Acura has released a video showing the development process of the Acura TLX Type S Turbo V6 powertrain. The turbocharged 3.0-liter DOHC V6 features technology found on the twin-turbo Honda NSX and can produce 360ps and 480Nm. The Type S engine is also set to power Honda’s 2022 MDX Type S.
With the vehicle being assembled at Honda’s Engine Plant in Anna, Ohio, the first engine concept development began in America, with it eventually being developed in Japan by the TLX Type S powertrain development leader Akio Matsuda.
“While I was in Ohio, I was involved in the strategy development phase of this Type S Turbo V6 engine,” explained Matsuda. “I remember how excited I was, along with the rest of the Acura engine development team, when it was decided to start developing this high-performance, environmentally responsible engine that we had proposed with our North American associates.”
A research and development team with members from both the USA and Japan was assembled, consisting of experienced Honda powertrain engineers, some of whom had previously worked on the Civic Type R engine and the NSX powertrain.
Through a combination of lessons learned when producing these engines, the new Type S engine benefits from a host of technology advancements and changes. During this process, the powertrain development team in Japan worked closely with the Anna Engine Plant.
“The associates at the Anna Engine Plant put a lot of pride into producing this very special Type S Turbo V6 engine,” commented Tim Pohlman, Type S Turbo V6 manufacturing project leader.
Mated to the Type S Turbo V6 is a 10-speed automatic transmission which, says Honda, has been developed and strengthened to handle the power and torque increase of the new engine. The vehicle’s standard torque vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system has also been optimized for maximum performance.
“I remember the first time I was able to feel the performance of the all-new Type S,” said Craig Brazeau, Type S powertrain development engineer. “I was in a prototype car at Acura’s Ohio proving grounds and I can say it was an amazing experience to finally feel that level of performance, see our concept come to life and witness the culmination of all the technologies that we worked on together in developing this amazingly fun-to-drive sports sedan.”
