Acura's Tasty TSX

Zippy, fun and reasonably-priced, the compact Acura TSX gives more expensive sports sedans from Mercedes and BMW a run for their money

By Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Fuel economy, tight handling, price, safety

The Bad: Only a four-cylinder engine offered, odd-looking grille

The Bottom Line: A good-looking sport sedan at a family-friendly price

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

Choosing a sporty, entry-level luxury sedan is a lot like perusing the menu at Dunkin' Donuts: There are too many choices, and nearly all of them are sweet.

You could go with the new '09 Acura TSX, a sweet-handling compact sedan that comes packed with high tech gear. But the many other tantalizing options include the Mercedes C300 (BusinessWeek.com, 9/21/07), BMW's (BMWG) 328i (BusinessWeek.com, 10/17/06), the Audi A4 (one of BusinessWeek's Best New Cars of 2009 (BusinessWeek.com, 10/2/08)), the Lexus ES or IS 250, or the Infiniti G35 (BusinessWeek.com, 4/30/07). Or you opt for a loaded up midsize sedan such as General Motors' (GM) new Chevy Malibu (BusinessWeek.com, 12/7/07) , the Nissan (NSANY) Altima (BusinessWeek.com, 3/6/07) or Honda's (HMC) own redesigned Accord (BusinessWeek.com, 11/16/07).

In tough economic times, the TSX stands out mainly for its price and heavy dose of high-tech standard features. First introduced in 2004 and redesigned for the '09 model year, it's an excellent choice for young families who want a sporty sedan that also has five-star safety ratings and decent fuel economy. It can't match the performance of European rivals, but it's good-looking, fast enough for most people, and a lot less expensive than a Mercedes (DAI), BMW, or Audi, to say nothing of an Infiniti or Lexus.

Excellent Mileage

Some reviewers have carped about the TSX's small engine, and the fact that it's essentially a rebadge of the European version of the Honda Accord. There's something to that, but it isn't a deal-killer except maybe for heavy-duty driving enthusiasts. For now, the front-wheel-drive '09 TSX comes with only one choice of engine, an inline four-banger rated at 201 horsepower and 170 lb.-ft. of torque. But for 2010, according to reports in the automotive press (which Honda won't confirm or deny), the TSX will be offered with the company's 2.2-liter i-DTEC four-cylinder diesel engine, which is currently available on the European Accord. That engine is designed to perform like a V6 and also get mmore than 40 mpg.

In the meantime, the gasoline-powered TSX gets excellent mileage. With the automatic transmission, the '09 TSX is rated to get 21 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway, with highway mileage dropping to 28 with the stick shift. In 379 miles of hard, mainly highway driving, I got 27 mpg in a TSX with an automatic transmission.

Personally, I love the TSX's carved and sculpted European exterior styling, especially when viewed from the side and rear. The front grille bugs a lot of people because it looks like a weird, stylized mustache. But at least it's distinctive.

Price Is Right

The TSX also offers an extraordinary amount of bang for the buck. The base version of the '09 TSX costs $29,720, whether with a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic.