TSXmeister

Naah!! me and my eldest son went to the auto expo @ SLC this morning and went straight to the Acura showcase compared the TSX and TL.....the day before my son told me he kinda like the TL than TSX. So this morning we sat and inspected both cars........after looking at both he told me that the TSX was a much better looking car and overall styling was much better which I agree, instrumentation, front and side exterior looks better to me IMO. The TL's rear seat doesn't fold down and the side mirrors looks pretty ugly - shape wise (its like upside down and doesn't have that light strip like the TSX have). I feel that overall the size of the TSX feels right for my wife and me and has that sporty look, so I'm sold on the TSX.....ooopppss halfway there still have to do a test drive that will come in month or two. I will post my comments to the TL forum as well.

Cheers!!

Beoshingus

I like the NSX better than the TL or TSX.

Black_6spd

This story reminded me of when my wife and I couldn't decide if we were going to get the TL or TSX -- they were neck-and-neck. We decided to let our son who was 14 months old at the time make the final decision.

We placed both Acura brochures on the floor and let him pick. Whichever he gets, we buy. Right when he started crawling for the TL brochure, I snatched it away and replaced it with the TSX one.

That was the end of that decision....

cp3117

From a reliability-fit and finish standpoint, I would look in the "problem & fixes" area of both. 13pgs for the TL compared to 2pgs for the TSX. That says alot right there.

greendestiny

TL = Made in USA

TSX = Made in Japan

would you buy a car that was Made in China?

does that answer your question?

GIBSON6594

Wait, what?

bz268

TSX 'casue the back seat in the TL cannot be folded down.

bradykp

there's way more TLs on the road than TSXs....just to be fair. i don;t know if it's 6x the amoutn but it might explain somewhat

bradykp

i'm confused.

TSXmeister

Me too I'm lost on this one

TSXmeister

I see a lot of TLs driven around here too, very few TSX I see on the road. One thing I haven't seen anybody yet around my neighborhood that owns or has a TSX in their garage yet....hopefully I'll be the first!!

sccpu3d

I was broken over the TL/TSX issue as well. I think the TL is overall better car(when against a TSX), TSX is a better value. My chart for TL/TSX:

TL
-More power
-Larger
-Bit more features (ELS?)
-(very subjective, but) More beautiful front area /w the whole Acura engraving + the back looks better

TSX
-Less power, but comparable
-Smaller, but not too small
-Maybe better nav system (as i've heard)
-Better MPG
-Balanced
-Basically a TL /w less power and a few less features

The last point is what really sold me on the TSX. I didn't think 50 horsepower was going to be worth the extra 5 grand. With the extra 5k, you can easily get a bodykit, or when a turbo comes out *pray* you can buy a kit and spend those 5k's on that.
However..............
I'll be the first to say, if you have the money, get a TL, otherwise if these people in this forum makes u decide for a TSX, go for it. I for one think the TL is better, but its all about feel. If you like lower 0-60 times(like me), go for the TL's V6, otherwise, the I4 of the TSX is great and i daresay the best I4 i've ever driven. BTW Made in Japan was a selling point for me as well. =) Acuras are all around good cars to begin with, so as long as your in the Acura family, its all good ^_^


Anyway whats the issue with the folding backseats? does everyone like carry oversize stuff everyday or sleep in the back or something? I don't really care for the folding seats haha if i want to lay down, i just lay the seat down, then push the memory button and everything comes back up. Simple as that =)

bradykp

one word: skis

Tintin

The TL has space for the skis.

In the middle of the back seats (where the arm rest goes) can be open for such things as skis to go through.

bradykp

yeah, but i hate when my skis bang against the other set of skis. the back seats folding down is MONEY!!!!!!!! every car needs this. and how difficult is it really?

ninjamyst

I am surprised people actually think the TSX has a better center console. It's soooo boring and bland. Even the Accord's center console looks better. The TL's center console is sooo much more luxurious and sweet. The aluminum trims on the side look tight and goes well with the rest of the car. The TSX center is like every other car on the market...lack of creativity and elegance. It's just...normal (which I guess isn't a bad thing).

psteng19

Yeah, the TSX feels like pleather or vinyl.
The TL, while thin, feels much softer. Time will tell how well the TSX leather ages.

psteng19

It's important to some and not to others.
You also get a stiffer chassis on cars without fold down rear seats, which would be a plus for me.

TSXmeister

Yep definitely the fold down rear seats is a plus for me because me and the wife are skiers. Live here in the state "Where the Greatest Snow on Earth" is!!

lilballa

I would deffinitly choose a TL over a TSX...but since there a bit more, i was pushed towards getting the 06 TSX which is still very nice. The TL has more over which i was looking for, ad a but more roomier for long trips, bit it all depends what your looking for

Tintin

I can get a used TL, 2004 with only 15,000km navi, white (colour of choice), for 29k!!!! (cad) (+ i pay only 1 tax vs 2 tax for brand new TSX)
or i can get a brand new tsx for 39k (cad)

Which would you chose?

afici0nad0

^

not a bad price for a 04 tl...

that would be a tough one. go with your gut feeling...

