Evaluating the Canadian-designed, built and sold Acura CSX without mentioning the Honda Civic is no easy task. (See?) Comparisons are so tempting, namely because the latter is an excellent car in its own right. The feeling’s mutual. Honda of Japan loved the Acura CSX so much that it served as a template for the JDM Civic. And why not? The CSX delivers an excellent compact luxury package without the reliability issues bedeviling certain (cough German cough) imports. Said otherwise, the CSX is the penny-pinching—I mean, thinking man’s luxury compact.
Seen from afar, you’d be forgiven for thinking the CSX and the Civic ARE the same car. Given its resemblance to its platform mate, the CSX is a perfect spiritual successor to the Civic EL of yore. My tester’s CSX’s exterior upgrades included chrome wheels and door handles, Acura rims, double exhaust and a re-styled front fascia with the all-important Acura badge. Fortunately for the CSX, the humble Civic’s rakish styling plays well even in the semi-luxury market, giving the car a sporty stance without reducing interior space
The donor Civic’s good genes are also apparent across the interior. Acura preserves the Civic’s futuristic double-decker dashboard and small, deep steering. (Honda drivers who don’t get the whole Star Wars thing need not apply.) On the list of what feels the same: the shifter, parking brake, arm rests, steering, thigh support, and storage areas. Get the idea? The major differences are easy to spot. The Acura’s manumatic comes with flimsy, thin paddles mounted on the steering column. Though crisp and responsive, they feel cheap and demand hand placement at exactly nine and three.
Acura swapped-out the Civic’s plain Jane HVAC set-up for an all-controlling screen and voice-activated satellite navigation, which dominates the minimalist instrument panel. Gloved Canadians may curse the unit’s Chicklet-sized buttons, but they’re sensibly-placed, suitably smooth operators. The Acura’s leather front seats are heated for cold Canadian cabooses. The CSX’s rear seats are spacious; easily as comfortable and commodious as the ones found in the previous generation Accord. Provided you have no more than two car chairs in the rear, the CSX is the Goldilocks of family cars.
The CSX is blessed with a 2.0-liter I4 good for 155 HP. RSX owners know this engine well; the mini-mill revs smoothly operates in tight harmony with the automatic transmission— obviating the need for those cheesy paddles. That said, the wheel-mounted cog swappers are quite satisfying, with very little delay between tap (of the finger) to blip (of the engine) to take-off. Though adequately refined and propelled, the CSX’s accelerative performance isn’t class leading– not by a long shot. The MINI Cooper, Volvo C30, BMW 128i and Audi A3 2.0T all have it outgunned. Not to mention the similarly-priced Civic SI. D’oh!
On the road, the CSX’s chassis’ tuning is the automotive equivalent of the Missouri compromise. The ride’s too harsh for the Lexus crowd, and too soft for the BMW crowd. But it works (for a while). The CSX doesn’t mask any of the road’s imperfections, but does a capable job of reducing most of them to the level of minor nuisance.
Put the CSX through its paces at a normal speed and you’d never think it’s really an econobox wearing a silk suit. There isn’t enough torque or power to make the drive wheels matter. The CSX offers up a healthy dose of sportiness, carving into turns quite happily and with minimal body roll when driven reasonably. Leave the realm of reasonableness (in pursuit of that VTEC cam switchover, perhaps) and the car will betray its roots faster than Pamela Anderson on safari. The unrelenting understeer will make one pine for the better-tuned Si. For a comparable experience, the CSX is only slightly less crisp than the Mazda3/Volvo S40 siblings. That is to say it’s excellent for its price point, but not a selling point.
Given Acura’s failures to follow Lexus and Infiniti up the food-chain, Honda can take the Acura CSX as its consolation prize. By steadfastly refusing to ante-up and offer purpose-built luxury cars with V8’s, Acura’s U.S. sales have been evaporated. Now, Honda finds itself with an excellent, fuel-sipping luxury car built in the NAFTA zone ready to go stateside with minimal delay.
At only a $7k mark-up over a regular Civic, given its appointments, the CSX represents tremendous value. In a time of ballooning gas prices and shrinking wallets, it may be just what the doctor ordered to restore Acura’s sagging U.S. sales. Canadians have made whatever Civic-variant Acura the hottest seller for the premium brand since the days of the EL. Whether the CSX will ever go stateside, though, depends on Honda’s ever-changing aspirations for its luxury brand. But I can’t see it doing any more damage to a brand that never moved beyond “mid-luxury” in the first place.
