dannyboy10

Started looking at a 2006 TL and see it's a little too pricey
for me. So now I am starting to look at 2005/2006 TSX's but see they are a little tight in rear legroom and total cabin room.

Another possible choice is a 2006 Accord EX-L with a six cylinder engine that pumps out 244hp and uses regular gas.
But the Accord's styling is a little too bland.

What do you guys/gals see that the TSX is superior in ? We already know handling. What else ?

kingkong222

The TSX looks so much better than the Accord with its Xenon headlights making it a bit more stylish.

2K6TSX

the tsx will probably take less gas, but it will be premium. The tsx is better tuned in terms of engine size vs engine ouput. The HID headlights, the body styling, nav, increased level of sportiness and a 4cyl with 6 speed sold it for me.

dlee74

I read somewhere in the post that the TSX has a true vtech engine coming in the valves and out, compared to the Honda Accord.

Type RC

True VTEC or not, it's still 200hp vs 240hp.....I'd still pick up the TSX, it would run circles around the accord in a track environment, due to having a much better suspension. The rear room of the TSX isn't too bad. I went from a Gen2 TL to a TSX and thought I would be loosing a ton of space...I didn't. Also, the entire backseat folds down so you can have a bit more space for stuff in the trunk. If I remember correctly the Accord is like the TL and only has a lil cubby that opens to the trunk....Man that annoyed me with the TL....the Civic I had before it had the whole seat fold down, why not a much bigger luxury car!?!?!

bradykp

i don't know what you plan for back seat use - but you'd be surprised by how comfortable it is. i've taken a few weekend trips of 4-6 hours with 3 adults in the back seat. one is 6'3 the other is like 6' and the other is a female around 5'2. they said it was surprisingly comfortable. I also have packed the car with 5 people's ski equipment.

I like that the TSX is slightly smaller than the Accord. I also don't think you should worry about the fuel. When gas got obscene, I started pumping regular. I noticed no difference in my vehicle. it's up for heated debate on these boards, but talk to virtually any mechanic and they'll all tell you the premium is a bunch of B.S. unless you have a turbo. Anyhow - i'm back on 91 octane since gas went lower, but don't let that be a deciding factor.

take the 2006 TSX over the 2005 for the bluetooth. that feature is awesome.

maybe you can find a guy like me - 50,000ish miles on it - and get a good deal. i'm never selling mine though!

bradykp

my father-in-law passed on the TL cause of that pass through instead of the 60/40 fold down seats.

i don't understand why some cars do that.

LukeaTron

The lack of the split rear seat is generally done for body rigidity.

As far as not using premium fuel, this is 10.5:1 compression engine, you need a higher octane rating. The engine has enough adjustability (valves, injectors, ignition) that it can compensate for lower octane gas but performance and economy take a noticeable hit. It's not likely to be good for the engine in the long term either.

bradykp

it's opinion though, not fact. i've posted in other threads a long time ago - but to summarize - my mechanic drag races. he hauls his rail car in a trailer with a pickup truck where "premium is recommended".

he said, today's cars don't care. you might get a minor drop in performance, but it wouldn't be enough to notice in for most people's driving styles. as far as the fuel economy goes - that's debatable too. i've been averaging right around the same MPG per tank on the 87 as I do on 91 - adjusting for different driving conditions - it's probably no difference at all.

but bottom line, if my mechanic will haul a couple thousand pounds in a truck where "premium is recommended" and he calls B.S., i'll trust him. His advice over the years has helped my family take every car we've owned well past 200,000 miles.

i'm not trying to persuade anyone else to not use premium. i use it regularly. i just wasn't paying those obscene prices for premium when gas got out of control. was not worth it to me.

LukeaTron

The effects will be very minimal if you stay low on the tach and keep the engine loads low (i.e. not hauling a ton of crap up hill). If you visit the 4,000+ RPM range frequently or are fond of burying the gas pedal, you will notice a difference. The longevity of the engine would be my biggest concern though.

There are already a ton of threads on this topic so I will bow out at this point lest we steer this one too deeply into that soggy terrain.

bradykp

maybe true, but i still don't think you're discussing accepted "facts". as i said, the mechanic is hauling a couple thousand pounds with his pickup truck that "recommends premium" as well. he's had said truck for 4 years, and is well into the 100k range with it.

to each his own, i'm just saying from personal experience, it's not hurting your car unless you have a turbo. then you have a lot to worry about if you use less than premium.

dannyboy10

Need a roomy back seat for my 2 kids. I see the 06 Accord has noticably more leg room than the 06 TSX. Since I live in NYC, I figure the V6's low end grunt is more better suited for city driving. I also forgot to mention I am looking for an automatic, not a 6-speed manual.

Even though the original MSRP's were similar, a used 2006 TSX would cost me $2,000 more. $2,000 is not pocket change in this sour economy.

