Acura, hoping to burnish its performance credentials and distinguish its lineup from rivals, as well as the Honda sibling brand, is adopting a double-wishbone suspension once again on its midsize sport sedan.
Acura released new details Tuesday about the platform architecture used to retool the next-generation TLX prior to the car’s introduction on Thursday. It also released a new teaser image of what will become the brand’s flagship sport sedan once the current RLX is discontinued after the 2020 model year.
The redesigned TLX is built on a new platform exclusive to the brand, with a chassis featuring a double-wishbone front suspension, which was common in previous Acura performance models.
The Japanese luxury marque is rebuilding its lineup with redesigned models to further distinguish it from the mainstream Honda brand.
The current TLX sedan is equipped with front MacPherson struts.
“The new TLX’s front suspension uses two wishbone-shaped control arms, in place of the more common MacPherson strut setup in many competing sport sedans, to deliver more precise control of the wheel camber, caster and toe angles, and to maximize tire-to-ground contact for exceptional handling precision and cornering grip,” the company said.
Acura noted in a statement Tuesday that a double-wishbone suspension is used on the current, second-generation NSX supercar. The setup was also a staple in Acura performance cars from the past, “including the Legend (1986-1995), Integra (1990-2001), TL and TL Type S (1996-2014), and first-generation NSX (1991-2005).”
The 2021 TLX will be presented to the public Thursday via a short film at 10 a.m. PDT on the acura.com website.