My RL went into the dealer for the brake "recall", to install my new rear sway bar, and for the 30mph whine thing... they have the car over the weekend, and for my loaner, they were about to give me a standard 4 cyl TSX...

when the service advisor asked me if I minded a TSX loaner, I said that was fine, but joked that if they had an NSX loaner, I'd take that... she then said, she had a a new TL or a TSX with a V6.. she suggested I try out the V6 TSX which I said SURE..

I've had quite a few standard TSX loaners...so I was anxious to try out the V6 version. I always felt the TSX was a neat little car but it just lacked power.

My overall impression is that the TSX wit a V6 is a great car and very fun to drive.

compared to my RL it is a LOT more responsive. if you hit the gas you go. it also accelerates quite a bit harder. I would not say the TSX is "fast".. i've driven faster cars...but it's quick enough that you would have a good time with it... it's enough faster than the RL that you clearly notice the extra power.

I was expecting a lot of torque steer, but there is hardly any. rather than torque steer, what I do notice is the car seems to rock forward/backward when you get on/off the gas.. as if the shocks are too soft and when you pucnh it the car lurches backward as the weight shifts..and then when you let off the weight shifts forward again...

at slower speeds the car handles really well.. even with crappy MXM4 ttires, the car seemed to corner really well.. but if you push it at higher speeds it understeers and you can tell the car is having a hard time maintaining traction..

if you take a turn in first gear and only give it 50% acceleration, the car handles great.. if you give it 100% the tires will squeel and it feels like it's unable to hold the pavement, it understeers a little.. i'm not on a track and I don't want to abuse a loaner car,, so I"m not trying to go nuts with it.... i'm only driving it moderately fast in a "spirited" manner... but I woudl say at lower speeds, it feels firmer and more sporty than a car like th eRL.. for sure.

at highert speeds, on corners, I honestly think my RL would kcik this things butt on a turn... my RL will just stick and rip trhough a turn b/c of SH-AWD.. whereas the TSX will not....

the ride/handling/cornering kind of reminds me of a 3G TL. i've also driven a TL-S... but I think the TSX has a lot LESS torque steer than that car.. not sure how they have dialed it out but they did.. i wonder if the car is limiting torque in lower gears /s peeds??

driving it around is a lot of fun, but I do miss the luxury items of the RL. the leather is quite a bit harder and crappier feeling. the car is also a lot noisier. not only do you hear the engine/intake more (which is kidn of nice) but you hear more road noise coming into the cabin. the RL is like a cocoon.. you feel like you are in a nice quiet bubble...whiel the TSX you hear more stuff from outside.

the doors feel like they are made of tin vs the vault like feel of hte RL doors.

the stereo is really nice.and my loaner is a standard one (no nav/tech package)... the stereo seems to have a lot more thump/bass than my RL's stereo..

i really like how in the newer Acuras you can just hit the paddle shifters and it changes gears.. no need to actually flip the shifter into manual / sport mode... they shoudl have made it like that back on our 05-08 RLs.. I think the 09+ RLs have this too.. great feature...

the rear seats are WAY smaller. i have three kids and one is in a car seat and one in a booster. in the back of the RL they all fit in their respective seats... one seat on each side with my 8 year old in the middle with no carseat/booster. in teh tSX they are jammed back in there and it's a PITA to get seatbelts buckled.. since it's a loaner, it was fun to use the car to go look at Christmas lights on Sat night... but for a daily driver with three kids, forget it.. too small. i mean.. i know it's smaller than an RL.. I expected it to be..they are in a different class... but you really notice it when you put kids back there...

the one i have is white pearl with black leather. it looks really nice. with tint and a lowering job it would be gorgeious.

i also noticed teh suspension was kind of flaoty.. in a way i do NOT notice in my RL. my RL is soft and luxurious..but it feels more controlled. when I got going faster on uneven pavement. the TSX seemed to float.. creating an unstable feeling.. at lower speeds it's fun to race around..but if you were going "fast".. on bad pavement.. it almost felt like you coudl lose control..like it flaoted so much the wheels felt like they were not getting enough contactg with the ground to stay planted... and it's not like i was driving crazy or anything.. just spritted but on a section of road that was b umpy...

i think the TSX woudl be MUCH better with aftermarket sway bars, and suspension... coilovers or shocks/springs and some strut tower bars. stiffen this car up... and it would handle awesome.. despite being FWD... it's not going to be a kick a$$ track car b/c it's FWD..but wiht amodest investment in suspension parts you coudl make it a real blast to take corners FAST in.. bone stock.. it's NOT a car I woudl want to really push in a turn...

driving this car and seeing how fun it is... and also knowing how GOOD SH-AWD is.. made me think if they put the SH-AWD systme into the TSX V6 it would be sweet! of course if youw ant that.. move up to a TL.. a bit bigger..but you get the bigger engine and the AWD in a sportier chassis..

having this loaner makes me think maybe i need to test drive a TL SH-AWD and consider a trade in!!

if I was a younger single guy with one k id or no kids, I'd think about this car.. if the pricing made sense.... from what I've seen I think pricing is on the high side and it just m akes more sesne to buy a TL... but it is a fun little car...

i wouldn't trade my RL for it though....

