First Impression: 2015 Acura TLX Concept

The wait is finally over. Today, at the Detroit Auto Show, Acura revealed the prototype version of its all new 2015 TLX sport sedan. You can watch the recorded version of the TLX reveal after the jump.

Over the past few months, Acura has been characteristically tight-lipped about the TLX. A few spy shots floating around the internet of a heavily camouflaged TLX doing warm weather testing, but no one really knew what engines or transmissions were going to be in the car, or even what the car could possibly look like. It was not until a matter of weeks ago that Acura finally announced the reveal of the prototype version of the TLX at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Upon hearing the announcement, we began to speculate and pontificate about what we would like to see in what will inarguably be Acura's most important sedan. You can read our drawing board on the TLX here.

With the prototype of the car now revealed, here is a quick run down of the potential specifications:

- 2.4 liter "Earth Dreams" Direct Injection inline-4 cylinder mated to an 8-speed Dual Clutch transmission with torque converter
- 3.5 liter SOHC V6  mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission
- Both 2.4 liter and 3.5 liter engines will come standard as front wheel drive with Acura's Precision All-Wheel Steer (P-AWS)
- 3.5 liter engine will have the latest generation of Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) as an option, and boasts a 25% weight reduction over previous generations of SH-AWD
- At 190.2 inches, the TLX is 3.8 inches shorter than the current TL, but will ride on a wheelbase that is the same 190.3 inch in length as the current TL
- Integrated Dynamics System (IDS) will be featured on the TLX, and will employee four driving modes: Comfort, Normal, Sport, and an all new Sport+ mode.
- A significant weight reduction over the last generation car is expected
- Improved aerodynamics for greater fuel economy and noise reduction
- The car will see some version of Acura's new electronic gear selector setup, which we saw on the RLX Hybrid

What follows are our impressions of the car, after stewing on it for the better part of today.

Test Riding the MV Augusta F4 and Ducati Streetfighter

A special thanks to <a href="http://www.ducpond.com/" target="_new">Duc Pond Motorsports</a> of Winchester, VA for setting up the awesome demo day. It is rare to get a factory demo ride and even rarer for an event to be run this well. Although our time was short, I was able to sneak in test rides of two really different, but amazing bikes. The demo route was about 20 miles long, but a good mix of back country roads and high speed bursts on highways giving a good impression of the capabilities and comfort of the bikes.

My impressions will be split over two posts. With the Ducati below, and the MV Augusta impressions arriving later in the week.

<b><i>Ducati Streetfighter First Impressions</i></b>

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1641106710"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://www.ducatiblog.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ducati-streetfighter-wallpaper_1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ducatiblog.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ducati-streetfighter-wallpaper_1.jpg">Photo Courtesy of Ducati Blog</a></td></tr>
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First up, the Ducati Streetfighter, which I actually rode second that day. The riding position is upright enough to be comfortable for a long ride, and the power, from the 1099cc Ducati L-twin motor, was excellent, with impressive torque in the low rpm range below 5000 rpm and strong pull to the power peak at 9500 rpm. Swaddled in Ducati's traditional red, the bike is stunning to look at in all of its mechanical glory.

But besides the bad-ass transformer look, the greatest thing about this bike was the sound. The desmosedici valve-train rattling away, punctuating the deep, guttural note generated by the factory option Termignoni dual exhaust, creates just the right balance of tones and truly backs up the bike's menacing appearance with a sound to match. Rev up the motor and the exhaust bellows a note that stirs even the most downtrodden of souls. As the RPMs rise, so does the pitch of the exhaust, terminating in a wail that stabs at the air as though screaming at it to make way. Few bikes sound this good straight from the factory.

Seat height is surprisingly manageable, even given my 31-inseam. With my boots on, I could comfortably flat foot the bike and the pegs were closer to a standard position under the rider as opposed to set back as on the Ducati sport bikes. Bars were high enough to make the reach easy with only a some lean, although the rake of the front fork coupled with the position of the bar gave the odd sensation of feeling like you were riding out in front of the bike, but with no fairing to provide wind protection. It was one of the weirdest sensations I had felt before and took a little getting used to, but once the sensation passed, the bike was fun and comfortable.

As I mentioned before, power is good and tractable, even without all of the fancy electronics. Handling is light and tossable, in part due to the fully wet weight of just over 400 lbs with a half tank of fuel. Mix that 155 bhp and 85 lb-ft of torque with the light weight, tossable chassis, and you have a truly fun bike to ride on the back roads but still have super power for running all day on the freeways. However, I could not really see anyone using this bike for extremely long rides given the lack of wind protection.

Overall, I enjoyed this bike a great deal, but I this is not a bike that I would opt to purchase for my own riding, which is made up of mostly longer touring rides and this bike lacks the wind protection for that sort of riding. But if you are looking for a powerful, capable, and nimble street bike for backroads strafing and can afford the cost, this is a fantastic bike. As a second bike, I would love to own one.

Test Riding the MV Augusta F4 and Ducati Streetfighter

A special thanks to Duc Pond Motorsports of Winchester, VA for setting up the awesome demo day. It is rare to get a factory demo ride and even rarer for an event to be run this well. Although our time was short, I was able to sneak in test rides of two really different, but amazing bikes. The demo route was about 20 miles long, but a good mix of back country roads and high speed bursts on highways giving a good impression of the capabilities and comfort of the bikes.

My impressions will be split over two posts. With the Ducati below, and the MV Augusta impressions arriving later in the week.

MV Augusta F4 First Impressions


Let me just start off by saying that even though I do not ride super sport bikes on a regular basis, and despite the contortionist friendly riding position, I loved every minute of my test ride on this bike. Everything about this bike was so well sorted and usable, it is easy to see why people who give the lesser known of the Italian motorcycle makers a chance often become believers for life.

The motor feels immensely capable, with good thrust down low, but really breathes well in the upper RPM ranges and issues a beautiful noise through the organ pipe exhaust system protruding from under the tail. The swell of power is at once usable and tractable and the traction control system is ever present, but not the slightest bit obtrusive, allowing you to get aggressive with the throttle, but keeping you from lifting the nose unnecessarily.


On the road, the bike feels light and handles well, quickly and easily transitioning with every input, feeling almost telepathic in it responsiveness. The wide flat tank allows plenty of space to tuck in out of the wind during the straights and the well positioned clip-ons offer excellent control. At a stop, the bike does feel a bit tall and a little top heavy, but once in motion again, it is well balanced and extremely nimble. Ready to spend the day with you strafing the corners of your favorite canyon road.


This bike is deceptively easy to ride and it is easy for even a relatively novice rider to find themselves suddenly quite comfortable with this 186 bhp superbike and while getting up to speed is fun and impressive, so is engaging the binders and bringing the bike back down to realistic speeds. With a solid feel and easily modulated lever, I was able to quickly and confidently late break down from 70+ mph to exit the freeway.


My only complaint about this bike, as I would complain about virtually any superbike, is the rider positioning, especially in the legs. I am not a particularly tall individual and with a 31 inseam, I am able to get comfortable on most bikes, but it took a while to find a position that did not cause some pain in my knees and hips. However, once situated properly on the bike (and once my joints became accustomed to the riding position), everything began to work well and I was able to ignore the riding position and get back to enjoying the ride.


So if the opportunity ever presents itself for you to ride the MV Augusta F4 (we will be looking to acquire one for the clubs stable in the future), you should absolutely take advantage of it as this bike will make you wonder why these guys are not just as popular as Ducati.