Back in the Acura family!!
04-18-2012, 10:31 AM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Back in the Acura family!!
I've owned a 1998 CL, a 2000 TL, and a 2007 TL. In between my 2000 and 2007 I owned a Mazda RX-8 (holy love/hate relationship, Batman!). And most recently, I had a 2009 Mercedes C300 Sport AWD (I've always loved Mercedes and needed to get that out of my system).
Last summer my wife and I bought a new Chrysler 300. Don't hate... it is an utterly fantastic road car, and is our primary driver.
When it came time to turn in the leased Mercedes, my wife and I agreed we needed to reduce our lease payment, especially since this would be our secondary car. Acura is currently running good lease deals on the TSX and TL, and after much test driving and thought we decided upon a graphite non-tech TSX with taupe interior, a great color combination. I'm saving $120 per month on the lease payment, and getting about 7mpg better on the freeway. Surprisingly, the insurance is only $8 per month cheaper on the TSX, I was hoping for more than that.
I chose the TSX over the TL mostly for economic reasons, but I also think that the TL has simply grown too large. I love how tossable the TSX is, and it's very easy to park.
While when I initially leased the Acura I thought I was "settling" on a lesser car, it has grown on me, and my family actually prefers the TSX. It is roomier and has a more comfortable ride. Even though it's a non-tech it has a lot more features... a better stereo, voice-activated phone, xenon, bluetooth audio, a much better iPod interface, and fold-down rear seats. My 18-year old son is doing his best to wear out my tires and paddle shifters. I have only a few dislikes with the Acura... the engine sound (it is too obviously a 4-cylinder), the numb steering (I don't think that it's easy to keep the car centered), and the fact that every time I close the trunk I'm reminded it's not built like a bank-vault Mercedes, though I can hardly fault Acura for that!
(BONUS: Acura is giving me two free passes to the Avengers a week from Wednesday, now I have to figure out which of the three of us won't go!)
Last summer my wife and I bought a new Chrysler 300. Don't hate... it is an utterly fantastic road car, and is our primary driver.
When it came time to turn in the leased Mercedes, my wife and I agreed we needed to reduce our lease payment, especially since this would be our secondary car. Acura is currently running good lease deals on the TSX and TL, and after much test driving and thought we decided upon a graphite non-tech TSX with taupe interior, a great color combination. I'm saving $120 per month on the lease payment, and getting about 7mpg better on the freeway. Surprisingly, the insurance is only $8 per month cheaper on the TSX, I was hoping for more than that.
I chose the TSX over the TL mostly for economic reasons, but I also think that the TL has simply grown too large. I love how tossable the TSX is, and it's very easy to park.
While when I initially leased the Acura I thought I was "settling" on a lesser car, it has grown on me, and my family actually prefers the TSX. It is roomier and has a more comfortable ride. Even though it's a non-tech it has a lot more features... a better stereo, voice-activated phone, xenon, bluetooth audio, a much better iPod interface, and fold-down rear seats. My 18-year old son is doing his best to wear out my tires and paddle shifters. I have only a few dislikes with the Acura... the engine sound (it is too obviously a 4-cylinder), the numb steering (I don't think that it's easy to keep the car centered), and the fact that every time I close the trunk I'm reminded it's not built like a bank-vault Mercedes, though I can hardly fault Acura for that!
(BONUS: Acura is giving me two free passes to the Avengers a week from Wednesday, now I have to figure out which of the three of us won't go!)
04-18-2012, 08:27 PM
#5
I chose the TSX over the TL mostly for economic reasons, but I also think that the TL has simply grown too large. I love how tossable the TSX is, and it's very easy to park.
Even though it's a non-tech it has a lot more features... a better stereo, voice-activated phone, xenon, bluetooth audio, a much better iPod interface, and fold-down rear seats. My 18-year old son is doing his best to wear out my tires and paddle shifters. I have only a few dislikes with the Acura... the engine sound (it is too obviously a 4-cylinder), the numb steering (I don't think that it's easy to keep the car centered), and the fact that every time I close the trunk I'm reminded it's not built like a bank-vault Mercedes, though I can hardly fault Acura for that!
Even though it's a non-tech it has a lot more features... a better stereo, voice-activated phone, xenon, bluetooth audio, a much better iPod interface, and fold-down rear seats. My 18-year old son is doing his best to wear out my tires and paddle shifters. I have only a few dislikes with the Acura... the engine sound (it is too obviously a 4-cylinder), the numb steering (I don't think that it's easy to keep the car centered), and the fact that every time I close the trunk I'm reminded it's not built like a bank-vault Mercedes, though I can hardly fault Acura for that!
IMO, TSX is a better ride than the TL. I mean overall.
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04-20-2012, 08:22 PM
#8
Intermediate
Welcome back to Acura! I have 4k miles on a 2012 base TSX. I also noticed poor steering centering and a slight wandering in straight line driving. I work at a tire/service place so it was easy to check alignment and play with tire pressures. Alignment was near perfect, but I added a bit of rear toe-in as long as it was on the rack. This made no difference, nor did I expect it to. Playing with tire pressures made no real difference either.
What did make a difference was 4k miles driven. The steering is better now, especially the straight line stability. I'm sure that just getting used to the car accounts for some of the improvement but tendency to wander slightly has disappeared now. I'm also beginning to sense some actual road feel, both on center and when cornering on imperfect surfaces.
Road testers often complain about electric power steering on lots of late model cars. They are almost always testing very low mileage cars. I believe that when new, these systems have fairly high friction resistance to feedback. And electric motors can be very resistant to "back-drive". I would not be surprised if a little break-in reduces internal friction in the rack and its motor which may allow some road input to the steering wheel.
What did make a difference was 4k miles driven. The steering is better now, especially the straight line stability. I'm sure that just getting used to the car accounts for some of the improvement but tendency to wander slightly has disappeared now. I'm also beginning to sense some actual road feel, both on center and when cornering on imperfect surfaces.
Road testers often complain about electric power steering on lots of late model cars. They are almost always testing very low mileage cars. I believe that when new, these systems have fairly high friction resistance to feedback. And electric motors can be very resistant to "back-drive". I would not be surprised if a little break-in reduces internal friction in the rack and its motor which may allow some road input to the steering wheel.
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