Inside the cabin, the optional red leather seats offer a nice pop to what some would usually call a boring and familiar interior. The dual level infotainment system survives the year-to-year updates but has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay added. The enhanced phone connection lives in the upper-level screen, which is not a touchscreen. You interact with it via the rotary knob that lives at the bottom of the center stack. The controversial push-button gear selector made its way into the 2019 model. It’s difficult to understand why Acura went with this setup of buttons when it takes up no less space than the conventional stick gear selector.
The TLX comes in a 2.4-litre 206-horsepower engine or a 3.5 litre 290-horsepower V6. The engine is tied a 9-speed ZF transmission which in turn, provides you with 267 ft-lbs of torque to play with. A 0-100km/hr run comes in at 6.1 seconds which is very similar to the comparably priced fully loaded Audi A4 which runs at an even 6 seconds. Under low load, the TLX will decide to shut off 3 of the 6 cylinders to save your wallet at the pump when it comes to highway cruising. In the city the stop-start idle comes standard in the V6 models. Combined city/hwy driving, the 3.5L TLX sips a mere 9.8L/100km. As for the handling, when you decide to swing your SH-AWD around a corner with the throttle down, the instrument cluster will show you as more power is delivered to the rear outside wheel. The A-Spec package gets you firmer dampers and a re-tuned electric power steering system. A-Spec models with SH-AWD (in other words, all V6 models) get firmer springs and a more rigid rear stabilizer bar for better wheel and body control.