Red@8

Have you sat in the new Maxima? I just had a chance to get a quick peak in one. To be honest in terms of exterior both (09) the tsx and the maxima have some good and mostly bad points, but that is subjective and an even split in my book. The interior, i dont like the tsx (again subjective) but the maxima is pretty nice and for me felt a bit nicer than the tsx. The maxima I saw had the dual sunroofs, rear seat controls, and contrast stitiching in the seats. All more "luxo" and "sporty" than the tsx. I have to be honest I was quite surprised.

I think what acura has done with this v6 tsx is give themselves more access to a demo they couldnt get before. The reason a lot of people on here are dissapointed (myself included) is becuase as enthusiasts (most of the people on here it seems) what the tsx (1st gen) gave us is now essentialy lost on the new model. While other manufacturers are providing "sportier" (rwd/awd, more hp, etc) options it is becoming harder to love "our car" in the new version. Most of the people that buy the new tsx (v6) or any tsx for that matter wont care about the torque steer, understeer, open diff, no stick etc. A good move by acura for the masses a bad move by acura for the enthusiasts.

bradykp

well red - yes, i have been in the new maxima, i happen to like it, but it's still not a luxurious, quality car to me like an Acura is.

as for the new v6 - I don't see why anyone who calls themselves an "enthusiast" ever bought a TSX. it's a 3,100lb vehicle with 205 horsepower, and front wheel drive. the OEM tires frankly sucked monkeyballs, and brakes that came with my 2006 were horrendous.

the area where the TSX won me over is practicality. My wife wanted an Accord because of reliability, the appealing design inside and out, and the cost. I had heard a lot of good things about the TSX, so I convinced her to take a look-see at it. What we saw was something that was marginally more expensive than the Accord, yet was slightly smaller and more nimble, with a few creature comforts and better quality features that gave it the entry level luxury feel.

does it have some pep? sure. the manual tranny is fun to drive, but it's still an underpowered, over-weighted vehicle.

whomever thinks acura was targeting driving enthusiasts that would buy a 3 series or a wrx or an evo - well, you're simply on crack.

the new TSX still offers value and quality over their competition, and it comes at the sacrifice of some features enthusiasts would want (rwd, awd, less torque-steer) - sounds like the same description the car has deserved since 2004.

it just has a bigger engine now, better brakes, more features and, thus, carries a higher price tag.

LuvMyTSX

Off the top of my head, Bluetooth and all the ways you can hook up music from your Ipod come to mind. I'm also interested to see if they add the updated nav that the TL got when the MMC rolls around. There really isn't much to upgrade from if you have an 06 or newer model, but for those with 04s, there's quite a difference. Oh and the V6 is also quite nice. I also just really like the styling of the 2G now.

TommySalami

I don't think anyone on here likes the size increase. It's a terrible trend that all car companies have. I, for one, love the relatively small size of the TSX, and my next car will be smaller.

And NO, I would not consider the new V6 TSX.

TommySalami

The little tech goodies are pretty nice, and from an 04, yes it is a pretty good upgrade. However, when you compare the price of a new one of these to the slightly used 335 or G that you could get, I don't think the TSX is competitive.

A difference of $2000 isn't that big. Get an 08 G37 with a couple thousand miles, and you could pay less than you would for a new TSX

Red@8

The maxima has more sport and luxo features for the same price as the tsx. I am not sure how that makes it not as lux!?!?!? The acura certainly does have a certain cache to it and the proven reliability.

I cant deny that the tsx is a heavy, underpowered car. The question i ask you is - compared to what? Within the category the is250 and the 323 were not much better. The tsx did fantastic as a fwd with great balance and little understeer as the performance numbers reflected it was a fair rival for the bimmer and the lex. Since it was not outmatched as a fwd no one (most enthusiasts) really cared. DOnt get me wrong i wish it was rwd but from a sales standpoint the fwd worked for them. The tires and the brakes are a cheap/easy fix and vastly improve the tsx in their respective categories (as an auto-x'er i know all to well).

Whomever thinks acura was targetting people cross shopping the wrx/sti and evo with the tsx is simply "on crack".

Initialy the tsx offered reliability superior to its rivals, luxo features almost on par and performance that matched all for a price that was less than the competition. That was the description the car earned in 2004. The new tsx introduces a bigger engine which creates more problems (we assume based on physics) than a simple brake upgrade solves. It has more features than before, but still less than the competetion (maxima in this case). Its price is now on par with the competition (maxima) and getting dangerously close to other cars that it is simply outmatched against (g, is350, a4, 3 etc). Not at all the TSX description it started with.

