This voluptuous 'Honda' sedan with V6 may look exotic: we actually know the model.
Being a global automotive player is not easy. Each region has different needs for their cars. Americans laugh at the fact that the best-selling cars here in Europe are compact hatchbacks with a three-cylinder turbo, but we think their desire for gigantic pickup trucks with a V8 is strange.
Honda Accord
The easiest way to serve the market is to offer different models per market. Sometimes there is some overlap, but it can happen that a brand offers different cars with one name. That happened with the Honda Accord. This was initially the same worldwide, but from the fourth generation onwards a separate Accord was developed for the US. We consistently received the same models as the Japanese market.
Seventh generation
From the seventh generation onwards, marketing suddenly became a bit stranger. Not only did the European Accord (CL7) and the American Accord (CM4) grow very far apart, a third model was added for the American market.
Acura TSX
That became the Acura TSX. The keen eye may notice the fact that this looks a lot like an Accord CL7. And that's right. In addition to the 'official' Accord for the US, the Americans also received the European version under the luxury brand Acura. Which means Honda is actually saying that there is demand for the European Accord, but not enough to make one model again.
Yet it continued like this for a while and even the eighth generation Accord (CU1 in our case) came to the US as a station wagon! America, where the station wagon quickly lost territory in favor of the SUV, was where the Acura TSX Sport Wagon had to score. However? Well no. It is a nice piece of cult among the American rebellion of station wagon fanatics, but unfortunately it was not a success.
TL + TSX = TLX
The model above the TSX called TL was also not a great success. This model started as the Acura version of the Honda Legend, but from 2003 became a TSX-like model but slightly larger. Since the Accord segment was and still is the best-scoring segment in the US, the segment above it is a little more difficult to score with.
Acura solved it with the TLX. A sedan that should succeed both the TSX and the TL and is therefore somewhat between the two in terms of size. The same as what Peugeot did with the 508, which followed the smaller 407 and the larger 607. The TLX is still on sale, even as a hot Type S, as a premium version of the Accord and has finally found its momentum.
Acura TLX in the Netherlands!
Apart from this short history lesson, the Dutch market has never had much use for this: we don't even know Acura, the Accord has not been delivered here since 2015 and since then you can count on a large Honda sedan. If you have a Honda Accord CU1 and you really want to have a direct replacement for that car: good news! There is a real Acura TLX for sale in the Netherlands.
The engine range of both the TL and TSX was of course partly different from what we know in Europe. The Acura TLX was given one of the nice Honda engines: the 3.5 liter V6. Including 290 American horsepower, which means about 294 horsepower here. With four-wheel drive, this simply means 5.7 seconds to sprint to 96 km/h.
And don't think because it's a Japanese sedan that you have to leave all your prejudices about CVTs in the comments: the gearbox in the Acura TLX is a sequential gearbox with 9 speeds. The problem that becomes painfully clear with this car is that this is a stranger in terms of technology, so in terms of mechanical complexity a Honda dealer may already be asking too much. Speaking of which: the navigation still thinks you are in Los Angeles.
Import?
Today's example is from 2015 and has 81,837 miles. That means 131,676 kilometers. Not surprising and apart from a somewhat boring version (black on black) and a somewhat dated interior, this Acura TLX is a wonderful American-oriented voluptuous sedan. And all that for 23,940 euros!
At least, the selling party is not crystal clear about it: we think there is a catch. All hits at the RDW on Acura TL(X) show models from other years of manufacture. We have the feeling that this thing has not yet been imported to the Netherlands and the costs for this are for the buyer. That could be slightly more expensive than 24,000 euros. A cautious one then buy?!1?.
Thanks to Daan for the tip!
This article Exotic sedan with V6 is actually not exotic at all first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
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