According to the good people at Merriam-Webster, the definition of ‘euphoria’ is being in a state of overwhelming, pleasurable, emotion.
Kinda like the first time you try Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey. Or devour a slice of Mike’s Pies key lime pie.
Other one-word euphoric descriptions include joy, happiness, delight, exhilaration, jubilance and ecstasy.
Which perfectly describes the feeling you get from your first five minutes behind the wheel of Acura’s latest TLX Type-S heart-palpitating sports sedan.
This four-door bundle of fast-driving joy is one of those little-known secrets in the automotive world. Want a compact sports sedan? Car lovers tend to go straight to BMW’s 340i. Or Audi’s S4. Or Mercedes’ C43. Or Lexus’ IS350 F Sport.
Which is a pity considering this swoopy-bodied Acura is more fun than a day at Disney, more heart-palpitating than a ride on Busch Garden’s SheiKra.
While not cheap at $58,195, it’s packed with more toys than FAO Schwarz during the holidays. Leather, all-wheel-drive, active torque-vectoring, disco-quality 17-speaker stereo. You name it.
And it looks oh-so gorgeous with its muscular haunches, air-gulping air intakes, quad exhausts the size of storm drains, and some of the coolest-looking 20-inch alloys on the planet.
While the TLX Type-S has been around since 2021, it got a mild nip, tuck and jab of Botox facelift for 2024 to keep things fresh.
What thankfully didn’t change was the Acura’s sublime 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 packing 355 horsepower and 354 torques.
Nothing too special in those numbers I hear you say. BMW’s 340i has a twin-turbo inline six delivering 382-hp, while Mercedes’ AMG C43 rustles-up an impressive 402-hp from its turbo in-line four.
But coupled to a 10-speed automatic with a new-for-’24 Sport+ drive mode, it’s like an orchestra working together to create great music. Step on the gas, and the Type-S fizzes with all the energy of a sugared-up two-year-old.
I’ve just spent a week having blissful fun in this copper-flecked Urban Gray Pearl Type-S, reveling in the 0-to-60-in-4.6-seconds acceleration and on-rails handling.
The latter comes courtesy of the Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system – SH-AWD for short – that shuffles the power between all four wheels to heighten traction and agility.
Add to that, lovely-weighted, laser-precise steering, terrific chassis tuning, and brakes that could stop time. Yes, the trade-off is a firm, fidgety ride over lumps and bumps. But find yourself a curvy on-ramp, or snaky backroad, and the TSX feels nimble, agile and beautifully balanced.
Yes, the 10-speed automatic is a tad sluggish shifting – I found myself using the paddle-shifters to quicken the response. And having 10 speeds instead of, say, eight, means the gearbox always feels busy.
But oh what a soundtrack. In regular Comfort mode, it’s all quiet and refined. But dial-up Sport or Sport+, and those shiny tailpipes bellow and bark like a Rottweiler with an attitude.
This athletic character is also matched from behind the wheel. Those racy-red, perforated-leather sports seats grip you like a hug from Hulk Hogan. Talking of grip, the chunky, flat-bottom steering wheel, with its its contrast red stitching, is just a delight to grip.
There are big, clear, digital dials in front of the driver, and a welcome head-up display in the windshield. Add to those, a new 12.3-inch infotainment screen taking center stage on the dash. No prizes though for the center console laptop-style trackpad that controls it. Way too fussy.
Space-wise, the Type-S is a bit of a compromise. Especially in the back seat, which is tight on legroom and lacks foot-space under the front seat.
No prizes either for the Acura’s trunk, which measures a so-so 13.5 cubic feet. And with a trunk opening that’s about as narrow as a mail slot, practicality isn’t one of the car’s strong points.
But that’s not what the TLX Type-S is about. It’s all about unbridled driving enjoyment, and reveling in one of the most-responsive, most-rewarding V6 engines out there.
Euphoria on wheels? You bet.
