This week we share our first impressions of the 2021 Acura TLX sports sedan, and discuss whether it's size and performance gives it an edge over competitors like the BMW 3 and 5 Series (or even a Toyota Camry?!) We also provide options for exchanging out the all-season tires that come on a new car for something better suited to cold climates, like all-weather or winter tires. Our experts give advice on why a Ford Mustang GT might not be the best car for a new driver, and share some RWD alternatives; why bright DLRs (daytime running lights) might keep someone from turning on their headlights at night; and give a primer on everything you wanted to know about motor oil (but were afraid to ask!)
SHOW NOTES
———————————–
00:00 – Introduction
00:31 – Motor Oil 101
07:53 – 2021 Acura TLX First Impressions
15:09 – Question #1: Are drivers forgetting to turn on their headlights more and more these days?
17:36 – Question #2: What are the options for replacing OEM all-season tires for winter or all-weather tires?
21:01 – Question #3: Which AWD vehicles behave more like a rear-wheel drive?
———————————–
Have a question for our experts? Leave a comment on this episode, or reach out to us directly!
From your iOS device, iMessage us at TalkingCars@icloud.com to send a photo, video, or text directly to the Talking Cars team!
Subscribe to Talking Cars on Spotify:
———————————-
Coronavirus Resource Hub:
How to Safely Work on Your Car at Home:
First Drive: 2021 Acura TLX Reborn With Performance in Mind:
2015 Acura TLX Quick Drive:
2017 BMW 330i Quick Drive:
4K Review: 2017 BMW 5 Series Quick Drive:
First Drive: 2021 Kia K5 Is Packed With Plenty of Tech and Turbo Power:
Winter Driving Tips:
Essential Winter Driving Tips:
Prep Your Car for Winter:
2020 Kia Telluride Quick Drive:
loved that response, ryan.
before watching – really looking forward to what you think of the new TLX. I have a bit of a soft spot for this kind of Acura.
I’m pretty sure that track pad could work with with just two changes
1.) a more instant response.
2.) adding indentations that correspond to tiles on the screen, or a texture that lets you know exactly where your finger is when you put it down.
a third change that would help would be for only pieces of the trackpad to move when you press down, and not the whole thing. to my finger it has the feel of trying to flatten a large exercise ball with a 4×8 sheet of plywood by standing balancing the plywood on the exercise ball. Yes you can do it, but I wouldn’t recommend doing it. like seriously, don’t do that.
Electronic or constant backlit gauges are one of the biggest reasons people think their headlights are on. The lit up dash fools them.
Yes, I think this may be the biggest culprit.
Some people also get confused because they have daytime running lights; so they think their headlights are in the on position..as a result, their taillights remain off.
Really appreciate you guys taking the time to do an actual mini-lesson. It’s nice to learn these things as someone without a mechanical background
I think they did a good job on the TLX, I was hoping they did a great job. Acura needs to stop putting their cars up against the Germans, if they can’t deliver 100%.
Timestamps for topics would be nice.
They’ve been putting bookmarks for every topic in the descriptions for years…but nobody bothers to actually hit “show more” and read them. Maybe they decided to just not bother with them or the new kind in the slider anymore.
They’re in the description now, thanks for the catch!
Thanks for this, heavily debating between an Acura 2021 TLX, and a Volvo S60 for my next car.
I’d be careful on getting an S60, their resale is horrible.
One of the best features of both Volvos I have owned – the default setting is that the headlights are always on. Both my Audi A3 and Ford Explorer had automatic headlights, which I also liked.
Thanks for the info on the Tlx
Interesting. Between The Straight Pipes and now CR, Acura might need to do some more tuning for the TLX.
Honda doesn’t care. They still sell the RDX in relatively big numbers and that car needs work too.
In my opinion, the new Acura TLX does look promising compare to the previous generation. But for the price, I would rather get a fully loaded Honda Accord 2.0T instead.
15:30 I don’t think the reason is the DRL. I think it’s the self-illuminating instrument panel. In older cars when you get into the seat, turn on the ignition and cannot see any thing in the dials because it’s too dark, you naturally reach for the light switch. In newer cars everything is self-illuminating. The driver never feels the need to turn on any light especially in the city where the streets are well lit.
The TLX reminds me of the Kia Stinger with the jaggedness of a Nissan Maxima. I’m just not sure the TLX is distinctive enough to increase market share. I also think the excellence of Hondas in the market end up dulling Acura’s shine. Unintended consequence, I guess.
When i use to take in my new car to the dealership for oil changes. Every single time i took it in. They would turn off the auto headlights for when they took it into the shop. They never turned it back on when i received the car back. I think this is very common for a lot of consumers.
Ryan has a ‘Mobil 1’ baseball cap in the background. I hope the next time he discusses motor oil he has upgraded his cap to Amsoil Signature Series which is simply the best oil on the market.
My therory on the subject of headlights not being on at night is that so many cars now have their dash lights illuminated all the time. Back in the day, dash light did not come in untill the headlights were on. If a driver couln’t read the speedometer, they knew they needed their lights on. I think a good safety ferature they should put in cars in a system to alert the driver that the lights are not on when it’s dark out.
I am not sure Aaron’s question was fully answered. So if a car is only being driven 3000 miles or less a year, how much time between synthetic oil changes is acceptable?
Great info and knowledgeable panel 👍🏽
TLX grew bigger exterior-wise for no added benefit/advantage. Interior volume relatively unchanged compared to the previous model. TLX is DOA. Good luck, Acura, you will need it.
I believe the Camry comes with AWD.