We’re excited for the 2021 Acura TLX to arrive this year, with its sexier styling and its new high performance Type S variant. When it does arrive, the 2021 TLX will also be the first vehicle to get a new three-chamber front passenger airbag that Honda designed with Autoliv.
The new airbag is designed to help reduce the risk of severe brain trauma associated with angled frontal collisions. It’s basically designed to better manage lateral collision forces that can cause the front passenger’s head to rotate severely at high velocity, or to slide off a conventional airbag.
The airbag acts like a baseball catcher’s mitt, with an uninflated panel that catches the occupant’s head with less force, while also directing it inward between two inflated chambers to cradle and protect the head.
The 2021 TLX also features knee airbags for the driver and front passenger, giving the new TLX a total of eight airbags.
The good news is that the new airbag will also be offered to other automakers through Autoliv.
When the 2021 Acura TLX arrives, it will be available with a 272 horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine or a new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 in the TLX Type S.
