andersoz

I am currently an owner of a 2003 Accord Coupe V6 6MT. I am looking for a 4 door 'fun' car for me and wife to use instead of the minivan when we don't have to take the kids with us. She wants an automatic so I am looking at purchasing a 2012 TSX SE or TSX with tech pkg or a higher mileage 2012 TL. Looking to spend around $20k-$25k .Would like some opinions from current owners to get thoughts on performance and the usefulness of interior features. The accord has 240 Bhp/212 lb-ft. I know the 4 cyl TSX is less than that but do you think I would notice a significant difference in performance? I've looked up the specs, but want an owners perspective. So since they are essentially the same price, what's the pros/cons for TSX SE vs tech package? Do you think the extras that the V6 TL has is worth an extra $5k-$7.5k over either of those

wpgacurafan

Split the difference - TSX V6

The Stig CA

You will defeinitely notice the difference between the V6 and the 4 banger, but I don't think it is that big of a deal. It has enough power for me and it "feels" sporty enough. Only real way to tell is drive them back to back and see if it's worth it to you. Good luck.

dave_88

yea, the 4 cylinder does have enough power, but v6 has power.

i've loaded my car up with 5 people and junk in the trunk and it was fine.

i also like winding that 4 cyl out with the manual tranny - oh so fun but mute point in this discussion

andersoz

That would be the logical choice, however, I'm having a hard time finding them for sale.

andersoz

Thanks for the quick replies, so I'm getting that the 4 is decent and i won't be too disappointed. So then, since they're the same price now, other than sportier bodywork, what about the SE makes it more attractive than the tech package?

xtcnrice

SE:

Exterior:

• SE front underbody spoilers
• SE side skirts
• SE rear bumper
• OEM wheels have a dark accent on them, but style is very much the same

Interior:
A lot of red accents:

• Seats (suede?)
• Cluster
• etc.
• Black headliner

I'm not 100% sure on this but, I think SE comes standard with the aluminum pedals.

SE does not offer TECH, but in my opinion, the navi is outdated and garbage (I own a TECH).

TECH comes with ELS sound (which includes rear door speakers), navi, backup cam, disc changer (I think... never used).

blacktsxwagon

Nothing... there are no mechanical differences. The interior is fairly different. It has a black headliner (instead of gray for other TSX's). It also has red stitching, red gauges and suede inserts on the seats. I personally think it looks too racer boy.

The SE wheels are pretty nice though (even if its just a tint). The tech package is money much better spent.

xtcnrice

SE front underbody spoiler and SE side skirts:


SE rear bumper and SE side skirts:


SE interior:


SE cluster:

ceb

The SE is merely an appearance package. The tech package has some significant advantages. While "outdated" if often mentioned, I believe that the nav is pretty solid. While it may not have the cutesy graphics and 3D "bird's eye" viewpoints, it points you in the right direction just like those "modern" nav units.

The ELS audio is generally considered to be one of the best factory systems and is head and shoulders above anything else even close in price. It runs rings around the HK system in BMW or MB or that awful Bose stuff in most GM products and in Infiniti.

There are also enhancements to BT audio and hands free.

xtcnrice

I cut the nav some slack knowing that it's basically a car from 2008. But by today's standards, the nav is garbage because:

• Doesn't account for traffic; thus overly optimistic ETA
• Doesn't account for (expected) road closures
• Cannot parse roads with multiple names (Highway 7 in Ontario is known as RR-7 on my nav, and it cannot correlate the two)
• Requires way too much usage of the stupid knob which is a slow way of inputting addresses; a terrible UX in my opinion

This is just my opinion as a software engineer, of course.

blacktsxwagon

The only other benefit of the SE is that it eventually became the only way to get the 6 speed manual. 2012+ (I think?)

xtcnrice

Not quite in Canada.

For 2012 you could get base 6MT or tech 6MT. For 2013 I'm pretty sure you cannot get a tech 6MT in Canada, not sure about base.