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Thanks for an excellent review, Samir.
When posted in Canada, I drove this car’s predecessor. It was a pleasant, efficient package. As, apparently, is this generation.
This points in a direction small cars need to go: comfortable, toy-full, fuel efficient versions of larger cars. I know it will never satisfy those with hoonery in their hearts, but for most of us, it does more than suffice.
I think it also points the way for Acura — bringing better-equipped, relatively inexpensive “upscale” models to folks who want a bit more “Buick” to Honda’s “Chevy”.
Those cooled seats must be a major selling point in Canada.
Or is this just what happens when someone at Honda muses, “What can we throw in a Civic to try to justify the Acura badge and a $7,000 bump?”
This is badge engineering at its worst.
Take Civic
Throw in engine lying around
Add some lux touches.
Add different badge.
In my opinion this car lowers Acura’s brand position.
Outside of the Pacific Northwest where the climate is similar to Seattles, the rest of the country experiences scorching summers on top of the freezing winters. Toronto, on the shore of the Great Lakes is both hot and humid in the summer, so those cooled seats may in fact get a good amount of use.
Given its resemblance to its platform mate, the CSX is a perfect spiritual successor to the Civic EL of yore
You mean Acura EL, right? Or was that deliberate?
It’s nice to see this review. The CSX is a good car and is by a good margin Acura Canada’s best-seller (even if it’s hard to tell because, well, it looks every normal Civic). Since Canadians haven’t always gotten EX and Si Civics, it’s a good compromise
I’d have like to see the European three and five-door Civics released as the new RSX. I understand that it’s mechanically quite a bit different from the sedan/coupe, but I think the car–especially the five–door–would sell far better than the EL/CSX does, especially in the urban markets where Acura is losing ground to Mini, VW and Mazda.
Toronto, on the shore of the Great Lakes is both hot and humid in the summer, so those cooled seats may in fact get a good amount of use.
+1
People forget that some of the most populous parts of Canada are well south, and that it does get goddamn hot in Toronto or Montreal in the summer.
Toronto, particularly, is nasty. It has a lot of the same geography-induced smog problems that Los Angeles does, though winter spares our having to deal with it all-year round. Of course, I’d like to see an Angelino dig out under from a meter of snow.
Here in Houston, Honda could probably get an extra $7K for a Civic with cooled seats, and keep the other stuff. I wish these were more common– the three-speed cooled seats were the only saving grace for the basketcase Saabs I’ve owned down here.
Good review. Honda should really try to differentiate the CSX a lot more than they have. I could not justify the premium over a Civic EX-L. Acura has really started to tail spin in the last few years. This to me is just further dilution.
I’m a little lost with this review. I understand the star rating system isn’t absolute but it sounds like this car is really nothing more than a Civic with all the options checked plus fancy seats. I haven’t driven it but it doesn’t sound worth a $7k premium. Also, is that an extra $7k over a stripped-down Civic or a fully loaded one?
CSX is an eastern (Jacksonville, Florida) U.S. based railroad, known officially as CSX Transportation. I am amazed Acura could get away with calling a car by that trademarked name.
CSX is an eastern (Jacksonville, Florida) U.S. based railroad, known officially as CSX Transportation. I am amazed Acura could get away with calling a car by that trademarked name.
Trademark law is national; CSX Rail would need to file suit against Acura Canada and prove that they’re causing confusion in consumer’s minds. Since CSXR doesn’t operate in Canada and Acura doesn’t sell the CSX in the US, that probably won’t happen.
rpol: The car is sold only in Canada. In Canada, the CSX doesn’t mean anything.
Kurt B Says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
This is badge engineering at its worst.
I agree. But consider that $7,000 gives you:
-HID lights
-Major ICE upgrade (Bilingual voice-activated sat nav, 6-cd)
-Flappy paddles
-Engine upgrade
-Leather heated/cooled
-Nicer mags and chrome detailing
-Power everything (except seats)
Price that out and add it to a Civic.
