ceb

I'm at about 250 miles now (I was out for the weekend so very few miles) and a bit under a half tank. At this point I'd be well under a quarter in my BMW and would have to tank up before tomorrow's commute.

As most of you know, I traded a loaded 2009 BMW 335i x-drive (nav, premium [leather, homelink, dimming interior/exterior mirrors, lumbar,] sport [sport seats with thigh extension, sport steering wheel,] front/rear parking sensors, comfort access [fobless entry/keyless start,] Sirius, Logic 7 premium audio) for a 2012 Tech wagon. The BMW was undoubtedly the best and worst car I've ever owned. It was a great handling car with a wonderful amount of power but is was less reliable than a 80's Hyundai. Some of that was because BMW hadn't resolved some fuel issues with US gas and fuel pumps continue to fail at an alarming rate in the US. Part is due to the absolutely horrible dealer network. I will only buy another German car if I ever live in Germany again.

Enough of that. Let's talk about the car.

There were a few things that I was expecting to miss on the car. The first was power - but - I'm well past the stage of stoplight races and I actually find myself amazed at how well this car delivers power in normal driving. I have a few somewhat hairy merges and have had no issues at all. I haven't even thought about them and I actually find myself marveling about how quickly this thing gets up to speed. It feels much lighter than the BMW.

The three blinks when touching the blinker stalk and the comfort access were features I really thought I'd miss. While I still find myself "almost blinking" I'm getting better and I'm already used to digging the key out of my pocket to unlock the door. I have gotten in a few times though and realized that the key was back in my pocket - but that is getting better as well.

The audio is far superior to the Logic7 (Harman Kardon) system in the BMW. While I don't regularly listen to classical music on my daily commute, I dropped a DVD in and was amazed at the clarity and accuracy for a car unit. I was a bit disappointed with FM reception though.

Although I haven't quite found the perfect seating position yet, I've found the seats quite supportive and comfortable - certainly not an obvious downgrade from BMW and the more nappa like leather is certainly an upgrade (feel wise) from the rough Dakota leather on the BMW. We'll see how well it wears. At this point it still looks new

The ride. The 17" wheels and tires are tad larger (about a quarter inch) than the 17's on the BMW. Neither that, nor the runflats fitted to the BMW account for the somewhat jarring ride you got over slightly sunken manhole covers or minor potholes that sometimes felt like you hit a crater in Baghdad. The wagon's ride is more compliant - you still feel the expansion joints and manhole covers but it feels more controlled. Twisties do invoke more body roll but that isn't what this car is made for. While it isn't a sports car, it itsn't a family sedan either as it has a taut but compliant ride.

I expect to be adding to this thread as the miles rack up. I'll be taking a bit of an extended highway drive on Thursday so we'll see about mileage. The 17.3mpg I was averaging on my daily commute in traffic is now about 25 - just in time for the higher gas prices.

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

For the body roll, everyone who's installed the rear sway bar says it works wonders. I'm pretty sure the rsb for the tsx sedan fits the wagon but double check with a vendor if you do decide to get it.

ceb

It is way to early to even think about mods. Any mod at this time (aside from floor mats and stuff like that ) would be a mistake and a waste of money.

ed_423

glad to see you like it !

RedE82

I'll be curious as to your thoughts. I did have a 2009 335i and now have a 2011 135i, but need to get into something more practical. The TSX wagon is on my list.
My 135is tank is stupid small and I get about 20.5 mpg. I hate filling up ever 250-300 miles.

This is what I am most worried about, although I've not driven the TSX wagon yet - I won't be shopping until after taxes are done later this month. I do love the power of the 135i. I also think I will miss RWD.

I like comfort access in principal, but its not a huge deal. If I'm taking a passenger I use the key fob to unlock anyway. It also fails to work on the trunk at least half the time.

The Logic 7 should be the base stereo in the 1 and 3 series. The standard stereo is absolute garbage, and the Logic 7 isn't good enough to be a $900 upgrade (although I paid it so as to not listen to the trash base system). I miss having a good stereo in the car.

One thing BMW did right is the seats in the sport package. At least for me. I'm curious how the TSX seats compare.

ceb

The seats in the TSX are very good.

spdandpwr

^tsx seats offer decent support in hard cornering, but I often find myself fighting to stay put when really riding corners out.

spdandpwr

this write up makes me wish I got a wagon, lol.

ceb

That isn't the purpose of the car.

Robert4

I'm 1900 miles into a '12 base TSX. Just got back from a 700 mile road trip. At 5'10" 165#, I found the seat very comfortable. There's plenty of adjustment and the steering wheel adjusts over a huge range. The firm ride is wonderful at highway speeds. The car is quiet on all but the coarsest pavement. I really liked how little this car is affected by cross winds and crowned roads.

I agree with ceb on the power. I've had plenty of more powerful cars but I don't miss it here. This TSX has enough power for me. The power it has is smooth and without harsh sounds. The K24 Z3 works really well with this automatic trans. Altogether a happy powertrain.

The base sound system seems pretty good to me, but I'm not an audiophile.

I had considered a modest wheel and tire package with 18X7.5 wheels and some 235/45 R18 tires but decided against it. The OE 17" wheels and Michelin tires ride SO well, I don't want to mess with it. Besides, for the $2000+ that decent quality stuff costs, I could take a nice cruise.

Audioserf

This write-up, among other posts on this board, has me planning to test-drive a tech Sport Wagon soon. It's a strong, more practical contender to replace my supercharged 04 TSX when the time comes.

neuronbob

Great review.

