Temple of VTEC Rumors and News - Some thoughts, photos, and notes on the 2015 Acura TLX from the NYIAS show floor

Following a quick same-day trip to New York City to witness the 2015 TLX debut, we have a few items of potential interest to share.

Yes, the double wishbone front suspension setup is gone and the TLX features a McPherson strut setup, as this TL is built upon the current global midsize architecture (shared with the current Accord). The RLX has double wishbones up front, since it uses the previous generation global midsize architecture.
The enhancements to SH-AWD include some logic changes in the control software intended to improve agile handling feel and stability
- Torque vectoring now is initiated almost immediately with steering input
- At higher speeds, the system now applies torque vectoring to the inside rear wheel when appropriate (to stabilize the car during emergency maneuvers, for example). The previous system only applied torque to the outside rear wheel
The SH-AWD differential now has an overspeed factor of 2.7% (up from 1.7%)
The SH-AWD differential now uses new proprietary hydraulic clutches (Acura says they're first of their kind with the type of linear engagement necessary for SH-AWD duty) to replace the original SH-AWD system's electromagnetic clutch packs.
- Lighter
- Smaller
- Cheaper
- Transient performance is on par with electromagnetic clutches
8DCT appears pretty compact (see photos near the end of the gallery below)
Don't expect to see this 8DCT appearing in any applications with significantly higher torque (V6 or higher displacement VTEC turbos), as we were told it doesn't have the capacity to deal with much more torque.
3.5L V6 engine code: J35Y6
2.4L I4 engine code: K24W7

Additional power (compared to the Accord's 2.4) comes from higher compression and premium fuel.
Additional torque comes from a new dual stage intake manifold design.

Both vehicles that were shown wore 19" accessory wheels. The blue TLX was the 2.4 model and the 2.4 models are normally equipped with 17" wheels. The gray TLX was the 3.5 model and V6 models are normally fitted with 18" wheels
Rear seat folds with a 60/40 split
The hood prop rod is dead(?). Both the 4-cyl and V6 TLX models on display had hood struts.
The radar element for the CMBS system now resides behind the "beak". The beak is transparent to radar, and consequently under the bright show lighting it gave the beak a strange semi-opaque, almost pearlescent appearance (it's difficult to describe except to say it did not appear metallic at all) when looking at the gray TLX from the side. The paint appeared more normal when viewed from head on, but it will be interesting to see if this effect appears under normal daylight conditions.

NOTE: For all of the official PR photography of the 2015 TLX (studio shots, interior photos, wheels, etc), check out the photo gallery in this news item from yesterday.