American Civic EX-L with Navi and 5AT in US $: 23,555
Canadian CSX Tech with 5AT (as reviewed) in US $: 30,718
American TSX Tech with 5AT in US $: 32,060
Canadian TSX Tech with 5AT in US $: 39,526
Having a Canadian warranty: priceless?
I am sure that the CSX is a nice car, and the RSX motor no doubt makes it a good choice for those who want something peppier than a standard Civic but not as high-strung as the Si. But is this a true Acura – the heir of the Integra, a nice car for those who want to commute to work and don’t need to carve corners on the way there – or a brand-destroying product that would only hurt Acura’s image more if people knew it existed? I have to believe it’s the latter. This is the Mercury Sable school of badge-engineering, and it does neither Honda nor Acura any favors. You will never run into a European Accord on the streets of Ottowa (unless it’s been de-badged by its owner), but CSX owners will constantly find themselves alongside nearly identical Civics at every stoplight.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to offer the EU-market Civic hatch here as an RSX replacement and C30/A3 fighter?
Worth mentioning is that Acura isn’t the only luxury brand that offers a smaller car for the Canadian market. Mercedes offers the B-class in Canada, and also offers smaller engines in their cars than they do here in the States. Volvo offers a normally-aspirated version of the C30, and BMW offers a smaller six in the 323i that would be more than adequate for most drivers here. As gas prices rise and emissions regulations become more stringent, will we see more of these products south of the border?
(Edited: whoops, I meant to say C30 instead of S40 above. Volvo offers the normally aspirated I5 in the S40 here, but not in the C30.)
By steadfastly refusing to ante-up and offer purpose-built luxury cars with V8’s, Acura’s U.S. sales have been evaporated.
I don’t think that’s Acura’s problem. Their weakness is in the low end, not the high.
They killed themselves when they axed the RSX/Integra just as Mini, VW, Mazda and Subaru were coming into their own. Now, there’s no entry point into the Acura brand for young, relatively affluent buyers. Worse, without people coming into the brand via the RSX, there’s a ripple effect moving into sales of the TSX, TL and such.
Acura thought they could milk the customer base by selling the pricier TSX and RDX instead of the low-margin, low-dollar RSX. The were wrong: people who wanted a performance Honda went to the lower-margin Civic Si; people who wanted a nice, sporty small car went to VW/Mini/Mazda instead.
Sure, the lack of a V8 might be hurting sales of the RL or MDX, but that’s not really the problem.
Worth mentioning is that Acura isn’t the only luxury brand that offers a smaller car for the Canadian market. Mercedes offers the B-class in Canada, and also offers smaller engines in their cars than they do here in the States. Volvo offers a normally-aspirated version of the S40, and BMW offers a smaller six in the 323i that would be more than adequate for most drivers here. As gas prices rise and emissions regulations become more stringent, will we see more of these products south of the border?
What’s also worth pointing out is that the S40, C230 and 323i are wickedly overpriced in Canada. So are Subaru’s offerings, by the way. The B200 isn’t too, but it’s sufficiently different from the CSX that it’s basically a noncompetitor . That any of these cars sell given such inflated MSRPs is a testament to what gas prices can do.
For the record, we pay about $1.20-$1.50 per litre, or about $4.80 to $6.00/gallon, depending on grade and location. Canadians paid before the price spike about or slightly more than what Americans are paying now.
What’s killing the CSX is the Mazda3 GT and Jetta, which are priced competitively. The Mini doesn’t help matters. And this is in Canada, where the CSX has a snowball’s chance at selling. In the US this car would never make it, not unless gas prices approached Canadian levels.
I can assure you those cooled seats would be most welcome, mid-summer in Toronto.
Badge-engineering or not, the CSX packs in a lot of extra luxury goodies for a fairly reasonable price. It is also the only remining Acura sedan that has yet to be beaten with the ugly stick. No preposterous, gangsta-chromed, oversized, robots-in-disguise beak grafted on to this one.
Worth mentioning is that Acura isn’t the only luxury brand that offers a smaller car for the Canadian market. Mercedes offers the B-class in Canada
Buddy, go see who reviewed the B200 on this site.
I readily admitted it’s badge-engineering, but that is why I discussed brand damage at the conclusion.
