Acura SLX

Acura SLX: which version to buy

If you are choosing an Acura SLX rather than reading a first overview, the short answer is this: there is only 1 generation (1995-01-01 to 1999-12-31), one body (SUV 5-doors), and four named versions — 3.2 MT, 3.2 AT, 3.5 AT, 3.5 MT. All four are Gasoline, 6 cylinders, V-shaped, 4 valves per cylinder, boost No, AWD, 85 L tank, 216 mm ground clearance.

If you are choosing an Acura SLX rather than reading a first overview, the short answer is this: there is only 1 generation (1995-01-01 to 1999-12-31), one body (SUV 5-doors), and four named versions — 3.2 MT, 3.2 AT, 3.5 AT, 3.5 MT. All four are Gasoline, 6 cylinders, V-shaped, 4 valves per cylinder, boost No, AWD, 85 L tank, 216 mm ground clearance. The buy decision is not generation vs generation. It is engine size (3165 vs 3494 cm³) plus gearbox (Manual 5 vs Automatic 4), and those two splits change power, torque, 0–100, top speed, kerb weight, and how much payload the gross figures leave.

Searches for Acura SLX 2026, Acura SLX 2027, or a 2000 Acura SLX for sale sit outside this production window: the data stop at 1999-12-31. Years people actually type — 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 — all fall inside the same generation and the same four names.

Acura SLX generations (buyer view)

1 generation ran 1995-01-01–1999-12-31 as an SUV 5-doors with 4 versions. There is no second generation in the data, so “which generation changed what” is answered in one sentence: nothing later replaced this body or these four lines. A 1996 Acura SLX specs sheet, a 1998 Acura SLX specs sheet, and a 1999 Acura SLX specs sheet in this catalogue are the same four versions, not a restyle counted as a new generation.

What did change inside the generation is the engine pair, not the calendar. 3.2 MT and 3.2 AT share 190 hp (140 kW) at 5600 rpm and 255 Nm at 4000 rpm from 3165 cm³. 3.5 AT and 3.5 MT share 215 hp (158 kW) at 5400 rpm and 312 Nm at 3000 rpm from 3494 cm³. Gearboxes split the other way: both MT names are Manual 5; both AT names are Automatic 4.

Acura SLX specs by version (engine, gearbox, drive)

All four use Distributed injection (multi-point). Bore × stroke is 93.4 × 77 on 3.2 MT and 3.2 AT, and 93.4 × 85 on 3.5 AT and 3.5 MT — same bore, 8 mm more stroke on the larger engine. Compression ratio is 9 on 3.5 AT and 3.5 MT; it is not measured on 3.2 MT and 3.2 AT. Engine position is not measured on all four. Engine code is not measured on all four (a 1996 / 1997 / 1998 / 1999 Acura SLX engine search will not find a factory code in this dataset).

Power per litre: 3.2 MT / 3.2 AT give 190 / 3.165 ≈ 60.0 hp per litre. 3.5 AT / 3.5 MT give 215 / 3.494 ≈ 61.5 hp per litre. The extra 329 cm³ (3494 − 3165) is not a much denser engine; it is a longer-stroke 6 V-shaped Gasoline unit that also moves peak torque 1000 rpm earlier (3000 vs 4000) and peak power 200 rpm earlier (5400 vs 5600).

What the larger engine buys in absolute terms: +25 hp (215 − 190), +18 kW (158 − 140), +57 Nm (312 − 255). Relative to the 3.2 pair that is about 13% more horsepower and about 22% more torque.

Acura SLX horsepower vs gearbox: what the extra money buys

There are no prices in this catalogue, so “extra money” is read as extra hardware on the spec sheet.

Same engine, different gearbox

• 3.2 MT vs 3.2 AT: identical 190 hp, 255 Nm, 3165 cm³, AWD. You are buying Manual 5 versus Automatic 4. Only 3.2 MT has measured 0–100 (10 s) and top speed (165). For 3.2 AT both are not measured. Kerb weight is 1880 kg on 3.2 MT and not measured on 3.2 AT. Gross is 2800 kg on both. If you want a 3.2 with a published sprint and a published kerb, 3.2 MT is the only 3.2 that has those numbers.
• 3.5 MT vs 3.5 AT: identical 215 hp, 312 Nm, 3494 cm³, AWD. Again Manual 5 versus Automatic 4. Only 3.5 MT has 0–100 (9 s) and top speed (175). For 3.5 AT both are not measured. Kerb is 2095 kg on 3.5 MT and not measured on 3.5 AT. Gross is 2500 kg on both.

