VoLLy

iTrader: (8)

Ruserious

iTrader: (2)

So many buttons!!!!

mrdeeno

bottom opening too big.
headlights too thin.
grille too big (although looks better than on the RL, that's for sure).
Rear is just ok.

The last generation looked good, although conservative. IMO, this generation looks like it is conservative but is trying too hard not be...the front is just a mish-mash of shapes.

einsatz

Wow those straight-on front and rear shots are just awful! The rear looks cheap and the front looks like ass.
And what up with the black plastic under the CD slot? It's like nothing's there.

Too bad. I'm pretty excited about the new A4 though!

mrdeeno

I'll reserve final judgment until I see it...but without actually seeing its size, it looks very "civic" like.

Belzebutt

I kind of like the exterior, it's as good as the current one, and the interior is great. The sad part is the FWD and same engine, what the hell.

It's more like a refresh than a new car.

phile

Failboat.

I thought the exterior was pretty good, not groundbreaking but it looked like they tried. I was expecting to be blown away by the interior, and it's a disappointment.

Someone at Acura needs to stop putting the plastic "metal" in the interiors. It's passable in a Honda, but not an Acura. I understand it's technically the Euro Accord, but they really could've spruced up the interior with a little bit more bling...the age-old formula of wood and chrome still works, you know. Aside from the now copious amount of the aforementioned "metal", the bare plastic interior just doesn't say luxury. I think the current TSX's interior, with little splashes of chrome here and there, looks far more refined.

afici0nad0

grill looks very odd to me. rear end is fine.

i wish i had that steering wheel. looks nice and beefy.

TSX69

I think that they are doing the opposite of the current model where there was a good amount of metal in the car & the optional trim kit made it kind of overkill. This time around, they left the interior kinda sparse & gave us a few different options for trim kits ... maybe they were trying to help out the dealerships.

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

Its nice change from the current one where it wont make 1G upgrade but might bring in some new faces. At least they didnt 09 RL it.

Costco

The straight on rear shot is weird looking. And that grille pretty much destroys any chance of me actually giving the overall exterior design a thumbs up (it's that bad) but if they change the grill to anything but that stupid shield design I think it would look pretty good.

I'm liking the interior, that steering wheel looks awesome. I have a feeling they're keeping the output conservative (could be underrated) and saving the big numbers for the Type-S if there is one. They screwed up by making it heavier and way more expensive though.

Wheels are too small looking, wtf is up with those plastic curb feelers in front of the tires? The front, aside from the grill kinda reminds me of the CSX but I happen to like how that looks. It really does look like one person designed the headlights, one person designed the grill, and another did the lower air dam/bumper. Just changing that fucking ugly ass grill would do wonders. I've yet to hear one person who likes that grill, let alone is in love with it.

JediMindTricks

it looks good mostly because it still looks a lot like the 1g. if anything, it looks more like a refresh than a redesign. i actually like the rear better than the 1g.

the grille is what it is. i'll get used to it eventually.

problem for me is that it's only going to further the civic comparisons.

the interior looks great, which is expected. LOTS of buttons, but i guess that was expected too after seeing the new accord's interior. i love the steering wheel and the guages.

however, nothing about the car looks like a car selling for $30k more or less $35k with the tech package.

even IF we get our wishes for a Type S....what are they gonna sell that for? $40k?

TSX69

Edmunds 1st Drive
Speed Read

Vehicle Tested:
2009 Acura TSX 4dr Sedan

First Impressions:
Acura builds a better TSX for 2009, but it forgets to add a couple must-have ingredients (like chic styling, competitive power and raw desirability) to entice the young, sophisticated buyers it seek


Featured Specs

* 2.4-liter 201-hp inline-4
* 30 mpg on the highway
* Larger, stiffer body structure
* High-end ELS sound system

Playing to the Middle

By Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor Email | Blog
Date posted: 03-19-2008
In golf, politics and life, playing to the middle keeps you out of the rough, out of the headlines and away from the chiropractor. Playing it safe is, well, prudent but not at all passionate.

