For the money, the new TLX could be a tough sell as long as it commands a such a significant premium over the previous generation. That said, based on what we typically see with Acura incentives, we think it's merely a matter of time before better offers emerge for patient shoppers.

Acceleration to 60 mph took 7.0 seconds for our intensely blue TLX A-Spec all-wheel-drive test car, which is off the pace of a rear-drive Genesis G70 2.0T (6.2 seconds), all-wheel-drive Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T (5.2 seconds), and all-wheel-drive BMW 330i (5.5 seconds). Moving up a segment in size, our rear-drive 2017 BMW 530i long-term car reached 60 mph in 6.2 seconds. The truth is that many drivers will find the TLX's acceleration perfectly adequate. The issue comes when you know others are quicker in a class with many options.The same is true with 60-0 mph braking. The Acura came to a stop in 127 feet, well off the performance of the G70 (106 feet), 330i (114 feet), and 530i (103 feet), but about even with the Giulia (130 feet). Better brakes might help, but as associate road test editor Erick Ayapana suggested, a tire upgrade might, too. Models with all-wheel drive and 19-inch wheels ride on 255-mm wide Michelin Primacy all-season tires. Testing director Kim Reynolds echoed Ayapana's comment: "I just wish it had a little more grip and brakes to take this up a notch."

Such an upgrade might have benefitted the TLX A-Spec's performance on the figure-eight course, a MotorTrend test that evaluates braking, cornering, acceleration, and the transitions in between. As it is, our test car completed the course in 26.9 seconds at an average 0.64 g. That's a tad off the all-wheel-drive Giulia and 330i (26.7 and 26.6 seconds, respectively, both at 0.66 g average), 530i (25.9 seconds at 0.69 g average), and rear-drive G70 (25.2 seconds at 0.72 g average).

On the street, the TLX 2.0T continues to feel like a car with potential. A couple of editors who drove our Southern California test car wished the 10-speed automatic transmission was more responsive. Reynolds described the A-Spec's ride as "firm but not harsh." He also noted a delightfully quick turn-in quality to the steering.

We hope future TLXs are more efficient. The 2021 TLX in front-drive form returns 22/31 mpg city/highway (or 30 mpg as an A-Spec model), while all-wheel-drive models are good for 21/29 mpg. That's off the pace of the 2021 Giulia (23-24/31-33 mpg), 2021 330i (25-26/34-36 mpg), and 2020 530i (24-25/31-33), but in line with the less efficient G70 (20-22/27-30 mpg). If your eyes glazed over at the sight of all those numbers, here's another way to think about it: Because these cars all have about the same size fuel tank, you'll stop for gas slightly more often in the Acura and Genesis than you will in the Alfa Romeo and BMWs.