When you bring up luxury sport sedans, the same cars usually pop into people’s heads. The BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Audi A4 are most likely. But for years, many other great sedans have been vying for consumers’ attention in hopes of getting a little slice of the segment.
The Lexus IS and ES duo have had some success thanks to their bulletproof reliability, and there are a few others still in the game in America, like the Alfa Romeo Giulia, Cadillac CT5, and Genesis G70. But others have come and gone, like the often-overlooked Acura TLX and Lincoln MKZ. They were both great cars, but weren’t successful enough for Acura and Lincoln to warrant keeping them in America.
If you’re one of the few that’s considering one of these cars, we’ll go over their exterior, interior and powertrain differences, and help you decide which you should buy.
For this article we’re comparing the most recent generation of the MKZ (2017-2020) with the same years of the TLX. The TLX did get a new generation for 2021, which lasted until 2025 when it was sadly discontinued.
Exterior Differences
2017-2020 Lincoln MKZ Facelift White Front AngleLincoln
Because styling is important for luxury sedans, let’s start there. While styling is subjective, it’s safe to say that both of these cars have handsome styling that has aged well over the past nine years since these cars went on sale. The Lincoln looks a bit more modern, jumping on the full-width tail light trend very early (the back end got this look in 2013, before the 2017 refresh pictured here). The Acura’s “Jewel Eye” projector headlights still look sharp in 2026, but the tail lights are blander by comparison.
2020 Acura TLX White Front Angled ViewAcura
Dimensionally, the Lincoln is a little bigger, coming in about three inches longer, an inch wider and about an inch and a half taller than the Acura. The wheelbase of the MKZ is also about three inches longer, and this extra size results in a roomier interior and a smoother ride, topics we’ll get into next. The potential downside of this extra mass is the weight that comes along with it. The MKZ carries over 200 extra pounds everywhere it goes. For some luxury buyers, the extra mass isn’t a bad thing, but for those who are looking for a sportier experience, that is the Lincoln’s weakness.
Interior Differences
2017-2020 Lincoln MKZ Facelift Interior DashboardLincoln
Arguably the most important thing about a luxury sedan is the interior. If that’s the case for you, then the Lincoln is the clear winner here as well. Just how nice it gets will come down to the trim you get, but you can get quilted leather for an even higher-end look. There are metal knobs and an impressive-looking and sounding Revel stereo available, too.
Potentially the biggest perk of the Lincoln is the 8.4 inch touchscreen that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The TLXs of this time had an odd dual-screen setup, and when it did finally get Apple CarPlay for the 2018 model year, Acura forced you to use the outdated dial to navigate it, which can get old fast when the Lincoln system can do the same thing with a simple tap.
2020 Acura TLX Interior DashboardAcura
Getting back to those dimensions we mentioned earlier, that’s another area where the Acura comes up short on the interior. The Lincoln’s extra size allows it to have more space in many of the measurements, and nearly equal in a few others, other than front hip room, where the Lincoln loses by a measly 0.2 inches. It should come as no surprise that the trunk space in the Lincoln is also larger by 1.1 cubic feet, too. Space is often one of the most important measures of luxury, so it’s another important win for the Lincoln.
Powertrain Differences
2017-2020 Lincoln MKZ Facelift White Rear AngleLincoln
2017-2020 Acura TLX
2017-2020 Lincoln MKZ
Engine
2.4-liter Inline-4,
3.5-liter V6
2.0-liter Inline-4 HEV,
2.0-liter Turbocharged Inline-4,
3.0-liter Turbocharged V6
Power
206–290 hp
188–400 hp
Torque
182–267 lb-ft
129–400 lb-ft
Transmission
8-speed + 9-speed automatic
CVT + 6-speed automatic
Fuel Economy
23–27 MPG combined
20-41 MPG combined
A similar theme continues when we compare the available powertrains for these cars, although they do start to diverge here. First off, the Lincoln has more standard muscle and more available muscle, as well as more available efficiency.
