2020 Acura TLX
midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan
Small overlap front: driver-side
Rating applies to 2017-20 models
Tested vehicle: 2017 Acura TLX 2.4L 4-door
The Acura TLX was introduced in the 2015 model year as a replacement for the discontinued Acura TL and TSX models. Beginning with 2017 models, the front door hinge pillar was reinforced to limit intrusion of the front wheel to improve occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Hip/thigh | |
| Lower leg/foot | |
|
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
The dummy’s head contacted the frontal airbag but rolled to the left because the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the head and torso. The side curtain airbag deployed and has sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects. The side torso airbag also deployed. |
Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.
The dummy's head contacted the frontal airbag but rolled partway around the left side, allowing the head to move toward the gap in coverage between the frontal and side curtain airbags.
Although intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, forces on the dummy's legs were high enough to indicate a significant risk of injury to the left lower leg and a moderate risk to the left foot and right lower leg.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEN1631 |
|---|---|
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 4 |
| Footrest (cm) | 6 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 4 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 5 |
| Parking brake (cm) | |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 0 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Steering column | 0 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 3 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 3 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 3 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEN1631 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 250 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.3 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 11 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.26 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 23 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 1.6 |
| Right | 2.1 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 2 |
| Right | 1 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 1.15 |
| Right | 0.91 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 4.4 |
| Right | 5.0 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 184 |
| Right | 74 |
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2015-20 models
Tested vehicle: 2015 Acura TLX 3.5L Technology 4-door
The Acura TLX was introduced in the 2015 model year. It is a replacement for the discontinued Acura TL and TSX models. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Honda.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTF1405 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 2 |
| Left (cm) | 10 |
| Center (cm) | 7 |
| Right (cm) | 4 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 9 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | -3 |
| Rearward (cm) | 1 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF1405 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 229 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.8 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 36 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.20 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 22 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 0.8 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 0.8 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 2 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 2 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.37 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.33 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.3 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 2.3 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 52 |
| Right | 43 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2015-20 models
Tested vehicle: 2015 Acura TLX Advance 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The Acura TLX was introduced in the 2015 model year. It is a replacement for the discontinued Acura TL and TSX models. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Honda.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTS1408 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -19.0 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTS1408 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 348 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.7 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.1 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 38 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.9 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 36 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 26 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 5.00 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.39 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.7 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.3 |
| Combined force (kN) | 1.8 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.3 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 109 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 54 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | VTS1408 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 177 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.4 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 23 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.6 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 32 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 26 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.81 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.45 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.4 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 0.8 |
| Combined force (kN) | 1.1 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.3 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 16 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 119 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2015-20 models
Tested vehicle: 2015 Acura TLX 3.5L Advance 4-door
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,598 lbs |
| Peak force | 20,412 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 5.67 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Power leather seat
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Power leather seat |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 34 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 32 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 12.4 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 60 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 0 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 455 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.
Headlights
Trim level(s)
- All trims
| Low-beam headlight type | LED projector |
|---|---|
| High-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| Curve-adaptive? | No |
| High-beam assist? | Yes |
|
Overall rating | |
| Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination: | |
Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual right curve, fair on the sharp right and sharp left curves, and inadequate on the gradual left curve.
The low beams never exceeded glare limits.
High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was fair on both right curves and inadequate on both left curves.
High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and all 4 curves.
| Trim level(s) |
|
|---|---|
| Low-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| High-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| Curve-adaptive? | No |
| High-beam assist? | Yes |
|
Overall rating Applies to 2018-20 models |
| LOW BEAMS | Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux) |
Amount glare exceeded threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Straightaway right edge | 97.3 m | None |
| Straightaway left edge | 52.3 m | None |
| 250m radius right curve, right edge | 66.3 m | None |
| 250m radius left curve, left edge | 48.4 m | None |
| 150m radius right curve, right edge | 52.9 m | None |
| 150m radius left curve, left edge | 47.0 m | None |
| HIGH BEAMS | Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux) |
|---|---|
| Straightaway right edge | 154.9 m |
| Straightaway left edge | 122.0 m |
| 250m radius right curve, right edge | 73.1 m |
| 250m radius left curve, left edge | 64.4 m |
| 150m radius right curve, right edge | 55.8 m |
| 150m radius left curve, left edge | 50.9 m |
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Child seat anchors
Rating applies to 2016-20 models
| Overall evaluation | |
| Vehicle trim | 3.5L |
| Seat type | leather |
This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.
It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.
| Overall evaluation | |
| Vehicle trim | 3.5L |
| Seat type | leather |
| G | Good |
| A | Acceptable |
| M | Marginal |
| P | Poor |
| Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated. | |
thether anchor symbol | Tether anchor |
lower anchor symbol | Lower anchors |
| Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s) | |
| No hardware available |
Details by seating position
| 1 | |
|---|---|
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| too deep in seat | |
| too much force needed to attach | |
| easy to maneuver around anchors | |
| 2 | |
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| none available | |
| 3 | |
| Tether anchor | |
| easy-to-find location | |
| no other hardware could be confused for anchor | |
| Lower anchors | |
| too deep in seat | |
| too much force needed to attach | |
| easy to maneuver around anchors |
Seat position 21
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 40 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 63 |
| Lower anchor B | |
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 2-4 |
| Force (lbs) | 40 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 66 |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Rear deck |
| Confusing hardware present | No |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
No |
| Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH |
Not measured |
Seat position 22
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| No lower latch for this seat position | |
| Lower anchor B | |
| No lower latch for this seat position | |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Rear deck |
| Confusing hardware present | No |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
No |
| Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH |
Not measured |
Seat position 23
| Lower anchor A | |
|---|---|
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 40 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 58 |
| Lower anchor B | |
| Open access rated | No |
| Depth (cm) | 4-6 |
| Force (lbs) | 40 |
| Clearance angle (degrees) | 60 |
| Tether anchor | |
| Location | Rear deck |
| Confusing hardware present | No |
| Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor |
No |
| Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH |
Not measured |