Harper

Tech package also has backup cam, which comes is pretty useful imo.

blacktsxwagon

Canada gets everything! You can also get a tech package ILX w/ the 6MT in Canada

Harper

Good thing about having Canadian relatives, they can buy stuff for you (using your money of course)!

xtcnrice

I did the reverse (when the Canadian dollar didn't start to tank lol). US prices on goods are always way cheaper than when the ones found in Canada. Also shipping to Canada rapes the idea of trying to buy anything and have it shipped to my front door.

Harper

I've only had my cousin buy stuff for me that wasn't available in the US a couple times. But usually Canadian folks import more stuff, even crossing the border to fill up their gas tanks and buy a couple gallons of milk.

xtcnrice

Amurrica is like the dream land in terms of price of consumer goods. I shipped all the car parts I bought online (95% of the time the goods are already in the US) to a US address and picked them up on several occasions when I went across the border.

Stupid CAD

2snail

to the OP, I was on the fence between a 4cyl tsx or the v6 and i decided to go with the v6. I love the car, plenty of power at 280hp the same motor as the 3rd gen tl type-s as well as the same 5AT tranny i believe.

I picked up a 2010 with tech package.
Had I taken longer to look, I maybe would have found a few more examples in better shape but I think I got a good deal, 38k miles for 22k.

Soon after my wife decided she liked the tsx a lot and decided to drive it daily and so I looked into a 2012 TL SHAWD which I picked up later.

The tl has a much sportier ride, coupled with the AWD the handling is impressive for such a heavy car.

Considering now that the TLX is out you might be able to get an even better deal on either car TSX v6 or TL.

If you want a sportier ride get the TL. I think the seats and interier are better but I feel the tsx is quicker. I recently put some coilovers on the car and I feel the car is setup just right for now.

whichever route you choose they are both great options.

Good Luck.

musty hustla

The first three aren't true.

• My nav recommends routes based on traffic and can reroute if traffic occurs while onroute. My beef is that not all the roads I travel have traffic info.
• Again it will recommend routes based on closed roads and I've been rerouted due to a water main break.
• Nav can distinguish roads with same name. Example is I270, US 15, and Eisenhower Memorial Highway in Maryland are all the same road and the nav has no problems with it.
• I find that saying the "street" voice command saves me a lot of time.

VR1

I searched for a V6 aswell. During the 2 month period, there was not one that ever appeard within a 150 mile radius. The i4 is honestly enough for me, and I drive my car very hard. IMO I don't think there's a better high revving 4 banger for 30k or less (FA20 is a close second but I prefer the K series). I also looked at the Tech vs. SE but I really like the interior of the SE and the sideskirts/rear/wheels of the SE a ton so it was a no brainer for me. The non-tech TSX's still get a XM radio and a decent sorround sound system.



Also, this page lists all the differences between trims for you:

Acura | Certified Pre-Owned 2014 TSX | Acura.com

xtcnrice

I'm guessing all of the things you're saying aren't true are only in the case of USA. In Canada, none of what you're saying applies to me. I suppose none of the roads (literally none) here are "important" enough for my nav to redirect me to an alternative, better route. I suppose Canadians get screwed, like with most things.

So sure, take what I said with a grain of salt. But for me, the nav is garbage.

ceb

With the nav on Acura, it is integrated with Sirius/XM traffic. If you pay for that AND your area has traffic coverage, then it will re-route. Does Canada have Sirius/XM traffic?

Map coverage is provided by NAVTEQ - the same company that provides maps for most car manufacturers and Garmin. I suspect that full map coverage in Canada is limited to major metro areas.

Maybe the nav can't speak French and therefore has problems with street names. More likely, NAVTEQ probably only lists one name.

Does a Garmin work better?

The voice commands should work equally in the US or Canada.

I can only speak for the US (and it a major metro area) but the nav routing is identical to that of my prior BMW, my brother-in-law's Jag or my Garmin. The interface might not be as modern but the routing is identical. Once routed, it even gives me lane guidance for most turns. All of them (Acura, BMW, Jag, Garmin) make the same errors on a particular road on my commute (Canal Road for those in the DC metro area).

