I was considering an Acura TLX Turbo 4 but I’m concerned about the turbo lag. I’ve always driven a V6. I like the power for merging onto the highway. It’s a matter of safety. Does anyone have any experience with the TLX turbo 4? Is there power when you need it? Is the turbo lag a problem? Thanks.
no personal experience with this exact car, but the turbo 4 cylinders I have driven have been decently peppy.
Best advice I can offer: find one at a dealership and take it for a test drive- including merging onto a highway.
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I have a vehicle that takes 6.3 seconds to reach 60 mph and 16 seconds for a 1/4 mile. And I have no trouble merging on to expressways .
I would be more concerned if the vehicle requires premium fuel .
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I’ve owned 3 turbo 4 cylinder cars from 3 different manufacturers… a 1985 that had turbo lag measured in weeks… a 2001 that had a noticeable lag that did not affect its ability to merge effectively and a 2014 that has effectively no turbo lag at all that does 0-60 in 5.4 seconds.
Turbo lag is a thing of the past. Go test drive one as @eddo suggests and prove it to yourself.
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Most modern turbos don’t suffer from lag. Drive one and see, if you can find one in stock.
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Just as most engines now have variable valve timing, many turbocharged engines have variable geometry turbochargers.
They have the fast response of a small turbo and the top end capacity of a large turbo.
Also, with sophisticated and powerful computer control of the system, even a fixed turbo of a carefully chosen size responds much better than the ones of yesteryear.
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Get the turbo 6.
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Riviews suggest that the Accord with the same drivetrain feels livlier because it’s lighter,
We have a CRV 1.5Turbo in the family that hasn’t felt like there’s turbo lag, but dad’s not the type to go for full throttle. Didn’t seem to care when he had a 1,500lb trailer behind it.
I am accustomed to driving economy cars with a 4-cylinder NA engine. I have never had problems with power or performance, as long as I’m not running the A/C. I am sure that an Acura with a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine will deliver excellent performance and fuel economy–even with the A/C running.
As another poster mentioned, make sure that this vehicle is designed to run on regular gasoline. If it requires premium fuel, that’s a huge expense, which many people “cheap out” on anyways, and that reduces the performance significantly and could result in engine damage. I have never owned a car which requires premium fuel, or could even benefit from it, because I am not willing to pay for premium fuel.
Acura TLX is a $40,000 vehicle, premium gasoline costs 35 cents more per gallon, not really a great expense.
Around here, the cost delta is 45 to 55 cents per gallon, and while the additional $5 to $10 per fill-up might not make a huge difference in most people’s budgets, the fact remains that many people do find it vexing to pay more for premium fuel, and therefore fill their car with regular–even when the manufacturer says premium is “recommended” or “required”. This is, of course, an even bigger problem when the car is on its third or subsequent owner–you know, the so-called “champagne taste on a beer budget” phenomenon.
Earlier this week, I put approximately 7.5 gallons of (regular) fuel into my Daewoo Lanos. It came to approximately $34. If this car required premium fuel, I would have spent an extra $4. And this is a small economy car, which gets fairly decent MPGs. For someone driving a full-size truck or SUV, they might put more than 20 gallons at a time, so the cost difference certainly adds up.
FWIW the TLX and Laos (w/ manual trans) have equal fuel economy ratings.
I think (and someone please correct me if I’m wrong) that this engine is similar to what’s in the 2020 Honda Accord that belongs to my in laws. I do know their Accord has a turbo 4, and it’s probably a watered down version of what’s in the Acura. I didn’t notice a lag problem or any sort of drivability problems when I drove the Accord. It didn’t feel anemic at all.
Touring trim shares the 2.0 with the Acura, LX up to EX-L are the 1.5 Turbo that’s also in the CRV.
My equinox has 170hp v6. Sis got newer equinox with 1.5 turbo w/170hp. Interesting how power is same. They used to offer a Dohc version with 275hp. And the new equinoxes has a 2.0 turbo with 250hp. Low power motor and higher power motor. Is that a gm thing? Cheap version model and high option model.
I recall looking at the Cadillac sedans, like the CTS. It was available with either a turbo 4 or a V6. The turbo 4 had enough power, but application wasn’t smooth as with the V6. That may well have been the case with the other GM products with a similar choice. I would have gone for the smoother V6 since I was more interested in a touring car than a racer. I looked up the 2022 Equinox and all four trim levels only offer the turbo 4.
my wife bought 2022 Civic with 1.5 Turbo and I have to get my senses to the full alert level to feel any turbo-lag there.
I would bet Acura will be no worse that that 
In laws may well have the 1.5, I’m not sure. Which is somewhat crazy, as I’ve ridden motorcycles with the same size engine (minus the turbo). If so, the 2.0 should be more than adequate. I’ll have to check it out a little more the next time I’m down there. Nice car, though, with leather, sunroof (that’ll never be used), auto AC, etc.
Dad has the 1.5 Turbo in His CRV and it’s more powerful than the 2.4 he had in the 2007 CRV and on his daily loop it gets 31mpg instead of 23. Smallest engine size he’s owned since the 70’s.