Terdbath

And another one gone.....


As a former 2005 RL owner and current 2010 TSX owner I have been a happy member of AZINE for many years. Even attended the 2011 AZINE meet in Kansas City. Last couple years I have spent more time on the TLX side as I knew my next car would probably be AWD. Couldn't really get behind the TLX after a test drive in an early model. While I liked the exterior changes and was happy with the interior and how quite and smooth it rode I was not a fan of the transmission. When returning from the test drive I had to admit the delay in picking a gear was a concern for me.


I've had 6 years of trouble free motoring with this TSX and I have literally fell in love with the car during that time which is why I'm keeping it.


I'm sure the newest RL is a great car for those who have one but is uninspiring to me so was never a consideration and this guy will never own an SUV so that means next car cant be an ACURA. (NSX way out of my price range)


I'm pretty much always looking for my next car and looking at the things I wanted I kept finding myself looking at the Subaru WRX. Took a test drive in a used 2015 model with 20,000+ miles and thought it felt pretty solid even when broken in. A week later I ordered a World Rally Blue WRX limited at invoice pricing with an April delivery date.


Already hitting up the Subaru forums and looking at springs and camber bits to lower it slightly. Its crazy how over there they absolutely hate Tein S techs where over here they are perfectly acceptable. I have had S techs on 2 different cars and really liked them but funny to see them hate on them so hard.


Anyway just wanted to announce what lured me away from Honda/Acura. My intent was to stay in the family but just couldn't find anything that fit my personal wants.

cu2wagon

Well, it is pretty obvious that Honda hasn't really done much lately to try to keep enthusiasts happy. Just saying something is "that kid of thrill" doesn't *make* it thrilling.

But a boosted AWD 4-cylinder that begs for hooning... That is a kind of thrill.

Good luck and happy motoring!

But I'm sort of lost. Are you getting rid of the TSX or keeping it?

Terdbath

Keeping the TSX as a back up for the next couple years then goes to my daughter as a first car.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Congratulations! Post pictures when you take delivery

TacoBello

I wish you many happy years of driving with your new subie. I think it was a great choice on your part. Can't blame you for leaving Acura either. They have nothing for me these days and I refuse to drive an SUV as well.

cu2wagon

Ah, got it.

The TSX will make a great first car. Lucky lady!

I'm with you fully then. If I needed a new car today, Acura wouldn't even be in consideration. 1G TSX, 2G TSX, 3G TL, but after those all went away...sad times.

Definitely post pics of the new WRX. Seems to be a couple of them have popped up lately.

briq456

Agree with you 100% I had the TLX as a loaner and it was the SH AWD navi and all, and while it was nice, that transmission was completely confused by everything. Also was really looking at the WRX too but having no car payment and a TSX with only 88K On it, kinda seems crazy to jump into another car payment, but the WRX sure seems like it would be fun! enjoy!

2012wagon

Congrats

We have a 2016 wrx limited in WR blue as well

ESHBG

Congrats, OP! I never really thought about the WRX until recently but the more I look into it, the more I like it.

How do you like it?

2012wagon

I posted a thread about it on car talk
We traded our 8 year old ls600h for it. We shopped everything from tlx to c63 . GS-F is what we initially wanted. However it's priced way too high. With new rcf selling for 59k new, there are 307 gs-F left unsold in the USA not to mention they will be heavily discounted


Very fun to drive
Dirt cheap insurance
Seat heaters is horribly positioned under the center armrest .

It is our 5th Subaru
It's way better quality than before and they have made great strides
But interior quality isn't luxury car nor should it be expected in such a cheap car
We have been averaging 26.8 mpg on ours
We have 1833 miles as of this morning. Bought new Christmas

icu2tsx

Congrats OP.

I too have been looking at Subaru WRX/STI for my next car ..still hoping that they bring back the wagon STI with the new engine...So I am playing the waiting game. I think if I was to get WRX I too would keep TSX, but with the STI price tag, TSX would be gone lol

Terdbath

Will definitely post pics but probably very similar to the pics that 2012 Wagon posted. I do plan to mod but will keep it tame with just a mild drop and wheels and wider tires 265 35 18. I may be lying to myself here but those are the only mods I plan on doing as of now. I love how they just switched over to 5 X 114.3 lug pattern so could possibly use my MB Battle wheels on my Acura today as a summer wheel and use the stockies with all seasons or winter tires for the snow season.

2012wagon

Accessport would be great first mod

ESHBG

Ah okay sorry I missed it, I never go to that forum. Thanks for the summary and glad you are enjoying it so far!

CybrRdr

Congrats OP!

Maybe in another year I will replace my TSX. I'd like to get another Acura but the other brands seem to have better offerings.

Terdbath

Back with a pro and con review along with a few pics. Ordered February 6th, took delivery on April 9. To date have added LED DRL's, and made the outer C light a DRL. This past weekend lowered it 20mm on some stiffer RCE springs using Camber bolts up front and adjustable rear control arms in the rear to get all camber back into spec. Pictures below are before lowering.














