I never really realized this until talking to my cousin, but why is this car so heavy? His fiance has 2001 vr6 vw AT, and it actually weighs about as much (3184) as our cars despite the fact of having a bigger engine and more features? The size of it is not very far off from ours unless ten inches is THAT much of a factor. But then again, features, bigger engine, AND automatic. What gives?

 

its not....last time i weight my car it was at 3050

 

most place report TSX being somewhere 3150-3260 lb, depend on 5AT or 6MT. TSX was comparable to the V6 2004 Honda Accord at the time. likely due to beef up body and more insulation. TSX also has a 17' wheel, if standard is a 15' and buyer got the option wheel then the weight will be different again.

 

What's a 2001 vr6 vw AT? Ten inches is a huge factor either way (don't know if you mean 10 inches longer or 10 inches shorter). Actually, the 1st gen TSX is pretty svelte considering it's size. Most other cars of the same or similar size weighed more then, and even more now. My 05 WRX had almost the exact same curb weight. It did have all wheel drive, and I'll give Subaru credit for being very weight conscious with the mechanicals, but it was no where near as well equipped as the TSX (no sunroof and cloth seats for instance). Up until the last few years, Honda was always very weight conscious with their cars. I'll assume that even they couldn't fight off the fat caused by federally mandated crap born from the nanny state the has enveloped the newer cars.

 

Sorry lol. It's an automatic 2001 Jetta with the vr6 engine and it's 10 inches shorter. I know that it's not a very heavy car in general (tsx), but after looking into some other cars with configurations that would normally make them heavier than our car surprisingly aren't. The 2003 maxima se (which i was looking at before landing the tsx) with it's 3.5 v6 is around the same weight with a few more features. The 04 on the other hand is 100 pounds heavier but of course that's no surprise... I love my tsx, and I do know despite the similar weight it will spin circles around the mentioned competition in the handling department I was just expecting it to be at more of a weight advantage especially with the i4.

 

What did you have to do to achieve this? I'm pretty sure that much of a shave warrants some currency dropped ... or some seats stripped lol

 

Got it. You're right about the Maxima, and as luck would have it, you seized on Nissan for a comparison. Nissan has also always been weight conscious (and evidently still is since the new (013) Altima is supposedly 100-150 pounds lighter than the car it replaces). Also, since the VR6 is not a conventional V-6, it too is I'm sure lighter than most, if not all, other V-6's out there.

 

kudo to Subaru for the weight. i believe most subie are on hybrid frame body, at the time til 2006 or 2007 utilitize aluminum hood and roof to reduce weight. Honda did not use aluminum on the hood later, and definitely not on the 1st G TSX. TSX, however, have alloy suspension components for weight saving.
i like to know how to achieve 3050lb on the TSX.

 

J_Phil I have a 3G TL and it weight 36xx lbs and I am right around the upper 29xx lbs....

since your car is around 32xxlbs, if you just strip the trunk and the rear seats and remove the spare, you should be able to remove 200-300 lbs off the car

 

The more I hear about other cars, the more confused I get about Acura/Honda. They under power the tsx while giving it good handling. But rather than going all the way, they stop short of an lsd; instead they give it to the tl. Then, as pointed out by you guys, did not go to any incredible lengths to try and keep the car lighter despite being powered by a 4 cylinder(however efficient it may be). I do know the tsx is not meant to be a monster (why not?), but couldn't it have been so much more without having to put much of a higher price tag on it?

 

Keep in mind the safety ratings, Honda is obsessed with getting 5 stars on all of its cars.

 

The TSX had a market niche all to itself when it was introduced, and it pretty much stayed that way for a number of years. When I bought the 05 for my wife, there we no other cars that even came close to it's equipment level, mileage, price, and of course Honda reliability. We drove Audi cars for years (after mine/our first round with Honda) and though they're a different driving experience, there was no way we were going to stick with them considering the drastic increase in the number of miles we'd be doing. They were warranty cars then, plus we were moving away from a local Audi dealer. The TSX is a great performer, particularly if you spend some time learning how to extract maximum performance from the car. When we looked again in 07, we still couldn't find anything that could match the combination of attributes that the 1st gen TSX exhibits. So we bought another one. Even now, I have to shake my head when I read here that some continue to include the TSX in the market that contains the 3 series BMW, the A4, the C Benz, and the S60 Volvo (for instance). The TSX was never intended to compete with these cars, and since you'd need to push any of them well into the mid $40K's to match the TSX's level of equipment ($550 for heated seats in a 328i? Excuse me?), it speaks volumes about how Honda made it "so much more" to begin with.

