Acura TSX – Acura Refines and Polishes Its TSX Gem

By Kelly Foss www.car-data.com

I’ve always liked the TSX. It filled a unique spot in the automotive pallet of choices. Isometimes describe it as the thinking man’s entry luxury model. In the premium compact sedansegment, rear-wheel drive performance models abound and that’s OK. But for the person wanting acompact, upscale sedan that is conservative, reliable and fuel efficient, the choices are limited.

The TSX is the entry model in the Acura lineup. Acura is the luxury brand of Honda. The newTSX is principally the same size as the former model but, within the confines of that package, thevehicle has been optimized and upgraded. The 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine now produces 201horsepower and also delivers up to 30 miles per gallon highway driving according to the newstringent EPA calculations. That means in a real world freeway cruise, on our test drives, we weregetting an indicated 35+ miles per gallon which is very good. Though the TSX is offered with botha 6-speed manual and a 5-speed automatic, I would recommend the automatic. The manual is fun for awhile but is out of character for this vehicle. Besides, the automatic actually gets bettereconomy than the manual. The TSX has a very engaging driving dynamic. It’s sporty, comfortableand controlled. With a fine suspension, excellent chassis control, it’s both comfortable and funto drive.

The styling of the TSX has added a luxury presence to the vehicle. Its character shows throughand now displays itself with confidence. The interior of the TSX is what really sets it apart. Itis beautiful, expertly crafted, technology laden and functional. The seating is excellent both

front and rear. The materials, fit, finish and feel are superb. The TSX

offers a great seating position for the driver and all controls and indicators are where theyneed to be. An enlarged display screen for the Acura navigation system is still the standard ofthe industry. This year they’ve added real-time traffic reporting which shows congestion on theroads ahead as well as real-time weather forecasting. The climate control is GPS linked so thatthe system monitors the sun’s position and intensity in relation to where you currently are drivingand will automatically adjust each passenger’s fan speed to compensate for it! And, of course, allof this can be controlled by Acura’s excellent voice command system.

The TSX also offers all trip computing functions, an ELS surround sound audio system with XMradio and all the modern MP3 and iPod device plugs.

So, if you want a vehicle that offers quality, reliability, upscale features and is trulyenjoyable to drive and gives you a break at the gas pump, the new Acura TSX may be the right car atthe right time.