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It might seem unfair to compare the Acura TLX to the Genesis G70, as the latter is considerably smaller: 194.6 vs. 184.4 inches long, 75.2 vs. 72.8 inches wide, and 56.4 vs. 55.1 inches tall. The TLX is also two-to-three-hundred pounds heavier, 3,709 vs. 3,516 pounds for the 2WD fours, 4,221 vs. 3,887 pounds for the AWD V6s. In fact, compared to the second Legend--which seemed like a fairly large car in the early 1990s--the new TLX is virtually as long, four inches wider, and an inch taller. The car that was intended to replace the TSX as well as the TL has grown to the size of the final TL, which many (including me) thought too large, and weighs about 250 pounds more. Size and weight aren't good for handling agility, performance, or fuel efficiency. So, to keep match-ups fair in these and other areas, normally I compare cars that are close in size.
But, the thing is, part of the cost of the TLX's dramatically lengthened dash-to-axle is a rear seat with no more legroom than in the smaller G70. Also, despite the TLX's additional width and height, it provides only slightly more rear shoulder room and less rear headroom than the rear-drive Genesis. Adults any taller than the average man will find the TLX's rear seat a tight fit. The Kia Stinger, which is a half-foot longer than the G70 but still a few inches shorter than the TLX, provides a useful additional inch-and-a-half of legroom.
Front-wheel-drive transverse powertrains were originally adopted because, when turned sideways, the engine and transmission take up much less of a car's length. By taking a conventional front-wheel-drive powertrain and merely shifting it forward nearly eight inches, while only adding half as much to the wheelbase, Acura has sacrificed this advantage, and then some.* The no-longer-closely-related Honda Accord is 2.4 inches less lengthy but has 5.3 inches more legroom--a huge difference. Add these two number up and you get...the TLX's increased dash-to-axle. The Accord also weighs 300 pounds less. Acura's been here before--with the Vigor.
Okay, not quite. The Vigor's rear seat was so tight only children and small adults fit. The new TLX has about 3.5 more inches of legroom. This not only brings it even with the G70, but if you compare its shoulder and leg room to those of the best-selling 3rd TL you'll find they're surprsingly close. A coincidence? I doubt it.
But some people might expect more from the new TLX given its larger exterior.
* One alternative at least one manufacturer has considered: rotating a transverse powertrain 180 degrees, putting the engine behind the axle rather than ahead of it. The decreased front overhang this would enable would compensate for the increased dash-to-axle, and together they would yield even better proportions. But no one has produced a car with such a layout. The impediment for Acura or Audi: it would make AWD very difficult.
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