Compare the2022 Honda AccordVS 2021 Acura TLX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Accord Sport 2.0T/Sport SE/EX-L/Touring are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The TLX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Accord deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Accord’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The TLX’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Accord Touring has standard Low Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The TLX doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Accord and the TLX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Accord is safer than the Acura TLX:

	Accord	TLX
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	266	358
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Stress	140 lbs.	186 lbs.
Neck Compression	54 lbs.	66 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	378/216 lbs.	416/473 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Accord is safer than the Acura TLX:

	Accord	TLX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.8 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	152 G’s	188 G’s
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	428 lbs.	539 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	242	464

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are almost 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Accord’s warranty.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Accord’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the TLX’s camshafts. If the TLX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Accord’s reliability 29 points higher than the TLX.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 17th in initial quality. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 26th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 23 places higher in reliability than Acura.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Accord 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Acura TLX turbo 4 cyl.:

	Accord	TLX
Zero to 60 MPH	5.7 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.3 sec	15.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	99.3 MPH	91.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Accord gets better mileage than the TLX:

			MPG
Accord
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/35 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/32 hwy
TLX
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/30 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6	19 city/25 hwy
		Perf. Tire 3.0 turbo V6	19 city/24 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Accord uses regular unleaded gasoline. The TLX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

The Accord has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The TLX doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Accord stops much shorter than the TLX:

	Accord	TLX
70 to 0 MPH	162 feet	177 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	109 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	142 feet	148 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Accord has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the TLX; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The Accord’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The TLX doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Accord Touring handles at .89 G’s, while the TLX A-Spec SH-AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Accord Sport executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the TLX A-Spec SH-AWD (26.4 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Accord LX/EX-L’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the TLX’s (38.2 feet vs. 40.1 feet). The Accord 2.0T’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the TLX 19/20-inch wheels’ (39.6 feet vs. 40.2 feet).

Chassis

The Honda Accord may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 800 pounds less than the Acura TLX.

The front grille of the Accord Sport SE/EX-L uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The TLX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Accord EX-L is quieter than the TLX Type S (68 vs. 71 dB).

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Accord a Large car, while the TLX is rated a Compact.

The Accord has 12.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the TLX (105.6 vs. 93.4).

The Accord has 2.3 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 5.5 inches more rear legroom, .4 inches more rear hip room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the TLX.

Cargo Capacity

The Accord has a much larger trunk than the TLX (16.7 vs. 13.5 cubic feet).

Towing

The Accord 2.0L Turbo offers up to a 1000 lbs. towing capacity. The TLX has no towing capacity.

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the Accord’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the TLX’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Accord, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Acura TLX isn't recommended.

The Accord was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 25 of the last 27 years. The TLX has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Accord 2.0T Sport was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2018. The TLX has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Accord as the 2018 North American Car of the Year. The TLX has never been chosen.

The Honda Accord outsold the Acura TLX by over seven to one during the 2021 model year.