Colin

For curiosity's sake, I went to edmunds to price a 328i. I added the premium package and xenon lights to get the minimum I want and wham, I'm at 37,580!

2008 BMW 3 Series
328i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6M)
TMV®

Base price $31,666
Regional adjustment $1,122
ZPP Premium Package $3,250
522 Xenon Headlights $800
Color Adjustment: -$33
Destination Charge $775
Total with Options $37,580

Somehow this doesn't seem like a TSX competitor?

MikeMa

Sorry for the wordiness... it's in my nature... and probably everything I've said below has been said already anyway, but I thought I'd throw my ideas in the ring anyway.....

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Okay... let me follow up on my "looks good" vote with the following "What the hell, Acura!!??" Items:

1. The grille... Um... This shield/bucktooth look looks great on the MDX (it's kinda there on the RDX, except upside-down), but it's kind of a stretch on the sedans. The Acura logo looks crowded on that bar. I understand they did that to continue the line of the headlights, but I just am having difficulty liking this design element.

2. The foglights...think they should have done a more built-in look like the 2006 model (or even went with the old 3-series look of a projector lens foglight that pokes out through a hole in the bumper). The various weird angles look strange here.

3. The mirrors. I liked it better when the lights wrapped all the way around.... with the old version, oncoming traffic could easily see the signal lights at dark with the TSX headlights on... not sure if the little stubs project as much light forward as the whole strip did (I know, they are using them more as side marker lights, but...). Also, what's up with the black plastic on the bottom of the mirror? And it looks like the same black plastic they used put on the budget Civics that didn't have body-coloured door handles and mirrors.

4. The rims... I dunno.. the thicker swoopy-carved spokes make the rims look smaller... I think the swoop in the spokes also reminds me of an Altima (I *think*??)

Here's what I love:

1. Gauge cluster... whoo. I like the floaty needles... way cooler than the clear arm method they used on the MDX. That and they got rid of the old-style font Odometer.

2. ELS... I don't know if I read that this was a DVD-A enabled system with 5.1 surround like in the TL and RDX (which doesn't really matter, since how many DVD-A's are there floating around anyway?), but I love the sound system in my Dad's TL... so crisp and clean.

3. Headlights and tail lights. They went for the RDX/MDX/Audi chopped angles...I like it. I think they could have hidden the orange signals behind lines of red plastic (or just put a deep yellow bulb behind solid red plastic) so there aren't as many colours going on in the tail light assembly. Noticed there's still a normal halogen light in the centre... does that mean there's still no bi-xenons?

4. Steering wheel... I'm a sucker for buttons... and I do like the overall look... but I'd have liked to see a bit of matte aluminum trim around the airbag area.

5. Centre stack...good idea to put a hood over the navi screen. Makes the old TSX look like the Navi was an afterthought. Wonder what that area looks like when you don't have navi?

6. Paddles on the Automatic. I love the ability to shift with the gate in my TSX, but the paddles seem more logical... and they eliminated the D3 position from the shifter...good move. The leather boot classes it up a bit too (and prevents any dust and/or crumbs from dropping into the gate area)

7. Electronic trunk release button... minor, but why make the driver reach down in the dirty floor to open the trunk every time (which I do twice every day). Also, part of me always thought "Hey, this is the exact lever they put in Civics" every time I pulled it (I guess that's kind of arrogant, but I did pay a good premium over a Civic--or CSX for that matter).

8. iPod integration. I thought I'd get along with my Aux cable, charger, and RF remote, but now I'm wanting better integration so I can just push buttons on the steering wheel. I think I'm finally going to give in and buy a Denison IceLink Gateway 100 or something.

Overall, I'd say I give the new TSX a 7.5/10. I like the body sculpting (somewhat 3-series like...which I kinda like, actually) and the overall design. I think it'd look smarter if they were able to reduce the front overhang by maybe six inches or so, since it looks like they have a bit more length up front compared to my 06.

I think at this point, I still like my 06.. especially since I don't like that whole slab of aluminum look on the front grille. Maybe that would work if they made the slab taller and made the grille area deeper (kinda like an Audi look)... and maybe if they changed it to the same smoked/dimpled metal as on the MDX.. I dunno. I can see Acura doing things like making the foglights look like less of an afterthought and making the mirrors completely body-coloured as a refresh down the road. I can also see them introducing a Type S version as well that will maybe get a small 6 to calm the power zealots down (I'm pretty happy with my power level right now... but on the flip side, disappointed in the poor fuel economy--I'm fairly certain my dad gets better city mileage in his TL... so maybe a small 6 as the default engine might have been better anyway).

jlukja

We have a new version of this poll now that we know what the new TSX looks like.

TSX 2009 Poll Redux

dom

Didn't see your post so I mistakenly thought I could edit this poll and....I erased it.

Closing this thread up.

And Colin, looks like that 328 is within 2K of a TSX. For those of us that care more about the driving experience than the gadgets, its definitely competition. Especially considering the lease rates will likely be closer than that MSRP.

jlukja