Again, I am not saying that this move by acura is bad. I think it will bring in more sales for the tsx. I also dont have a problem with charging more for getting more. What i do have a problem with is the direction acura went with the tsx and how for me the tsx went from category value leader to somewhere "in the middle" at best.

bradykp

cool. yeah, i mean, you've had your car 2 years longer than i've had mine. i plan on driving this thing for 200,000 miles probably, as it becomes my "second" car. so i don't envision getting another TSX, but you never know. I'm interested in taking one for a spin though. I always envisioned my next car as the TL because I figured I'd need bigger - but i don't want too much bigger. maybe the new TSX is for me. lol

bradykp

yeah, and since it's so easy to find cars for sale with a couple thousand miles, i'll have no problem. also. what if i got a TSX with a couple thousand miles - then the TSX is competitive again.

how can you compare a brand new car to one with the off-the-lot depreciation? if it takes that to make your car competitive, then that's pretty telling right there...

bradykp

i see your points, but I just refuse to comparison shop a TSX to a maxima. the maxima is ginormous compared to the TSX, and the quality of the luxuries and features in the TSX is simply superior. maybe the maxima has more features, but they are of lower quality when individually compared - in my opinion. the maxima is nice, but it's a different car. i don't envision many people going out and test driving a maxima and a tsx - two different targets.

as for the tsx - sure, i always thought it outmatched the is250 in performance, but the lexus never targeted performance hungry people....they were after people that wanted a sound proofed ride, the best leather interior, the nicest real wood accents, and all the other extreme luxury that comes with a lexus. the tsx offered you cheaper versions of those luxuries, which if you are ok with that, made it a superior value over the is250.

i think you'll find most people that went for the tsx were ok with the plastic wood, and the leather that isn't as nice with no ventilated seats, etc. the people who went with the is250 probably thought the tsx interior was "wannabe" luxury that just didn't quite cut it.

as for the bmw - well, i'm sorry, but our tsx doesn't compete with them on handling and driving experience. it just does not - not without some modding. but again, acura wasn't going after driving enthusiasts. they were going after value-conscious buyers. they're increasing their options, but still keeping it value - which is why they left the other technology/features like awd.

it's getting more expensive yes, but they're giving you more. to me, the value isn't really dropping, because you're getting more options with the price increases. if the price was going up but options were staying the same, then the value decreases.

the prices of the other cars are going up also. it's not like acura is the only brand raising prices in this class.

nycxtsx05

i think that acura is just getting really big headed because of their recent
"most resale value" award or whatever I really didnt like the 2nd gen tsx's on but it did kind of grow on me the past yr and den after that tho the new TL i personally think is quite ugly and tank looking although i did see that they put the sh-awd on the new tl?? ( i think ??? can someone verify that ? havent really been up to date on looking at new cars, recession im broke =( lol ) But yea back to the topic i Would def not pick up that v6 i was excited at first wen i saw the thread but den saw the pricing and that it didnt have m/t and ALSO as mentioned in the thread that its still 5 gears and not 6 to a/t drivers and yes i have an auto and keep banging my head on my table for it everyday since i bought my 05. I also i think i can safely say sorry 2nd gen owners but i really love the exterior stylin on the 1st gens dont get me wrong 2nd gen i think the inside is very sexy and elegant compared to the 1st gens more sport design but i still favor the 1st gens body and looks.
Besides that i saw that a member mentioned the new camaro ss yes lol im doing the same thing for some reason i really want that car i knew once transformers came out that it was gonna turn heads and cause alot of attention to it
Also, bradykp and red
i dont mean to but in or anything but i dont think you can quite compare the max to the tsx i would say if anything the altima v6 compared to tsx v6 ?? no ??
and yes also i agree with most members for that price for the new v6 tsx i would def look into infiniti or bimmer first

Red@8

Since the v6 tsx is in a price range it has never been before i am not sure what people would be cross shopping it with. Youre right - the maxima feels like a weird one to think about against the tsx but on paper they do stack up. With that said the G, is350, etc also feel like a weird cross-shop to the tsx. The "lower quality" features of the maxima is an interesting point. ALthough everything felt nice to me, i would have to agree by past experience that the acura would be a "better quality". On initial glance though, the few features i mentioned previously (dual roofs, rear seat controls, stitching) of the max certainly caught my eye and were very visually appealing.