The 2017 MKZ starts with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 with 245 horsepower and front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive was available. The 2017 refresh for the MKZ offered a new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine that produced 350 hp with front-wheel drive or 400 hp with all-wheel drive, giving it a sub-5-second 0–60 mph time that would leave the TLX and many of the other competitors in the dust.
Those more focused on fuel economy could also get a hybrid version that ran a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-4 and made a modest 188 hp but got an impressive 41 MPG combined, as long as you could live with the mandatory front-wheel drive for that one. Only the Lexus ES Hybrid of the time could sip less fuel in this segment.
2020 Acura TLX rear angle in whiteAcura
The Acura TLX came up well short of the Lincoln here. Standard motivation for the TLX was the tried-and-true 2.4-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 with VTEC. It did just 206 hp and a leisurely mid-7-second 0-60 mph sprint. The slight upside was 27 MPG combined, but that was as good as fuel economy got. There was no hybrid offered here, even though there was one available for the MDX at the time. The best muscle Acura could offer for the TLX for this generation was the 3.5-liter V6 that did a decent-for-the-segment 290 hp but was still at least a full second slower to 60 mph than the Lincoln.
Related
10 Excellent Used Sporty Sedans You Can Buy For $20K
These sporty sedans deliver the best bang for around $20,000.
One perk of the older and less cutting-edge engines in the Acura is that they’re reliable, which is part of what has given the TLX a decent amount of staying power, despite the badly aging interior tech. The components in the non-hybrid Lincolns have been known to be more problematic. The Hybrid version is a different beast though. It shares the same engine and hybrid system with the long-running Ford Escape Hybrids, which have famously done hundreds of thousands of miles as taxi cabs in grueling city conditions to earn their reputation for robustness. The MKZ Hybrid should fare similarly well as a result.
Base Trim Engine
2.0L Turbo Inline-4 Gas
Base Trim Transmission
6-Speed Automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Front-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
245 hp
Base Trim Torque
275 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
Fuel Economy
20/31 MPG
Infotainment & Features
8 /10
Base Trim Engine
2.4L Inline-4 Gas
Base Trim Transmission
8-Speed Automatic
Base Trim Drivetrain
Front-Wheel Drive
Base Trim Horsepower
206 hp
Base Trim Torque
182 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm
Fuel Economy
24/35 MPG
Infotainment & Features
8 /10
Which One Should You Buy?
2017-2020 Lincoln MKZ Facelift Gray Front AngleLincoln
It all depends on what you’re looking for, but if you’re after the roomiest, smoothest, most luxurious, most powerful and/or most fuel efficient luxury sport sedan, the Lincoln MKZ seems to be the clear winner over the Acura TLX. Factor in current used pricing and that case gets even stronger. Looking at the CarBuzz Marketplace, you’ll see that MKZs from 2017-2020 can be had for as little as $10,000 or less for high-mileage ones, but even well-kept examples with lower-than-average mileage are plentiful under $20,000.
Related
Acura TLX Generations: Key Updates Across All Model Years
The Acura TLX continues to provide an interesting alternative to premium compacts with sharp looks and strong powertrains.
The Acura TLXs of this same time period start a few grand higher and continue with that price premium with prices going well into the mid-high $20,000 range for those nicer, lower-mileage examples. Some of that premium could be due to the better perceived reliability that is increasing demand, or just the Acura brand in general having better resale values than Lincolns. Some of that is justified when we’re talking about the non-hybrid MKZ, but for the hybrid version, this cloud that follows it around feels undeserved.
Overall, both of these cars are underappreciated alternatives to the default cars that shoppers instinctively consider, and they both have their pros and cons. But for all the reasons listed above, if this author was in the market for one of these two cars, we’d opt for the Lincoln. Let us know which one you’d pick in the comments below.
Sources: Lincoln, Acura