 

Interesting topic, which I have seen brought up on other forums.

I think the top-notch structure and safety features, (as Ken mentioned), as well as things like driver and passenger power & heated seats, (which add 30 pounds each), are part of the equation.

Speaking of features, I just had a question for J Phil, the O.P...you mentioned that you felt the Jetta had more features than the TSX? Really? (I can't imagine that is true, especially after the 2006 refresh.)

 

My apologies for the jetta as I haven't really researched it extensively; I'm taking my cousin's word for it as his fiance owns one. How this whole argument came about was me talking to him one day, and he couldn't help but notice how "heavy" my car was in comparison to said vr6 jetta, the maxima(s) (which he was rooting for me to get), and just for kicks his bmw . The point being that our car carrying the 2.4 4cyl AND being front wheel drive even with its features should wiegh much less. The jetta was brought as it was the most readily available for comparison with similar features and its vr6 and automatic gearbox which should have it at a disadvantage. The maxima is the same story only with an even bigger engine and this time a manual. Now in the case of his bimmer(2001 330ci), it is not even 100 pounds lighter despite being rwd and having a 3.0 straight 6. It does lack climate control and heated seats, however the seats are still powered. Heating pads cant weigh THAT much by themselves can they? The only explanation between our wonderful minds (lol) would be the weight of the suspension systems/components (struts all around vs MacPherson fronts), the inclusion of HID, and just overall skimping out on good opportunities to use lighter weight materials and such for the sake of keeping costs low. He's more in favor of the TL by the way lol.

 

Interesting. Yes, the TSX does weigh a bit more than its competitors of the era.

Though the Jetta was a nice car, the dialogue that your cousin had regarding equipment levels is not correct. At the time, the TSX had more features than the Jetta, and even more features than most entry level luxury cars from Lexus, BMW, Volvo, etc. In 2006, a whole slew of new features were added, some of which could not be had on a 2006 BMW 3 series at any price.

Beyond the technology, the safety equipment and crash-protection structure no doubt add some weight, too. I've seen other discussions where posters who want to lighten their cars are discussing removing sound deadening material from the trunk or even taking out the back seats! (Some people will take drastic measures.)

As for the TL, your cousin would be getting a better power to weight ratio with the big V6...but it is a good deal heavier and much of that added weight is up front over the drive wheels...most people feel it does not handle as well as the TSX.

 

Most ppl who buy acura's don't even know what a LSD is, let alone what it does. They would not want to pay for it. I dunno why the tl even has it, besides being more upmarket. They would make more money and sell more cars without it since the msrp would drop like 2 grand. The tsx is also underpowered because people who buy it care about fuel mileage, luxury, and the tech. They don't buy it as a track/sport car. They are for hauling people from point A to point B.

 

I think you're way off base with dismissing the knowledge of Acura buyers in regards to a performance feature like a limited slip differential (particularly in a FWD drive car). My experience as a member here for over 5 years would be contrary to that. But you're right, I wouldn't want to pay for it. Honda had to walk a thin line I'm sure (as all manufacturers do when configuring a new car) when they conceived the TSX. They had to decide on equipment levels and performance goals to attract the market they were aiming for. As I've stated above, there was virtually no other car that included the features, performance (and that includes mileage), at the price point that the TSX was at 7 years ago. This car was a major home run for Honda, and it's unfortunate they couldn't repeat with the second gen.

 

Acura couldn't have done much else to improve the TSX. It would be crazy to include an LSD on such a low-torque car, especially on an entry model. I wouldn't pay extra for it, and don't want the extra weight. The car is fairly light and incredibly nimble for such a feature-laden ride. I could do without the power seats since I find it annoying to wait so long for the motors to adjust the seats, but I can see how people could want the feature if they frequently switch drivers.

I wouldn't give up anything else, and I wouldn't ask for anything else except perhaps a little more noise reduction. If the 6 speed had a taller top gear, I would consider it perfect.