Hey guys, I'm in the market for a daily driver sedan, and have discovered the TSX (first started looking at a TL).

Did a little research and it seems like a decent little car. I even went as far as going for a test drive and although I only cruised around in it, it felt very comfortable, smooth and nice (manual tranny, no navi). Fit and finish seemed good and solid too and I liked the look of the interior.

Anyway, the salesman said I can get an '07 dark grey, manual tranny TSX for $26,500 before tax and license (no navigation, which I don't want/need). Is that a good deal?

Also, obviously this is a TSX forum so I already know everybody likes their car, but any reason why I should or should not pick a TSX over its competitors? Will I get bored of it in 3 years? Is the next redesign going to be a lot faster?

The only thing that I've noticed from reading reviews and specs is that it seems like the TSX is pretty slow and weak compared to a lot of its competitors. Although I'm obviously not looking for real performance in a daily driver sedan (I come from the higher end of the performance world ) I don't think I would like having a hard time passing mini vans from a red light =/ The only thing I plan on doing to the car is tint, a short throw shifter, and maybe some nicer rims/tires and slightly lowered.

Give me your HONEST experiences as a daily driver car.

Thanks

 

The comparison's with its competition are overstated, to say the least. The Audi A4 FrontTrack, the BMW 328, and the Lexus IS250 are barely, any quicker than the TSX and all cost thousands more.

As for whether you should get it or not, that really is your call. It is a fantastic car and should really be judged on its own merits. I recommend trying to convince your dealer to allow you to take an extended test drive (at 2-3 hours) where you take the car and drive some of your commute, run a few errands, and just generally live with it a bit. Then you can judge whether or not this is the car for you as a daily driver.

 

We don't know what your boredom quotient is. I do know that the TSX is not a dog if you know how to drive. You won't win stoplight contests with it, but once you get the engine spinning, it goes. I believe that the car's strongest performance point is handling. I have an '06 M/T with Navi. The shifting is typical Honda. Excellent! Great interior for the price. If your driving is spirited, you might want to do what I did in terms of upgrading the tires. I put on a set of Gram Lights wheels and Bridgestone Potenza 960 AS 225s. It made a big difference over the stock rubber.

 

That's what i'm figuring (about performance). Seems like every review I read says that it was still a blast to drive. The price of the car seems very appealing for what you get. Maybe because I'm used to american cars, but I REALLY enjoyed the interior and quality of the TSX. It looked very upscale, but simple at the same time. Looked better than BMW and Mercedes (In my opinion).

Good idea on the extended drive. I'll bring that up to the salesman.

I'm really digging the car, I just have that tiny bit of hesitation going to the next step of actually buying it.

 

i own a 06 milano red/ebony 6 spd w/nav tsx for 7 months with 17,000+ miles. It is very comfortable riding car with enough power. I would suggest you test drive and then decide. I would recommend it.

 

i have an '06 with AT and i really like the interior and all the standard features offered. also, the power is plenty good for me; it's definitely not disappointing.

 

This is my fifth car, and without a doubt the one I enjoy the most. Getting into it every day is a joy.

--W

 

I bought basically this same car in February, and you're getting about a $500 better deal, so the price is OK.

If you're a manual tranny driver like me, the TSX is hard to beat in terms of the overall package and value. MT's are getting scarce (although recently it hasn't been quite as bad). I literally bought the car for the transmission.

In daily driving, it does fine. If you're so inclined, you can granny shift at 3000 RPM or so (varies a little with gear, I think you can even do 3-4 at 2800 or so) and the car still pulls fine. Honda's aren't known for low-end torque, but the K24 in the TSX has a long stroke and has much more oomph at 2000 RPM than other Hondas. Sometimes I take right turns that aren't too sharp in 3rd gear without downshifting and find myself surprised that it stills pulls decently.

On the other hand, the engine note stays sweet all the way to the redline if you want to be more aggressive, and there's a surprise waiting for you at 6000 RPM (VTEC switchover to high cam ).

I cross-shopped the Audi A4, BMW 325, and VW GLI/GTI. All of these cars are faster when seriously pushed (and all but the 325 have turbo motors), but I still found the TSX more fun to drive.

 

I'm sorry, I've driven the new TL (non TypeS), Mazda 6, Legacy and IS250 after I purchased my TSX to see if I regret anything whatsoever, but I just absolutely loved getting back into my TSX.