 

I will agree with all of your assessments! I actually found a great deal on a CPO TSX V6 (30K w/7k miles) but I opted for an older RL because of the luxury features. The decision was a lot closer than I thought it would be. You are absolutely right, its a fun little car that has a completely different appeal than the RL.

 

yes, 09's can paddle shift in full auto mode without having to switch to S. pretty neat when the stupid tranny stops 1 short of where you want it to be.

 

Like I said... I'm in no hurry to trade my RL in for a TSX V6... but the more powerful TSX is a fun little car... I certainly can't complain getting one as a loaner!

it does really make me want to test drive a TL SH-AWD.... the uber-TL would have the "fun" of this TSX V6 + improved handling b/c of SH-AWD, *and* with more luxuryl... not as much luxury as an RL.. but probably "enough"....

on a side note... I compalined about a rattling noise I was hearing and tey told me the tech thinks it's my catalytic converter.. so they are putting a new one in.. I asked the service guy how much the part/labor woudl cost if I didn't have a warranty.. he said $1500... wow.. glad my car is CPO!

 

I drive several loaner TSX's (and sometimes the TL) each year (due to high miles I am at the dealer about every 4-6 weeks for service). I have driven many 4 cyl TSX's and a few of the V6 models. That V6 engine is real sweet and has plenty of punch but reminds you that the TSX is FWD and front heavy big time. If I had to buy one I would without question opt for the 4cyl - 6 speed.
I love the seats in the TSX, the fuel mileage (in the 4 cyl), and the handling is pretty decent.
I agree with you on the doors......they do feel like tin (and so does the deck lid when closing it)....something that is very common in this class. Other than the great supportive seats, the rest of the interior has been scrutinized by the same bean counters that worked on the 4G TL interior. Lots of cheap looking cheap feeling plastic. Little things like padded fold out door map pockets on the RL (and 3G TL) are just molded cheap plastic on the TSX and 4G TL. I think the RL has one of the best interiors on the market (next to the Lexus LS460). It looks expensive, high-end, classy, and even feels as good as it looks.......
I still have no doubt that the TSX would a great car to own almost trouble free for 200k miles as my 2003 CL-S 6 speed was. Honda seems to do the Accord platform best year after year.

 

absolutely cadiGTi.... the TSX feels a LOT cheaper inside than the RL.... but it's not bad. theengine is a lot more responsive. but yes.. you feel hte FWD at times.. esepeciallyina turn... any power during a turn gets the front end squirelly.... which really takes away from teh potential for this little car to be a "performer".... if the car had upgraded suspensiona nd stickier rubber it woudl help... if I was car shopping, I would probably pass on this car as there are better choices for how much this thing sells for... BUT if I somehow found one in my garage... or in my case, get it for a loaner, it is a blast to drive...

i like the fact that ther paddle shifters are always working.. and even thopugh it's a small difference, i like the shifter being all "in line" vs the zig zaggy gates of the RL...

i've had fun with the TSX but i'm ready to get my RL back!

 

Hey 23109VC, are you located in San Diego? If so, what Acura dealer did you use? The Acura dealers don't seem to like me. They had my NSX once for over two weeks and they didn't even give me a loaner!

--Conrad

 

DCH Temecula. they always give me a loaner!!!

my parents have an Acura and live further south..they have gone to the Kearny Mesa Acura dealer and they NEVER get a loaner... that dealer is crap... when I was there shopping for my MDX a couple years back..the sales manager... lied his a$$ off to me... went ON and ON about all the price concessions he coudl NOT make, even after I told him of deals I saw on inside line... two days later I was signing a deal at DCH in Temecula... that same a$$hole called me and started offering tom atch their price... I told him no thanks... he was a prick...

I have had nothing but GOOD experiences at the Temecula DCH Acura dealer.


as to now having the RL back for a while... I miss the sportiness of hte TSX.. but woudlnot trade my RL for one... the TSX was too small, too cheapy. I am quite happy to be back in my "cocoon" the RL... it's veyr quiet..last night my wife and I got a date night and took the car to San Diego from Temecula... a good 45 minute drive. it was rock solid and smooth on the freeway... and the few times I hit it to pass someone...it was great. not much slower than the TSX..just different. the TSX kicks into lower gear and immediately responds...while the RL gets going slower but then jus tkeeps going..it's like the power comes on graudally..but theni t's almost the same... it's just deceptive...the whole execution of how it goes about accelerating is smoother and less abrupt..so you "feel" llike your going slower, but you're not. at freeway speesd where you already have momentum...it really goes.

 

I agree with you. I think they make the power on the RL more gradual for comfort. When you hit the gas, it is more of a "whoosh" of power instead of a kick back into the seat. It seems to be the same way in a few other luxury cars I have been in, whereas not-so-luxury cars seem quicker because the power just jumps in. But I have also noticed that the way the car feels, I'm usually not at all tempted to jump on it, rather cruise around in style