wackura

A Honda big wig was saying he'd like Acura to take on BMW rather than Lexus or Mercedes, you'd think doing away with MT would be contrary to that marketing strategy. I think they know that they have to offer some MT cars for credibility alone.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

wow, i haven't seen that pic of the legacy yet.

looks good.

mg7726

i'd be happy with either the DSG or the 6MT on the Type-S, but it would be nice if acura had both!

also glad acura didn't cave in and put a V6, this car is heavy enough now and soon with the AWD hardware.

mltk53

^^
yup, more weight=less mpg

DLTSX6MT

notice that it's right hand drive, and "STi"?

provench

Get it straight would ya newb

G35 > TSX > TL > Used MDX (mistake) > Accord > be a good boy keep a car for 36 months > sports sedan - HAHAHAHA

TinkySD - Yeah ... guilty as charged ... new kids, new cars ... pretty much my life The one thing that never changes is my wife has an Odyssey ... we are on the 4th one

Joerockt - Yeah ... #4 arrived on 9/27 ... so now the kiddies are 4.5 year old twin boy/girl, 2.5 year old boy, 1 week old girl. Feel free to start a charity fund for me and book my reservations at the mental institution!

I definetly think as long as they can make the TSX a bit bigger than current gen ... I am going TSX again. The TL was a fantastic car and to be honest I miss it and traded it in on a used MDX for all the wrong reasons and switching cars to the Ody when hauling the kids has worked out just find with the Accord and I'm not sucking wind with 20mpg and premium gas when I have 2 kids or less ... so the same will apply if I get another TL/TSX. How's my rationalization skills working? And SH-AWD + Turbo? mmmmmmm ... I have waiting for this Acura for a long time. Blend of TSX agility with TL-like power

jwood_06TSX

yea, it Subaru's Legacy GT STi and its only been release in Japan and they only made 600 of them. No engine mods, just body kit, suspension, and a few other things. But the Japan version has like 280 HP i think too.....i would def like one of those!!!!

stephanoya

hopefully the tsx will get the revised rear wheel biased version of the SH-AWD

LuvMyTSX

I was thinking the same thing.

Newplay1

FWD still oh man, and those pics from vtec .net ... wut a tease..

Mokos23

You all know that Acuras will have at least 1 car that will be FWD even 10 years from now. As long as they keep basing the TL off the US Accord, which will always be FWD or SH-AWD in maybe an option in 10 yrs and the Euro/JDM Accord, which is also FWD, there will never be a RWD Acura 4 dr sedan unfortunately.

I'm just driving the current TSX now because I'm saving money and will wait until it's start to fall apart and have a lot of problems, then I will get rid of it. For sure though, I will not got a 2nd gen TSX or any Acura as it's replacement.

madmanmax3000

Acura's gotta stop messing up the grilles on these cars! I'd totally be down for another TSX but at unless they really wow me I'm probably gonna find myself in a 335xi

wackura

I wonder why this car was so minimaly disguised by contrast to the TL test car in Europe. Is this an intentional attempt to get free publicity for an upcoming car?

Jack Slate

no

dom

aznriceball

the body design isn't wat i have expected just hope it will improve, i like the engine specs espically if it is combine with the sh-awd, but if the price is going to move up to 30k+ for base model with that design, the interior better be good, otherwise i think is not worth it, the BMW 135i sound good to me right now even if they are not in the same class

archknight

The spy shots of the TSX are just test mules, if the TSX is truly based on the JDM/EURO Accord . We all know that the Accord Tourer Concept, was actually the next Euro Accord wagon, you should ask yourself, "Why would the spy photos have a unit so close to a car that's already in production, if it is suppose to be an all new model?" Simple answer, the new TSX will use the 2.3T from the RDX (hence the open top and bottom of the front fascia for the turbocharger inter-cooler), most manufacturers use a modified version of a current model to test the engine, chassis, and handling prowess for an upcoming model. IMHO, the Sports4 will finally make its debut appearance at the Geneva Auto Show in March or even a teaser at the Tokyo show to give fans a glimpse of future. My only hope is that they rid themselves of those horrible rims that have manifested on even these test units.

B K R

Is it just me or does anyone else alos think that the front lights and side profile looks exactly like the current TSX

wackura

I just realized those test car rims are bastardized versions of the artist rendition rims in the Tourer concept image.

aaronng

The panels are from the current TSX. Only the mechanicals and chassis are the 09 TSX.

moda_way

I'm far from getting a new car... the wife gets a Pilot before I get something new, but I'd seriously look at a Subaru Legacy. I quasi raced one after work... it looks great and sounds great. I'm just not sure yet of the new TSX and I don't think I'd 1st year a car again.

wackura

The tail light design doesn't look much like the current TSX. I fear this is the real deal. I just don't beleive they'd have a half-way-there body, would seem unecessarily costly. It's a stubby generic looking car while those other sports sedans posted on page 4 look far more current. I like what Acura stands for, but this thing is realy testing my brand loyalty.

