cman321

I think the Acura TSX is a great car and a hell of a deal. The only problem is that I don't value all the stuff that is included with the car.

My perfect car would be

TSX: No sunroof, cloth seats, No HID, no power seats for about $22-23k retail.

Is there any talk in bringing over lower optioned Eureopeon Honda accords.

jcg878

ain't gonna happen... sorry

jcg878

I'd turn my eyes to the Mazda6 if I was you - it's a great car

STL

Are you serious? LOL It sure wouldn't be an Acura then!! I agree with jcg878, it will NEVER happen.

It sounds like you want a Mazda 3.

Saintor

It could definitely be less expensive. I don't like leather. I could live with a 162HP engine. With 16" tires. Non-xenon. Priced like an Accord EX-L, it would be an even easier choice.

Nicodemus

Um... why not just buy an Accord then?

blackjackman

or a Civic

fabpaul

You just described the base RSX.

xizor

I would not have bought this car if it came in those models. I hate seeing cars that range from extreme poverty base models to ultra rich high end ones. Kills the body styling to see a million out there. Great reason NOT to get an accord.

zircon

get a civic SiR or whatever it is called. It is a rocket and about 8K cheaper. I think it is a hatchback.

cman321

People, the responses that i am getting like "why not just buy a civic" show me that people don't understand what makes a premium car (or at least what i think is important).

Things like solidity, interior materials, nice exterior design, sound insulation, smoothness and refinement, great engine and stick, great handling/ride balance don't come in cars like a honda civic or RSX.

Just b/c i add some electronic do dads to a honda civic (like navigation, 20 airbags, xenons, bluetooth, etc) would not make it drive like a BMW 325i.

Europeans laugh at the way cars are fully optioned here. Sunroofs are on about 10% of premium cars in Europe.

Example a sunroof option usually runs about 1k. Navigation = 2k. Why would i want to increase the cost of 15% on a 25k car for items that would be useless to me.

dom

Its a rocket


Strecthing things I think.

ClutchPerformer

So you want a "premium" car without premium features?

I think the base RSX has all the qualities you listed. The Type-S is even better.

cman321

i drove the RSX. didn't compare in refinement. Loud, buzzier engine, stick wasn't as good, feel light and not as substantial. More road and wind noise. Interior materials and design not in the same ballpark.

ClutchPerformer

OK, I understand what you're saying but none of the stuff you think the RSX is lacking comes free.

dom

You can get a BMW 3 series exactly like cman described in his first post. It would be nice to have the same options on the TSX as well. Unfortunately Acura figures MOST people want it loaded, so thats what they've done to make things less cmplicated.

rivvin

Buy a european car then. Don't they offer those stuff as options anyway? Seems like a better choice, but i'm assuming you don't want to pay that much right? But, you want quality and refinement just not with all the features of a luxury car and you don't want to pay anything over $25000???

STL

Based on the things you don't want (per your first post), I didn't think you cared much about refinement. Have you even looked at a Mazda 3? Like others have said, if you really want a stripped down luxury car then order a BMW 325.

cman321

i do love the BMW for the things i am looking for and i could order one exactly the way i like it. But it would still run about 30k.

If i could get properly optioned TSX is would be about 22k. That's still a hunk of change, plus the bimmer is getting a little old in the tooth.

I have driven the Mazda 3 and 6 and both are very good and can be optioned exactly the way i would like. But the TSX still has a higher quality feel (interior and solidity).

biker

While it is nice to have the a la carte car buying of Europe, it comes at a price - increased cost of the vehicle. The Acura line is at extreme end of spectrum when it comes to options (they have virtually none). Infiniti and Lexus are sort of in the middle and Europeans are at the other end.

STL

That is where you are wrong. Honda keeps their cost down precisely by not allowing much optioning (is that a real word?). If they allowed as much optioning as you want, the car you want wouldn't be as cheap as you think. If there was a big enough market for stripped down luxury cars then Honda/Acura would already offer one. Face it, if you want a refined high quality feel then you're going to have to pay for it.

cman321

i agree that providing endless option sheets like the eurepeons or americans really jacks up the price. However, Honda can still provide a no choice lower optioned model (kinda like it does for the accord DX, LX, EX).

It wouldn't be an acura b/c by defination, acuras are generally loaded. But a Honda TSX "LX" would be a good alternative.

STL

Like I said, if there was really the market for it they would. But the fact of the matter is that's far too niche to really make any money. The cost to add the additional model would probably be greater than the revenue Acura/Honda would gain from it (because in most cases it would just rob from other Acura/Honda models). Don't hold your breath...

biker

Kind of like the regular Euro Accord and the Type S.

ClutchPerformer

You can in theory. I don't think I've ever seen a current-gen 3-series without a sunroof. Granted, I live in the US where they don't sell the 318i anymore, but...

supraken

iTrader: (1)

I think I've seen C-class with CLOTH seats, (some guy was showing pics of how he accidentally moved his power seat into a can of spray paint and it exploded all over the interior.....), so I'm sure you can still get a refined car without the fancy gadgets, but it still wouldn't be cheap.

