The lease programs are more important than MSRP in this segment.
I suspect Acura will have horrible residual for TypeS and less incentives - this is what they do now on some Aspec models. If it leases over $600 - nobody will get it.

It will be interesting to see how the sales shake out between TLX, ES and G80.
Also i think a close competitor is the Volvo S60 - another FWD Based midsize sport sedan with awd.

 

That's not what I got.


And before you jump on me for the expensive top-of-the-line 19-inch wheels, rest assured that the Type S with its 20-inch wheels will be even more expensive than that.

Acura also doesn't let you add the A-Spec appearance package if you have the Advanced Package in their configurator for some reason, but if you could, that would be another extra $2700- putting the outgoing TLX at almost at $53K with all the options.

It would be impossible for the new Type S to come fully loaded at $50K. Heck, I fully expect the new 2.0T with all the options to go well beyond $50K as it currently is with the RDX.

 

You can't "add" the A-Spec to Advance because Acura doesn't really have packages or stand alone options. They have factory built trims and then dealer accessories beyond that.

Acura hand finished some A-Spec + Advance trims under the PMC Edition. Those had an MSRP of $50,950 with ultra high cost paint from the NSX, and hand operations to put together. We don't know if the new Type S will be a one-spec fully loaded variant, or if it'll have several trims within the Type S.

Acura has shown that when they have vehicles with excessive incentives, like the TLX currently does, they will reposition the price downwards, like with the ILX had to do a year or so ago.

So I think we could see the Type S start below $50K, and fully loaded, stretch a bit above the outgoing PMC. I see no indication that they're going to reach the Type S upwards of $70K like you keep suggesting.

 

If its more expensive than the $50k, then it will sell like the current version and be DOA. The Acura brand is pretty weak right now...BMW, Merc, Audi, Lexus, Tesla, all have stronger brands and why would you get a Type S over a similar priced performance model from the Germans? A decent priced M340 goes for $60k but there are pretty screaming deals on those things and the leases are very attractive vs. an Acura. Its a really competitive field right now.

 

Like I said, a fully-loaded RDX with the 2.0T already goes over $50K, even with a starting price of $38K. And the RDX is a compact SUV. To expect a well-equipped midsized Type S to be around the same price as that is impossible. It's clear that like most manufacturers, Acura sees the 4-cylinder as a replacement for the NA V6. That means the Type S with its turbo V6 is guaranteed to be more expensive than any TLX we've seen to date. If it does start at $50K, it will be a very barebones model like the CT5-V (which you can equip up to $70K). I don't know if the Type S will reach $70K, but there is no way you'll be getting it loaded up anywhere near $50K.

But the current version sold really well? When it came out in 2015 it sold 47,000 models. Even as it aged, last year it sold 27,000 models. The IS did around half those numbers. It's still a pretty competitive product.

A base M340i with xDrive starts at $56K- add on some options and it will hit $80K. And like I mentioned before, it's a much smaller car.

You're absolutely right about the cutthroat lease and incentives the Germans offer, but it's not a problem exclusive to Acura. It's a hardball game that's affecting the whole luxury market. Toyota addressed it recently:

https://www.autonews.com/talk-top/to...tinuing-legacy

 

yep, its gonna happen - at this point - with the SUV craze and Covid-19, Honda is smart enough to know the can't put a super high price on the Type S and expect it to sell.

 

The TLX V6 SH-AWD with the top Advanced package tops out at about 45K, the TLX V6 SH AWD with the Tech Package can be had for 42K which is a lot of car for the money. Only way you are getting a TLX to anywhere near 50K is if you get that loaded special PMC edition hand made at the NSX plant with several extra layers of paint and clear and it is only around 48K. They should be able to price the Type S reasonably, they have to if they want it to sell.

 

 

A well equipped M340 is $65k. You may hit $70k with all the bells and whistles but most people are getting great deals on these. I think you could get a well equipped one now for mid $50k which is pretty good for a car. Also, the new 3 series is much bigger and is almost the same interior volume as a Lexus GS. I don't think the TLX is much bigger given how much the 3 series has increased. A lot of the segment has also been decimated by the Tesla 3 so can Acura take shares away from them also?

