With just over 5k miles remaining on my first ever leased vehicle, and first-ever leased Acura, I can confidently say that it has been a rock-solid car since it rolled off the lot 2 years back. The engine and drive train are sound, I haven't made any unplanned stops to the dealership for any gremlins, and I have been managing fairly good fuel economy despite my somewhat lead-foot-esque driving habits as of late. But there are a few issues that have come up since our last update.
The first of which was a minor fender bender back in early May. Though the damage was minor and I had insurance cover the repair costs, it was also the day I learned that the automatic forward collision warning system won't work below 5 mph. The damage required a replacement bumper and passenger's side headlight, but otherwise all was sorted within 2 weeks. Additionally, it should be noted that if you lease a vehicle from Acura, you are bound by the OEM parts clause in the contract which essentially states that in the event of parts needing replacement following a collision, that the parts MUST be Acura OEM parts ONLY.
This is important, because if you've ever had an accident, you probably dropped your car off at one of your insurance agency's "approved" collision centers and you didn't think much after seeing the damage repaired on your car. Well, as I learned, chances are that unless you specifically asked for OEM parts, that the insurance agency more than likely used "Like-Quality" parts - which basically are the off-brand parts made for your vehicle (Think OEM PS2 controller vs MadCatz). Doing this was a no-no for me thanks to the leasing contract, which meant a bit more money was paid up front in addition to my deductible to have the car fixed.
The second issue has to do with the overall interior fit and finish. While the overall look and quality is nothing to write home about, the interior is starting to show unusual age for how new the car itself is. For example, the steering wheel leather is starting to suffer from rubbing-off thanks to the frequent contact it gets from daily driving - a quirk that I find unusual given Acura/Honda's rep for elevated standards of interior quality. On top of that, the car's infotainment system continues to be difficult to use for simple things such as changing the sound settings on the ELS sound system. It also struggles to find many of the destinations that I enter into the system, either suggesting a completely different address or simply not giving me any results period. To see such quality issues on such a new car is disappointing, to say the least, but again, it should be noted that these issues don't directly affect the driveability or overall reliability of the car itself.
The third issue I'm having is in the fuel economy area. Now, many of the TLX owners I've talked to have been successful in achieving the EPA estimated 34mpg in their 2.4 cylinder TLXs. I've even seen in rare cases some topping out at 40+mpg highway on long journeys. But, despite daily highway driving, my TLX tells me that I'm only averaging a paltry 26.3mpg. While I do place some of the blame on my enthusiastic driving style, it's not like I do it enough to plummet the overall mileage averages (I typically commute to work in econ mode and on occasion will switch to sport+ mode if I feel a bit jaunty for the commute home). Overall, gas expenses are still right on par with what I'm expecting to spend at the pump on a weekly basis.
Overall, these issues are all minor and as such I have nothing but praises for the TLX's reliability, practicality and comfort over the past 25k miles. From weekly grocery runs to hauling my snowboard through snow-covered roads for a weekend at the mountain, the TLX has and continues to uphold Honda's standards for practicality and reliability. It handles my aggressive driving with ease, and it still has enough get-up-and-go for merging onto highways in econ mode. It's a refined sedan with a quiet interior and a spunky motor with plenty of low-end torque to push you back in your seat when you feel like putting your foot down.
Milage: 25,500
Repair + Maintenance costs: $540
Overall Rating: 3/5
Pros: Quick, Comfortable, Refined, Fuel Economy, Practicality.
Cons: Fit/Finish issues, infotainment system, rear leg room
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