For those outside of DC, Canal Road is directional depending on the time of day. Portions of it are one way inbound to DC in the morning, turn to two-way traffic during the day, and is one-way outbound during the evening commute. On holidays and weekends it is two-way traffic. Nav units will ALWAYS try to route you off that road - to the point of trying to get you to go the wrong way on a permanent one way road.

xtcnrice

Canada has Sirius XM radio, but I don't think we are offered any additional "traffic" package from the dealership. I got my car from an Acura dealership, I'm sure they would've at least tried to sell me on it if it was available. Maybe that's the culprit.

Guess the solution is to move down south

RCJD

OP,

Like one of guys said you cant go wrong on any of these cars. I previously owned '13 TSX Tech and its probably the most fun car I had. The SE is nice looking but the Tech with ELS audio system will be the big difference. I now got the 14 TL AWD, my TSX has better ELS than this TL (for some reason?).

Don't get me wrong, I love this TL-AWD, best handling ever, but if I will do it all over again, I would have stayed with my TSX. Miss my TSX

ceb

Uhhhh, no.

Here is what Sirius says about traffic in Canada

Quite frankly, I see the navtraffic as being way too expensive for what you get. Honda gets the rerouting and traffic info from Clearchannel for free and it is more accurate than the crap from Sirius.

Call Sirius and tell them to give you a trial of NavTraffic

xtcnrice

Thanks! How much is this costing you at the moment?

ceb

I'm the wrong guy to ask. I hate Sirius/XM policies on billing so I don't renew it.

IIRC, the fees for NavTraffic and Weather is about $10 a month. I'm sure somebody will jump in here with the exact amount.

As far as I'm concerned, the weather is completely useless. You can get that on any cell phone. It would be useful if it gave you specific weather alerts for your routing (aside from some vague generic messages) but it doesn't. The traffic portion is OK in major metro areas but I have no clue how it is Canada.

Harper

Weather info on my TSX works, but it doesn't show on the main nav screen. If I go to the weather setting though it updates. I didn't renew the Sirius subscription, nor do I pay a monthly fee. Traffic info doesn't work though.

blacktsxwagon

I love SXM content, but their billing is horrendous. I always go to my bank to get a prepaid visa when I renew each year just to make sure they never get my real credit card.

xtcnrice

I'm probably going to pass on the SXM NavTraffic. While it would fix one of my gripes about the TSX nav, I don't feel like it's worth $10/mo and having SXM get a hold of my card. They're already annoying as they are, calling me every month or so to renew my XM trial.

Good info on the NavTraffic nonetheless though. The traffic limitation I'm experiencing is me, not the nav itself. I'll likely end up resorting to getting a phone mount and just using Google Maps on my phone with the USB plugged in (or via BT). If I'm on iPod mode, Google Maps can at least interrupt my music and talk when it needs to. However the problem with this is if I'm not using the iPod mode... then I won't be able to hear the instructions.

#firstworldproblems

C8N

If the OP is looking for a fun car with an automatic, I personally do not think 4cyl auto is an option. Now on a 4cyl manual, definitely. If it has to be an auto, go with the 6cyl.

jterp7

older shawds are in this range now right?

edit checked in my area, if AT quite a few Techs, even advance '12s in that price range.

aerospike

Do you drive mostly thru city or on highway? Get the 4 cylinder if you are in the city. Get the v6 if you drive mostly highway.

If you are near cold weather, try to get the TL awd. If you dont care for awd, pick up the tsx

If you drive mostly short distances, get the basic package. If you travel a lot, get the navi. But i find using your smartphone is more convenient than the car's navi.

i wouldn't worry so much about 5k extra. you are going to have the car for another 10 yrs. get something you like and happy with.

2012wagon

Weather shows on my main Nav Screen.

Personally if I had a Accord V6 MT, only two cars I would go to next:

1) TSX V6 (they are out there)
2) TL

I wouldn't get a 4 Cyl TSX.Don't forget to google TSX K24 oil burning issue (happening to auto and manual.)

There is no replacement for torque.