(By Tom Lohnes) – The Acura TLX and Infiniti Q50 have been the dorky little brothers of German compact sports sedans for a while now. The Genesis G70 proved to the world that Asian automakers can rival the Germans and even exceed them in ride and performance. Acura, the most mundane Japanese “luxury” brand, has come out with a new TLX Sport Sedan with a legendary nameplate, and it looks poised right at Germany.

The New-For-2021 Acura TLX is probably the most beautiful car to come out of Japan since the Nissan 370Z in 2008. The TLX packs a base 2.0-liter turbo Inline-4 shared with the Honda Civic Type R and AWD, as well as a standard 10-speed automatic.

The A-spec package beefs up the normal I-4 trim with better suspension, a quicker transmission, and larger tires. Topping off the TLX is a nameplate we haven’t seen since the death of the RSX in 2002, the Type S. Unlike the hand-built PMC Edition TLX from the last generation, this one is actually worth $50,000. With a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 and AWD, the TLX has 350 horsepower and can do 0-60 in 4.8 seconds. With looks like this, the new TLX better add up with performance, and it sure looks promising.