LexFather

Honda sells its Accord Euro in Europe and other markets with a range of four-cylinder engines including two petrol units displacing 2.0 and 2.4L, respectively, as well as a 2.2L four-cylinder i-DTEC turbodiesel engine. The same car is set to go on sale in the U.S. as the Acura TSX but in the world’s biggest car market the new model is only available with a 201hp 2.4L petrol engine.

According to the New York Times, Honda will sell a diesel version of new Acura TSX next year complete with the latest 2.2L i-DTEC turbodiesel. Developed in conjunction with German auto parts supplier Robert Bosch, the new engine fitted in the Accord Euro returns a fuel economy rating of 53mpg on the highway, 34mpg around town, and 44mpg for the mixed cycle.

The car is no performance slouch either, as its turbocharged engine delivers a peak output of 140hp and 250lb-ft of torque. The engine meets all 50-state emissions laws in the U.S. and it doesn’t require owners to replace its filtering system with urea like some rival clean-diesel models. Honda’s patented pollution system generates its own ammonia to fulfill the same mission.

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/s...-diesel-engine

ffpowerLN

iTrader: (1)

140hp!!

Yeah yeah i know it has 250 lb-ft of torque but still... 140hp!!

Also, with the diesel price as the way it is right now maybe hybrid should be a better choice than diesel...

I wonder how would the diesel TSX stack up against the future Lexus dedicated hybrid (glorified Prius) in everything except handling.

gsrthomas

iTrader: (1)

Who cares about horsepower. If people want hp then they will get another car. I do not get why people want it all. High hp and high gas mileage?? I dont think so.

All I care about is 44mpg!

Actually my friends VW Golf TDI gets 48 MPG on the highway.

mex lex

iTrader: (4)

It might only have 140hp from the factory but since it is turbo from the factory I bet it will have a lot of potential to make more power.

Och

iTrader: (3)

You need HP. For instance, I'll give you a personal example. Where I live, in order for me to get on the highway, I need to make a left turn from one Avenue to another. You gotta wait for the green arrow to make the left turn, and right after the turn, one block down theres another light, and there's no way to make that light unless you floor it as you're making that left turn. For example in my GS with 300hp I'm able to make that light while its still green, and in my LS with 250hp, by the time I get there it turns yellow. And then I gotta wait for the green light for several minutes. And this is just one of these situations, there's plenty of similar situations in city driving, especially if you drive somewhat aggressive.

DrUnBiased

Even though it is pretty much a given, Acura has not yet officially confirmed that the 'future diesel' will go into the TSX.

53 mpg hwy will be sure to get some attention.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

At least in my neck of the woods, prices for diesel are outpacing regular unleaded by at least $0.50 with the average being around a dollar. That reduces a lot of the possible fuel savings right there.Of course when being compared to its competitors (IS250, 328i, A4 etc...) it gets pretty damn good mileage so who knows, maybe this is the shot in the arm that Acura needs to start moving back up.

LexFather

While it gives Acura a niche, i don't understand how such an efficient company like Honda cannot make Acura a leader in hybrid tech. Instead they focus on Honda and give it an Acura name, the FCX...




That said, even with higher diesel prices, between Honda faithful and diesel lovers, this will sell. I think VW fans will jump to this too, as it will be tons more reliable than a VW diesel.

Threxx

34/53 is great!

Diesel is about 20% more expensive than REGULAR unleaded and about 10% more expensive than PREMIUM. It has stayed that way for a long time now... as a percentage over those two.

Then we can say this is like a car that runs on regular unleaded getting 28.3/44.2 with its 2008 EPA fuel economy ratings.

Or 30.9/48.2 in a car burning premium (like most luxury models do)


140hp/250tq with a turbo charger will feel fast and it will BE fast for around town driving... light to light it will feel faster than the regular TSX. It's not until you floor both vehicles that you'd really discover that the diesel TSX runs out of breath while the gasoline TSX continues to pull.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

TSX already requires premium, so the diesel is a huge gain in mileage for it, +13 mpg city +15 mpg highway for 10% more fuel cost, not bad. If you do a lot of highway driving thats where diesel excels. Hybrids excel in the city

bagwell

Jetta Diesel already has these same approximate MPG numbers...so no big deal....nothing groundbreaking at all here.

I'd still rather go with a full hybrid regular gas powered car.

or...why not lead the pack with a diesel-hybrid!!

Threxx

Not ground breaking from the perspective of only fuel economy. But it IS ground breaking if you were one of the many people that liked the Jetta's economy, but didn't like its poor predicted reliability. The Jetta is not a car I'd want to own outside of warranty. I'd be much more comfortable doing that with the TSX.

So this gives people a Honda diesel instead of a VW diesel... plus it gives them a semi-luxury car with great economy instead of an econobox with great economy.

53 mpg highway is a lot more than a 15mpg gain over the regular TSX. But yes you are right... a big deciding factor for whether to go diesel or hybrid could be if your driving requires frequent stops or not. My commute, while not highway, allows me to minimize my stops... the lights are very spread out so I can just coast to almost a complete stop unless one takes me by surprise and turns yellow right before I'm close enough to go through. I think my commute plus my 'predictive' driving technique that minimizes braking would benefit more from a diesel.

Vlad_Stein

Unfortunately, the US has no capacity to increase the amount of diesel it can refine (because of the refining technology that is used in US). The only practical short-term solution is to import diesel.

That means, as more diesel cars come online, they will start to compete with trucks and construction equipment, etc which will jack the diesel fuel price even more.

US needs to build new refineries that use the technology that allows higher yield of diesel, but that is not likely to happen because of environmental nuttiness. I believe that we had no new refineries since late 70s, or something like that.

bagwell

true about the reliability, altho Consumer Reports says reliabilty has gone up and they are recommended now (at least other VW's).

I wouldn't categorize the Jetta as an econobox at all. A buddy just traded his 02 530I for a 12/06 built Jetta TDI with leather, heated seats, SAT, 17" wheels -- I'd put a loaded Jetta right up there with a TSX --- altho IMO (not unanimous) the 09 TSX has taken things up a notch.

Threxx

You can get a civic and corolla with all the same things your buddy has on his Jetta except the diesel... I'd still categorize them as econoboxes, although the whole 'econobox' class sure has gotten a lot more upscale recently... relatively speaking, it's still an entry level class of car unless you're looking at things like the Fit/Yaris/Aveo.