Hi everyone,

Now that the 2009 TSX has been out for a while, people are starting to post more pictures of the 09. After looking at pictures of both generations, i have to say i still like my good first gen TSX. No matter in terms of exterior or interior, the first gen is better in my opinion. There is something about the first gen that makes me really want to have one, but 2nd gen does not give me that feeling.

I dont know, maybe i am being too attached to my car!

What do you guys think?

 

I love the styling on the first gen. It ages very well IMO. And I do prefer it to the styling of the 09. But...the first gen does look dated next to an 09 if that makes sense. As do most older gen's next to their replacements.

 

I like both, and have a soft spot for my 04. However, the additional features of the 2009 have me thinking I'd like to buy one in a year or two.

 

When I was getting my 06 tsx serviced at the dealer in April I test drove a 09 Brasque Red Pearl 6MT/w tech package. I was very impressed with the way it drove. As much as I love my MR tsx (wish they kept that color) I might be getting the 09 next year.

 

I get what you mean... I felt the same way about the 96-99 Accords. I loved the styling and preferred the exteriors to the 2000+ versions... but put them side by side to either of them, and they looked "dated".

I do like the feature set in the new TSX, but it's not compelling enough to me to make a change. There's no doubt in my mind that I'm moving to another marque, and will revisit Acura when they finally go upscale in the next generation of vehicles...

 

^^pretty much sums up my opinion also.

 

As far as interior styling goes... there's no contest IMO.

1st gen >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2nd gen.

 

there are so many buttons in the 2nd gen, you're liable to careen off the road just by changing the radio station.

 

agreed.. one of the main reasons why i love the tsx

 

Why do you guys say that the 1st gen looks dated? Is it because they don't have flared out fendors, butt ugly lights, etc? Had the two generations been swapped, with the 2nd gen coming out first, would you consider the 1st dated because they removed the flares?

Dated vehicles are the box-shaped cars. Modern cars have the more rounded look. The 2nd gen looks more of a prototype to me...they go crazy on the exterior to get looks, but in the end, you wouldn't want to be driving one.

Even if you guys get used to the 2nd gen, standing side by side, the 1st gen will always be smoother and get more attention.

If anything, Acura is probably using the 2nd gen to break culture shock so that they can do something crazier for the 3rd gen. I doubt they did it for the people of today, because it has exterior features that I wouldn't want, even when I was a teen.

 

I haven’t seen any sells numbers for the 09 TSX yet. I wonder how the 09 numbers compare to 04 TSX during the same first couple of months of sales.

The 04 TSX seemed to be a leap forward compared to other vehicles offered at the time. Between the TSX’s 04 and 08 model years, other luxury brands and even sub luxury (Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford, etc..) now offer the same level, if not more, of luxury/tech as the 04-08 TSX. Sub luxuries still don’t compare to the TSX; but, the luxury brands (BMW, Audi, Infiniti, and Caddy) are leaving the 09 TSX behind.

My biggest gripe is other car companies offers a V-6 or Turbo option and these larger engines get the same or little less mpgs as our 2.4L I-4. The TL’s overall avg mpg is only about 2-3 mpg lower compared to our TSX. This comes out to an extra $16-$22 bucks a month extra if I had the 3.2L V-6 in my TSX (1000 miles a month, TL avg mpg 22, TSX avg mpg 25, gas $4 per gallon, 60% hwy driving).

Add an extra gear or two to the auto tranny and give us a V-6 option with cylinder deactivation just like Honda.

2.4L, 3.2L V-6, 2.3L Turbo, I-4 Turbo diesel = 09 TSX
3.5L, 3.7L = TL
3.7L, 4.4L V-8 = RL
2.3L Turbo, 3.5L V-6 = RDX
3.7L, 4.4L V-8, V-6 Turbo diesel = MDX

The all new TSX seems to be more of a step forward instead of a leap forward.

 

It looks more modern. Its all the sharp angles that every new car on the road today seem to have. Never mind the fender flares.

 

I think the 2GEN is designed by committee. There are details and styling cues in some spots that are missing or contradicted in others. It's nice looking, but the more I look at details (the front "scoop," side mirrors, bulging headlights), the less I like it.

I think the 1GEN is rather unobtrusive, almost plain Jane, but that's something I like about it. "Stealthy." It's petite, simple, slim, and sleek. St. de Exupery put it well re: airplane design, perfection is achieved not when nothing more can be added, but when nothing more can be taken away (not a direct quote).

 

Check the 2GEN forum, there have been some impressive sales reports from Acura this summer.

