2021 Acura TLX Type S Pricing Revealed [UPDATED]

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

Ford’s Lightning has stolen the spotlight this week, but another hotly anticipated vehicle is jumping around and waving its arms (metaphorically speaking, as cars don’t have arms) to remind buyers it exists and goes on sale soon. That vehicle is the 2021 Acura TLX Type S.

Pricing will start at $52,300, not including the $1,025 destination charge, when the sport sedan goes on sale on June 23. $800 more gets you a high-performance wheel and tire package.

Only 2,000 of the cars, which have a 355-horsepower turbo V6, sport suspension with a double-wishbone front setup, Brembo brakes, 20-inch wheels, 10-speed automatic transmission, and Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, will be sold.

Update: That 2,000-unit limit is just for 2021. There will be a 2022 model year with unlimited sales. We apologize for the error.

A build-and-price site is up for consumers, and interested buyers can plunk down a reservation.

It’s no electric truck, but it’s exciting in its own way, especially for those of us who still hold a flame for luxury sport-sedans in what’s become a crossover world.

It’s also about the same base price as a Lightning XLT. And on sale a year sooner. What’s the better deal, huh?

[Images: Acura]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

Comments
Join the conversation
9 of 45 comments
  • Dal20402 Dal20402 on May 21, 2021

    A bit more reflection on this and I realized that I feel more want for that $9k manual 2005 TL we discussed last week than this new $53k car. I think I've convinced myself that automatics are for EVs and beasts of burden, not sporty gas cars.

  • Dal20402 Dal20402 on May 21, 2021

    And now there's an even rarer manual Acura for sale in my neck of the woods, although the price is a bit out there and the factory body kit is an unfortunate addition. https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/ctd/d/lynnwood-2010-acura-tl-sh-awd-tech/7323293020.html

    • See 5 previous
    • 28-Cars-Later 28-Cars-Later on May 24, 2021

      @28-Cars-Later MY12 Acura TL AWD for $9,800. For my money, a stick and Pac Northwest climate are not a $6K premium. https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/d/pittsburgh-2012-acura-tl-sh-awd/7326388734.html

  • Lostboy If you can stay home when it's bad out in winter, then maybe your 3 season tire WILL be an "ALL-SEASON" tire as your just not going to get winters and make do? I guess tire rotations and alignments just because a whole lot more important!
  • Mike My wife has a ‘20 Mazda3 w/the Premium Package; before that she had a ‘15 Mazda3 i GT; before THAT she had an ‘06 Mazda Tribute S V6, ie: Ford Escape with a Mazda-tuned suspension. (I’ve also had two Miata NAs, a ‘94 & a ‘97M, but that’s another story.) We’ve gotten excellent service out of them all. Her 2020, like the others before it, is our road trip car - gets 38mpg highway, it’s been from NC to Florida, Texas, Newfoundland, & many places in between. Comfortable, sporty, well-appointed, spacious, & reliable. Sure, we’d look at a Mazda hybrid, but not anytime soon.😎
  • MaintenanceCosts Something that Mercedes would never do, but that would be an extremely revealing experiment: sell both a "CLE 63" with the V8 in a ~500 hp state of tune and a "CLE 65" with the four-cylinder mega-hybrid powertrain at the 671 hp or higher level. Charge the same for them, sell both on custom order only, and see which sells more.I'm positive the V8 would outsell the four by five to one or more.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Agreed, or get the Lexus LC500 with the awesome 5.0L V8. Instead of the EV/PHEV, turbocharged V4-V6 nonsense.
  • SCE to AUX I like the Crown, but it would have to be a lower trim (like the XLE) to make sense.Despite having a Toyota dealer very near me, I don't see many Crowns on the road.
Next