 

New TLX is literally the same size as a 5 Series on the outside. 194.6 inches long and 75.2 inches wide. 5 Series is also 194.6 inches long (wow isn't that a coincidence), but 73.5 inches wide. It's a big car and dwarfs the GS.

Will Acura be successful with the TLX? I'm not here to judge that, but all signs lead to the Type S being substantially more expensive than $50K. Let's not forget this is the same parent company that could charge $40K for a tarted up Civic- and still sell them even with dealer markups.

 

Yes the TLX has length, but wheelbase is still shorter than 5 series, and shorter than 3 series. Interior passenger volume is on par with 3 Series and G70 at 93-94 cubic feet. Just because a car has length and width on paper doesn't mean anything.

TLX will start in the mid $30's. Since you like using the RDX to keep comparing, the RDX starts at $38,825. The RDX Advance AWD hits $49,325, without adding any horrendously overpriced MSRP accessory wheels. So, a TLX Advance AWD could presumably be a few grand below that. Let's call it $46K, which, wow, coincidentally is close to the current Advance AWD V6 MSRP. Again, Acura has shown that they want to avoid excessive incentives due to the impact that it has on residuals and resale values. So if they can deliver the new car with its substantial changes for near current vehicle pricing, and be able to not have to throw nearly $8 to $10K of discounts on it, that could be a great win for them,.

The TLX current 4 cylinder to 6 cylinder jump is ~$3,000. Not saying this is the same as the jump from new TLX to Type S, but directionally it could be close. So add $3K to the $46K, and voila, a $49k starting point for the Type S. I imagine they could add another package to the Type S rather than have it be an all out fully loaded mono-spec trim. $53K is also about where the G70 3.3T Sport AWD tops out at. And comfortably below the S4 Prestige, which hits $59K.

 

Wheelbase is still longer than a 3-Series (113 vs 112.2 in), and a long wheelbase isn't as important to the interior space of a FWD car as it is to a RWD one. The outgoing RLX had only a 112.2 in wheelbase (same as the 3 Series) and was 198 inches long with a huge cabin. Even with the faux RWD proportions, the TLX still has a transverse FWD engine layout, which means there will be more spacious cabin layout than a comparable RWD equivalent on the same wheelbase length. More importantly (and I didn't know this until a few moments ago, so I take back my comments about the TLX having "poor packaging" in its interior), Acura's own video compared the TLX to the Audi A7, which coincidentally has only 95 cubic feet of passenger volume, and is clearly not a compact. The TLX is also as wide as the A7 at 75.2 inches. And the A7's rival, the CLS, also has only 93 cubic feet of interior space. The TLX dimensionally fits right in with these midsize 4-door coupes. If Acura can convince their buyers that they're getting an A7 competitor for S4 money, they can win that value proposition perception too.

I think you just proved my point about Acura perceiving the 4-cylinder as a V6 replacement. Like you say, a top of the line TLX 2.0T with all the packages will very likely be in the high 40K range. With the 19 inch wheels and an exterior appearance trim, it would easily hit $50K. From there, the Type S is uncharted territory, but all those performance upgrades for a mere $3K sound a bit too good to be true. The standard 20" wheels and Brembo brakes alone would add $3K to the price. Only way I can imagine the Type S being $50K is if it's offered barebones and doesn't come equipped with any of the tech or interior upgrade packages like the CT5-V.

For now I'm done with this speculation until Acura actually drops the price and packaging options. If they do manage to get the whole Type S loaded for $55k, I will gladly eat my words.

 

Acura has a stunner on its hands. Yes its not a proper RWD sport sedan, but its finally a looker. Plus there material placement with the wood trim etc is finally getting good, versus the shiny fake nonsense that they had been putting into their vehicles prior to the RDX and current refreshed MDX.

 

beware of camera angles. They took photo near to the car to make the overhang look shorter.

the right camera tricks can shrink your overhang by 33% or more!


here's one looking directly at the front axle where you can see half the nose, and the full overhang.

seems like they lengthened the car and it went all to hood length.
still can't escape the front overhang with design tricks.

 

Agreed. I want to know what insane bean counter decided a $65K flagship sedan like the RLX would be acceptable with fake glossy wood from a 90s Chrysler interior. It's small annoying touches like this that gave people the impression that Acura was a lesser luxury brand.