The Mercury Sable was based on what I thought was kind of a crappy car (sorry Sajeev). So it’s a wrong on top of wrong. The CSX is a wrong on top of a very right (The Civic) – therefore I don’t totally agree with comparison being made.
The C30 in Canada isn’t as good a value. Firstly, it starts at $28,000 for the base. Adding a few more options sends it north of the CSX’s fully-optioned price in a hurry. Though it admittedly is a more fun car to drive, it loses in value and reliability.
As for the 323i – it represents the ultimate dichotomy between what a brand promises and what a car delivers. What a complete and utter snore – BMW’s answer to the non-sport Boxster model. On top of that, BMW’s interiors for its low end models have slowly been turning ghastly. Someone needs to tell them that dour, Germanic look only works with high-quality materials. That aside, it’s also RWD – a big no-no for many Canadians.
Which means all prospective buyers in this segment have a good reason to pick the CSX – and many will.
CSX is an eastern (Jacksonville, Florida) U.S. based railroad, known officially as CSX Transportation. I am amazed Acura could get away with calling a car by that trademarked name.
In my business law class one of the examples cited for similar trademarks in different areas was Lexus Automobiles and LexisNexis research service for Attorneys.
There is also the famous case of Apple Records versus Apple Computer.
I’d rather have an RSX, honestly.
The CSX is a confusing choice for a faux-luxury coupe, for all the reasons mentioned above in the review and the comments. While the Civic and the RSX have competed while the two models were around, it seems this is merely a ploy to justify the lack of the Si in the land of the great white north.
Take note – there was (is?) a Type-S model, which was basically the Si in Acura clothing.
Just because it gets cold up here in winter doesn’t mean it doesn’t get reasonably hot in summer. It was 95 Fahrenheit a few days ago, and we hit triple digits now and then.
psarhjinian Says: Acura thought they could milk the customer base by selling the pricier TSX and RDX instead of the low-margin, low-dollar RSX. The were wrong: people who wanted a performance Honda went to the lower-margin Civic Si; people who wanted a nice, sporty small car went to VW/Mini/Mazda instead.
You took the words right out of my mouth!
At $30,000 the CSX will be a non-starter in the USA. That price will get you a fully loaded Honda Accord EX-l Auto with NAV and a few accessories thrown in for good measure. Amazingly the EPA mileage would be within 2mpg of each other.
Equip the CSX with the Si engine and a new 6spd dual clutch manumatic and maybe they might have something, but you would end up with a smaller car with worst gas mileage than the Accord.
With that said the real problem is Honda could offer the engine from the CSX as a option in the Civic EX-L or as a Civic Si auto and following Honda policy the price premuim would only be about $1000 on the Civic EX and NOTHING on the Si.
WAIT, why is this engine NOT standard or even offered on the USA Civic EX?
Take note – there was (is?) a Type-S model, which was basically the Si in Acura clothing.
How much is the Type-S model in Canada?
The Mercury Sable was based on what I thought was kind of a crappy car (sorry Sajeev). So it’s a wrong on top of wrong. The CSX is a wrong on top of a very right (The Civic) – therefore I don’t totally agree with comparison being made.
Samir, just to clarify I was not criticizing your review. As I said, I am sure that the CSX is a good car because the donor car (Civic) and engine (RSX) are both very good. I was merely commenting on what the badge engineering does for the brand, and I have to conclude that even if the car is good, this kind of badge engineering is still cynical and brand-destroying. To say that it could not damage the brand any more only seems to suggest that Acura has already destroyed what the original Legend and NSX did so much to build.
To put it another way, is there any reason why this car couldn’t be sold as a Civic Touring Special Titanium Edition TX-L Navi? If not, then there is no reason to put the Acura badge on it. It hurts Honda’s reputation by suggesting that the Honda brand is not good enough for this car. And because it’s well known that Acura is just a marketing creation of Honda, it also diminishes the Acura brand. It’s a Catch-22: marketing this car as an Acura destroys the very reason to have a separate luxury brand. The only way to win at this badge engineering game is not to play.
I am sure that Mr. Farago would also have something interesting to say about this, too.