Tintin

i prefer the TSX over the TL, but i think everyone who iknow would say the TL, duh!

...ahh, choices!

drunkenbuda

TL!!!! I don't want to see anymore TSX on the road. HAhahaha.

TSXmeister

I contacted the dealership (Jody Wilkinson @ SLC) and have an appointment to do a test drive both models - TL and TSX. So after looking and inspecting the car on my initial visit, the next phase will be the test drive this coming Friday. The test drive may be the final factor that may sway me to decide which car I would purchase. Initially I was leaning toward the TSX but after doing a lot of reading on the feedbacks you guys/gals provided here as well as reviews on Edmunds and MSN auto but now its dead even. I'm planning to purchase on the last week of March so wish me luck and I will surely provide my feedback after test drive....looking forward to it.

NJTSXMan

If I had a choice between the TL and TSX, I would be torn. People automatically pick the TL because of the v6 and its bigger size. I don't know what all the fuss is about having a big car..especially for the younger guys with no kids. But with all the TSX bashing done on the TL boards, I would like to make a few comments..

I had a few TL loaners in the past year, and why is it that I don't feel the dramatic power difference between the two. This actually made me feel happier, because I really wanted the TL before I got my TSX. However, I could not afford it. I didn't even bother test driving the TL at the time. But ever since I got my TSX, all I heard was how the TSX is so damn slow and the TL is a freaking beast with power. (Maybe it is because of all the mods I have on my car) But I sware when I drove the TL loaners, I kept saying to myself "this is it?". Another thing.. The drive in the TL felt boring as hell to me, and I don't feel any confidence on the road due to its floaty feeling. I don't car how much power it has if the car is not fun to drive. My opinion would probably change if I drove the A-SPEC TL.

My car feels ultra sporty compared to the TL. I am freaking sick of all the TSX bashing already! Both cars are great, so get the car that suits you most. TSX better suits me at least for now. I can't wait for the next gen TSX to come out so it can finally get respect from those cocky TL owners.

DLTSX6MT

This is kind of funny, because there's almost the exact same thread going on over in the TL forum, with a similar subject name. So when I clicked on the link, I thought I'd be taken there, but wound up here instead.

Anyways, I thought I'd cut and paste what I'd posted over there:

I generally agree with all that's been said so far. I actually started my car shopping aiming to get a TL. Both are fine cars, with somewhat different purposes. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of both cars, but I think it's more fair to present both sides without showing obvious bias (at least not TOO much - most posts seem bent on going one way at the expense of the other), and since everyone is so bent on nitpicking these two cars anyways...

Sorry if my observations bring some folks down (to Earth, I'd say). Face it, no car is perfect, no matter how much you argue it's virtues and put down another's. And so, I will present what I thought to be the pros and cons of BOTH cars.
So, here's my additional

TL's front overhang looks a mile long. Especially in contrast to the truncated rear end. Kind of awkward and excessive IMO.
TSX looks smaller than it is, and many (especially here in the US) equate size to value and prestige.

TL is often mistaken for TSX, and vice versa, even by people who know Acuras.
TSX is sometimes mistaken for the previous generation Civic, especially from a distance.
(My dad, too, has commented that TSX looks like a Civic from the rear 3/4 view.)

TL exterior has no chrome trim and accents, and instead has faux matte metal plastic grill and garnishes. Both are IMHO. Especially in dark colors where the matte grille really stands out, exaggerated by TL's big snoz and grille, .
The situation is reversed inside, where TSX gets fake metal versus TL's real metal trim.

TSX's exterior is clean and fresh, but somewhat plain. The design of the rear end makes it look much smaller (a.k.a. "downmarket") than it really is.
TL, while still striking, is getting long in the tooth.

TSX should have gotten LED taillights for 06.
The lenses in front of TL's LEDs should be more transparent to show off those LEDs.

TSX's high mounted mirror blinkers are a big plus. I don't understand why TL's fender mounted side marker doesn't blink. From some positions and angles, a neighboring car cannot see the TL's ligns blinking - bad for two cars driving side by side with one in the other's blindspot.

TL's bizenons are sure nice. But no OEM fogs available for below the bumper (which I think looks a bit bloated to me, and could probaby use something to break up the two big gaping holes. (I know, TL's fogs are already integrated into the headlights.)

TL's exhaust tips get lost in the rear bumper - you have to be almost directly the car to see them and their slick trapezoidal shape - and once you do that, it becomes too obviously visible that the pipes behind them are just little round pipes.
TSX's large diameter and thick tubed tips look really nice, if only the rest of the butt looked as aggresive.

