The Best Midsize Acura Cars

Acura only has one midsize car currently on the market—the Acura TLX has the luxury and performance of its competition, plus a lower than average base price.
Written by Abbey Orzech
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
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To get your hands on a new midsize Acura car, you’ll need to look for the Acura TLX. With peppy standard and optional powertrains, smooth handling, luxurious interior comforts, and a below-average price tag, the only midsize sedan in Acura’s lineup stands on solid ground. 
Midsized sedans aren’t typically the most popular vehicle options on the market. They’re not exactly known to stand up to the mechanical prowess or aesthetic of compact sports cars or the functionality of large cars.
But those stereotypes don’t apply to every midsize sedan out there, particularly not the Acura TLX—its luxurious design and solid handling up the midsize group average. 
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2022 Acura TLX

Acura’s current lineup includes the premium sport compact Integra, sport sedan TLX, sport crossover RDX, performance SUV MDX, and the adrenaline-fueled supercar NSX Type S. This lineup provides something for most luxury car tastes, but if you’re after a vehicle with a decent amount of space paired with peppy performance, the midsize
Acura TLX
may be for you. 
The Acura TLX got a facelift in 2021 that included a full exterior and interior redesign. The high-quality materials used throughout its new body design, along with better handling, an expanded infotainment system, and new powertrain options, carry over to the 2022 model as well. 
The 2022 Acura TLX is built to meet or even exceed its other luxury midsize car fellows, all with a lower-than-average starting price. Sure, it’s easy to assume luxury car titans like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Lexus have a monopoly on the marriage of performance and comfort, but Acura is making sure it’s not overlooked with the TLX. 

Pricing

Pricing for the 2022 Acura TLX starts at $37,700 MSRP and reaches $53,600 MSRP for the top trim option. Stacked against the costs of other luxury midsize sedans, TLX pricing is below average and comfortably rests on the cheaper end of its class.  

Performance

Although an all-wheel-drive option is available at each trim level, most of the TLX trims come standard with front-wheel drive and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that kicks out 272 horsepower. Most drivers can be perfectly happy with that base powertrain since it is reported to offer an incredibly smooth ride and precise handling that complements its power. 
For performance-focused drivers who are after true vehicle athleticism, consider making the upgrade to the turbocharged 355-horsepower 3.0-liter four-cylinder V6 engine available in the Type S trim. 
Neither engine option slacks off, with the base 2.0-liter turbocharged engine going from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.9 seconds and the 3.0-liter powertrain closing that gap in a speedy 4.9 seconds. And don’t worry—the TLX suspension system smooths out road bumps easily, so you’re not bouncing out of your seat as you pick up speed.

Fuel economy

Gas mileage may be one of the most hunted-after specs for any vehicle, particularly for sedans that fall somewhere between gas-guzzling behemoth vehicles and intentionally fuel-efficient compact cars. In the case of the 2022 Acura TLX, the fuel economy will depend on the engine and drivetrain of your trim. 
Opting for front-wheel drive and the base engine will get you an EPA-estimated 22 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway, which lands near the average for midsize cars. If you upgrade to all-wheel drive, your fuel economy will dip to 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, and the V6 engine will take you down to 19 mpg city and 25 mpg highway

Interior and tech

Though the inside of the TLX may not reach the roomy comfort of its pricier peers, it’s by no means unaccommodating. Seating for five people is best arranged with the smallest of your group in the rear seats since it’s not exactly uber spacious. However, the front seats are supportive and offer the passenger and driver ample head and legroom.
The interior design is set off by high-end wood and aluminum accents, and either the standard synthetic leather upholstery or the upgraded genuine leather upholstery lining the seats. The 2022 TLX was also designed with a hushed cabin in mind so drivers and passengers can enjoy their music, audiobooks, conversation, or sweet silence without the racket of road noise interrupting.  
Acura has made it its business to not leave drivers wanting in the tech department. The base trim level comes standard with a 10.2-inch display, touchpad controller, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a 10-speaker stereo system, two USB ports, Bluetooth capabilities, a Wi-Fi hot spot, a moonroof, keyless entry, dual-zone automatic climate control, and more! 
Available upgrades include a navigation system, 13- and 17-speaker stereos, wireless device charging, two more USB ports, and remote start. The Advanced trim package and beyond will even provide ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated rear outboard seats, and rain-sensing windshield wipers

