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| The new TL Type S A-Spec is hardly radical on the outside, but inside its notice-me-blue leather seat inserts, steering wheel and door trim create an entirely new, slightly wild ambience. Its metallic door trim and center console highlighted in brushed aluminum adds up-market appeal as well. |
Acura didn't stop on the outside, immediately apparent when opening the door and seeing the chrome side sills etched with the Acura nameplate and A-Spec branded floor mats. Or maybe your eyes would initially be pulled toward its wild electric blue on black two-tone interior motif. Its seat inserts, steering wheel's lower half, door panel inserts, and shift knob are all covered in electric blue perforated leather, the latter accented with cool aluminum. Titanium-style door and console trim round out the high-tech look. Like its regular Type-S sibling, the A-Spec's seats should be among the best in their class, supportive during aggressive driving while extremely comfortable for most body types. The TL enjoys fairly good rear seat leg and headroom for this midsize class as well, at 889 mm (3.0 in) and 928 mm (36.5 in) respectively, while trunk cargo volume is also very good at 405 L (14.3 cu ft).
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| The A-Spec is incorporates the same 260-hp 3.2-L V6 as the regular Type S, but that shouldn't disappoint anyone. The Type S is a phenomenal car in its own right, with enough power on take-off to plaster a grin from ear to ear. |
While I haven't driven the new A-Spec, the regular Type S is loads of fun. With 260-hp feeding the front wheels velocity increases quickly, while an abundance of torque has a tendency to take control of the steering wheel. On the positive its tweaked V6 is vibration free all the way to its 6,900 rpm redline, where its sensational 5-speed "Sequential SportShift" automatic 'rides' its top rev range rather than cutting power completely - most manual-mode automatics automatically up shift when hitting the rev limiter defeating the purpose of manual operation. The Acura's smoother at-the-limit operation results in better performance.