When playing it safe is applied to automotive product planning, as it has been with the 2009 Acura TSX, it means the vehicle's sales will continue to linger at steadily mediocre levels and reviews like this one will continue to remain graciously lukewarm. When the biggest news to report is a stiffer chassis, more hiproom and an optional ELS sound system, you can pretty much guess how this story is going to end.

That in no way means the 2009 Acura TSX isn't a well-engineered, comely and reasonably priced front-drive sedan. It is definitively all of those. The problem lies in the fact that it is only those things, but nothing more.

D'Accord
Based on the slightly smaller European-spec Honda Accord, the 2009 Acura TSX still presents as a 7/8ths scale 2008 American Accord. This time around, the TSX's new-look body is a mix of slab-sided doors, the customary (and ubiquitous) pronounced wheel arches and a high rear deck. It won't be mistaken for either our Amer-Accord or the sleeker 2008 Acura TSX. While the new styling is different, it's not particularly lust-worthy, especially in this market segment.

As before, the 2009 Acura TSX is available with either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission, and the only engine remains a high-revving, 2.4-liter inline-4 with a 7,100-rpm redline that prefers premium fuel. This year, a little reengineering has provided a slight 8 pound-feet bump in torque output to 172 lb-ft, but a decrease of 4 horsepower to 201 hp, neither of which does much to address the desire of current owners for more usable power. Max torque arrives at 4,400 rpm, while hp peaks at a lofty 7,000 rpm, one tach-needle width from redline.

The Performance/Efficiency Matrix
Despite a 140-pound weight gain, the 2009 TSX's fuel-efficiency improves by 1 mpg city/2 mpg highway to 21 mpg city/30 mpg highway. Still, we can't reconcile the fact that a supercar with an engine three times the size and 2.5 times the output can almost match the TSX's engine for fuel-efficiency. A Chevrolet Corvette Z06 with a 505-hp 7.0-liter V8 earns 15 mpg city/24 mpg highway.

Drivers will discover that the Acura TSX is the only choice in this segment with a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, which gives it a unique character that expresses Honda's motorsports tradition. But we can't help thinking this brave bit of product planning limits the TSX's potential audience. Consider that the BMW 135i's twin-turbo inline-6 makes 300 hp while earning 18 mpg city/26 mpg highway.

As one would hope, the TSX's automatic transmission is far more intelligent with gear discipline in corners and on grades in Sport mode than in Drive. Be that as it may, the TSX is not the only car we've driven that feels like the Sport mode is how the car was intended to be driven, and the Drive mode is there to merely increase fuel economy at the expense of drivability. The new shift paddles work in manual mode, but also temporarily override Drive for driver-initiated engine braking or passing maneuvers — a clever, thoughtful feature.

The TSX feels like an entirely different car with six manually selected gears, however. The shift lever glides smoothly from gate to gate with reasonably short throws and accurate location, but the biggest benefit is that the engine feels more directly connected to the driver's will. It's more eager to play and more exhilarating to drive, and this is what an Acura TSX is really about. But we're told that used TSXs with manual transmissions are harder to resell when that time comes.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
At its foundation, the 2009 Acura TSX's sturdier unibody structure is fractionally larger. The car's footprint is larger and there are a couple more inches of hip- and shoulder room, but the head- and legroom are effectively the same in each of the five seating positions. The trunk is a little smaller for 2009 as well.

The car's structure itself has been reinforced with numerous cross braces, a revised rear bulkhead and repositioned frame rails. Yet despite a suspension that breathes better than before, with revised geometry and more sophisticated dual-path shock valving, the promises of luxury-car road isolation fall short of expectations.

One of the dominant characteristics of the current TSX has been road noise emanating chiefly from its front tires. The TSX's newfound structural rigidity plus a lot of sound-deadening materials help address this, but there's still a perceptible amount of tire sizzle and hum that only gets worse as speeds increase — particularly on grooved, concrete freeways.

Adding to the TSX's highway manners is a new electric-assist power steering (EPS) system that's meant to improve fuel economy while providing engineers more precise mapping of the steering effort — light in parking lots, heavier on the highway. As we've seen in some other vehicles with a similar switch from hydraulic to digital steering, the end results can be a mixed bag of utter isolation and incongruously poor straight-line stability.

