Acura TLX buyers are getting an early Christmas treat – a choice of just a new body kit or a new set of wheels. Acura is offering a sporty GT appearance package for its avid TLX customers.
Acura will be unveiling the new GT Package of accessories for the TLX sedan at the upcoming SEMA Show. Acura customers must now be extremely giddy as this package contains so much to bring out the TLX’s racing prowess right into their garage. The GT Package is available for both the 2016 and 2017 model years. Acura assures that the upgrades will not affect its performance but instead, will make it even more race-worthy than it already is.
There are two versions of the package. One is the basic version which will be sold for $1,717 and is inclusive of a subtle rear trunk lid spoiler, a hint of garnish on the lower portion of the rear bumper, more aggressive side sills, and an updated front splitter. Now for the extravagant bit. The other version is called the GT Package Plus Wheel and Tire kit, and as its name suggests, it comes with a set of 19-inch wheels above its other accessories. This version is more expensive though, and will cost $4,810, almost four times that of the basic version.
All versions of the TLX may get these upgrades. A 2.4-liter 206-horsepower (154-kW) four-cylinder sedan with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission can be currently purchased and so is a 290-horsepower nine-speed automatic 3.5-liter V6. The former is offered with only a front-wheel drive while the six-cylinder model comes with a choice of either front- or all-wheel drive.
The Acura TLX GT first wowed the world at the Pirelli World Challenge GT Class in 2014. This motorsports version is powered by a biturbo 3.5-liter V6 engine which is also based on the road car version’s engine.
Although Acura announced that a GT Package will be made available, it hasn’t announced when this will come out in the market. It may be available after the 2017 model year is released or could be a sort of “major refresh” for 2018. Either way, it has been raising the anticipation of TLX owners for a better and upgraded version.
There are already spy shots circulating in the internet of an upgraded sedan during hot-weather testing. It looks like it’s wearing a mesh grille like that on an Acura Precision Concept car. Other than that, there are no obvious aesthetic changes and neither has there been any news of any mechanical upgrades. It looks like Acura is carefully hiding its secret before the great reveal.