornering and traction.
  • Wireless phone charging (part of the Advance package) was a welcome alternative to fumbling with a charge cord each time I got inside the vehicle.
  • Overall, the car ‘drives smaller than it is.’  As in, it’s a huge car dimensionally but it feels light and nimble.

Questionable:

  • It’s likely I didn’t fully understand all the individualization capability in the driving dynamics settings, but whether configured in Sport, Comfort, or Normal, I seemed to detect some floatiness in the suspension and it felt like it bounced rather than absorbed bumps in some cases.
  • I wish Auto-Stop/Start could be set up to never come back on, but it seemed to reactivate every time I turned off the car.
  • The 10-speed transmission gives good power whenever and wherever needed, but the Park button was unsettling.  The car felt like it would continue to jostle for a second after I pushed it.

Indifferent:

  • I didn’t really like the touchpad interface initially but grew to not mind it.  It beats having to put greasy fingers on a touch-screen.  Plus it’s pretty intuitive once you get the hang of it.
  • Head-up display is a nice feature for some, but I preferred to turn it off and just rely on the large, nicely laid out gauges in the cluster.

Thoughts?

The car is exceptional enough that it confirmed my decision to get one.  Not in this trim level, but rather as an upcoming Type S variant in 2021.  I think it’ll make a suitable daily driver to grow up to after having driven the ILX for nearly 8 years.  Even though it sacrifices a clutch pedal and some of the “raw” driving feel, it more than makes up for that with the abundance of tech and creature comforts.  Plus it can still look and feel sporty.

Stay tuned.  Thanks for reading!

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1999 2.3CL Acquisition, Utah Trip, JCCS, and Legend Meet

Posted in CL, Legend, Road Trip on October 20, 2020 by tysonhugie

Chris from Baltimore gets upset with me when I don’t start a blog post with a proper odometer reading.  “COVID changed everything,” he said.  Well Chris, I’m here to set the record straight and not only deliver a single odometer reading, but I’m going to give you ten of them.

I’ve sorted them in descending order.  Now, here’s the game: In the comment section, I need you to tell me which car aligns with which reading.  I’ll check your answers and see how you did.

Odometer Total:  2,226,058

Odometer Average:  222,605

I have to catch you up on a few things.  I stepped away from the computer for a few weeks and somehow another car landed at the house.  These things happen when you least expect it.  

The important thing about this latest arrival is that it completes this puzzle:

While a full photoshoot is still pending – and unfortunately I don’t have all the cars in a single color – the lineup is all accounted for, and I’m excited to introduce the latest member of the family:  My Milano Red 1999 2.3CL Premium.  This car arrived in Phoenix last week from San Diego, California where it had spent its entire life.

With just 138,000 miles on the odometer, it comes in at one of the lower mileage cars in my collection.  Its condition and color/5-speed trans configuration made it too perfect to pass up.  Milano Red was a one-year-only color for the final year of the first-generation 1997-99 CL.  

The CL is also only the second Acura I’ve owned (out of 22 total now) that was built in the United States.  It was an important model at the time because it was both designed and manufactured in America.  According to the VIN sticker on the driver door jam it came off the assembly line in Ohio in August 1999.

While maintenance records on this car were few (read: completely absent) I do know that the clutch is new since the selling dealership delayed me a few days while inquiring about the car since it was not yet ready to show/drive.  I also see that drive belts look relatively new, but the car will definitely need a few items of preventative maintenance for good measure and peace of mind.  

Here’s a video showcasing the delivery and first impressions for my YouTube audience.

The first week of October, I took an 1,800-mile road trip to visit family and friends in Utah.  My chariot of choice was the 1994 Legend LS, which had been begging to roll the 575k-mile mark for some time.  It performed well, and I enjoyed the chance to connect with family members who I hadn’t seen since May/June during my PMC Edition road trip.  

The fall colors were in full bloom in Providence Canyon in Cache Valley of northern Utah.  My dad & stepmom and I took a 5-mile hike to soak it all in.  The running joke is that here in Phoenix, we don’t get changing colors of leaves.  Instead, we get changing colors of license plates as all the snowbirds from Michigan and Minnesota come in for the winter season.

The highlight of the trip was definitely picking up my 90-year-old grandma and taking her about 25 miles north to the Idaho state line.  We cashed in some lottery tickets and came home $74 richer.  

While the National Acura Legend Meet (NALM) was cancelled much like so many other events in 2020, we did still get a group together of locals for a very informal drive to the Superstition Mountains in northeast Mesa a couple of Saturdays ago.  Here’s a video and a few photos.

One of my many car show traditions that was modified this year was the Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach.  This year, it went to a ‘virtual’ format.  My 1996 2.5TL was featured in a YouTube video.  It’s in here at 6:55.

My mom had a long layover on Sunday and we had enough time for a late lunch, so I borrowed my friend Devan’s six-door, three-row 2000 Lincoln Town Car funeral limo to pick her up.  What a floaty awesome boat.

The ILX got some new wheels thanks to a cheap Craigslist find.  Some of you may recognize these 17″ “waffles” from the 2007-08 TL Type-S.  These ones are chrome, and I don’t really mind it.  The car rides nicely on 235 width tires as opposed to the 215s that it came with.

Coming attractions:  Tomorrow, Acura is putting me into a Fathom Blue 2021 TLX for a seven-day evaluation, and in the coming weeks/months I’m also going to be doing reviews on a fancy Odyssey Elite and a Civic Type R.

Talk to you soon!

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