Acura TSX Review by yours truly ;)

[IVRY PRL]

So I went to look at a Mini with my best friend yesterday, and for various reasons, we were really dissapointed with it. Since it was the only car he was considering, we couldn't really think of anything else for him to try on the spot. Then I thought of the TSX, so off we went to find an Acura dealer. Now, my friend is in an interesting predicament, because he wants to buy a manual car, but he doesn't know how to drive manual yet. So pretty much, he drives the auto version of the car, to see how he likes it in general, and I drive the manual to tell him how it compares to the other cars we tried, as well as other cars I've driven and owned.

Exterior: I like it, it's sexy and clean

Interior: It's kinda basic, but clean, not too complex and stuff is where it should be.

Seats: Fantastic! These seats hold me really well for a stock seat, the bolsters are great and kept me in place during a VERY spirited test drive. Throw in the fact that they're heated, and it makes for some very happy motoring.

Steering: Very responsive, lots of feel, and the weighting is perfect. One of the things I hated on the Mini was the excessively heavy steering wheel, it felt like a car with no PS.

Gearbox: Oh dear... I never knew a FWD car can have a gearbox this good. Driving this car actually puts a smile on your face, that's how satisfying each shift is. The throws are very short, precise and butter smooth. Add in the fact that the gas pedal is hinged at the bottom and very close to the brake, and you have some beautiful heel & toe action.

Handling: Wow. You don't feel the size and weight of this car at all, it drives like a freakin go-kart. You just push it harder and harder and there's barely any understeer. Body roll was minimal. This is the kinda car you beat on more and more, and it just says "thx lol ^_^"

Motor: Aaaah... here's the kicker... It's definitely underpowered. But not by that much, I think that with a few bolt ons, this car could be very good. The motor is very responsive and loves to rev, so it's not that hard to get it into its powerband. However, I could never imagine having this car in auto, it would be a total, undriveable piece of wood. My friend though drove the auto, and said it wasn't bad, he felt it had more pep than the supercharged Cooper S that he drove earlier.

Pricing: This was a 2004 6spd with 96,000(km, not miles) on it. I freaked out when I saw the mileage, but when I actually drove the car it was in great shape. The Acura dealer was asking $20,995 CAD (cars always cost more in Canada, I'm sure this would not be a good price in the US) for it, which imo is a bargain considering the amount of ***-kicking which comes with the car. If I ever had to get a sedan to boot around in all year, I would buy a TSX for sure. The reason I wouldn't get a G sedan, is that my coupe is too much of a handful in crappy weather, and the G35X is auto only, and I wouldn't be caught dead having an auto as my only car. My friend also loved it, and he's getting one as soon as he finds a black or white one. The one they had was silver, and silver is gay

[617G]

stick to your day job...





















j/k Nice review

[GiGGaplease]

nice review. i sometimes drive my sister tsx and its so slow...but its a nice car for considering how much it cost.

[RBull]

Good review IP. Honda/Acura have always had great shifters/clutches etc. Not so sure on the price as I haven't looked at those before but it doesn't sound cheap to me.

[Hi-Tech_G]

My friend brought one a few weeks ago and the tranny $hit the bed on him. It only had 26k. The Acura CL's and TSX's are well known for tranny problems through the 03-05 years.

[IVRY PRL]

^ Really? I never knew that. I had heard a few bad things about the automatics, but nothing bad about the 6spd.

[bull3t]

nice review, but i'd rather have the cooper s in manual...

My girlfriend was in a similar situation as your friend, she was debating between the cooper s in AT and the miata mx-5 grand touring in AT...she drove both and

she liked the miata better...she said the handling was better in the mx-5...I drive her car occasionally and the mx-5 is basically a street legal go kart.

[O HELLA OEM]

get a rsx

[AlterZgo]

I traded in my 05 TSX for an 08 G35 sedan about 3 mos ago. IMO, the TSX's handling was pretty poor compared to my non-sport G35. In fact, even w/ full aftermkt suspension (Koni shocks + Comptech springs + Competch sway bars) and aftermarket rims/tires, my stock, non-sport G35 still outhandled my old TSX.

The only advantages the TSX had over the G was better gas mileage and you could access all nav functions while the car was moving.

[06g35meister]

TSX

[bruddahmanmatt]

Originally Posted by Hi-Tech_G

My friend brought one a few weeks ago and the tranny $hit the bed on him. It only had 26k. The Acura CL's and TSX's are well known for tranny problems through the 03-05 years.

1. The CL was discontinued after '03 so I dunno what you're talking about. There was no '04 or '05 CL.

2. AFAIK, the "well known transmission problems" you speak of pertain to the 5A/T used in the '00-'03 2G TL ('99s used a 4A/T) and the '01-'03 2G CL, NOT the TSX as you've incorrectly stated. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure the TSX was not one of the vehicles affected by the infamous "defective Honda 5A/T transmission" issue.

[godmans]

Originally Posted by AlterZgo

I traded in my 05 TSX for an 08 G35 sedan about 3 mos ago. IMO, the TSX's handling was pretty poor compared to my non-sport G35. In fact, even w/ full aftermkt suspension (Koni shocks + Comptech springs + Competch sway bars) and aftermarket rims/tires, my stock, non-sport G35 still outhandled my old TSX.

The only advantages the TSX had over the G was better gas mileage and you could access all nav functions while the car was moving.

Well said, I test drove both, TL and Maxima b4 I got my G. That being said, TSX is really light ...

[Jeff92se]

Your review basicly mirrors the mag reviews I've seen. For a FWD, the TSX is a great car. All it needs is the RDX turbo motor!

[SVLRx]

yup, i have an 01 TL and the 2000-early 2003's (late 2003's are not affected) have tranny's the go all the time, i'm on my 4th one, but the TL is my daily driver, G is for weekends and wednesdays...