As a daily driver, its just great getting into and getting out of, and although not very fast, it's fast enough for me (came from a WRX). I love it's handling and it's performance.



I plan on having my car 7+ years

 

tsx is very nice car for its price range. you'll have no regrets purchasing this car. but go with navi though

 

You should get one because those cars are build like a tank plus they are really safe. Check the thread called "BYE BYE TSX" my sister walked out of that accident without a single scrath...just my

 

The TSX's biggest strength is its balance. I've owned the car 3.5 years now and still look forward to driving it everytime I get behind the wheel. The biggest complaint I've read about this car is its perceived lack of perfomance. This hasn't been an issue for me (granted, I have done some mods). As far as I'm concerned, it does just fine in the performance department.

The TSX does so many things well that it can be hard to quantify those things on paper. Just make sure you get the MT to maximize the performance and driving experience. It's a great shifter and I wouldn't own the car any other way. For me, it's been a great car to own and drive.

Two for the TSX.

 

Same here. I thought about a BMW 328 coupe and a Lexus IS250 and the Infiniti G35. I think the Lexus and the Acura have the best interiors, with Infiniti close behind. I never really warmed up to BMW's interiors. The Acura may be the slowest of the bunch, but not by much. The Lexus is hard to find with a manual tranny (not even offered on the IS350) and in CA next to impossible to find if you want Navi, and Acura's tranny is smoother than the Lexus's, BMW's and Infiniti's. Every shift is snickety-snick, ultra smooth, exactly how it should be. It really is a joy to shift.

I thought about a V-6 accord for the extra power with the same smooth shifter, but handling-wise it felt like a big boat vs. the TSX. The TSX carves up roads like butter. Plus the luxurious amenities at a rock bottom price when compared to the competition (bluetooth, voice activated navi, etc...)

Man I love the car. I'm definitely biased, so take my opinion for what it is. an opinion. Have fun choosing your next car!

 

I bought an 06 TSX for my wife, but I love stealing it from her. Overall, I have no regrets, but there a a couple of small irritations.

#1 irritation: When shutting driver door somewhat firmly, there's a hollow, tinny, cheap sound.

#2 irritation: Locks are very unfriendly. You can't just pull on the door handle when locks are locked and it's time to get out. You have to search for the button to open the door.

#3 irritation: Liscense plate & holder flop around when closing trunk. Once again, a kind of cheap sound.

#4 irritation: Kids have gotten big (6+ feet). Can't go very far distances with them in the back...

As you can tell, these are minor annoyances, but you wanted an honest opinion..... For a "luxury" car, I would have thought Honda would have engineered all but #4 out......

 

BMW 328, Lexus IS250, G35 will all cost you more gas then the TSX. they are all heavier and have bigger engine. TSX is the perfect balance for me, even with my 5AT. i was coming from a 1.8L toyota corolla. with my 06 TSX, i get the okay gas mileage i want and also the power i want when i need it. not to mention the happy revving 7100rpm redline

 

Make sure you test drive all the competition as well.

 

Nice review. I agree with WAtsx.

The biggest reason to get it is that for me, you get all the features standard, compared to the bmw 3 series, when you add all the bells and whistles, it goes way past the expected price range.

 

The following is pure personal honest opinion:
First of all, if you are looking for best value, TSX is definitely your pick. However, if you are willing to spend a couple thousands more, then of course there's always the IS250, BMW 3 series and the Audi A4. Personally, I think the TSX is a very well built and reliable car with best value and those are the simple reasons why I bought mine. However, if you'd compare it to the closest 3 competitors, here's my personal opinion.

Lexus IS250 - The IS250 maybe a tad smaller and just about the same horsepower, it does give you a V6 engine. The finishing and quality of the materials and the attention to details on the IS250 are slightly better. Like the TSX, the IS250 is not about performance and it's more towards luxury. If I had the extra cash, I would pick IS250 over TSX.
BMW 323/328 - Two things about the BMWs that I love about. Performance and exterior appearance. I'd have to say the thing is damn sexy and drives like you're running with bare feet. And of course...it's european. However, maintenence (esp. electrical) and higher cost to repair will suck up more of your money and time in the long run.
Audi A4 - Audi is very balanced overall. It doesn't really have anything special that attracts me, but on the other hand, nothing that I'd go against. However, if you're looking to mod a car, the A4 2.0T is your best bet. I previously drove a 1.8T and if you just chip the 2.0 turbo, you're likely going to go up against cars like Subaru WRX or equal type of performance cars. Now onto why I gave up my 1.8T is because of maintenence. After 4 years of ownership, the car was in the shop more than on the road with me. I spent thousands of dollars fixing OEM parts and it just seemed endless to me.