Same gearbox, different engine

• 3.2 MT vs 3.5 MT: both Manual 5, both AWD. You gain 25 hp and 57 Nm, cut 0–100 by 1 s (10 → 9), and raise top speed by 10 (165 → 175). You also add 215 kg of kerb (2095 − 1880). Specific mass: 1880 / 190 ≈ 9.89 kg per hp on 3.2 MT versus 2095 / 215 ≈ 9.74 kg per hp on 3.5 MT. The heavier 3.5 still carries slightly less mass per horsepower, which matches the 1 s quicker 0–100.
• 3.2 AT vs 3.5 AT: both Automatic 4, both AWD. The paper gain is the same +25 hp and +57 Nm. Acceleration and top speed for both AT names are not measured, so you cannot prove the 3.5 automatic is quicker from this table. Kerb is not measured on both AT names. Gross falls from 2800 kg (3.2 AT) to 2500 kg (3.5 AT) — 300 kg less permitted total mass on the 3.5 automatic.

Cross pair (if you only remember “3.5 automatic vs 3.2 manual”)

3.5 AT vs 3.2 MT: more power and torque on paper, but 0–100 and top speed on 3.5 AT are not measured, while 3.2 MT is 10 s and 165. You would be trading a measured sprint for an unmeasured one plus Automatic 4.

Performance, mpg, and what is not measured

Acura SLX mpg, 1996 Acura SLX mpg, 1998 Acura SLX mpg, and 1999 Acura SLX mpg are all not measured here, including city, highway, mixed, CO₂, and eco class. Do not treat a missing mpg cell as “this SUV has no consumption figure in real life”; it is missing from this dataset.

The only performance ranking the numbers support: 3.5 MT is 1 s quicker to 100 and 10 faster at the top than 3.2 MT. 3.2 AT and 3.5 AT cannot be ranked on 0–100 or top speed.

Dimensions, weight, tank (Acura SLX weight)

Ground clearance is 216 mm on all four. Tank is 85 L on all four. Wheel sizes are not measured on all four. Front suspension Independent, spring and rear Independent, spring on all four. Front brakes Disc, rear Disc ventilated on all four.

This is the sharpest buyer split after horsepower. 3.2 MT is the lightest measured kerb (1880) and the largest measured payload (920 kg). 3.5 MT is 215 kg heavier at the kerb and only 405 kg under its 2500 kg gross — 515 kg less payload than 3.2 MT (920 − 405). Both 3.2 names allow 2800 kg gross; both 3.5 names allow 2500 kg. If the job is mass (people, cargo, trailer within the published total), 3.2 MT is the version whose numbers leave the most room. If the job is the published 0–100, 3.5 MT is the version that is 1 s quicker, at the cost of that payload.

Interior layout is not measured (an Acura SLX interior search will not find seat or cargo figures here).

Acura SLX vs itself: which version to choose

Use the four names exactly as in the database.

1. Buy 3.5 MT if the measured sprint and top speed matter: 9 s, 175, 215 hp, 312 Nm, Manual 5, AWD. You accept 2095 kg kerb, 2500 kg gross, and 405 kg of calculated payload. Specific mass is the best of the two measured kerbs (≈ 9.74 kg/hp).

2. Buy 3.2 MT if payload and a published kerb matter more than the extra 25 hp: 1880 kg, 2800 kg gross, 920 kg payload, 10 s, 165, Manual 5, AWD. You give up 57 Nm and 1 s to 100 versus 3.5 MT.

3. Buy 3.5 AT if you want the 215 hp / 312 Nm engine with Automatic 4 and AWD. You do not get a measured 0–100, top speed, or kerb. Gross is 2500 kg, 300 kg below the 3.2 pair.

4. Buy 3.2 AT if you want Automatic 4 on the 190 hp / 255 Nm / 3165 cm³ engine and the higher 2800 kg gross. 0–100, top speed, and kerb are not measured.

There is no later generation to “wait for,” and no restyle counted separately. Reliability, 1996 / 1998 / 1999 Acura SLX reliability, and listing prices (for sale, Craigslist, near me) are not measured in this dataset; do not invent them. Versus an Isuzu Trooper: this file has no Trooper numbers, so that comparison is not computed here.

Arithmetic recap that stays true if this paragraph is copied alone: 3.5 MT and 3.5 AT make 25 hp and 57 Nm more than 3.2 MT and 3.2 AT; 3.5 MT is 1 s and 10 units of top speed ahead of 3.2 MT; 3.5 MT is 215 kg heavier than 3.2 MT at the kerb and 515 kg behind it in payload; mpg is not measured on every Acura SLX version in this catalogue.