Premium gas on the TSX is not an issue compared to the V6 Accord since EPA mileage ratings are similar. It would cost me $150. more per year if I chose a TSX.

Still torn on which car to choose....... Thanks for the replies !!

SirBLaughs

iTrader: (1)

You see Accords everywhere.
If you're going to get an Accord v6, get that in manual, fully loaded.
Otherwise the TSX is the Japanese A4 in comparison


edit: my dad has an Accord Se 07. The Accord is what you need with 2 kids + backseat

dannyboy10

regular gas in a TSX ?


Maybe I should lean towards the Accord now since I would not know what octane gas the previous owner used.

bradykp

hey danny - we live in Hoboken and do a decent amount of city driving. I don't think you "need" the V6. i regularly blow cabbies off at the light.

the difference in price really reflects the difference in features. when i bought brand new, i was considering an accord vs a tsx. i concluded i was spending about $1500-$2000 more for the TSX. i don't remember exactly what features were different, but
-I think you get the memory seats (a nice option for me along with my much shorter wife),
-the leather seems to be better quality than the accord's (might not be a factor for you),
- bluetooth (i got navigation, so i have some of the integrated commands as well),
-heated seats - did the accord have those?

i forget what else. but the more unique design of the TSX was another selling point to me.

if none of those things are important to you, get the accord and be happy to know you bought a great quality vehicle and probably got it at a decent price too.

let us know what you decide!

bradykp

certainly something to consider if you think it causes any issues. i'm fully confident that my mechanic knows what he's talking about though. premium fuel is largely a scam for anything other than a vehicle with a turbo - but if you're uneasy about it - don't purchase any used vehicles that required premium fuel.

but - with a used car that requires regular - how do you know what quality oil they used or how often they got oil changes? how do you know anything about how they maintained the fuel on that vehicle?

there's tons of unknowns on a used vehicle i guess is my point.

LukeaTron

Like bradykp said, I wouldn't let the fact that it "requires" premium gas scare you off over fears of what the previous owner put in it. There's a lot worse a PO might have done to be concerned about if one is so inclined to worry about such things. If that kind of thing is an issue for you, I'd suggest looking for a CPO vehicle as you'll get a warranty extension and the car will have been inspected somewhat carefully by the people who should know it best.

Bradykp, you should at least acknowledge that the experiences of one person with a particular vehicle doesn't necessarily translate to the same outcome on a completely different vehicle. For one thing, a truck engine is going to be significantly more beefy than the lightweight, rev happy engine in the TSX. Big heavy metal parts will be far more resistant to damage from preignition than will thin light ones.

Furthermore, some of the extra price built into premium gas is for the detergents and other additives they put in there that keep your engine clean in the long term. It also takes more energy to refine the gas further so that's a factor in the price as well. I'd hardly call it scam. Putting premium fuel in a car that can't do anything different (vs. regular) would be a waste of money for sure, but if the engine is able to take advantage of the extra compression afforded by the higher octane rating, it will make a difference. If your just puttering around town though, you probably wouldn't notice at all.

Anyway, we need to get off this topic in this thread.

JeffS

Hey Danny. I have an 06 TSX and my mom has an 06 Accord EX-L V6, which I was driving during the x-mas break. Here are the pluses/minuses of the 06 TSX compared to the 06 Accord in my opinion.

+ steering feel and thicker rim
+ more attractive and legible gauges and dash
+ HID lights - big difference
+ 60/40 split rear seat
+ bluetooth
+ memory seats
+ longer warranty and roadside assistance
+ day/night rear view mirror
+ not as popular as the Accord, so you don't see as many
+ turn signal indicators on the side mirrors
+ front seats are more contoured
+ vtec sound at 6000 + rpms
+ MID

- less trunk space
- vibrates at idle
- noisier - both engine and road noise
- less power - the V6 is soooo smooth and creamy compared to the 4
- high maintenance bills - this varies per dealership though
- harsher ride
- lack of extending sun visors

I have found the gas mileage to be about the same for both as the TSX has to work harder to keep up with traffic and it shows in the mileage.

Type RC

I love Honda/Acuras, but a Mazda6 S maybe a happy medium between the Accord and TSX?

CarbonGray Earl

^^except that the interior feels cheaper than it looks. Otherwise, its a decent car and if you are buying used, you'll be should be able to get it for a decent price since they don't hold their value as well as hondas/acuras.

nj2pa2nc

I own a 06 tsx (no I do not want to sell it) that has all of its service done by an acura dealer. I get complimented on how well my car is maintained. It now has 69,000+problem free miles and I use regular gas.

dannyboy10

"I love Honda/Acuras, but a Mazda6 S maybe a happy medium between the Accord and TSX?"



If it wasn't for reliability issues, a 2006 VW Passat would be a decent buy too. They go for a lowly $11,000 at auction !

