It’s no secret that the 2021 Acura TLX has been quite the show stopper since its debut. With a bold new look inside and out, a new powerplant under the hood, and new tech-savvy features, the TLX is without a doubt better than ever before. But what’s even better is that it’s also safer than ever before.

2021 Acura TLX received a top award for safety

As if the “catcher’s mitt” passenger-side airbag wasn’t enough safety in the all-new Acura TLX, the luxury sedan has received impressive marks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently. In fact, it received the most prestigious award by nabbing the “Top Safety Pick +,” which is a first for the automaker’s mid-size offering.

The 2021 TLX received the award due to receiving a “Good” score on the driver’s-side small-overlap front crash test in addition to the passenger-side small-overlap front crash test. In contrast, the previous iteration of the TLX only received an “Acceptable” rating for the former test and a “N/A” for the latter as it wasn’t tested in that area. Additionally, the new TLX received a Good rating in the agency’s other testing areas which includes: moderate-overlap front, side-impact, roof crush, and head restraints and seats.

The Acura TLX is safer than ever

The main reason that the 2021 Acura TLX is so safe is due to its newly incorporated safety technologies. These features include an Enhanced Collision Mitigation Braking System, which uses a wide-angle forward radar sensor that detects objects in the roadway, including pedestrians; a Driver Awareness Monitor, which continuously monitors the driver’s alertness level via a steering wheel sensor; as well as the Traffic Jam Assist, which takes out the stress of highly congested traffic situations by doing the stop-and-go work for you.

As we mentioned before, the 2021 TLX also features a class-exclusive passenger-side airbag that essentially cradles the passenger’s head in the event of a crash. Unlike regular airbags, which feature a single inflatable chamber, the TLX’s airbag features three different inflatable compartments that consist of a central chamber and two side chambers, which acts like a “catcher’s mitt” in that they prevent the person’s head from sliding off the side of the airbag. What’s more amazing is that all of those bags inflate in less than a second and it goes to show that the engineering involved certainly paid off when it came to testing it.

Acura is aiming for high marks with NHTSA as well

While the 2021 Acura TLX has not yet been rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – as of this writing – the automaker has said that it aims to receive a five-star rating from that agency as well. After all, while the TLX is undoubtedly a great all-around performer and provides some stiff competition to others in its class, the safety aspect of safety is of the utmost importance at the end of the day. And you can rest assured that you’ll have a lot of fun driving the TLX and will be safe while doing so.