2020 Acura TLX PMC Edition: How Special Is This Special Edition?
So your heart is saying “NSX!” but your bank account (and probably your significant other, too) is saying “TLX.” You’re closer than you think to something of a compromise: Acura’s new special-edition model, the 2020 TLX PMC Edition, will give you a tiny — and more affordable — taste of the precision crafting and exclusivity that comes with the supercar.
Related: 6 Ways the 2020 Acura TLX PMC Puts the Special in Special Edition
The TLX PMC Edition is hand built at Acura’s Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio by the same technicians who assemble the NSX. Still, manage your expectations: There’s nothing NSX-like about its powertrain — it’s the same as the regular TLX’s V-6. However, the PMC model features plenty of goodies that make it look and feel special, including the NSX’s exclusive Valencia Red Pearl nano-pigment paint. Acura calls it the “highest quality, most vibrant” paint it’s ever offered, and it was previously only available on NSX.
I spent some time in the TLX PMC Edition at the Midwest Automotive Media Association’s 2019 Spring Rally and can attest that its aesthetic enhancements do indeed elevate the car’s sporty and luxurious feel.
On the Outside
Outside, the red paint makes it pop, but other distinguishing features lend it a more aggressive air, including a body-colored grille surround and side mirrors, gloss-black painted roof and door handles, gloss-black 19-inch wheels, dark chrome 4-inch dual exhaust finishers, jewel-eye LED headlights and LED foglights.
In the Cabin
Inside, premium extras lend an air of refinement, including black Milano leather seats with Alcantara inserts, black piping and red stitching for the seats, door panels and center armrest, plus an A-Spec steering wheel with perforated black leather, red stitching and metal-finished paddle shifters. To add a touch of exclusivity, only 360 will be made, and each gets an individually numbered serial plaque on the lower console that designates its handcrafted PMC heritage.
The Price Is ‘Special,’ Too
According to Acura spokesman Carl Pulley, the special model will cost around $50,000 when it goes on sale in the summer; that’s compared with the V-6 TLX, which starts at $37,195 with destination.
Is it worth the extra cash? All told, there really isn’t much “extra” about its bottom line.
The TLX PMC Edition combines the line-topping features of the Advance Package model with the A-Spec sport appearance model, which isn’t a combination available to shoppers. A 2020 TLX with the Advance Package clocks in at $46,945 — and that’s before adding extras you’d find on an A-Spec TLX.
Alas … it’s a sedan, and even with NSX paint, sedans are having an uncool moment. Acura says an SUV is up next for the PMC Edition treatment; the automaker expects to introduce the MDX PMC Edition later this year.
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