I had an is350 before my tsx and cross shopped it with the 335i and the tl-s. The tls was the best bang for the buck (tsx), the 335 was the best driver (325) but was also the most expensive, the is350 had the nicest interior/most features and its performance was in the middle as was its price (is250). I got a smokin deal on the 350 so i went with that. Those cars were basically the same comparo as what we have been discussing. I completely agree with the demos you suggested for the cars. The 325 does have the best driving experience but is also the most expensive. The is250 has the nicest interior but is more money than the tsx. What the tsx lacked for in features it made up for in price. As you stated acura went after value and not driving experience. But at no point did the tsx ever feel outmatched or outclassed. I always knew my is350 was not as fun to drive as the 335 but i knew it was close, as in the same class (in terms of speed handling - i think you know what i mean). I think the first gen tsx is like that with the is250 and 325, its not equal to or better, but its in the same league.

I agree that acura is increasing the price and giving you more with the v6 tsx. But for the price point they are at they are very close (too close imo) to other cars where i feel the tsx is not in the same league. $38k is what i paid for my full load is350 out the door. A car that competes with the 335 g37 etc. I would be embarassed to even think about a fwd v6 tsx against those guys, not only in terms of features but also performance. SO its not in the same league. Since the price is so close now as well the value that acura usually banks on is now gone as well.


Edit: nyctsx05: I dont know what to compare to this v6 tsx. The max is much bigger (but just as ugly) as the tsx but its the same price. The altima v6 is cheaper and has less features. The max i think would be the choice out of those two, but as i mentioned i feel weird comparing the two to some extent since one is a "luxury car" and one isnt.

davidspalding

I think you nailed that right on target with high order of detonation ... for '04 and '05 owners, the 2GEN has got enough new amenities accurued from 1GEN.1 (2006) and 1GEN.2 (2007-2008) that it could be appealing. Not to mention the chance to re-decide on NAVI, which I also didn't get to save money, and now regret once in a while. (I still appreciate having the hardware buttons, some of which are lost with NAVI, on a nearly-daily basis. The need to get directions, or know where I am, or have a little more hi-fi information, doesn't occur to me very often.)

Oh, and the weather and traffic (IIRC?) on your 2GEN XM functionality are great sell points, but XM is starting to get really nasty with their billing and sales tactics. People being billed for periods that were supposed to be gratis, making you talk to 5 reps over 30 minutes just to cancel, asking for an updated credit card number even when the call is to cancel service, blah blah blah. Not hearsay, these are things that happened to coworkers and friends in the last few months. In 2009, I can't recommend XM Sirius to anyone until they get the merged company's balance sheet right side up and stop with the sales and support . Sorry for the rant....

LuvMyTSX

^ Yes, on a sidenote, I had issues when calling to cancel my XM service a couple years ago. I decided it wasn't worth it and I wasn't happy with the sound quality. There was nothing they could do or say to make me change my mind, but damn if they tried. I was ready to scream into the freaking phone. Those people don't give up easy, but all they did was alienate me even further with their tactics. And forget about getting your money back for the unused portion of your pre-paid time. I had almost a year left and didn't see a dime returned to me. Hate that company....

davidspalding

I think they do some shifty math in which they convert your subscription to a year pre-paid, to 3month incremental, then measure it, and so you end up spending the 1 year funds on 6 months of use.

Clearly, the way to fix these folks' wagon is to just change your CC number when the renewal comes due, spend 5 minutes telling them to cancel you, and if they refuse to, just say, "Then you're continued service is provided free of charge, since I have clearly and formally informed you of my intention to cancel my subscription." In fact, I may do that for a quick laugh and some free XM come October.... (IF I get the Samsung BD player with free Pandora music streaming....)

nj2pa2nc

Been there-done that. Just make sure you cancel your service before the renewal date.

dom

Never mind comparing the TSX to anything else? Do you actually feel like the $5,500 increase for the V6 compared to the I4 is justified?

Its not as though this is an all new state of the art V6. Same engine and tranny used in countless Honda's and Acura's. Nothing new here. $5,500 for a V6 and 18's is what I find unreasonable.

Mokos23

the only way i would get the V6 TSX is if it had the TL SH-AWD's 3.7L 305hp engine and AWD and price it the same $37-38K with tech.

5o9

^ + 6mt and I'm in at that price

1Louder

1) Agree with your 5.5K price increase for the V6....
2) And a V6 TSX and TL are different, how? (aside from handling characteristics and maybe a bit of room)
3) $38K puts you with a lot of tough competition where a TSX (who does most things well but nothing great) is going to disappear into the noise

Seriously for $38K if I wanted a V6 Acura I'd get a used RL. I just did a quick search in my area and found a couple 2008 RL's with < 20K miles for $35K. Why pay 3K more for a TSX???

Saeyon

for that price..... LAWL?

DiaBando

iTrader: (3)

Its just too fncking ugly. I will be looking into a FFR MKII kit–when my kids get out of college.