First of all, I absolutely LOVE my car! It is the perfect commuting car – exceptionally comfortable to drive and has enough pick up/pep to make it a fun ride. I came from a 2002 BMW 325xi manual which I also loved, but after I started commuting 80 miles daily 1.5 years ago in heavy stop and go traffic daily, driving a stick just wasn’t fun anymore. Not the mention that after 90k miles, things were starting to go on the BMW and every little thing cost $1000+ plus to fix and it was burning oil like crazy. I did some searching around and liked the look of the TSX and the price with tech couldn’t be beat imo. I had a Prelude with over 200k+ and an Integra with 150k+ miles and after my foray into a German luxury car that only lasted 90k miles, I knew going back to a Japenese model would hopefully ensure longevity of a car. After test driving the TSX, I priced out the BMW with all the same technology features and it was approximately $20k more which is ridiculous for a car that is primarily used for daily commuting. Plus, I wanted something more fuel efficient and the BMW certainly wasn’t.

I have palladium metallic with black interior and while I wasn’t thrilled about either at first, I now think it is one of the slickest looking cars on the road. I really wanted the polished metal, but with commuting like I do, I needed something that wouldn’t show the dirt and road wear that unfortunately happens from driving on the highway in traffic daily. Now, I love how the silver isn’t a traditional light silver, but more of a deep toupe-y silver which sets it apart from all the other silver cars on the road and the black interior makes it look like a race car/fighter jet. My husband, who initially thought the car looked boring, even commented last night as I was brining home Chinese food that my car looks really cool coming down our road. And while I know the grill gets a few knocks on this board for being fugly – it’s much better looking in person and the more I look at it, the more I like it. I just washed it yesterday and b/w the great driving experience, the extra shiny dark silver and the sparkling grill/emblem, I just so happy that I chose to get this car!!! I often find myself just admiring my car after I park it somewhere

Now, for the drive. It took me a little bit to get used to driving an automatic again – every car I have driven since I got my license had been a manual – but now that I’m used to it again, I am in heaven. I used to get so annoyed getting stuck in traffic – 1st, 2nd, neutral, break, clutch – ARGH – but the other day, I got stuck behind an accident and I could have cared less….the TSX is just that nice to drive. Plus, having the tech package with satellite makes a huge difference b/c I have plenty of things to turn to to keep me occupied unlike my BMW which was top of the line when we got it, but top of the line back in 2002 didn’t include any technology bells and whistles. And the sound system with the tech package is unbelievable. Music means a ton to me and the ELS with surround sound does an amazing job. I still find myself shocked at how good some things sound.

I know some people have some complaints about how the car drives, but I can’t find anything about mine to complain about. Hopefully, I’ll be one of the lucky ones and not have any of the noise issues others are having (fingers crossed).

No pictures – it’s mostly stock, only added body side molding, door edge guards, protection package 2 (trunk liner, splash guards, wheel locks), and cargo hook. I highly recommend the cargo hook – it's the simplest thing, but possibly one of the coolest – LOL!

 

Welcome and I'm glad you're enjoying your new ride!

 

Congrats and welcome to the forum.

I know what you mean about longevity of Honda/Acura products. When I sold my 90 Civic Si couple of years back, it had over 260K miles on it on the original engine.

 

Thanks guys!

I had every intention of keeping my BMW until it has 200k+ miles on it, but it had other ideas. I just couldn't keep stomach paying upwards of $1000 to keep fixing things.

 

Welcome

 

Most Bimmer on sale in Canada comes with 4yrs/50K miles warranty and schedule maintenance included. You see a lot of 2005-2007 off lease on the dealer's lot precisely because the high repair cost once the vehicle is off warranty. Although they do give a pretty decent warranty on CPO's.

 

Welcome to the forum and glad to hear you're lovin' your ride.

I think bimmers are only good for the first 4 years when its still under warranty. After that you better be ready to give it up or be ready for an extra amount of money for maintenance.

I was tempted to get a pre-owned bimmer because there's so many of them for sale here in Canada just like what 09TSXTech said. I am just glad that I made the right decision to go with my 2010 TSX and what I can say is that it is a Great car to drive!

 

Glad to hear you like the car and that you're back in the honda fold. Welcome to the board. Your post sounds a lot like how I feel about my car. I also noticed how nice the "off-silver" color of the palladium metallic is. I've never been a fan of silver but the TSX does it right.

 

"You see a lot of 2005-2007 off lease on the dealer's lot precisely because the high repair cost once the vehicle is off warranty"

Since the car was off warranty, I was taking it to my regular mechanic that my family has been using for 35+ years and his exact quote was "I hate these friggin German cars - once they come off warranty, every little thing costs a fortune to fix". He was the one that advised me not to do the last fix on my car if I was planning on getting a new car in the spring. Spring came early though b/c the thought of driving the BMW through the winter scared the crap out of me.

"I also noticed how nice the "off-silver" color of the palladium metallic is"

it's really evident when you park next to a regular silver car. I was showing my new car to my dad this weekend and had mine next to his standard silver one and it just made the PM stand out that much more. I love the way it looks in the sun - there is just something about it.

