Acura brought excitement to the midsize luxury sedan segment with the unveiling of a sleek Type S concept last summer to preview the next-generation TLX. The road-going car is slated to debut later this year with what we’re hoping to be a design that will remain faithful to the concept before it since that was quite the looker. The revamped TLX will be a big deal for other reasons as it will signal the return of the Type S badge and will bring along a newly developed engine.

While the current V6-powered TLX has a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter engine with 290 horsepower, Car and Driver is reporting the new turbocharged six-cylinder is going to deliver a “massive bump in power.” Its displacement is not known for the time being, but the report mentions it’s probably a 3.0-liter unit with quite possibly a major torque increase over the current 267 pound-feet (362 Newton-meters) considering it will be an all-new engine benefitting from forced induction.

Gallery: 2021 Acura TLX Spy Photos

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Exclusive to the Acura brand, the new turbo V6 mill will be hooked up to the company’s torque-vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system as per an announcement made back in January 2018. Considering the last Type S model, the 2008 TL, had beefier brakes and chassis tweaks, the new 2021 TLX Type S high-performance sedan could also have an assortment of upgrades beyond the engine and all-paw setup.

Both the regular and Type S models will ride on a newly developed platform engineered specifically for the TLX, with the lesser version to use a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine borrowed from the Honda Accord from where it will also inherit the ten-speed automatic transmission. An optional all-wheel-drive system is going to be offered for the regular TLX to broaden the car’s appeal.

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While Acura hasn’t provided any interior images of the aforementioned Type S concept, spy shots of TLX prototypes have allowed us to take a peek inside the cabin. For better or for worse, the test vehicles we’ve seen had a tablet-like infotainment system mounted up top and a touchpad down low on the center console in the same vein as the RDX. The column stalk to the right of the steering wheel had a “camera” button, thus suggesting the prototype was equipped with a 360-degree camera system.

The Type S is not expected to debut alongside the regular model as the report mentions Acura plans to introduce the flagship version at the beginning of 2021. It should be well worth the wait and a breath of fresh air for those who want something else than the German trio. It's not expected to compete with the BMW M3, Mercedes-AMG C63, and the Audi RS5 as a PR representative told us a while back the Type S will be pitted against the likes of the M340i, C43, and S5.