tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Well my stepmother got this car a few weeks ago and today while visiting my Father, Him and I went for a test drive LOL... The car is much much bigger than the previous model and is a blast to drive.. the car handles great and comes standard with paddle shifters and many more amenities.. the rear chrome exhaust really caught my eye.. It reminded me of an aftermarket exhaust that you would see on an IS like the tanabe.. Anyway the only thing that bothers me is that the engine should be a little bigger instead in the I-4 and it definitley needs a HP increase.. All in all i think its a great car..

Just my 2 cents..

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Thanks for the impressions. Do you think it's going to do well in the market?

If they drop the RDX turbo-4 in it, it will be wild... but then they might need sh-awd too...

mmarshall

Overall, yes, a nice car, but what did you think of the interior? I thought the painted gray and silver plastic dash/console on the 2009 was a big letdown from the nicer interior materials and wood trim on the 2008. And the 2009 has a prop-rod for the hood instead of nice struts to hold it up.

I also agree with bitkahuna that it needs the SH-AWD option.

dchen2

Imho, a V6 TL or TL-S, esp the 6speeds are the acuras that really need the SH-AWD treatment!

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

the 2008 interior is not in any way better than the 2009. Our family owns an 04 and we saw a 2009 up close and personal and we agree is a huge improvement over the the previous gen. The leather is a big improvement, gauge cluster, center console, data screen

If it gets the 260 hp RDX engine it needs SH-AWD, for the base engine it doesnt.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

there was a bit more plastic in the interior than i expected. I did the gauge cluster and overall position of the radio and digital read out in teh center. I noticed teh seats right away. The bolsters hugged you right away likie a recaro seat or something.. Overall a nice car...

they really should put that turbo engine in thats in RDX.. One more thing.. why not a push button start? If toyota has it why not Acura?

DustinV

Sweet!

I guess I am one of the few who likes those new grilles on Hondas and Acuras too!

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

I can't get over the fact that everytime I see the front end, it reminds me Saturn.

sleeper408

iTrader: (6)

I love it for what it is. It's fine with the i-4 engine. If the TSX had more power, people wouldn't buy the TL.

carguy101

I'd rather get a fully loaded V6 Accord, Camry or Altima for the same price.

pvmike1

Actually, you're the only one.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

I think if i was car shopping and with the current economy the TSX and IS250 would both be potential buys. Both have almost the same HP and are priced around the same IMO.. ALso the new accord is very nice as well...

mmarshall

I'll respect your opinion on the interiors, but I have to disagree. I found the 2008, especially the beige/wood trim version, far warmer and of higher quality than the 2009. The 2009 interior has reverted to the same cheap painted silver and gray plastics that a lot of manufacturers are using, and I found the leather somewhat grainer and rougher-feeling than the 2008.

Totally agree with the need for SH-AWD........no arguements there, but IMO even the N/A engine has enough power for it, with or without the turbo.

UDel

I saw and sat in the 09 TSX today, did not have a chance of driving it. I wanted to specifically compare the interiors between the 08 and 09 so I sat in the 07 or 08 right afterwards. I think it is a nice looking car even though I was extremely dissapointed it did not resemble the Sports4 concept they had a few years ago. It looks much better in person then it does in pictures and even the grill looks nice. It certainly looks bigger in every way then the last TSX and you the extra width is very noticeable, it no longer looks like a small sedan like the last one. As soon as I got in the interior it felt upmarket and more upmarket then the last TSX I remember sitting in. Everything felt and looked high quality although the buttons on the dash did not have the same soft smooth feedback as my parents 99TL and 03CL. The interior felt roomy and it felt wider, roomier, and more open then the IS250 I sat in. The steering wheel felt very solid, sporty, and of high quality. The gauges were very nice too. One thing I was not a huge fan of was the new location of the NAV screen which sits kind of high and far back in the center dash compared to the last one that was more centered and set much closer to the driver and much easier to glance over and see. Overall I was impressed and felt the car was focused a little more on luxury then the original which was focused more on sporty and a drivers car. The newer TSX is bigger and looks more upscale but the last one did have a sportier look that I think in some ways is superior to the new one.

I then sat in a used older TSX but it did not have NAV or the wood trim and immediately noticed the interior was much more intimate, driver focused, and not as plush or as luxurious as the new one. The steering wheel was a little too thin for my taste and not nearly as nice as the new one. I tried feeling and comparing the materials and was looking for what mmarshal was saying about the new one not using as nice as plastics as the current one and I could not really see what mmarshal was talking about, I felt the newer one had a nicer interior and seemed to use as good as if not better materials although it was not as driver oriented as the original. There was a older TSX with the tan interior and wood dash and it looked much better then the black interior I sat in but I was not able to sit in that car.

They had a new black TL type S that just looked fantastic with the dark grey rims, I just wanted to stare at it longer and take it out. It is going to be extremely difficult for Acura to come up with a better looking TL replacement and from what I am seeing I don't think its going to happen.

As far as the pop rod thing is concerned I could care less if the TSX has one, one of my stuts on my GS seems like it is about to go out and I am not looking forward to what I am going to have to pay to get it fixed. I was installing an airfilter a few days ago on another car and the strut kept going out causing the hood to hit me on the head a few times so I had to hold it up with a broom. I have had the same thing happen before a couple years ago when I was helping a friend out with a BMW or Mercedes and the hood strut went out and kept falling on us in the dark. They are just another thing to fail that will be expensive to fix. I believe the GTR uses a pop rod. It takes an extra second to position a pop rod and you don't have to worry about spending a bunch of money replacing struts when they go and it seems many don't last all that long before needing to be fixed/replaced.

LexFather

This is a 2009 model, not 2001, a hood-prop on anything with a luxury badge is ghey and they shall score no points. That is just half-assed effort. I lifted the TSX hood, its big, its heavy, it needs a hood prop. Not to mention its pretty much a ladies car and I would HATE for any woman to try to lift that hood longer than 10 seconds. I bet many will have trouble with one hand, as you use the other hand to fit the prop.

The 1IS 300 had it and it was cheap then and the IS guys actually figured out how to add a strut and turned it into a GB.

They can outsource a great NAV system and tech features but can't get a cheap 2 dollar strut for the hood? WTF.