Having said all that and having a overall pretty pessimistic outlook on the 09. Pricing is pretty good. 35K would have been a disaster but 32K for all those toys is a hell of a deal.

 

Not to mention all of the earlier test drives were held in the hills above San Diego during a freak snowstorm.

I'm waiting for an actual comparison test against the IS250, A4 2.0T, S40 T5, 9-3 2.0T, etc. or at the very least, a proper review where they've had several days/weeks to drive the car on many different roads and form an educated opinion.

 

"Every administration deserves a loyal opposition."

There's nothing wrong with constructive criticism and discussion. Now that the '09 model's been unveiled, and several reputable automotive journalists have written up their first impressions, there's nothing derisive or negative about discussing those reviews.

What IS tiresome (to me) is the endless, "I'm disappointed in [X], so I'm going to buy a [European brand] car instead." There's voting with your wallet, and then there's talking about voting with your wallet.

 

Honest discussion is usually always a good thing. My comment was more of an observation than anything else. I just found it odd that the moderators speak so freely on this board (and in many cases have a negative viewpoint of Honda/Acura). I've never witnessed this on Audi, BMW or even Lexus message boards.

As for the TSX specifically, if people really think there are better choices on the market for the money they should absolutely "vote with their wallet". I have to wonder if most of the negative comments are coming from people who had no real intention of buying a TSX to begin with.

 

I'm sure moderator reaction would be different if we were paid employees of Acura or paid period. We're volunteers.

Maybe those Audi, BMW and Lexus moderators don't have reason to complain?
And keep in mind that most if not all mods are enthusiasts. Acura isn't exactly catering to the enthusiasts these days.

As for that last comment, most people complaining are already TSX owners. Which kinda explains all the complaints. They were looking for more and frankly didn't get it. They had an entirely different set of expectations than others might.

But I really take issue with having to keep my opinion to myself because I'm a moderator. No where in the job description did it mention kissing Acura's ass.

 

Pop over to the Auto News/Car Talk section in Ramblings. Its not just moderators. Seems the general consensus on this board is that Honda and Acura in particular are headed for some rough waters.

Now thats mostly the enthusiast opinion but thats who the board is made up of.

Take all these opinions for what their worth. Not even

 

There was also a lot of bitching five years ago about the first gen TSX. "It looks like an Accord". Ummm, yeah, that's because it is one (in Europe). "Where's the V6". Ummm, that's in the TL. "A fully loaded A4 is a better car". Ummm, maybe, if you like paying $40k. I haven't heard anything new yet.

 

And that doesn't tell you something about the 09?

 

Exspectations. That is what this is all about. Back in 03 (late 02) we were happy to get the Accord from Europe. We didn't (most of us) want anything beyond that. We were very happy for Acura for giving us a great Honda.

I am still happy with having a great Honda. I hope the 09 TSX will be a great Honda.

 

 

The exterior looks kind of like a cross between a Ford Fusion and a Toyota Camery... The interior looks pretty nice though.

 

Amen. Preach on Brother Dom!!!

 

These are the kind of comments I am talking about. Come on I doesn't look anything like a Ford Fussion. Give me a break.

 

IMO I prefer the rear of the current model over the '09 and think it looks more like a Lexus ES than a Camry



Also, does anyone know if the rear tailights are LED? Doesn't look like it and is not a deal breaker but don't understand why '08 Accords would get that "advanced" feature, but not a FMC '09 TSX. Overall, as a current owner I think the biggest gripe with the '09 is that I think Acura can hit an even "sweeter" spot with this car. This same car with a bump in hp/tq to be ~ roughly in the upper-middle of the pack with IS250, 328, A4 crowd would I think make most happy. Right now, on paper the power specs are "competitive", but still the least amongst all of it's competitors. A more competitive engine costing an additional ~$2K would keep enthusiasts happy, and still provide significant value over the competition. Basically, when I bought my TSX in '04 I knew I was sacrificing some luxury "quality" compared to the competition, but got more standard features. Performance was also fairly comparable to the competition in '04. Now it seems like with the '09 you're still sacrificing some luxury "quality" (again no problem due to more standard features) but you're also sacrificing more on the performance (at least on paper). The competition has all significantly bumped their performance since their '04 models while Acura has only made a minor bump.

 

FYI....the '08 Accords do not come w/ L.E.D. tail lights. I'm not sure why Honda/Acura skimps on things like this. The previous-gen Accord got L.E.D. tail lights as part of the refresh and now they drop them from the new model. The current Pilot has projector beam headlights and the new one gets old el cheapo reflector-style headlights.

 

My mistake you are correct, I meant the '07 Accords. Like you said that makes it even funnier that this is not included in the '08 Accords.

 

It varies from board to board. But generally sysops and moderators are not diplomats, they're just users who (generally) volunteer to help run the joint. Doesn't make them any less opinionated or more obligated to tow a particular line.

I think you're confusing "moderator" with "arbitrator." Actually, the label is a bit misleading:
BTW, LED taillights are all over the place, and I don't want 'em. I concur with the designer(s) leaving them off the TSX. Some good things stay that way.