Money is a big issue to most when it comes to purchasing a car. However, if that's not your issue, I'd look at the Lexus IS250 a bit closer (hope you're not too tall for the car?). There's always going to be pros and cons for each car, but each of these competitors and the TSX have their strengths to be really high in sales volume. Personally, I think the IS250, being a Japanese car, represents the closest comparison with the TSX in terms of quality and refinement of a luxury sedan.

Whatever you choose, just make sure it's a car that you won't regret for the next few years. Good luck!

 

1. Only when the window's not up. Bank vault otherwise.
2.Search? Oh please! Isn't this the case when the doors are locked on any car, or did I miss something?
3.Easily fixed with a couple of rubber bits. Not part of the car anyway.
4. Buy an MDX or Surburban.

 

I am going to have to disagree with this one. I had a 2000 Golf before the TSX and I constantly am pulling at a locked door. It was such a convenience to have the doors unlock by pulling on the handle.

Even the back doors could be unlocked with the handle, except you had to pull them twice.

I assume the Golf was set up this way because its doors automatically locked right before 10 mph.

Nonetheless, I purchased the car and the minor annoyance of the door lock is far outweighed by the drive and toys.

Back to the OP:

I love my TSX because it is comfortable driving aggressively and conservatively, it has a big trunk for a small car, the seats are comfortable and well bolstered, and there are many creature comforts that make me very happy (bluetooth, the led that illuminates my shift knob in a soft blue light, the windows roll down from the remote).

I don't like that the CD changer doesn't play MP3s, the sunroof and windows (except the driver's) don't operate with one touch, the stereo doesn't play like a 360 watt premium stereo, and I, too, take notice of how the rear license plate rattles away on my entry-level luxury car when I shut the trunk.

I got mine for 26,6XX, CGP w/ ebony 6MT before TTL.

Good luck.

 

I've been in other cars that behaved this way (Ford, for example) and I think it's worst idea ever. Locked means locked - I don't want, for example, something to get caught on the handle (say when the passenger is reaching to the back seat to get something out of the cooler on a long trip) and them somehow hooking the handle pull. I know, it's unlikely with the pulls on this car, but I still think pull-to-unlock is an absolutely terrible idea.

--W

 

If the locks are locked, I want it to stay that way. I don't want a kid in the passenger seat pulling at the door handle, flying the door open.

 

yes the rear seat room is kind of small. i still don't get sometimes that this an Accord in Europe and Japan. Maybe coming from both an 88 and 99 US Accord, I found, especially the 99 Accord spacious in the rear. Are the European and Japanese kids/teens really that much shorter and thinner than the US kids/teens that they made the rear not as spacious as the US Accord?

 

like what waTsx said, TSX is built with total balance. 04/05 models lacked performance but its been improved slightly with 06 and up models. i suggest lexus is250 only if you prefer brand image and exterior/interior design. performance wise is250 feels very sluggish even though they are 6cyl. also TSX is far more stable during high speed cornering

 

I came from a Jetta and miss the pull/open also, but I've found in the TSX that there is no need to "search" for the button. The locks also work like old-fashioned non-automatic ones. Just reach over and pull up the lock itself -- you couldn't do this in the VW.

 

The IS 250 and 3-series were in my range to consider. While they had some strengths the TSX did not, they quite certainly didn't have $4-6K more "strengths". To me, the TSX is a luxury-sedan sweet spot. Its very reasonably priced, you get good performance, fun to drive, great ride (I spend 2 hrs a day in mine), most conveniences anyone would want, and even good mileage if you want it. Plus, it's an Acura so you have some assurance of long life and solid reliability. I absolutely love mine and plan to own it until it disolves out from underneath me.

My two nit-picks are the door locks (see previous), and the stereo. However, I'm replacing the speakers so that's easily fixed for $2-500.

 

I mean if you have the money go get IS350 or 335I

But for the price TSX is a nice loaded Car