The 2018 Acura TLX 3.5L AWD A-Spec.

One of the great mysteries of our time:  How can my fellow automotive journalists fall all over themselves in praise of the Honda Accord and be so lukewarm about the Acura TLX, which, at its heart, is a performance variant of the Accord?

2018 Acura TLX 3.5L AWD A-Spec.

The TLX was the replacement for one of TireKicker's favorite cars in our nine-year history, the TSX. And, in our first encounter with the TLX two and a half years ago,  we made it clear that Acura had a winner.

For 2018, some welcome changes have taken place to an already great sport sedan.  New front and rear styling eliminate the vestigal chrome beak across the top of the TLX's grille and the new, larger grille brings it in line with Acura's new design language first seen in the MDX crossover. The TLX now supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which allows us to work around Honda/Acura's improved but still behind the curve infotainment system.

The other big deal is the new A-Spec package.  It includes ventilated sport seats with Alcantara inserts and contrast stitching, A-Spec exclusive 19-inch alloy wheels, a black headliner, parking sensors, LED fog lights and a wireless phone charger. It adds $2,900 to the tab.  If you prefer, you can choose red leather instead of the black Alcantara for no additional charge.

2018 Acura TLX 3.5L AWD A-Spec interior.

Our tester was also equipped with the tech package (navigation with voice recognition, multi-view rear camera with dynamic guidelines, AcuraLink communication system with real-time traffic with street and freeway conditions, the 10-speaker ELS Studio Premium audio system including HD Radio, blind spot information, rain-sensing wipers and a rear cross-traffic monitor), which is $3,700.

Equipped with the 3.5-liter VTEC V6 (290 horsepower, an EPA estimate of 20 city/29 highway), nine-speed automatic transmission, and SH-AWD (which brings standard features incluidng SiriusXM Satellite Radio, the aforementioned Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a driver recognition memory system, a heated 12-way power driver's seat (heated power 8-way for the front passenger), pushbutton ignition, pushbutton shifter, dual zone climate control with filtration, auto-dimming rearview mirror, power moonroof, tire sealant and inflator kit, jewel eye LED headlights, keyless access system with SmartKey, collision mitigation braking, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane keeping assist and road departure mitigation, the total package rang in at $44,800 plus $950 destination and handling...so that's $45,750.

Not only is that a bargain for the level of equipment and performance...it is only $155 more than the as-tested price for the 2015 model we reviewed.  And $55 of that comes from a boost in the destination and handling charge.

So we have a thoroughly terrific sedan, updated and improved that costs only $100 more than it did three years ago.   Note to my fellow automotive journalists---this is a car worthy of respect and raves.

The 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid AWD Advance.

Seven months ago, we reviewed the new, better-looking Acura MDX.  The one with a regular gasoline engine.  Everything we said about that MDX stands for this one, so follow the link.

So what's this one about?  A different engine, a different transmission and very different city fuel economy.  All the while providing more...yes, more...power.

2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid AWD Advance.

In place of the 3.5-liter, 290 horsepower V6 and nine-speed automatic transmission found in other MDXs, the Sport Hybrid has a 3.0-liter V6 mated to an electric motor that generates a combined 321 horsepower and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Honda/Acura has done this before...one of the few manufacturers to include a performance bonus in its pursuit of higher fuel economy.  It works beautifully.  You're never really aware of the fact you're driving a hybrid until it's time to fill up and you don't have to yet.

2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid AWD Advance interior.

The gasoline-powered MDX has an EPA fuel economy estimate of 19 city/26 highway.  The hybrid?  It's estimated at 26 city/27 highway.  

The highway improvement is hardly noticeable, but in the city, a bump from 19 to 26 (equivalent to the gasoline version's highway mileage) is significant.   With the MDX Sport Hybrid's 19.4 gallon fuel tank, that works out to an extra 135 miles of city driving between fill-ups.  Best of all, Acura has wisely kept the cost increase to a minimum.  The gasoline model is $57,340 with destination and handling.  The Sport Hybrid?  $58,975.   The $1,635 premium can pay for itself in gasoline savings in a shade under five years, which is better than average.

