Written by Harry Pegg
New TSX
Filed Under Essais routiers
2008-04-25 11:10:53
Cet article n’est pas disponible en français. There are times when the theory of evolution plays with one’s emotions and driving the second generation Acura TSX is one of those times.The 2009 version is slightly larger and a whole lot more fun to drive. On top of that, it’s more comfortable and contains more safety features.
Acura says its “entry premium” sedan is aimed at young professionals in their early to mid-’30s. In other words, they’re after the “look-at-me-crowd” with an eye to performance.
Demographic-setters be damned. This car appeals to me, too, and I’m well past the mid-’30s. I’m also not a look-at-me, attentio
n seeker. Neither is my wife, who also likes the car.
Why?
Well, it looks good – a well-proportioned wedge shape with sharp lines and a solid stance. On the inside, the test car’s leather appointments are well crafted, the seats are comfortable and the passenger gets power seat adjusters. Both up-front seats get heat – which for my liking could be hotter, especially in the lower back area.
The test car came with everything you can put on, or in, a TSX. The company bills it as the Technology Package and it brings the price tag to $40,300, still not bad considering the equipment.
The base car, which starts at $32,900 brings considerable bang for the buck as it is. You get a moonroof, power passenger seat, remote entry, power everything, heated cloth seats, premium 7-speaker audio system and Bluetooth HandsFreeLink cell phone interface.
A premium package adds leather seats, XM radio, driver seat memory, and digital media auxiliary USB jack. The technology package gives you Acura/ELS Surround premium audio system with note feature for XM radio, navigation system with bilingual voice recognition, and a rearview camera.
Honda does manual transmissions so well, and that’s the basis for gear selection for all TSX models. It’s the kind of transmission that has you running up and down through the gears just for the fun of it.
The five-speed automatic offers steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters which work well enough, if you’d rather let electrics handle the job. The slushbox moves through the gears easily and smoothly and doesn’t hunt around for the right gear on long inclines.
To access the manual mode with its paddle shifters, you pull the gear selector straight back – no wacky gate system. Once there, you find this is a true sport shift – the transmission will hold the gear right to redline.
I have no problem with that nice bit of work, I just don’t like the left hand/right hand upshift/downshift system. Seems I’m always crabbing about this, but I’d rather be able to shift up or down with either hand.
But I certainly have no problem with what that transmission is connected to: Honda’s i-VTEC system that gets 201 horsepower out of a 2.4L 16-valve four-cylinder engine and it gets those horses moving with 170 lb.-ft. of torque (172 with the manual shifter).
Step on the gas and the car responds instantly, whether you’re passing on the highway or getting off the line at a traffic light. Power is there when you need it.
It’s not often you get even close to Transport Canada fuel consumption figures, but the test car did it. I didn’t believe it after driving 300 km, so I reset everything and had another go at it around town and on the highway for another 300 km…8.9L/100 km combined with the automatic transmission. That’s the combined figure for TSX with the manual transmission.
No, I wasn’t babying it, either. I was having too much fun playing in corners. This car loves the bendy bits.
On dry roads, stability control with traction control jump into the fray only when you get the car considerably out of shape…and that’s not an easy thing to do. When roads get icy (and I had this thing when a spring blizzard belted the Calgary area), the system ensures you maintain course.
The new generation has developed better manners on the road. The ride is smoother and the cabin is much quieter than before, a nice place to enjoy your music on the 10-speaker surround sound system. The only time I noticed wind noise was in a howling 60 km/h crosswind and even then it wasn’t unbearable.
Cabin space is good for four people and the trunk can swallow a rather impressive amount of gear. If two people are on a road trip, the split/folding rear seatback drops down to increase the hauling capacity.
Here, in short, are some other highlights about this car:
Headlights provide excellent illumination. You don’t find yourself straining to see ahead in the dark.
Navigation system is easy to get along with and the mapping is quite up to date.
Phone interface sets up easily and works well.
The switch for the power moonroof is on the overhead console (and about time, too!).
Backup camera provides a good rearward view and stays cleaner longer when the roads get crappy.
If you’re looking for a car in this category, be sure you put the TSX on your to-look-at list.
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