280hp Acura TSX

[bruddahmanmatt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/11/c...x-v6-for-2010/

Apparently Honda thinks it's a wise move to shoehorn the 280hp 3.5L V6 from the TL into the smaller TSX. Wrong move IMO. This car has been begging for the 240hp 2.3L turbo 4 from the RDX for a while now. Yes the 4 banger may be a bit down on power compared with V6 offerings from other manufacturers, but the 4 cylinder powerplant and lower curb weight is what made the original TSX such a great handler in the first place. The new car is already bigger and heavier than its predecessor and now Honda has gone and made things worse by saddling the TSX with even more mass over the front axle and attempting to route 280hp through the front wheels only. That's right, no SH-AWD for this one. Oh yah, and no stick shift either. An outdated 5 speed automatic is the only transmission available. In any case, now buyers can choose from not one, but two (TSX V6 and base TL) overweight FWD styling disasters that are sure to epitomize torque steer. This is definitely a case where less (2.3L turbo 4 from the RDX) could have and would have been more IMO.

[Wannabe6MT]

Yep, is not going to work. Might make for a good passing car though.

[Jeff92se]

Yup, Honda is nuts for not using the RDX motor. It's probably capable of much more than 280hp anyway

[astonv12]

It seems like every car has moved up the line. The new TL looks to be competing against the Lexus GS or something. This new TSX is much too big for a 4 cyl. It's amenities and attitude(or lack thereof) make it more of a comfy cruiser. I think a V6 would benefit the TSX in reliability and quietness. Acura should insert a new smaller compact sedan/coupe into the line with a turbo 4. Not sure wtf were they thinking putting a Turbo 4 into an SUV.

[Yv12345vY]

Not to mention it looks ugly...

[PR G35S]

Originally Posted by astonv12

It seems like every car has moved up the line. The new TL looks to be competing against the Lexus GS or something. This new TSX is much too big for a 4 cyl. It's amenities and attitude(or lack thereof) make it more of a comfy cruiser. I think a V6 would benefit the TSX in reliability and quietness. Acura should insert a new smaller compact sedan/coupe into the line with a turbo 4. Not sure wtf were they thinking putting a Turbo 4 into an SUV.

My wife has an RDX and the Turbo 4 works fine. It has almost no lag and It has the flatest Torque curve in the Acura lineup, IMHO of course...

Besides VW stuffed a turbo 4 in the Tiguan nad nobody complaints...

[Greatwars]

I agree with OP..... bad move in term of handling stand point.....

[SpudRacer]

Why is there always this size creep with every platform from every manufacturer? Compacts creep up to midsize. Midsize creep up to full size. Has anyone seen the current generation Accord. Last fall my wife was looking to replace her R500 with something smaller. She has never liked driving large cars or SUV's. Since I had bought an S2000 in May, we thought we'd check out an Accord at the Honda dealer in our town. I hadn't really paid much attention to the car lately. Wow, what a shock! The nice little Accord has become HUGE! After the test drive we thought "damn this car doesn't seem any smaller than the Mercedes wagon". So, we pulled it into the parking space next to the R500. The Accord was nearly as long and just as wide. Not what she was looking for. That's how we ended up with a G35x. The new Accord has grown 50% from the original midsize concept. Big mistake IMHO. It ruined the car for me. Feels like a Buick with better quality.

[eljoker]

its like the Altima all over again

[Skaterbasist]

Originally Posted by astonv12

It seems like every car has moved up the line. The new TL looks to be competing against the Lexus GS or something. This new TSX is much too big for a 4 cyl. It's amenities and attitude(or lack thereof) make it more of a comfy cruiser. I think a V6 would benefit the TSX in reliability and quietness. Acura should insert a new smaller compact sedan/coupe into the line with a turbo 4. Not sure wtf were they thinking putting a Turbo 4 into an SUV.

The new TL is not competing against a car like the Lexus GS. If that was Acura's intention, then they were on crack

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by SpudRacer

Why is there always this size creep with every platform from every manufacturer? Compacts creep up to midsize. Midsize creep up to full size. Has anyone seen the current generation Accord. Last fall my wife was looking to replace her R500 with something smaller. She has never liked driving large cars or SUV's. Since I had bought an S2000 in May, we thought we'd check out an Accord at the Honda dealer in our town. I hadn't really paid much attention to the car lately. Wow, what a shock! The nice little Accord has become HUGE! After the test drive we thought "damn this car doesn't seem any smaller than the Mercedes wagon". So, we pulled it into the parking space next to the R500. The Accord was nearly as long and just as wide. Not what she was looking for. That's how we ended up with a G35x. The new Accord has grown 50% from the original midsize concept. Big mistake IMHO. It ruined the car for me. Feels like a Buick with better quality.

Remember people want practical cars not necessarily ones that are solely fun to toss around.

Most popular car in North America: Toyota Camry
Most popular luxury car in North America: Lexus ES350....a rebadged Camry

Go figure, in America the favorite luxury car is a FWD one.

[SpudRacer]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

Remember people want practical cars not necessarily ones that are solely fun to toss around.

Most popular car in North America: Toyota Camry
Most popular luxury car in North America: Lexus ES350....a rebadged Camry

Go figure, in America the favorite luxury car is a FWD one.

True, most people will trade at least some "fun to drive" for practicality. But that word covers a broad landscape. For my wife, practical meant getting rid of an R500 (and the Yukon Denali she had before that) in favor of something smaller that could still hold four adults in luxury. She hated the SUV and big wagon. It was hard for her to navigate our side load garage and the house has the scars to prove it. The fatties were also tough to find space for in mall & supermarket parking lots, parking garages, etc. We live in the Connecticut / Fairfield County where the highways are really congested and the secondary roads were laid down during the revolution, meaning they are very tight and very winding with plenty of hills and blind curves. So for my wife, practical was the smallest car she could still fit four adults and groceries into. We still have two SUV's in addition to the G35x and S2000 but the cars we drive every day are the little ones. I'd imagine anyone living in a city may have a similar definition of practical.

These days, the SUV's are only driven to Home Depot or for vacations, possibly if we need to haul a group of 5 kids somewhere but that's pretty infrequent.

The local roads are what made the S2000 attractive vs a Vette. With the little Honda roadster, the roads feel twice as big suddenly. And there is absolutely nowhere you can use the power of a Vette around here. But, the incredible handling of the S2000 can be enjoyed all the time on these roads. I'd love to drop someone from say the midwest onto our roads with their Tahoe and get their reactions. I'm thinking claustrophobia.