LOL at you guys complaining of ONLY 330 miles per tank.

Try getting 220-230 miles per tank. That's what I get on the CTS-V. My record low, on a tank with mostly city driving, was 180 miles before I had to fill up. I'm not complaining because every mile driven is so, so fun. That doesn't stop me from wanting 400+ miles per tank. That's one reason I'm thinking about giving up all this low-end torque.

spdandpwr

yea, i know...but he was making a point about his 135 seats and I was making a point as to how they compare in terms of support

ceb

Got it. Makes sense to me.

ceb

Miles per tank are really immaterial as that is dependent on the size of the tank but I've been getting more mpg in city driving that I averaged over the life of the BMW - which was about 50/50.

The TSX is fun too, just in a different way. I had a CTS (non V of course) as a rental for about a month while I was in Colorado last year and it just felt big and heavy. The TSX feels light and much smaller. You step on the gas and it scoots.

TSXy Luster

Looking forward to more of your take on the wagon due to your vast owned car history.


I noticed in the TSX, a huge burst of torque kicks in at higher revs, so if you want to feel your jollies from time to time, you can just rev it up :p

rearender

So you wouldn't complain if your car could only hold 1 gallon of gas and you had to fill up every 25 miles?

ceb

- Oh, I'd complain, but this discussion clearly shows that size doesn't matter. Getting 200, 300 or 400 miles to the tank means nothing. The important measurement is MPG or l/100km (if you are in CND or Europe.

I used to get something like 400 miles on the tank in my Yukon - but it held a bazillion gallons and I got 12mpg. My '75 Sedan de Ville got 5-7mpg in the city but it too had a huge tank.

ceb

I've now done my first fill-up and averaged 26.4mpg over about 500 miles. Not bad for a new car and 75% city driving. This past week I drove much less than normal and almost all was in town.

A few general comments:

The nav is far superior to that in the BMW. The routing algorithms make more sense with no "get off this road for a block just to get back on again" which BMW loved to do. There was also one place where BMW wanted me to turn left until I got right up to the split, then it wanted me to go right (right was correct.) The graphics on the Acura are far worse though but the pop up directions are better too.

I have yet to miss the power. I've merged onto freeways in heavy traffic and have had zero issues. The engine sound is pretty anemic and sounds like a sewing machine on steroids but it works.

I think the bottom line is that stuff just works - function over form in some cases but efficient.

TSXy Luster

Curious as to how you are driving, i.e. do you leave it in 'D' or 'S' ?

MoaarLow

Are you kidding me?

I thought i was just going to ride this "bad gas mileage out" because it was a new car. im at 2300 miles. I can do 80% and struggle to get 22-23 mpg!!!!

75% city yields me >20 mpg and ~300 miles!

Im very dissapointed wl my MPG thus far, But im glad the switch over was worth it on your end

benben01

That's one thing Honda engines stood out prior to the K-series motors. Regardless of displacement and cylinders, it had the patented Honda smooth whine we all loved. If you are willing to spend $400 for a CT-E ice box intake, the sewing machine noise can be replaced a more robust grunt thats more inline with the sporty character of this car without sounding crass. It also adds a few measurable horses and torques to the wheel too.

benben01

Well NYC city driving is a lot different than say suburbia city driving...

ceb

Since the car is still brand new I'm not pushing it at all. I am a conservative driver with new cars so it's staying in D until I hit 1500 miles. The car has plenty of power for "non-spirited" driving - the type of driving that one should do with a new car.

On my current tank of gas, I gassed up right before putting about 150 miles of city driving the car and the display is showing 24mpg with an average speed of 24 mph.

Even though we're talking DC traffic here, it isn't anywhere close to the stop and almost stop traffic of NYC.

ceb

The sewing machine doesn't bother me - it just doesn't sound as smooth and powerful as the BMW 6 cyl - but - it certainly seems like it does the job. Towards the end of the last tank I took a "mini roadtrip" of about 150 miles on I-70 between DC and Hagerstown - a pretty hilly drive and the car never felt underpowered. Years ago my wife had a 92 Civic hatchback where you needed to turn off the AC to keep up with traffic on that road.

On the other hand, the TSX idles smoother and quieter than the 335 - so I guess everything a trade off.

pickler

i used to have a 135i and there was nothing smooth about it. rough ride, super sensitive jumpy throttle with loud snarl exhaust. my 03 tl and a recent v6 tsx i tested ....that was smooth.

Acura_Dude

Nice write-up, Ceb.

Speed2000

Finally got some highway miles in where I wasn't in a hurry and decided to see what I could get at a legal speeds. This was from south of Atlanta to the northside of town so no giant downhill coast to skew the average. Windows closed and no ac. Wagon has 17k so almost broken in.

mihink

^fantastic mileage!

neuronbob

The last time I saw 63 degrees was in October. That is fantastic mileage. I'm sure that's uncommon, though.

Ken1997TL

I believe it. I can got 34 or better over 550 miles on I-5 including mountain passes and pit stops.

PyroDave

i believe it as well. i got 38ish in my sedan cruising at 75-80 from nyc to tennessee. thats with trunk and backseat full of camping equipment and 3 people in the car

TSXy Luster

hmm I've never done just pure highway driving to test out the mpg, but that looks achievable because through my combined city and highway driving over 2000 miles, I get 31 mpg

Gotta love saving petrol money especially with the recent rise in prices this week!

Acura_Dude

Damn some of you guys are doing WAY better than the EPA estimates. 40mpg is the new standard and it's proven the TSX can keep up with the compact class in terms of mileage.