LuvMyTSX

I think it'll look a lot different once the camo comes off. They are hiding a lot of details that can make a break the car.

wackura

Someone said it well, tape can't hide attitude. This makes me even more interested in seeing the Tourer wagon version in the US but I know that will never happen. Honda/Acura is obviously not willing to surprise anyone.

dom

Exactly. That car is not the current TSX. The headlights are taped so they look like the current car. Looks like the disguise worked.

CarbonGray Earl

Another thing to consider for the 09 tsx: Hondata has reflashed the RDX's k23 turbo, which could translate into something for the 09 TSX k23 turbo.

Nice results across the entire rev range for a car that is completely stock other than ECU tuning.

http://www.hondata.com/reflash_rdx.html

ChrismanTSX

I don't know about that... look carefully at the line on the rear quarter panel, doors, and then the front fender... the character line is not at the same angle, which could indicate using different panels. Then again, it could just be the fit. The rear looks more TL than current TSX...

In terms of test mules, manufacturers often will run new mechanicals with old/different body panels for a number of reasons... one of which is that the design has not been 100% put to production. Did you guys ever see shots of the new NSX in testing in Japan? They had stretched S2000 body panels on there... looked really weird, especially when compared to the design we had seen.

taylor314gh

to me, this looks exactly like the current tsx. The taillights have different color, but the lines look the same, look closely at the tape. The only real differences that i see are the new grill, which i am not fond of, and reworked fender flares. Hopefully the flares are for the AWD. I am a huge fan of the sports-4, still holding out for it.

TSeXaholic

im a noob can someone tell me what dsg mean?

rb1

http://cars.about.com/od/thingsyoune...owDSGworks.htm

DLTSX6MT

^ Too Dumbass to Shift your own Gears.

wackura

You're right about the front fender having an obvious distension, and the Accord test mule has a similar flare in the same place. This test TSX looks like a lot of things but it doesn't look like any one thing, not even the TL. I realize it has a similar apearance to the current TSX but every single panel is slightly different.

heres that funny test car:

wackura

This vehicle's license place gouge is shaped like \.../ while the current is shaped /...\ , and that's another disapointing change right there, I think the current TSX has a very distintive tail end.

wackura

Yay, people with DSG who never even learned to drive stick are going to be wanting to race their freind's and coworkers who have MT's. It's just not fair!

rb1

Not only is it not fair, but they will win, by and large.

All other things being equal, a DSG will win against all but the very best MT drivers. Not only does a DSG have the same drivetrain loss as an MT, but it can shift (very quickly) while not reducing power to the engine. You can't do this on an MT without soon destroying the synchros.

acn684

hrm...the body might not be final and according to my architecture roomate, they use black tapes very strategically to hide the body lines. To our eye and mind, it really masks the end shape of the car. I'm sure honda/acura won't f this up. Judging by the rdx they got a really good start, and the mdx seems to be growing, as does the new accord (though thank god we won't have the same grill problem, or will we? oy...). But from the looks of it, hopefully the final result will seem more like the concept model since that was hot.

dom

Not sure what you mean by that but the RDX is a train wreck and sales figures pretty much back that up.

archknight

He meant as far as engine and drive configuration is concerned. Now if only they would shoot for the max horsepower output on this engine, they'd have a serious Type-S that could take on the likes of the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi EVO X. The JDM spec STI, pushes 304 hp from a 2.0L turbo, i'm sure the 2.3T could squeeze out a bit more. Although I don't expect this to happen out the gate, but if your offering the US Accord V6 (268-273hp) for about $30K then your entry-level lux better be pushing at least 280hp for $32k or more as it's base price. I know the interiors are upgraded, but when it comes down to it I want to know that every penny is well spent. Several of Acura's spokes people have said that the future lineup would be 300+hp, I wonder will they keep to that or were they just blowing smoke.

wackura

I think the RDX and MDX look interesting, the RDX less so. The sales might suck but I give them a lot of credit for trying and not giving us something safe and bland. I'm hoping for as much with the next TSX but the overall shape, with or without the tape, looks stale.

MattG42C

I'm actually seriously considering getting an RDX within the next few months, as my personal needs have changed ... I've driven it a few different times, and it's a fun car (despite the slushbox). If the new TSX is DSG only, I won't feel quite so bad in moving from the 6MT.

IMHO, Acura needs to get their next-gen TSX & TL out the door fast before lots of us with 2004's move on to other things.