Unfortunately Canadians are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to car prices, which is why Honda/Acura can get away for offering an upgraded Civic in Canada for just shy of what a loaded TSX costs in the US. If MB and BMW did decide to bring the C230 and 323i here to the US, I have to believe they’d cost less than the Canadian versions, and be much more competitive products as a result. I’d especially like to see the C230 here. The B-class, not so much :-) (And yes, I did read your review of it! I did not mean to suggest that it had been ignored – only that it was worth discussing in this thread too.)
Equip the CSX with the Si engine and a new 6spd dual clutch manumatic and maybe they might have something, but you would end up with a smaller car with worst gas mileage than the Accord.
That would be the CSX Type-S (well, less the fancy transmission), which indeed you can buy. Again, it’s a very nice car–nicer than the Civic Si at any rate–but you really have to be in love with Acura to walk past the Mazdaspeed 3 and GTI/GLI.
” I’d rather have an RSX, honestly.
The CSX is a confusing choice for a faux-luxury coupe..”,
It’s only confusing if you actually think it’s a coupe. I count 4 doors. I don’t think they’re trying to pretend it’s a coupe.
Jaeger
It’s good to know that the U.S. is not the only recipient of ugly Acuras. Are those taillights standard or aftermarket? Either way they’re fugly.
This car’s half-assed and everyone knows it! If it were a Dodge or Ford, y’all would’ve lambasted this car fo sure!
By the way, you should always calculate mark-up with percentages, in my opinion. A 7k markup on a 20kish car is pretty hefty.
I hate it when automotive journalists think people shop price rather than size classes.
Personally, I think the CSX and IS250 are direct competitors against the A4/3/C-Class/S60, not the TL/CTS/ES350/G35.
I think Acura screwed up by downsizing the current RL into a TL/5/M35/GS/E/S80 competitor, rather than upsizing into a A8/7/DTS/XJ/LS460/S competitor.
Mind you, Cadillac and Infiniti don’t know who their competitors are either, no wonder some of their models are struggling.
I think that bringing the Euro-Civic 3-Door to the States as the new RSX would be a great move; anyone else?
romanjetfighter Says:
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:20 pm
This car’s half-assed and everyone knows it! If it were a Dodge or Ford, y’all would’ve lambasted this car fo sure!
I did say it was a shameless badge-engineering job. The difference is that Chrysler badge engineered a Sebring into an Avenger. Terrible breeds terrible. The Lincoln version of the Ford Fusion was reviewed favorably on this site, btw.
OK. I want one. Now that the TSX is a bloated mess, is there any chance of this car being sold in the US?
It’s good to know that the U.S. is not the only recipient of ugly Acuras. Are those taillights standard or aftermarket? Either way they’re fugly.
They’re standard. The design is an evolution of the Honda Domani-based Acura EL’s. It does look a little odd, that’s true.
I have never understood why anyone would actually buy this over the Civic.
Talk about a Cimarron redux, despite how good the CSX is. Slapping Acura badges on a Civic is one step below riceboy league. The ‘exclusive’ appoint ments you can get with this car are inconsequential
Badge engineering is badge engineering. If it’s unforgiveable when Ford, GM, and Chrysler do it, then it’s equally unforgiveable when Honda engages in it as well.
I tend to side with those who say the CSX is a bad example of badge engineering. Chassis, components, even engines can be shared upmarket or down without most people noticing. But when the body shell and interior are so similar I think you’re doing a Cimarron style move. It’s not going to go unnoticed.
Interestingly, the CSX is not a badge-engineered JDM Civic; the JDM Civic is a badge-engineered Acura CSX. Of course, both are close enough to the NA/Euro Civic sedan as to make no real difference, but it’s a point I though was worth making.
Acura and Honda. are they the same company?
So, what’s the problem with this car. Nothing!
2.0 liter with 155 hp that’s not bad at all.
Nav system screen is big which I prefer, Racing pedal pads, I hope it has intake or high performance muffler but the car stereo is like a JVC though knobs are old school and dash board is missing something the RPM I think.
But over all the car is good looking just don’t mistake it as a Honda Civic.
Acuras are solid car and you feel it when you drive a manual.
48 mpg on highways and 28 on citiy not bad at all better than my 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer or a Mazda 3
Here’s a better picture of the car. It is a type S with 200 HP. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3125653
BY THE WAY TTAC READERS DON’T LIKE IT but tuners at car domain are impress with this car.
