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My 08 TSX shifted beautifully. That gearbox was the best... Macau, not sure what was different from the Civic, but I enjoyed 8 wonderful years with mine. I did notice the revs dropped faster with the AC on vs. off, but definitely not to the point of being disruptive.
The TL had a good MT, and I believe the V6 Accord Coupe will as well. They destroyed it on the Civic Si and other 4-banger Hondas. My Civic has sworn me off another manual. People flash them to change the way it revs but that voids the warranty. It is visible on this Winding Road Accord Sport test drive. Watch how slow he is shifting.
The TL had a good MT, and I believe the V6 Accord Coupe will as well. They destroyed it on the Civic Si and other 4-banger Hondas. My Civic has sworn me off another manual. People flash them to change the way it revs but that voids the warranty. It is visible on this Winding Road Accord Sport test drive. Watch how slow he is shifting.
Thanks, Hoosier. Quick question... do you notice any vibration at highway speed? I did a lot of reading last night and the issue appears to be tied to VCM. It seems widespread, but of course that is likely just the appearance since more people will be vocal about issues than those that have no issues. There are probable 1000 satisfied TLX owners for every 1 that has the vibration issue...
I've been very happy with the performance and driving characteristics of the TLX. I don't notice any vibrations and the shifts are very nice. I do experience a very slight "bump" at times from the 2-3 shift but it's nothing compared to whatever some of the members have reported.
And yes, I've read the posts that AWD doesn't really help winter driving, but those folks don't live where I do (northwestern NJ). I live on a mountain and both the roads to my house and my driveway are hellish in winter. I've been stuck at the bottom of the mountain before because of snow covered roads and the inability for my FWD to get up them. AWD will absolutely help.
Sounds like you're someone stuck near the entrance to Cherry Ridge on Canistear as I drove up and past with my Subaru.
I'd like the SH-AWD as well but it's more than I'm willing to pay for AWD. I haven't been able to test drive that one, but I did try the V6 and it sure wakes up the car over the I4 but at the cost of torque steer and wheel spin.
Just an update on my progress... pulled the trigger on a TLX SH-AWD Tech. The dealer had to pull it in from another dealer to get the color combo I wanted - Bellanova White Pearl/Ebony. I was pretty keen on the Graystone interior, but I keep cars for about 8 years and I think the ebony will wear better in the long run - plus it goes better with the white.
Good deal - $37,500 and they were extremely easy to work with. Like I said in my first post, I've bought 4 (soon 5) cars from these guys since 1993.
I pick it up Friday. I'll do a long test drive prior to signing to check it out fully - thanks to all the great suggestions on the forum. Helped immensely to know exactly what I was getting into with potential issues and fixes ahead of the decision.
I'll post pics once I get her home. Big change from my 08 TSX - I'll miss my 6MT, but I think I'm ready to move ahead. There's lots of great tech to keep the honeymoon going for a while :-)
Congrats. Your decision making seemed very deliberate and rational, thereby avoiding the cognitive dissonance so many car buyers face post purchase.
Now is the time for bling! Seriously, you may want to consider what accessories you want. Unlike your 08 TSX, the TLX does not come with foglights nor a donut spare tire.
And depending on where you live, you may want to negotiate with your dealer to add a Protection Package (splash guards, floormats, trunk tray) and something I would really use: Remote Engine Start III ($399).
Adding these at purchase means they will be covered by the 4-year/50k wrap warranty. Post purchase, the warranty for accessories is just one year.
I too am conflicted about giving up my 11 TSX 6MT in exchange for all of the safety, technology, and comfort upgrades of the TLX. (I also had an 08 TSX PWP/Parchment.) I decided to hold off until the TLX MMC in a couple of years. But I would get the same trim level and colorway you bought with one exception: I love the Espresso interior. Unusual and classy. Will wear just as well as Ebony IMO.
And if you ever miss your 6MT, you can always buy an S2000 for the weekends...
Spot on Kixo. I'm getting the spare and the remote start. The other accessories I'll purchase online like the trunk liner. No need to pay dealer prices when there's really nothing to warranty on those. I also just ordered a set of the door projector light modules:
Datadr
I'm a little late to this discussion thread and it looks like you have made your decision. But for what it is worth, we have owned our TLX SH-AWD (Advance) for about four months. About 80 percent of our 4,000 plus miles to date have been highway. In pure highway driving we have been getting 33-34 MPG. There hasn't been a hint of vibration and while I assume the particularly good averages shown when cruising are attributable in part to VCM at work I have never been able to distinguish any transition in or out of VCM. So perhaps the vibration you encountered in your test drive was unique to that vehicle; you should not accept any vibration in the car you buy. Good luck and enjoy.
Yes my 92 Integra LS was a great car! Very nice parchment cloth 2-tone interior better than new civics and other cheaper options 14 years later.
Great cars! We had a 90 LS (totaled by dump truck when it was about 6 months old) and a 91 LS. Both were Honey Beige Metallic with 5MT. Beautifully styled, solid as a rock and very nice fit and finish. The engine sounded great at redline. Largely because of these cars, we have bought almost exclusively Honda and Acura products since then.
Get over it. Every manufacturer is moving away from manual transmissions. Suppliers do not have enough demand to offer manuals to the manufacturers. I found it ironic that while selling Porsches, every person hot on a manual and told me every car they had was a manual couldn't drive the manual Porsche they were looking at worth a hoot. Stalling, hard shifts, missed shifts was a common occurrence. Automatics shift quicker, offer more gears to stay in the power curve, have logic to work with the ECM which regulates many other systems such as VSA, ABS, EPS , etc.
08-31-2015 | 06:56 AM
