Hey guys. Been all over the place trying to decide on a new daily driver.

Been really liking the tsx from all my research recently.

My only issue with it is the lack of power it has and more importantly the lack of torque for daily driving around town.

I love manual and really only wanted to get a manual trans car.

Now I know there is the v6 tsx now but it seems it only comes in auto.

How bad are the paddle shifters? I'd love the power from the v6 but would suck losing the manual trans.
Then the manual trans would be great but would suck not having the more powerful engine.

Anyone own both or drive both?

It will be a daily driver but I'd love for it to be fun to drive as well.

Can you still use flashpro on the v6 model? If so are there gains available without doing exhaust?

 

Paddle shifters are fun, torque is easily accessed no problem.

 

I went from a (relatively) higher-powered automatic car to a slower manual one. I enjoy the manual more than the power.

If I were in your position, I'd get the TSX 6speed, then use the savings on some bolt-ons to try and make up some of the difference.

 

Yah I love shifting and my business is making shift knobs so sort of feels like a sin to get an auto car haha.

I'd love that v6 powerband though. Been searching for a TL Type S which would give me all f that but they are quite hard to find in 6 speed and low miles as well.

 

V6 is pretty fun, but my opinion is biased

 

I have a 2012 6MT and don't ever regret it. I had a 2011 Sport Wagon with 5AT and had to get rid of it because I missed the 6MT too much. Granted, the V6 may be more worthwhile than the I4 5AT, but I still think the 6MT is more worthwhile than a V6 5AT. Plus the V6 TSX is up in a price range where I think there are more compelling alternatives. I've not driven a V6 TSX, but my wife's car has a V6 with way more power than my TSX, and I still prefer my I4 6MT over it hands down. Power is but one aspect of the driving experience, and to me, rowing through the TSX gears is pretty rewarding. If we were talking some crappy vague MT with no feeling of precision, I might say the V6 is better, but I really think the 6MT in the TSX is pretty special.

 

Also, in my opinion, the paddle shifters are primarily a gimmick. I didn't use them much on my 5AT Sport Wagon, and when I did, it wasn't like "hey this is just like driving a manual transmission".

 

I was in the same boat as you and I went for the 6 speed manual! I DD my car in San Francisco where there is a ton of traffic and a lot of hills and have no regrets. Plenty of power with the manual.

 

in order to "make up" the difference, you gotta go forced induction.


no replacement for displacement.


if you want power of v6, yet a stick, i really would suggest other cars lol

 

Hence the "try" and "make up"

FI opens up a whole realm of opportunities, but I'm assuming OP isn't interested in that.

 

I live in downtown Philadelphia, and the I4/6MT is wonderful in the city. The engine does not have lots of torque, but the gearing is so short that it has plenty of punch off the line. The agility is great in town as well. For me, the relative lack of power and torque is much more of an issue on the highway, where I often miss my old Saab's devastating midrange punch. The TSX is adequate, but nothing more. Another 20 hp and lb.-ft. would work wonders.

The TSX's 6MT is fantastic, and the I4 sounds and feels great, so overall it's an excellent powertrain and I have no regrets.

 

Take the ILX 6MT for a spin. You get the TSX 4 banger and superb shifter in a good handling, nice to look at package. But, still not a substitute for the raw power and torque of the TSX V6, but then again I'm biased too.

 

the 4cyl has plenty of tq and hp for daily driving imo.
you really dont need more unless youre trying to drag race.

i was pleasantly surprised at the amount of power it had.

it has more tq than your S2k if the motor is still stock.
as for the auto vs manual, im assuming youre keeping your S so you should get the AT with paddle.
you have a fun manual car. you need to get something you can sit back and relax in.


good seeing you over here btw =)

hows the business goin?

 

p.s

make some stuff for the TSX's

ahem blue mirrors and auto shift knobs.

also, tell travis to start making kits for TSXs =P

he was on board with making me some one off stuff but i dont have the time or patience to send in parts.

 

I came from a V6 auto too. I love having a manual transmission again but this 4 banger plus air conditioner plus hot summer air sucks alot of fun out of it. Im returning mine at lease end and looking for something with at least 60-70 more horsepower.

 

for a daily driver, I'd go with an auto, but that's if you hit a lot of stop and go traffic imo

 

Thanks for the input guys! I'm going to have to test drive both and see how I feel. Auto would be nice at times but I don't do a ton of stop and go traffic at all since I don't commute to work being as I work for myself so that wouldn't make a huge difference for me. Why couldn't they just make a V6 manual model! Same with the accord v6 sedan. Damn you Honda!

Do the auto cars need a weird shift knob or is it just a screw on type?

 

I honestly believe if they did that the TSX would steal even more sales from the current TL.

 

The I4 has plenty of torque and I come from a 270whp/wtq Subaru. Sure, it chokes in the topend, but low and mid range has plenty of power to have fun, short gearing of 6MT helps.