Safety and reliability

If safety is the name of your vehicle game, the 2022 Acura TLX is likely to tick a lot of your boxes. Each trim comes packed with standard safety features including a rearview camera, forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, road sign recognition, and automatic high-beam headlights. 
If that’s not enough for you, Acura offers additional safe driving assistance features like front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, surround-view parking camera system, and a head-up display. 
All of these safety features worked together to earn the TLX a 10 out of 10 safety rating from U.S. News & World Report, a perfect five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the coveted Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institue for Highway Safety (IIHS). 
The TLX’s reliability is ranked from excellent to average, depending on who you ask. On the J.D. Power reliability scale, the 2022 TLX received a 75 out of 100, placing it firmly in the “average” category. RepairPal’s assessment, on the other hand, lifted the TLX to a 4.5 out of 5 “excellent” rating. 
We can reasonably gather that this model’s reliability could be a bit better—but it could also be a lot worse. 

Trim levels

There are six trim levels available for the 2022 Acura TLX:
  • TLX
  • Technology
  • A-Spec
  • Advanced
  • Type S
  • Type S Performance Wheel & Tire 
The front-wheel-drive TLX and Technology trims make the driving experience comfortable and convenient with their hearty infotainment and safety systems. The A-Spec package refines the style and reinforces the comfort with features like genuine leather and suede upholstery, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and ventilated front seats. 
Moving up the trim ladder, the Advanced package comes standard with all-wheel drive and rounds out the luxury details with 16-way power-adjustable front seats and adaptive suspension. The sporty Type S trims graduate to the 355-horsepower turbocharged V6 engine and come with all-season tires (Type S) or high-performance summer tires (Type S Performance).  

Competitors

Now that all the details are fleshed out, let’s take a look at how the Acura TLX compares to the other luxury midsize sedans in the class.
Model
MSRP range
Base powertrain
Fuel economy
Safety ratings
Reliability ratings
$37,700 to $53,600
Turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 272 horsepower
19-22 mpg city/25-29 mpg hwy
5 stars (NHTSA), Top Safety Pick+ (IIHS)
4.5/5.0 (RepairPal), 75/100 (J.D. Power)
2022
Audi A6
$55,900 to $116,500
Turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 261 horsepower
15-23 mpg city/22-31 mpg hwy
5 stars (NHTSA), Top Safety Pick+ (IIHS)
3.5/5.0 (RepairPal), 69/100 (J.D. Power)
$54,200 to $142,000
Turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 248 horsepower
15-24 mpg city/21-33 mpg hwy
5 stars (NHTSA), Top Safety Pick+ (IIHS)
2.5/5.0 (RepairPal), 80/100 (J.D. Power)
$37,295 to $83,995
Turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 237 horsepower
18-23 mpg city/22-33 mpg hwy
3.5/5.0 (RepairPal), 85/100 (J.D. Power)
$48,250 to $63,700
Turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 300 horsepower
17-23 mpg city/26-32 mpg hwy
5 stars (NHTSA), Top Safety Pick (IIHS)
3.5/5.0 (RepairPal), 86/100 (J.D. Power)
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How to save on Acura insurance

If we’re talking luxury midsize sedans, the Acura TLX is already on the cheaper side of the price range, especially compared to its competitors like the Audi A6 and BMW 5-Series. But even owning a more modestly-priced luxury sedan is still owning a luxury vehicle, and that will reflect in your car insurance premiums. 
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No, the Acura Integra is considered a premium sport compact vehicle, not a midsize car.
Yes! Acura’s midsize SUV is the performance-driven Acura MDX, complete with three rows of seating and a spacious interior.
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