I love TL's big radio dials and buttons.
TSX's are wimpy.
Same goes for the NAV.

TL has more soft touch interior panels, a huge plus in my book.
TSX has no adjustable vents for the rear passengers, a big minus.

The only cars I have stalled in the last 20 years were an Accord V6 6MT and two TL 6MTs that I had been test driving. I even managed to miss a 1-2 shift in one of the TLs getting onto the highway. Then the salesman stalled it after we got back to the dealership. TSX MT is much slicker. A slick MT is practically a clincher in my book.

Of course, the TL engine easily stomps over the TSX's. But is it as enjoyable?
Depends if you like to watch F1 on twistie road courses, or NASCAR drive around in circles for hours on end.
To me, I prefer the former.
TSX's more compact exterior and tighter handling let me blast through the twisties in the woods better than I could in a TL (as does the less cumbersome 6MT). The engine feels more free, as does the tranny.
TL would have been a better cruiser, but that's what we have an Odyssey Touring for.

Of course, ideally I'd want superb power AND superb handling and tossability. But neither car offers both in equal amounts. I happen to prefer the latter. If the TSX's engine weren't as flexible as it is, and coupled to such a great gearbox, then it wouldn't have stood a chance in my book. But because it is...the scaled tipped that way.

For me, personally, the choice came down to the driving experience (versus stoplight burnouts and lazy cruising), more than price or features or perceptions. I found the TSX to be more entertaining, as it is better suited for the more involving type of driving that I enjoy. If it were about stomping on the gas from traffic lights (or worse yet, putting it into "drive" and stomping on the gas - which any redneck with a mullet and an '80's Camaro can do), then the TSX would surely not have been for me.

Not to belittle the TL in any way...If there were no TSX on the market, I quite likely would already have a TL in my driveway (versus waiting 3 months for my MT NAV TSX to come from Japan).

LuvMyTSX

I honestly see no resemblance between the TSX and the Civic. They look totally different to me, from any angle. I don't understand how someone can mistake one for the other. Now the TSX and TL, from the front, yes....but defintely not a Civic.

calgary2800

Go inbetween a Accord V6 6 speed

garywayne

I'm just lucky but my wife bought a TL about 7 weeks ago and I just bought my TSX 2 weeks ago. Its a hard call. I love the looks of the TL. It is very nice on the inside and of course it has more power. I goth the TSX for me because I like the size of it better and it feels a little lighter on its feet. Can't go wrong with either.

82ben

just have 2 ??
does an 06 TSX 6MT have a chance to keep up with a bone stock 06 H Accord V6 6MT 0-60 and 1/4 IF the tsx had following mods:

Hondata reflash ECU
Fugita C A Intake
Comptech header
R T Hi-flow cat
Comptech cat bak exhaust
NGK Iridium IX sparks

paranode

Personally, if I was going to step up to the TL price range I'd probably be looking at other cars. I choose the TSX based on the value for the price. I don't find the TL to be enough of a boost to warrant the jump in price so I'd be looking for other luxury brands in the 30s.

mltk53

looks-wise, i would take tsx but besdies that, tl hands down, no matter how much i like the tsx, i would get the tl because, more power, bigger engine, better lookin front consol, roomier, and juss striaght out better

waTSX

Well, despite your spelling, you got the "straight out" part right, as in straight line speed. Thankfully, there's much more to entertaining driving than that, and the TSX wins there.

Ah, to be 17 again and know it all...

82ben

once again Im sorry im off subject ,but just wondering if the TSX withe the above mods might ceep up with the stock Accord V6 6MT

psteng19

Agreed, the G35 (RWD/AWD) would definitely be in the garage over the TL if I were spending low-mid $30's.

IlliNorge

This is an excellent point. Dimension-wise the TSX is larger than my A4; however, especially from the back, it looks smaller (and narrower). I had to double check my figures on that one. And I agree that prestige is often equated to the size of the car, which is an utterly ridiculous quality about this country. If you choose the TL over the TSX (which I did not), do it for the roomy or power reasons, not so other people think you make more money or have a better pedigree.

waTSX

Someone else please get over to the TL board and defend the TSX's honor. That turd 03CoupeV6 is up to his old tricks. The thread is titled the same as this one.

Black_6spd

LOL. I went to add my .

Seriously, this whole TL vs. TSX is really beating a dead horse. If you're a driving enthusiast, the TSX really will reveal itself with its near 50/50 balance, high revving motor, and handling. If you can't tell the difference and really wanted a FWD muscle-car you can get an Altima 3.5 and get even more torque steer.

calgary2800

Altima SER- that only family sedan under 30k that screams " Get the @@@@ out of the way".

I still want one, that torque is killer.