We know which one we'd choose.  Thumbs up to Acura for giving the MDX Sport Hybrid the best of both worlds...fuel economy and performance.

The 2016 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid.

I may have said this before (as TireKicker closes in on 1,000 posts, it's hard to be sure), but some cars seem to show up in the press fleet at about the same time every year.  And, sure enough...51 weeks ago, I was in the 2016 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid.

2016 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid.

I loved it last year, as it kept me safe and sane through a then-rare Northern California downpour as I drove from Folsom to San Francisco and back.   Well, rain has become much more frequent here (thank you, Lord!) and this time, the RLX (identically equipped to the one I drove last year...only the date of manufacture and the odometer convinced me it wasn't the same one) was once again a foul-weather friend as Mrs. TireKicker and I did a one-night over-and-back to her hometown of Ukiah.

2016 Acura Sport Hybrid interior.

As before, it was supremely comfortable, sure-footed on wet roads and delivered terrific gas mileage.  I averaged 27.2 miles per gallon for the week.  The EPA estimate is 28 city/32 highway, so I fell short of that by a bit, but the winding, twisting parts of CA 20 in Lake County take their toll, especially with the transmission in "Sport" mode.  For 377 horsepower, that's exceptional economy.  Thank the hybrid and the 7-speed automatic transmission.  The sure-footedness can be credited to the all-wheel drive.  Five-star safety ratings all-around and the quality and attention to detail that you'd expect from a Honda product are just icing on the cake.

Spectacularly well-equipped at one price...$65,950.  Just add $920 destination and handling and you're done at $66,870.

So why aren't more people spending that $66,870?  I wrote last year about the RLX's dismal sales. In 2015, its best month was 239 sold.  The worst was 120.  For 2016, only four months have topped 120 and it's fallen below 100 twice.  The RLX is the 259th best-selling car in America...and the list only goes to 299.

It does outsell the car I'd buy instead of it, the similarly-priced (when loaded) Volvo S90, but it's trailing such four-wheeled unicorns as the BMW i8, the Maserati Quattroporte and the Honda CR-Z.

Bottom line: It's a much better car deserving a much better appreciation of its virtues.

The 2017 Acura MDX AWD Advance.

All it needed was a shave.

For years, the Acura MDX has been wearing an awkward chrome mustache across the top of its grille...the last vestige of an ill-conceived beak that it sprouted for the 2010 model year.  Well, that's gone for 2017...the grille (actually a new stretched pentagon design) now nicely opened up, with a rather large....okay, gargantuan...Acura emblem in the middle.  The headlights, hood and fenders have gotten tweaks to accomodate the grille change. And it's all a major improvement.

2017 Acura MDX AWD Advance.

The rear bumper of the MDX has been freshened as well...giving it a cleaner, more contemporary look.

The mechanicals remain the same...a 3.5-liter V6 making 290 horsepower mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission and Acura's SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) system.  It also has idle stop...shutting off the engine under certain conditions at stop signs, traffic lights and while in stop-and-go traffic (or in drive-throughs).  The EPA fuel economy estimate is 19 city/26 highway.

The big news for 2017 is actually the MDX we haven't driven yet, the Sport Hybrid model.  But the '17 MDX AWD Advance does have a few welcome tech additions to the 2016 model we reviewed a bit over a year ago...lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, road-departure mitigation and automatic emergency braking.

2017 Acura MDX AWD Advance interior.

You can get an MDX for about $43,000 in base form, but ours was the all-wheel drive Advance model, with a base price of $56,400.  It has a massive list of standard features.  And thanks to Acura's one-price philosophy for its trim levels, there's no guesswork about what options will do to the tab.  Add in $940 for destination and handling and it rings in at $57,340.

The MDX has long been one of my favorite large crossovers.  It simply does everything right.  If I have one misgiving, it is that, for 57 large and change, the interior seems a bit...plain and plastic.  For 10 grand less, Kia's creating a brighter, more inviting, more special-feeling space in its Sorento SXL. Hopefully, having cleaned up the MDX's exterior, the interior is next on Acura's to-do list.