Salt & Swagger: 2026 Acura Amberjack Type S Review

First Impressions

The 2026 Acura Amberjack Type S arrives with the quiet confidence of someone who knows they can out-handle you and out-sit you in traffic. Think executive with a wetsuit under the suit. The exterior is taut and purposeful — a hint of gill-like creases on the flanks, broad shoulders, and that familiar Acura grille given a sharper, more aggressive frame. Inside, materials are excellent in places, functional in others: Alcantara where you want grip, glossy trim where marketers want photos. Most importantly, it does not smell like a fish market. There is, however, a tasteful hint of sea-breeze marketing copy lurking in the infotainment animations.

Quick Specs

• Engine: 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6
• Output: 415 horsepower, 405 lb-ft torque
• Transmission: 10-speed automatic with torque-converter lockup
• Drive: Ultra-precision all-wheel drive (rear-biased)
• 0-60 mph: 3.9 seconds (manufacturer)
• Top Speed: 168 mph (governed)
• Curb Weight: ~3,900 lbs
• EPA: 19 city / 27 highway (projected)

Powertrain & Performance

Acura's engineers have tuned the Amberjack's V6 to deliver a deliciously linear torque curve. The twin turbos spool briskly from low rpm and the throttle mapping is communicative without being twitchy. Peak torque arrives early and stays long, which makes day-to-day driving relaxed and on-ramps the kind of theater where you get to feel clever.

The 10-speed automatic is an odd hybrid of calm and cunning: it will hold a gear with ferocity when you insist, yet it steps down like a polite butler during suburbia slog. The paddle shifters are satisfyingly mechanical-feeling, so when you manually intervene the car responds with minimal drama. The AWD system is rear-biased, enabling cute oversteer when provoked, and the stability aids can be dialed back enough to let an experienced driver explore the chassis without turning the dash into a blinking admonishment.

Handling & Ride

Where the Amberjack really earns its Type S badge is on a backroad. The steering is precise with a natural weight that increases with speed, giving feedback through the wheel without telegraphing every pebble on the pavement. The suspension balances cornering poise and day-to-day comfort in a way that suggests the tuning team lives near curvy coastal roads and cares deeply about both timing and sunsets.

Body control is excellent: roll is controlled, squat is minimal under hard acceleration, and the car remains composed when you ask a lot of it. The brakes are strong and progressive — no grabby bits, just confidence-inspiring bite. On rougher tarmac the firm springs and dampers remind you this is a sport sedan first and a massage chair second, but the damping is well-sorted and never feels brittle.

Interior & Technology

The cabin is Acura doing what Acura does best: premium without being aloof. The seats are supportive for long drives and aggressive enough for track laps. Visibility is good for the segment, and the center stack layout is clear and usable. Infotainment is a mixed bag; screens are high-resolution, but menus can be fiddly if you insist on diving into settings while accelerating. The sound system is excellent — tight bass, clear mids — and the optional upgrade turns the car into an audiophile’s coastal bunker.

Practicality & Everyday Use

Despite the performance packaging, the Amberjack retains sensible real-world utility. Trunk space is generous for a performance sedan, and rear seat room is adequate for adults on shorter trips. Fuel economy will not win prizes, but the projected EPA numbers are reasonable for the class and surprisingly usable if you avoid constant full-throttle indulgence. The driving modes let you temper the throttle, steering, and suspension to suit traffic or canyon carving.

Fish Smell Test

This is an obligatory section in our fish-themed world. The Amberjack passes. No literal seaweed aroma in the vents, no faint whiff of yesterday’s sushi under the floor mats. Acura has sprinkled tasteful oceanic cues — a cool blue ambient lighting option and a sea-glass color palette — without veering into thematic absurdity. The car feels inspired by the sea, not cursed by it.

Safety & Driver Aids

AcuraWatch gets the full treatment: adaptive cruise with smooth stop-and-go capability, lane-keeping assist that nudges rather than fights, blind-spot monitoring, and an array of sensors that kept me honest when I leaned too hard into cheeky maneuvers. There are also more advanced assist modes that blend driver input with machine corrections for a collaborative driving feel. In short: you won't miss safety features, and they won't suffocate your fun unless you ask them to.

Price & Competition

The Amberjack Type S lands in a competitive niche. Pricing is aggressive compared to German rivals and slightly more than some domestic alternatives, but Acura undercuts on the feature-to-dollar ratio. For buyers who want a sporty, luxurious sedan that prefers the road to the strip mall, this is an appealing package. Competitors include cars like the BMW M340i, Audi S4, and Genesis G70, but the Amberjack distinguishes itself with a distinctive blend of long-legged torque and communicative chassis behavior.

Verdict

If you want a sedan that rewards driver input without punishing your grocery runs, the 2026 Acura Amberjack Type S deserves serious consideration. It's fast enough to be thrilling, composed enough to be daily-driven, and pleasantly restrained enough to avoid the caricature of performance. It smells of ambition and expensive leather, not fish. Buy it if you crave a sporty executive sedan with character; skip it if you demand the last decimal of track lap time or prefer badge prestige over mechanical substance.

In a world of loud badges and louder exhausts, the Amberjack Type S feels like the tuned guitar that actually knows how to play a song.