Without question, the TSX is at its driving best on twisting roads with its driver in command of the car. Body motions are well controlled and the car stays relatively flat and attached to the tarmac in even the most aggressive turns. Suddenly, the steering begins to make sense and most of its deserved criticism is temporarily pardoned.

Show Me the Money
It's evident that the infotainment/electronics package received most of the engineers' focus for the new model. The standard 360-watt seven-speaker audio system accepts a single CD in the dash (including WMA or MP3 files) and there are both a mini-jack and a USB port (powered) for use with portable MP3 players. Current-model Bluetooth-enabled phones (with hands-free profile) offer standard connectivity in the TSX, and a 90-day subscription to XM Satellite Radio is included.

Opting for the Technology package adds to or replaces the above with a 10-speaker, 415-watt ELS Premium true-surround audio system that additionally plays DVD-audio discs from an in-dash six-CD changer. The system's sound clarity and ability to separate distinctly is utterly astonishing.

This package also includes a rearview camera and Acura's updatable DVD-based navigation with an extensive Zagat-rated restaurant database, XM-linked real-time traffic plus a new, local/distant weather function. Automatic trip rerouting, utilized by selecting "avoid traffic incidents," works in 76 major metro areas. The voice-recognition function is extremely sophisticated and recognizes 100,000 words, or 1.7 million city and street names. Yet the display's chunky graphics (does it run on DOS?) belies its sophistication.

Foul-Weather Friend
The onboard weather forecast, provided by Baron Services, uploads every 2-3 minutes via the XM signal. As we discovered, its forecast proved more precise and far more accurate than our morning check of Internet weather pages. A certain Web site widely predicted partly sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s, while our TSX foretold "heavy snow" in the display.

Sure enough, snow fell heavily for three hours and we were thankful for the TSX's front-wheel drive, standard stability/traction control, ABS and, for the very first time, we were happy with Acura's practice of fitting mud-and-snow-rated tires. All this helped keep us on the crooked and narrow path from the mountains back to sea level while countless SUVs, pickups and summer-tired sedans careened off guard rails and into ditches — including two local sheriffs in their Ford Expeditions, one of whom ended up on his lid.

As comprehensive as the infotainment package is, it requires as many buttons, knobs and dials as an Apollo space vehicle. We're quick to criticize BMW for its complex, menu-driven iDrive controller and screen, but Acura's opposite approach, with 33 hard-touch and even more numerous virtual buttons controlling the audio and information systems, seems like an equally distracting design. The Mercedes-Benz C300 is an example of doing it better.

Squandered Opportunity
The 2009 Acura TSX could've been the low-priced alternative to the entry-level German sport sedans, but it's not. Trying to entice young sophisticates with increasing amounts of telematics, electronics and high-end audio at a sensible price sounds good in a product planning meeting, but we all know that it's really naked desire derived from fresh styling and competitive performance that will lure the aging Gen-Xers or young Gen-Y buyers Acura so wants to impress.

In the end, the TSX remains not the sport/luxe sedan those trend-conscious people want, but the one they can afford for now. Unlike the Acura TL (especially in Type S) which is the best-kept secret in the sport sedan arena, the TSX lingers as a low-priced entry into the Acura brand.

Prices for the 2009 Acura TSX and its 2008 on-sale date have yet to be announced. Currently, 2008 TSX prices range from $28,000 for a base car up to $31,000 for a TSX with nav. Adding the Technology package adds about $3,000 to the bottom line, taking the TSX up to almost $34,000.

Call it what you will, underdeveloped placeholder in the Acura lineup, badge engineering of car meant for a different market, or the right car at the wrong time, the 2009 Acura TSX plays it down the middle. It's the safe choice, but maybe not the right one.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.

TSX69

C&D 1st Drive Review
Acura keeps the best of it, does the rest of it.

BY STEVE SILER
March 2008

“Dance: 10. Looks: 3.”

One of the signature numbers in the musical A Chorus Line features a struggling starlet justifying a bevy of elective procedures in order to bring her looks up to par with her talent. “T*ts and *ss,” she claims, are all she’ll need to bring everything into balance. “Keep the best of ya, do the rest of ya,” she croons.