 

I hate hate hate the bulging out headlights that all manufactures are doing now. The Camary is the worst offender. The new Accord is pretty bad too. The Fit pulls it off ok, maybe because there aren't any sharp angles in the bulge.

But yeah, the new TSX seems more like it's trying to mimic what every one else is doing (mainly Toyota and Nissan) more than designing to meet the needs of the vehicle, which the first gen did very well. Overall, I'm not terribly impressed with new looks, either inside or out. The simpleness of the 1st gen interior is my favorite thing about it and they tossed that idea right out the window.

 

So far I have seen exactly ONE new TSX on the road in INDY, and that was a couple of blocks from an ACURA dealer at 5:30 at night. (Might have been an employee driving home?) I was unimpressed, partially because it was white, which I have always thought was a bad color for the TSX.

 

IMO, the Accord is THE worst offender. Those front headlights look awful from certain angles. Not sure why they couldn't use the coupe headlights.

 

I've seen 2. The second was driven by the owner of an Acura dealership. I suspect the first one I saw was also driven by someone at the dealership as I saw it the first day it went on sale.

White > *

 

I agree wholeheartedly "Stealthy" being the key word...from a far its like the car is "nice" and "plain jane" as you said, but up close, I always get compliments on how sexy the car looks...so its 1st gen for me

 

Ive seen alot of the new TSX, maybe 5-6 here in CT and on trips to NYC..i appreciate the new look alot better in person, idk on the website the Acura photographers pick the worst angles for the RL, MDX and TSX

 

Same here. Based on looks alone, I'm staying with my 2006. Not at all interested in the 2G's.

 

i've seen a few on the road where i live in NY. actually, someone owns one in the same condo complex i live in. their TSX was parked right in front of mine one day. you can definately see the size increase. and yeah, the 09 looks a little more modern and 'fresh,' but i still like the 1st gen styling.

i should've taken some pics that day. haha.

 

I've seen a few around. There's a dealer a couple miles from my office (Baierl Acura). There is absolutely no missing that front grill when they're coming towards you. It sticks out from hundreds of feet away. I dislike it even more in person than I did in the pictures, which is to say, I very strongly dislike it.

If it weren't for that grill though, it'd blend right in with Altimas, Camarys and Imprezas, so I guess you can say it accomplishes something. It just looks like every other entry luxury sedan now. At least the first gen stood out, if only for its refined subtlety. I doubt I'll be in the market for a new car before the next version is out but even if that were to change, I wouldn't even consider the second gen TSX purely because of the styling. It's a shame really.

 

My next car would probably be another brand as well. Looking at the 09 TL, i lost all my hopes. Hopefully when better pictures come out can change my mind.

 

I feel the same way about the '09s. Something about the 1st gens is just

The second gen looks extremely mainstream IMO. The first gen...idk. It just looks....






.....awesome.

 

I'm waiting for the 2013-2014 model before I consider upgrading my '04 TSX to another Acura. I simply do not like the current design direction of any model, inside or out. Heck, maybe in 2014 I'll even be up to 100k miles on the odometer!

I don't think the second gen is horrific looking, just not my taste. What really strikes me was how generic looking it is - kind of a mish-mash of several other styles, makes/models. One of the things attracting me to the 1st gen was it's cleaner, more subtle overall styling that I knew immediately would age well (this was another reason in a long list I didn't get the '04 TL) because I knew I'd have it a long time.

 

I like how the Lexus IS 250/350 look. I think Lexus had the right idea. If my TSX were totaled and I had to buy something new for the same money I'd consider other Japanese brands who kept their luxury sports sedans small the way they should be. I mostly dislike the appearance of the 2G because it looks big and imposing, not small and stealthy. The 1G TSX still has that look of a car that's moving when standing still despite its size.

I came from an Integra and didn't know I'd miss the size until it was gone. I saw one on the freeway tonight and gazed at it longingly. When people say the IS 250 has a back seat for paraplegics I think to myself: there's a car that made the right comprimises.

 

I would only buy the 2nd gen if it had an SH-AWD option

 

Agreed! But the car is so ugly compared to the 1st Gen that I would have to do something to it to change its looks. I saw a white one the other day and I thought it was a Camry( I hate Camrys ). First the grill is just........ The wheels are not wide or tall enough which are swallowed by the bulging pick-up truck fenders. The lights are just crazy looking. I guess Acura figured the TSX is their best seller so lets make it look like a mixture of the latest Japanese cars and make it bigger so it can drop TL/RL sales. I do like that they improved the manual transmission gear ratios. Its just this big new car with no real power! I like the 1st gen TSX as this clean looking, sleek , sporty sedan that had a unique design.

Simply put to make a long story short, the new TSX is doing way too much.