The 2021 Acura TLX is a car that's supposed to bring sporty sedans back to the automaker, but Acura is also looking to raise the bar when it comes to safety. The all-new TLX will be the first vehicle to be fitted with the brand’s new airbag technology. There’s no name for it just yet, but Acura compares it to a baseball mitt in the way it works. Figuring out what to call its latest innovation may take some time, but Acura’s not wasting any time showcasing just how revolutionary this next-gen airbag is when it comes to protecting occupants.
Instead of a conventional airbag that simply pops out, Acura’s next-gen one utilizes an uninflated panel that catches and decelerates an occupant’s head in a less forceful way than a traditional airbag. The uninflated panel also directs the head inward, placing it between two inflated chambers. Together, the design is meant to “cradle and protect” the occupant’s head. The design helps brings the airbag closer to occupants and lowers the probability of injury in the unfortunate case of an automobile accident.
Honda R&D Americas worked together with safety systems supplier Autoliv to engineer the new airbag. The technology is being offered to other automakers to increase the safety of their respective vehicles.
In addition to the new front airbag, the 2021 TLX will come with knee airbags for both the driver and front passenger. In total, the new TLX will come with a total of eight airbags – the most ever fitted to the nameplate. The sedan also utilizes Acura’s next-gen Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure that has evolved to provide occupants with additional protection “in a wider range of collision scenarios,” claims Acura.
Acura will also fit every TLX with its AcuraWatch suite of advanced safety features. It includes automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, road departure warning, lane keeping assist, and a multi-view rear camera. The 2021 TLX’s automatic emergency braking system utilizes a wider-angle forward radar sensing unit to detect objects on the roadway better. A new driver awareness monitor and Traffic Jam Assist (TJA) – a first for the TLX – are available on the sedan. These features can handle some aspects of driving in “highly congested traffic situations” by utilizing lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise control.
All of these safety features are being offered on the 2021 TLX so that it can score a five-star overall safety rating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) testing and earn a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The 2020 TLX earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, but failed to earn an award from the IIHS, though it hasn’t been put through all of the organization’s crash tests.
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