Well my TL is in the shop for warranty replacements. For the time being my service advisor gave me a 05' TSX with only 4200 miles. Well this is my first time driving this car or for that matter sitting in one. I noticed the car is much smaller than my TL. When I started the car it started quieter than my TL. I put the car in drive and was on my way back home about 20 miles from the dealership. The car has great pickup and very smooth as it changes through its gears. Had a very tight steering wheel. The ride was very comfortable.

The driver seat felt higher up than my TL's drivers seat. When I backed up, I noticed the sideview mirrors didn't drop down for easy viewing. The sound system has ok but cant compare to the TL'S sound system. I did notice it had a lot of bass in the speakers but when I turned the volume up to 20 the rear speakers started to make cracking noise, so I quickly turned the volume down.

On the exterior I like that the car has turning signals on the sideview mirrors. On the door handles there are chrome strips. On the top outline of the doors there are chrome strips.

I have the car until today. They had to order a couple of parts overnight. Car most likely will be ready later on in the afternoon.

I give the TSX 7 OUT OF 10

 

TSX is a sweet car in different ways than the TL. Because it's smaller and lighter than the TL, but still has a good HP/weight ratio, and good torque, it's more nimble. It also has fewer amenities.

The TSX loaner I my dealer gave me during the one free service they promised me, was an '04 (this was still during 2004) and had like 20K on it. People had obviously treated it like a rental during its lifetime. Smokers had covered the windshield with film. The interior just had a "lived-in" look and feel to it, though I could tell it was once nicer. The passenger side headlight had all sorts of condensation inside it. The steering was responsive but felt looser than my TL -- at that time anyway. (Maybe still but who can tell after 10 months or more?) Stereo is good but agreed nowhere near the TL. In all, it seemed like "This was once a fine sport sedan but life as a loaner hasn't been kind to it."

I had test-driven an '04 TSX automatic prior to looking at the TL, but moved "up" because the TSX was too small to use as our family sedan -- which is how we use the TL. It's also my daily driver. If I were single, I'd definitely have pursued the TSX -- it was very fun to drive and would have suited me quite well. Plus $6K less, and now we see how gas prices are. The ones I've seen on the road appear to be well-kept, and I'd bet at 20K they were far nicer than my loaner was.

Actually, as I now remember, my Dad owns a 2nd Gen (2001) and he had a loaner of 2004 TSX once when he was coming to see us. So I drove that one, too, and it was in FAR better shape at around 10K miles.

These are really good cars, and though I haven't spent any time browsing the TSX forums, I'm sure those folks are as happy as most of us are.

 

i hated the tsx personally. I couldnt wait to get my baby back. Also they gave me a TL loaner that was Auto. I couldnt get that pos to accelerate either ... i love my car Its just not the same without navi and 6MT!!

 

Were you pressing the Gas Pedal or trying to use the Voice command and asking it to accelerate by itself ? Even though it is an automatic only the transmission shifts by itself you still have to press the gas pedal for it to accelerate. in case you did not know...

 

I agree,
Mine is auto and it accelerates just fine... How much slower can it be than the 6MT??

For everyday city driving, Manual sucks anyways. lol

 

I really wanted a TSX, as it was of a similar size to my Jetta. But I was very disappointed with the 4 cylindar engine they put into it. I didn't think the acceleration was good at all! I require peppy starts from a stop, and it just didn't have it. After two months with my TL, I'm delighted with it!

 

The TSX is a totally different car, I love it for what it is

 

The TSX is a nice vehicle and a good car for many different reasons...however, one of them isn't performance. Its nimble but really really slow. I would think if you have a TL, the lack of speed would be very noticeable.