Like man ppl say tho, the MZ3 is a good choice if you want some refinement, a car that drives like a more expensive one, and good pricing.

If they had a stripped down TSX here, who would still buy the 4 cylinder Accord? They can opt to eliminate the 4 cylinder Accord altogether, and the line up would be like the one in Japan (4 cyl TSX + 6 cyl Accord in US, just like 4 cyl jdm Accord + 6 cyl Inspire), but everything would have to be Honda instead of Acura....

what I'm saying is, it's all about marketing and profit.... if you just look at the model line-up that's around the TSX/Accord, it becomes apparent why they don't offer the stripped down TSX.

jcg878

meh

I would only buy a loaded TSX anyway, so the issue is irrelevant to me. The TSX is selling much better than expected, so I don't see them lowering it to take away from potential Accord buyers.

I think the MZ3 is too small (had a rental for 3 weeks) but nice, but I'd really check out the 6 for the price point you mentioned.

Bananaairsoft

OK. Lets see......You want nice refinement, smooth engine and quieter ride than the RSX. Yes. The TSX is the right way to go. However, the majority of the TSX demographics also want sunroof. leather seats..blah blah blah, too. Acura is doing the right thing by offer lots of features as is. 1. to keep luxury status above Honda 2. offer great "value" to other manufactures by lowering cost of customization.

zircon

Even a 'junk' car cost 2-2.5x as much in Europe, so there is little wonder that they don't option them all out.

I think you're looking at the wrong brand. If a civic or RSX is too unrefined, and a TSX is too loaded, then I suggest you get a base or mid-line Passat.

SirWaWa

a stripped down TSX belongs with a honda badge
aka get an accord

Saintor

In Japan, an Accord 4WD is less expensive than our TSX. I' don't understand why people suggest RSX, Mazda3. Not the same roominess or level of confort. Silly.

As for the Accord USDM, I just don't like it.

1SICKLEX

Good points dude. Thing is things are a littlle different here. Most people don't know shit. Throw some leather and a sunroof in a car and they think it's a S 600.
Acura has done real well with the full option car as they were not very successful with the options like other car companies. I think it's a good move for them. But like you, many people have little or no need for many of the standard features.

iNteGraz92

uh, people understand that when you want a premium car, who the hell wants cloth?

laugh? i think they're just jealous their cars are overpriced

you can get a tsx w/o navi

iNteGraz92

the 4-cylinder accord is hondas bread and butter. if they sold a stripped down tsx priced like an accord, nobody would buy the accord. do you think honda would really do something that dumb?

biker

One can get an 4 cyl Accord LX for like 18K. There's still room below a striped 22K TSX, but you're right it's never gona happen.

DGH

I disagree. I would strongly consider cloth, to lower the ass-shock factor in the middle of winter or summer. Plus many other threads talking about premature cracking on the TSX's leather seats is causing me some concern.

Many people just don't like leather (for various reasons: feel/ethics/whatever). Shouldn't they be able to buy a premium car too?

NickR

Go check out VW. I had a Jetta before the TSX and loved it. No problems at all. Unlike a lot of people there were no rattles. You could get the 180hp 1.8T and have great pickup, good mileage and just about any option you could imagine.

Acura is a lux-brand and in America luxury means leather, moonroof, xenons, big wheels, etc... It means the same things in Europe, they just have more options to choose from. There's a reason why most taxis are MB's you can get them cheap if they are not loaded to the gills w/ options like they are in the US. Plus they're good solid cars. VW is the only EU brand to make a semi-lux-low end car in the US.

supraken

iTrader: (1)

Yes it could be less expensive than the TSX depending on the equipement, but you also get a 2.0L ~150hp engine with it, 15" wheels, and like all jdm Accord's, you get an interior that's the same as the US Accord

Premium models with 2.4L costs USD $20605-31147 in Japan, and the 2.0L 4WD models costs $USD 20988-29230. I think these prices includes the tax that's required in Japan, but if you consider import taxes for the states, it would still put the stripped down TSX in a strange price range.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

I think the problem here lies in the American auto buying market. The TSX is targeted towards buyers that want luxury. It's why you can't find a stripped down luxury car any dealer even though they offer it in theory. People in America want those options, while people in Europe or Japan may not car so much.

Acura's theory has always been to take the most commonly asked for set of options and combine it into an effective package that is fun to drive at a substantially lower cost. This will not change because this is their business model. And if you're thinking about something like an Integra Type-R, keep in mind that that car actually ended up being more expensive as opposed to less.

My solution...buy a car in Europe and have it shipped over and federalized in the States. Otherwise, start looking at other brands because you won't find what you're looking for under the Acura nameplate.

mhudson78660

You are right. Here on the standard features for the 325 is this.


2-way power glass moonroof with “one-touch” operation, sliding interior sunshade, and wind deflector