 

Welcome-Happy to hear you love your tsx as much as I do mine. It soon will be 4 years old and now has 114,000+problem free miles. Still has the original brakes-I am also a female that has manual transmission cars.

 

What...a happy TSX owner? You weirdo TSX Fan-Boy!!!!

Glad you like your new ride, dude.

I'm quite happy with my TSX as well.

 

i dont think kgs is a dude. heh

 

Hehe...my mistake.

 

good review! the grill looks the best on the TSX when you compare it to the rest of Acuras lineup...I got 33k miles now and the car still is like it has 500 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Great post! Fun to read, and it's good to hear from someone who's clearly ecstatic about her car, instead of the usual posts about minor annoyances. It's good to hear why we all chose, bought, and presumably enjoy the TSX.

I agree with many of your statements and comparisons to the BMW - I also have a BMW in the family (a 2010 BMW 328i), and while it's fun to drive, I have to say I enjoy the TSX more - easier to drive, sufficiently peppy, tons of toys to occupy you while driving, nicer interior and leather (in my opinion), more comfortable/luxurious seats (the BMW seats are thin and hard in comparison), and more economical to run and operate (I hope). The value of the car just blows me away, and that fact certainly adds to my enjoyment of the car.

While the TSX may not have the cachet of the BMW, I do have significant peace of mind about any future repair costs and maintenance - how much is that worth? A lot.

I also just like the way the TSX looks compared to the BMW - which is beginning to look stale and dated (both interior and exterior) - and the rear of the car looks squeezed or pinched, while the rear of the TSX is amazing, probably the best part of car for me.

Exclusivity is also nice - I can't tell you how many BMWs I see in the parking lots around town, and it's hard to feel like you're driving a special car when everybody and his neighbor is driving one.

I read someone had written that the TSX is the thinking man's (or woman's) car, and I think that statement captures how I feel about this car and what is right about this car. We chose the TSX - perhaps not the obvious choice (like a BMW or Mercedes C class), but a great choice all the same.

Consumer Reports rated the TSX very highly, higher than the Audi A4 and the BMW 3-series (although strangely, their YouTube review of the TSX is slightly negative, maybe because of the 2009 model's vague steering feel). Now Consumer Reports is not Car and Driver, but then again neither am I in terms of my driving style. That being said, Car and Driver's long term follow up with the 2009 TSX was very positive after 40K miles.

I didn't see too many palladium TSXs on the lot - but they look great, and you made a great choice! Enjoy your car! You've driven some great cars in your lifetime (Prelude, Integra, BMW), and I hope that you will look back in a few years and think that the TSX ranks right up there, too.

 

Thanks for welcoming me to the boards everyone! I hope to be a long time member

“i dont think kgs is a dude. Heh”

LOL – nope, but no worries! Most of my friends are guys so I’m not surprised if I come across as one sometimes

“value of the car just blows me away”

Aside from how it actually drives, the value is what really sold me. Most everything you could want comes standard and with the add’l $3k for the Nav, you get the rest. There isn’t another luxury car out there that gives you this much value without nickling and diming you to death. I mean, just as an example, most cars make you PAY a fortune for memory driver seats…but not the TSX. Big deal if the side mirrors aren’t memory – takes 2 seconds to adjust those.

“I also just like the way the TSX looks compared to the BMW”

Agreed. I loved the body style of the 2002, but the newer models just seemed kinda blah to me. The TSX 2nd gen is so beefy looking (in a good way!) – for me, it makes such a statement every time I look at it! And I also agree with you about the exclusivity. As I mentioned in my first post, I commute 80 miles daily so I see A LOT of cars on the road and I can count on the fingers of one hand how many TSXs (1st and 2nd gen) I have seen, but BMWs, Audis, Mercedes, Lexus are a dime a dozen. I read somewhere else on the board that Acura isn’t doing palladium in the 2011 models which I’m thrilled about b/c that means my car will stay a rarity

 

Awesome review! I wish you the best of luck with your TSX

 

Ha, I know what you mean about all the gadgets to keep you occupied during the commute. I also just moved from an old-ish car (2004 TSX, base) to a 2011 RDX w/ Tech package and it's like night and day. I have so many things now that my old car didn't have, which is great because I also have a long commute (although I don't do mine daily).

 

congrats on the new car, im glad to hear your enjoying it soo much

 

This is my first post, but I wanted to co-sign on this. I settled on my 2010 TSX V6 w/tech because I didn't like the idea of being nickel and dimed by some of the competition. I wanted all the features and toys and feel like I got a good value for my money.

Certainly my TSX is an upgrade from the '06 Focus Zx5 that I had before. Its a very solid feeling car, no squeaks or sense of cheap materials so far. I frequently recieve complements on this new car and I feel like I'll be comfortable in this car for a long time.

This is the second 'nice' car that I've had, the first being an 06' Volvo S40 that felt equally solid but would have meant nickel and diming to get the features that I want at this time.

 

^ welcome!

 

I love these TSX appreciation threads. Let's have more of them.

 

Welcome