Improved crashworthiness boosts 2021 Acura TLX to Top Safety Pick+

The 2021 Acura TLX, a midsize luxury car, earns a 2020 Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, thanks to improved crashworthiness.

The redesigned TLX improves from an acceptable to a good rating in the driver-side small overlap front crash test. It also earns a good rating for passenger-side small overlap protection.

To qualify for a Top Safety Pick+ award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in six crashworthiness evaluations, including the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. It also needs advanced or superior ratings for both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention and must offer acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trims. Vehicles that offer good or acceptable headlights on at least one trim qualify for the lower-tier Top Safety Pick.

Previously, the 2020 TLX fell short of a good rating in the driver-side small overlap crash test. Although the vehicle’s structure held up well, measurements from the dummy indicated that injuries to the driver’s left lower leg would be likely in a real-world crash of this type, and injuries to the left foot and right lower leg would be possible. The dummy’s head also rolled left toward the gap between the front and side airbags upon impact. The 2021 model scores high enough for a good rating overall, though injuries to the right lower leg remain likely.

The 2020 TLX wasn’t rated in the passenger-side small overlap test. The 2021 model earns a good rating, with injury measures showing no likely injuries to the passenger.

The redesigned TLX comes with a standard front crash prevention system that earns superior ratings in the Institute’s vehicle-to-vehicle evaluation and vehicle-to-pedestrian tests. The car avoided collisions in the vehicle-to-vehicle tests and either avoided hitting the pedestrian dummy or slowed substantially to mitigate the force of impact in the vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations.

Good-rated LED projector headlights with high-beam assist are also standard on the 2021 model.