Here’s another Web site that shows everything about this car
http://www.performancecars.ca/acura/new_models/acura_csx
That car would never sell in the States. Don’t care if it has the RSX motor or that it has more equipment that a regular Civic. When it all boils down to it, it’s still a Civic.
Wonder how it would look with that beak of an Acura shield?
*barfs*
I must be a cheap SOB. $7,000 for HID lights, nav, CD changer, paddle shift, alternate engine, leather, and aluminum wheels in a manual seat Civic doesn’t strike me as a bargain. It will undoubtedly be a terrific used car buy.
@Samir:
You fail to mention the damaging effects this has on Acura’s image and branding. Honda doesn’t even try to differentiate the Civic and this CSX. The prestige of the Acura brand diminishes, the premium price Acura command diminishes, profit margins diminish, and this is why Acura sucks. You even mention yourself that the speed and ride are mediocre.
BTW,
there is a CSX Type S option in Canada with the Civic Si drivetrain…
How can a Sister company destroy another company that belongs to the same company?
That’s another American Consumer behavior that the rest of the world doesn’t follow.
The world stop wearing white sneakers since Nike introduced a Black tennis shoe but We Americans still love White sneakers. Do you get it?
American taste on cars is not the the entire consumer world to follow.
Oh We rather wear the same style of clothes like what see on the road with lots of Mazda.
FACTS ABOUT THE CAR:
The Acura CSX is an Acura badged version of the Japanese 8th generation Honda Civic that replaces the Acura EL as Acura’s entry-level luxury car. It is only available in Canada. Like the EL, it is built in Alliston, Ontario, Canada. The CSX is the first Acura model with two predecessors, since the CSX’s predecessors were the Integra sedan (1986-1996) and the EL (1997-2005).
The CSX also carries over features from the JDM Civic, most notably the 2.0 L DOHC i-VTEC engine rated at 155 hp (116 kW) @ 6000 rpm and 139 ft·lbf (188 N·m) @ 4500 rpm. Also carried over from the JDM Civic are the front and rear fascias and the steering wheel (also used in the USDM Civic Si and Euro Civic).
Standard features on the 2008 base model include leather interior, automatic climate control, paddle shifters for automatic transmission models, heated front seats, interior illumination (ignition lock, driver’s power window and mirror switches, steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls, glove compartment, ambient), integrated turn signals in power door mirrors, chrome door handles, moon roof, tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and vehicle stability assist (VSA) with traction control. TPMS is new for 2008; and VSA is new for the base CSX.
The 2008 CSX Technology Package adds Acura Navigation System with Biligual Voice Recognition, MP3/WMA CD player & Digital Audio Card Reader, high-intensity discharge headlights, Fog lights, and XM Satellite Radio with roof antenna.
The resulting car is 62 kg (140 lb) to 88 kg (190 lb) heavier than the Civic EX sedan, with fuel consumption raised to 8.7 L/100 km (27 mpg–U.S. / 32 mpg–imp) city, 6.4 L/100 km (37 mpg–U.S. / 44 mpg–imp) highway for manual model; and 9.5 L/100 km (25 mpg–U.S. / 30 mpg–imp) city, 6.5 L/100 km (36 mpg–U.S. / 43 mpg–imp) highway for automatic model.
Why would you want a 30 thousand dollar CIVIC>..LOL
If you understand the American car market than you will understand why folks here consider the CSX to be a bad brand damaging joke.
It is nothing more than a Civic (a $16,000 car) with a slightly jazzed-up grill and rear lights. IT DOES NOT rise to the level that Honda ITSELF set for the Acura brand in the USA.
Like Honda and the Acura brand or not, but the CSX (if sold in the USA) would be the Cimmeron of the 21 century. THIS IS BADGE ENGINEERING AT ITS WORST. For the same reason most folks consider the MKZ nothing more than a chromed up Fusion the CSX gets the thumbs down here.
This is a dangerous game to play for a company as small as Honda. I live in NY and seen at least 3 of these things cross the border in the USA. I sure it is painful to see a fully loaded Civic EX-L in a US Honda dealership listing for only $23,000.
It also explains why the Civic is stuck with a less than class leading 140hp engine in the USA.
The shame is when you look at the CSX you can see what the real potential of the Civic in the USA could be. I would gladly kick out another $1000 for the better non-Si engine equiped with an auto.