Had quite a few "cons" that I wasn't expecting but am learning to live with.
Auto window roll up and down only on drivers window. Why don't car manufacturers make all 4 windows auto up and down? My 05 RL had that. Why does a car 5 or 10 years older not have that as standard?
Bit stiffer ride when comparing stock to stock springs.
Homelink not standard. Its a $400 option. Sorry, $400 for a garage door opener? Ill get a used on on ebay. Amazing to me how many cars use the same rear view mirror.
TPMS does not display individual tire pressures. Only lets you know when one is not at the right pressure then you have to figure out which one. Kind of lame. Oh and if you want an extra set of rims you need to find clonable TPMS. Either that or get TPMS and pay Subaru dealer to reset every time you change wheels out. This is ignorant especially when they sell you the car with Summer tires know dang well the buyer is going to have to have another set for winter.
AHA and Starlink apps are completely useless on Iphone with the 8 pin connectors. These aps wont work through Bluetooth on iphone but they do with Samsung devices. Ive triple checked and everything I read confirms this. Great news if you have an iphone 4 of course but who has one of those still?
No outside trunk open button. There is a button on the dash and one on the key fob. Anyone else think that is odd?
Power drivers seat only.
Uses synthetic oil. Not sure this is really a con?
Overall sound of stereo is not that great compared to my base TSX. Not as full sounding and radio constantly switches from HD to SD which alters the sound a bit.
The center console arm rest is nowhere near the height to be able to use as an arm rest.
Lastly. Subaru just does not have any of the cubby holes or change drawers or even a sunglasses holder that Hondas have. Someone on NASIOC did a DYI on how you can remove the oh shit handle above the driver side door and convert it into a sunglasses holder using a Volvo part. I'm definitely doing that at some point.


Now the pros!


Endless modability. Motor, exhaust, interior, exterior, you can go absolutely nuts modding this kind of car.
It has the auto 3 blink turn signal.
Led driving lights.
Nothing like that turbo whoosh sound. I cant get enough of it.
Light exhaust rumble at idle. It quiets down when moving but at start up it is a pleasing sound.
Other than the difficult to understand XM presets I like the touchscreen infotainment unit.
All that grip in the rain.
Flat bottom steering wheel
The red stitching
The grippy leather seats.
I like the boost guage too. Always catch myself peeking at it on that second gear pull.




One last comment is that Ive already experienced some squeaks and creaks either from road imperfections or from the bass out of certain songs. To this date my TSX is still rattle free. Overall I'm a happy customer despite all the "cons" I listed above and given the chance to do it over Id still do the same.

ssjoeboe9

All I can say about the cons is.. Subaru

lol

xtcnrice

nice review. would any of those cons be eliminated had you gotten an STi instead?

ssjoeboe9

Doubt it.. Subaru interior blows. Usability is an afterthought for them. ohh we have space here.. mmmm lets give them a 3 finger cubby hole lol

Honda is top notch when it comes to customer usability, and you would be hard pressed to get in another vehicle at the same price range that offers the kind of usability that honda does. BUT BUT... the lack emotion is why everyone eventually leaves, and thus the WRX is the only logical next step to make. (and granted, subaru interior quality is slowly getting better)

xtcnrice

yeah subbie interiors aren't great... basically why I haven't switched either

balistek

i didn't mind my wrx interior (2011 base) . It wasn't nothing spectacular, but I didn't feel like I was missing out on things. I don't find my my TSX interior that inspiring outside of the suede inserts and black headliner which i quite enjoy. All things considered, I find my '13 year model interior to be quite lacking and dated from a tech standpoint

ssjoeboe9

I have an announcement also..

I will no longer be considering an STi as my next vehicle. Im sure XTC will be glad I won't be posting about that anymore lmao

xtcnrice

this is true... for a 2013 MY, the TSX is very dated in terms of tech. Maybe it's just the way things are presented... I find the TSX interior (center console, etc) to look more mature than the WRX interior. Not to say it's more technically advanced, but despite the dated tech it still looks pretty clean and somewhat luxurious IMO.

RTM

Regarding Subarus: As a tall guy, I find most of their seats like sitting on a milk crate. No lumbar support, poor thigh support, just a blank slab. They may go like hell, but that doesn't matter as much as creature comfort to me.

I picked my TSX based mostly on seat quality, most other vehicles the seats hurt like hell after a few hours. Once had a rental ?Malibu? that was comparing itself to Camry a few years back. After a 4 hour drive, I found the nearest Avis and insisted on a different vehicle. I would not have been able to walk after the return trip.

scheißterhöffer

I'm with you on this. I love the seats on my 2012 (and on my first gen too). Feels like they were custom fitted to my body. When I get in a car with uncomfortable seats, it's awful. I couldn't buy a car with crappy seats. This is something that I bet a lot of people don't think about or realize on a 10-15 minute test drive. I can go for hours in this car and still be comfortable.

Terdbath

Thank you sir! I researched this quite a bit. A Cobb Accessport frees up some amazing HP and torque numbers on a completely stock motor with 93 octane gas. We are talking 50 plus HP and TQ with a MAPerformance stage 1 tune. I ordered one today.


MAPerformance 2015/16 WRX 93 Oct Tune Development With Cobb AP - NASIOC

rawger

What's number one on your list now?