I was told 2006 TSX's are going for $15,000-$16,000 at auction these days.

Type RC

Oh, and Subaru Legacy GT would be another good alternative.

LukeaTron

The Legacy GT is pretty decent as driver's car (i.e. power, handling, road feel, etc.) but the TSX is a league above it in comfort and luxury. A good friend of mine has that car and I was definitely looking pretty heavily in that direction but once I test drove the TSX, it was over. The torque and AWD is fantastic but the interior quality and ergonomics fall quite short of the TSX. We did a 9 hour road trip in it last summer and my ass and back were killing me the whole time. I did an 11 drive in one stretch a bit ago in the TSX and had no such complaints. I felt like I could have gone another 5 hours. In the Legacy on the other hand, I was ready to get out of the car after just a couple hours. For whatever reason the TSX just does not fatigue me nearly as much as any other car I've been in except perhaps my dad's Lexus LS460.

valeratj

TSX all day. I had money for TL (06) but I still chose TSX because of its refined feel and styling. Yes its less powerful than V6 Accord, but it isnt Corolla slow either lol trust me, premium fuel makes a difference of only a very few dollars at every fillup. I mean 3-4 dollars. Badge also makes a very big difference and come on... Accords are everywhere and many are driven by some scum who shame the name of Honda. Acuras are more prestigius, even if it is a $28 000 entry level sedan with low quality leather, tires, speakers. Speakers will set u back $200-$300 if u want to get the quality ones like Pioneer or Kenwood.

LukeaTron

Where do you get the notion that Acura some how screens its owners? And furthermore, what the fuck difference does it make who else drives the same model of car you have?

I doubt any one who is about to become a responsible parent (by all indication) shares any of your ridiculously childish concerns.

Tripnox

From what i've been told that the TSX backseat is quite comfortable. Whenever I'm driving my parents around they always end up falling asleep, however they are under 6' feet.

JB08

I have 2 kids and have sat in the back seat during long trips. Frankly I think the back seat issue is a bit of a North American "bigger is always better" bias. Unless you're a 6'5" linebacker type, the back seat is fine. As far as performance goes, there is no doubt the V6 will give you much better low end performance, but having driven both an Accord 4cyl and TSX, the chassis difference is very noticeable. The TSX has greatly changed my outlook on cars, because in the past I used to look at engine displacement as the end all and be all. Thanks to the TSX I have discovered the joys of a multilink suspension, rigid chassis, outstanding gear box and well tuned shocks. I don't think that I am being a snob if I say that the difference between the Accord and the TSX is one of quantity versus quality... neither is right or wrong, it just depends on your needs.

valeratj

I felt it the first time I drove my old Civic. i felt how other drivers hated me and THOUGHT I was a punk who pretended to be driving a supercar. it was a 100% stock Civic. Same story with the accords. Trust me, people DO assume stuff by the car that u drive

litesout

For features and styling, I think the TSX has the Accord beat hands down. The bluetooth (if you go 06+) is outstanding, I use it all the time. The remote linked memory seats are great, especially if you and the wife/gf/so/life partner will both be using it regularly.

If you're looking at straight line acceleration, the Accord would be the way to go, but for handling, the TSX. If you're looking for long term resale value, I daresay the TSX will be worth more when it comes time to trade it in. But if you're looking to drive it into the ground, that's not an issue.

I really can't vouch for the rear seat comfort. I've sat back there once. I was curious one day so I sat in the back seat behind the driver's seat with it parked in the driveway. I found it quite comfortable. I don't think it would even be an issue on long trips. If you got a kid in a rear facing car seat and you're tall it might be an issue. I've had a rear facing seat in mine a few times and it hit the back of the front seats (yes, I had it in the middle.)

Admittedly my TSX is still pretty new so I haven't had any real maintenance costs yet, but from what I've seen they're not that bad. I've asked about some service costs and priced out a lot of wear items (brakes, tires, etc) and overall its a lot cheaper than my Protege. OEM front brake pads (from the dealership) were almost twice as expensive as OEM brakes for the TSX. Same story on the rotors. Tires were more expensive. They were an odd size though. If I had to go back to the dealer to replace a bent rim (I had the factory alloy wheels on the Protege) they were over $100 more. And the list goes on.

Really, the best thing you can do is test drive them both, in the same day if possible. When it comes right down to it, you're the one dealing with it day in and day out. I personally liked the TSX better (comparing 08 to 08 though) but what I look for in a car and what you look for are going to be different so my subjective reasoning doesn't apply. Either one would be a great car.

dannyboy10

Many thanks to all for your replies ! I have great news to report .

I was able to buy a certified 2006 TL for a terrific price today from a Long Island dealer.

Type RC

Congrats man, looks like you found your happy medium....Shot over the Accord and TSX right into a TL....An excellent choice and a damn nice ride.