Let’s first check out the asking prices:
Acura CSX: $27k
Acura TSX: $33k for unloaded; $38k for premium package (leather,HID,etc)
Lexus IS250: $31.5k for unloaded; $39k for X package (leather,HID,moon roof)
BMW 323 (not 328): $36k for base version; $38k for premium package (moonroof,heated seats)
Yes, the CSX is substantially weaker than the other entry level luxury cars listed here. But a price difference of $10k is still something to think about. The interior isn’t terribly small; it’s the small engine that really made it weaker. But again, you would save $10k and more on gas.
I agree that the small Acura is a badge-engineered Civic but what’s wrong with that? We need more fully contented smaller vehicles. It was this car in EL form that saved Canada’s Acura dealers from extinction since it offered them something to sell at a reasonable price. Historically in Csnada, that’s what Meteor did for the Mercury channel; a Plymouth-based Dodge did for the Dodge dealers and a Chevrolet-based Pontiac did for Pontiac-Buick dealers, for decades. With Canada’s population and sales one tenth of those in the USA, it would have been inpossible to support dealer franchises with only mid-priced or better brands. It was such a successful formula that Chrysler adopted it for the US market when it introduced the Dodge Dart line in 1960, effectively sentencing Plymouth to death some years later. I remember the Infiniti G20 as being more or less what the CSX does today, with full load features in a reasonably sized package. All it needed was another 30 hp or so. But it kept the franchise going in Canada while Infiniti gradually gained a customer base. All cars have traditionally been overpriced in Canada, some more than others but none more egregiously than the Germans, and Acura is no exception. Just a small correction to the review, I think: this Canadian Acura may have lots of toys as standard equipment, including heated front seats and automatic climate control, but cooled seats are not part of the package, at least not for 2008. I’ve not seen that equipment on the cars and have found no mention of it on their website.
The car itself may be a decent ride, but it really does show you how poorly Honda manages the Acura brand.
There’s nothing wrong in providing a car like this for Canadians, even though it wouldn’t make the translation here. But the Civic kinship is just too obvious, a guaranteed long-term brand killer. At the very least, give it unique styling and a different dash, so that the cynicism isn’t so obvious.
The revised front-end looks a bit better than the Civic. However, I’d probably rather have the Civic Si sedan (for sport) or get the Hybrid (as a cruiser). Heated seats and HIDs can be added, if so desired for a total of $500.
And if I had wanted a sedan, then I’d have gotten another Honda (after my old Integra GS-R).
Let’s stop throwing around this $30,000 Civic figure. Converting Canadian prices to US prices is a fraught exercise, so allow me to quote, briefly, from my own webpage, where I posted some comments about the CSX in a review of the ‘07 US Civic.
Now, look at that 28% price premium (which is for the kitted-out Technology Package model), and compare that to a US Civic EX. The result is a $23,949 car. Twenty-four grand is still a lot for a Civic, I’ll agree, but it’s a lot better proposition than $30 large. $23,949 puts it right on top of the Volvo C30, with less power, but more feature content and better fuel consumption figures. When you think about inflation, added safety & convenience features, and extra room, it could nearly be a direct price-point replacement for the RSX in the US market.
Like it or not, smaller (and thus simpler and cheaper) luxury cars are going to become more common in the US market, fueled (as it were) by rising gas prices and the need to find gateway cars to get young buyers into luxury brands — an important consideration when formerly entry-level luxury cars like the C-Class and 3-Series now start, without options, at more than $32,000.
The CSX/EL is a neat concept… it’s a shame that they went to great lengths to make it much uglier on the outside than the regular Civic.
You would have to be short a full brain or two to choose this over a Civic Si. I mean, you’re paying more and getting less. Well, okay, an upside-down Honda badge. Imagine the prestige; a luxury brand that’s only a year older than I am.
This car makes no sense as it stands now. I think the US Market TSX makes a lot more sense as far as a compact luxury car for the US. It actually IS luxurious and is different enough from the US Accord to warrant consideration. They need to do something with the CSX. I have suggestions.
K23T (or whatever the code is) – 2.3L turbo I4 out of the RDX
6MT
This way it’s a more relaxed performance competitor to the Si, which can be the hardcore 900000 rpm nutjob car.