In much the same spirit, Acura has reworked its talented but image-challenged TSX, which is sold in Europe as the Honda Accord. Adding—ahem—size and content where it matters, but retaining the previous model’s handling characteristics and essentially the same powertrain, Acura keeps the 2009 TSX in its sweet spot beneath the larger, pricier, and much more powerful TL while making the TSX a far more convincing premium-brand proposition.

Bigger, But Not Much Heavier

The first thing you notice is that the TSX is bigger—by a bunch. Its increased width (3.0 inches), length (2.2 inches, with a 1.4-inch-longer wheelbase), and track (2.6 inches) contribute to newfound road presence that, like the lanky nerd you remember from high school that sprouted a full coat of toned muscles over a summer, ought to have Audi A4, Saab 9-3, and Volvo S40 drivers doing double-takes. What you don’t see are the TSX’s new structural components, including a stronger rear bulkhead, new roof crossmembers, and integrated frame rails, many reinforced by welds instead of bolts for added rigidity. The trunk space hasn’t grown, however. Meanwhile, Acura’s claim for the accompanying weight increase is a fairly reasonable 160 pounds overall.

More Space, More Goodies

The dividends of the TSX’s larger, more capacious cabin include its ability to closely follow its big-brother TL in style, feature content, and ergonomic sensibility. Even without the optional, feature-laden Technology Package, which includes a navigation system that incorporates not only real-time traffic reporting for 76 markets but also weather reports along the way, the TSX is loaded with features such as leather trim, Bluetooth connectivity, iPod integration, and fantastically snug sport seats.

The Technology Package, however, is one box you’ll definitely want to check if only on account of its surround-sound audio system designed by sound engineer Elliot Scheiner of ELS, who was on hand during our preview to personally show us just how sparkling sound can be. Besides its 10 speakers and DVD-Audio capability, it also features a cool “Note” function for XM radio that makes it easy to identify and tag songs to recall at a later date. With the push of a button, the Note function captures 10 seconds of up to 30 songs and saves the text indicating song title, artist name, and XM channel. Sure beats scribbling song titles down at 80 miles per hour.

Dance: 10

From our brief first drive along the mountain roads northeast of San Diego, we can say that the new car still has that light-on-its-feet feeling that has characterized the TSX all along. Power from the rev-happy 201-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder—largely unchanged from the ’08 TSX—is sufficient if not overabundant. The delightfully precise, stubby six-cog manual shifter is exactly the same bit found in the 2008 model, and delivers, not surprisingly, the exact same level of satisfaction. Due to a freak snowstorm in the mountains—yes, in San Diego county—that cut our driving short, we were unable to sample the TSX’s available five-speed automatic transmission, with its redefined algorithms and new paddle shifters on the steering wheel. We’ll rectify that soon.

As before, the TSX’s steering is crisp, quick, and happily unaffected by the 172 lb-ft of torque being sent to the front axle. The suspension is taut, yielding sweet and flat cornering about as close to that of, say, the Volkswagen GTI, as possible without allowing impact harshness to turn off premium brand customers. Incidentally, we’re told the TSX is tuned more for sportiness than is its twin, the European Honda Accord.

We look forward to a more thorough test in coming months to see exactly how this new model and the old one compare, but based on this drive, if Acura’s goal—as it claims—was to deliver the best in front-drive driving satisfaction for the near-luxe set, we would say that it has succeeded. “Dance: 10,” indeed.

Looks: 10

Okay, maybe “Looks: 8.” With its larger dimensions and far more expressive sheetmetal, the 2009 TSX has far more road presence to catch people’s eyes. Our jury’s still out on Acura’s new guillotine grille, but everything else on the car seems to work, especially the back end, which may be Acura’s best yet. The road presence finally commands premium brand respect.

Balance of Powers

We have always been fond of the TSX’s balance of power, comfort, and fun, so we were thrilled (and relieved) that for once, such a balance has been retained in spite of Honda’s thorough reworking of pretty much everything around that honey of an engine. Sure, the 2.4 could provide more oomph—we’d been hoping that the new TSX would get the 240-hp turbo 2.3-liter from the RDX—but too much oomph in front-wheel drive applications, as seen in the 258-hp TL, for example, almost always brings with it a cocktail of torque steer, wheelspin, and electronic stability nannies. Not so with the TSX: just floor it and have a blast while enjoying the equally talented brakes and chassis.