V6 in the coupe Accord with a manual should be fun.

Stan

 

its a button

 

btw, youre only option for a manual is the SE if you didnt already know that.

i love my SE. comes with all the fun bits.
the paddle shifters are honestly pretty responsive in sport mode.
i only use them to downshift-pass but it gets the job done.

even left in auto, i think the trans does a damn good job.

its not as fun to drive as a s2000 but it sure is a hell of a lot more comfortable.

 

My opinion, slightly colored by the fact that I have a 6MT, is that driving with the 6MT is infinitely more satisfying than the automatic, especially the older 5-speed automatic.

The new 6-speed automatic that comes in the TL and RL feel much better and might be worth the switch, but the older 5AT just feels dated.

 

Thanks guys! Having a tough time deciding which way to go. I know I would love the power of the V6 for daily driving. Auto would be nice at times but I love manual for a little more fun while driving. Even though it would be my daily would still be nice to have it a fun car. My S2000 will do most of the fun stuff for me but still want a fun daily.

How do you guys feel about the civic si sedan in comparison to the TSX? I know obviously the TSX has a much nicer interior and would be more quiet, comfortable etc but how about the driving aspect?

 

One reason I like the TSX is because it has the double wishbone upfront. Civic won't. I can't imagine it being more comfortable than a TSX, but it will have it's own pluses, like less weight and LSD.

Stan

 

Civic and accord quality just aren't up to the same level of quality as the TSX, its not much different but its better than the civic and accord of the many generations. Comfort level is much better, its a nice car, get the 6 speed manual with the I4. I think paddle shifters are good enough but I've never had a manual.

 

to the Original Poster,

I traded in my 300whp 2010 evolution X and I was in the same boat as you with regards to the manual i4 vs the v6 auto.

In fact i didnt even know there was a v6 option. I have only owned manual transmission cars this whole time.

Needless to say, I decided on the v6 paddles because honestly, in a daily driving situation, shifting in traffic was just plain irritating. I used to tell myself, its not a big deal I have a "racecar" so its part of the ownership experience, but i realized I never utilized more than 30-50% of the capabilities in daily driving scenarios.

apart from merging into traffic at full throttle which only ends up causing you to have to slam on the brakes, I never could fully enjoy it unless I was doing trackdays or autocrosses.

After owning the v6 for over a month now, putting about 3k miles I can honestly say this car is pretty awesome. The power band is definitely there, and overtaking is easy. In fact, I was surprised how well this car can take corners being more of a luxury sedan, and FWD.

The i4 will definitely be more engaging due to the stickshift, but you will need to rev it out more to get the powerband, depending on what you prefer, traffic pretty much helped me decide on the paddles not to mention i wanted to stay as close to the evo horsepower range as possible and having so much torque on demand is nice coming from the evo where i had to spool up through lag before getting moving.

I can downshift anytime I need to overtake or utilize more power, and the tranny is pretty responsive, no doubt it will never be like the Dual clutch on a GTR or EVOX, but its 100x better than just a regular auto that has the +/- on the shifter console.

The other thing, I found out to be an awesome was the maintenance on these cars.

I had to worry about 2 differentials, specialized filling and draining, super expensive brakes, and air fuel ratios. On this car, everything is easy to do yourself, and doesnt require a whole lot of specialized tools.

If you haven't test driven both, i would do that, and then make a decision. At the end of the day both are solid choices.

 

I like my 4cyl (AT) TSX just fine, but if I was looking to spend $37k or whatever a V6 TsX costs, I'd likely buy something else, like maybe a G37 or TL.

 

Thanks for the info guys. 2snail. Thanks a lot for posting up your experience with it. Really helps!

I would be buying whichever car I get used probably with low miles. Seen the V6 models for sale lightly used for mid to low 20's.

Car choices are now down to either TSX, TL, SI or wrx haha. I think a test drive of all will give me the winner.

 

moddiction,

if you can find a v6 for around 21-22k with 30-40k miles or even less $$ for that mileage range you can get a great deal.

or look for the nearest v6 models in your area with that mileage range and use it as leverage when you find one you like. provided the price range is lower than the one you are interested.

 

Yea, I have to agree. With the 37k-ish that you spend on a v6, I'd rather have the G37...more powerful, more athletic, more features, newer tech, etc.

 

6 speed hands down you wont regret it!!

 

I traded a 2011 Acura RDX SH-AWD for my 2012 Acura TSX Special Edition 6MT. Would take the TSX ANY DAY even in in-climate weather...

TSX has less torque and power, but pound for pound it holds its own. The clutch is so light that it doesn't get bothersome shifting.

 

I vote 6 speed.

 

If like to shift and hung corners a little more prolific get the 6speed but if the car is to commute a you'll be in heavy traffic and such, I'd do auto for the option to have technology pkg and its navigation and super ELS stereo which the SE doesn't get.