Acura Reveals Next TSX
First on the hit parade this morning was Acura's entry-level sedan. With sharp steering and a just-right size, it's what many of us used to really like about the Accord before it became a ginormous Buick. The TSX is unfortunately taking the same route. It loses the first generation's nicely-trimmed physique for Acura's new "pleasantly plump" design motif. In person, it's not as nice as the current TSX but a huge improvement over the Accord sedan. Best summed: inoffensive. The interior is bland and Accordian, and the back seat is tough for even a scrawny 5'7" guy (me) to get out of. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder carries over with approximately 200 horses and a tiny bit more torque than before. The notion of a V6 is still off the table (which is just fine) but I can't help but think the turbocharged four-banger out of the RDX crossover would have been a torque-steering hoot to drive. SH-AWD is also not coming to the TSX in this generation. That makes sense to keep the weight and cost lower, but it does limit how much power can go through those front wheels while maintaining the feedback that makes the TSX Acura's best driving car. Price should stay the same as the current car. While suffering from bloat, I still think this is the truest "Acura" that Acura makes.
Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.
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Wow, Honda, er, Acura seem to be attending Toyota's University of Blandness. What a pathetic effort.
This car is a pretty poor effort, especially considering Honda has the only hit with the TSX in the Acura line... Speaking of poor efforts, can we set up a TTAC fund to get Justin a camera made after 1995? The picture quality is terrible....
God the grill is hideous! I was really hoping for SOMETHING to change significantly... Maybe the diesel will be out before the TSX in the driveway needs to go back to Honda... but this isn't really all that compelling.
This new car, having reviewed the home website (as well as the UK site), is a fun blend of all that is great about Acura. It will be smart (improved fuel economy - even better once the diesel hits the US market in 2009), fun to drive, slightly roomier (I was confused the the reviewer's comments that he had a hard time in the back seat as that Acura have increased rear room in this model), increased torque (up by 15-18lbft), improved emissions, et cetera. With the right colour, this car looks a treat (even the current one can look off in the the wrong colour), maintains a very nice non-bloated status. Sure, it's not a super race car, it's a "right sized" (to borrow from the Saab slogan) vehicle that is fun, reliable (something missed in the comments), packed with a first rate assortment of technology, all in one convenient package.