Besides, with the 2.4-liter, Honda is better placed than ever to capture luxury- or sport-sedan intenders that want all the goodies in a low-emissions sprite with favorable fuel economy. And by all measures, the TSX’s fuel economy ratings of 21/30 mpg city/highway for the automatic and 20/28 for the manual are quite favorable.

Bringing its looks up to its dance, then, without pricing itself too high (base price is expected at $29,000, rising into the $35,000 neighborhood with the Technology Package), Acura has kept the best of the TSX while doing the rest of it. Thus, we expect it to dance its way into a lot of new gigs.

dom

TSX69, I appreciate you pasting those articles in but the colored text is a major PITA when reading.

evolpe

That link conflicts with what is on the acura website.

Go to Acura.com under the future vehicles section. Go to the TSX and click on "Get the Specs". There you will see the bluetooth audio is listed as standard and the Handsfreelink is itemized under the Technology Package.

evolpe

I think the TL will look alright. If you look at the TSX and the RDX, they both kinda look the same. Obviously ones a SUV and the other is a sedan but the TSX looks like it borrows the same lines from the RDX. If the '09 TL borrows design cues from the MDX I think it will come out great.

Moog-Type-S

Please ohhhhh please Acura do NOT put that new horrible front grille style on the TL.

Let's at least have one model in the Acura line-up that looks good.

LuvMyTSX

I think you are going to be disappointed (with the grille, that is).

JediMindTricks

+1.

Moog-Type-S

I know.
It's pretty sad that all Acura does is disappoint lately.

...but hey in 2010....2011....2012....well somewhere down the road Acura is gonna be tier one......right?

Infamous425

the front end looks oh so horrible. color matching it would make it somewhat better.

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

What I want to know is why Acura is going away from Touch screen navis? I dont care how good you make it a touch screen is going to be a lot faster entering information verses buttons.

odessa

Why would Acura put single CD player in non-Navi '09 TSX, when 1st gen had 6 disk changer.

Good move Acura.

I really need to look at G35 (especially if 09 is G37) and CTS sedans.

BuddySol

Honda calls them "strakes." Some people call them "spats." Either way, they are there to re-direct air around the tires…the S2K has them.

Moog-Type-S

Well to be fair, not many people are looking for 6 disc changers anymore.
The market for car audio is moving toward Satellite & HD radio....and iPod / mp3 aux jacks.

Not far down the road the cd will make an exit from car audio like the cassette did.

Edward'TLS

Most newer cars from various manufacturers all have this extra plastic piece hanging down in front of the front tires.

JediMindTricks

IF i were to buy another acura, that's what i would do....try and find a way to paint the grille. it'll look so much better, i think.

JediMindTricks

the 6 disc changer's important to me because i have an '05 that doesn't have the ipod aux.

if i did, i wouldn't even use CDs.

dom

Didn't notice that.

mrdeeno

Maybe Acura is hoping most buyers don't notice it either.

But in their defense, I think the G35 offers a single disc option when equipped with the hard drive, or the 6-disc changer is trunk mounted or something.

Honestly, With the advent of XM radio, mp3 players and ipods, I don't even use the CD player that much (Infiniti has separate DVD-a player).

evolpe

A 6-disk changer cmes with the Tech package. Go to the Acura site.

Moog-Type-S

Now why would anybody want to do that?

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

I'm already ahead of the game there. Having a couple of local dealerships price me out a G35 and a TL-S...

jiggaman

what type of subwoofer does the ELS have?

Costco

Cool, never knew that before.

Edward'TLS

So which do you think is a better buy ? Mind you the G35 has just been redesigned, whereas the TL-S is to be replaced by an all new one.

swift22

Lets play Hangman!!

_A_L.......

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Based on my personal preferences, the TL-S. Reason being that the G35 manual transmission is just terrible. Shift action feels video game cheap and the clutch is hard to manage. If they improved that, I would definitely vote the other way.

dom

Is your lease coming up?