Overview

The Acura TSX is a entry level luxury car manufactured by the Japanese car maker Acura, a division of Honda Motor Company. The Acura TSX is on the market since 2004 and until now it has reached its second generation. First generation of the Acura TSX was built between 2004 and 2008 at the Sayama, Japan assembley plat. The Acura TSX is also known as the Honda Accord on the European, Japanese and New Zealand markets.

The TSX name stands for Touring Sportscar eXperimental. At its launch, the TSX was presented as the successor of the U.S. only Acura Integra sedan. First generation of the Acura TSX was offered with one engine, two transmission options and in one body style (four door sedan).

Variants

Acura offered the TSX with a 2.4 liter straight four that generated 205 hp @ 7000 rpm and a maximum torque of 164 lb/ft @ 4500 rpm. The engine came with a standard six speed manual, or with the optional five speed automatic, both delivering the power to the front wheels. In terms of performance, the Acura TSX was capable of doing zero to 60 mph in 7.3 sec / 8.5 sec (6MT / 5AT), covering a quarter of a mile from a standing start in 15.7 sec / 16.3 sec (6MT / 5AT) and getting to a top speed of 145 mph / 143 mph (6MT / 5AT). As for the fuel consumption the TSX returned 20.1 mpg / 22.8 mpg (6MT / 5AT) on average.

Acura offered the TSX in two trims: Base and Base with Navigation. The Base model featured: leather seating, sport front seats, 8 -way power driver seat with memory for two drivers, 4 -way power passenger seat, multi-level heating for driver's and passenger's seats, height adjustable driver seat, power windows, cruise control, universal remote transmitter (for garage door, security system, etc.), tilt and telescopic steering wheel, audio and cruise controls on steering wheel, dual zone climate controls - driver and passenger, simulated wood trim on center console and on doors, leather trim on shift knob and steering wheel, electrochromatic inside rearview mirror, 8 speakers with 2 subwoofers AM/FM in-dash 6 CD player stereo with auxiliary MP3 audio input, and bluetooth wireless data link for hands-free phone. The second trim featured a DVD based display with voice activation and directions navigation system.

The Acura TSX was crash tested by both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The NHTSA gave the TSX five out of a maximum of five stars for protecting the drive and front passenger in a frontal collision, five stars for protecting front occupants and four stars for protecting rear occupants in a side impact crash, also the car received four stars in the rollover test. The IIHS rated the car with their top mark of "Good" in the frontal offset test, second best mark of "Acceptable" in the side impact test and their lowest mark of "Poor" in the rear crash protection / head restraint test. Standard safety featured on the Acura TSX were: , Dual front and front side-mounted airbags, Front and rear head airbags, 4-wheel ABS, Emergency braking assist, Passenger airbag occupant sensing deactivation, Rear center 3-point belt, Front seatbelt pretensioners, Stability control, Traction control, Electronic brakeforce distribution, Tire pressure monitoring.

Additional Information

The Acura TSX had three recalls. First recall was made for the 2004 Acura TSXs with problems with the wiring harness in trunk hinge area that could be damaged over time, causing a blown fuse and short circuit that could result in loss of license plate and backup lights, as well as taillight function. The second recall was made for the TSXs built between September 25, 2002 and February 13, 2008 on which the Prolonged high under-hood temperatures may cause the power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely and may cause the hose to crack and leak power steering oil; oil leaking onto a hot exhaust pipe will generate smoke and a burning smell, and could potentially result in an under-hood fire. Third recall was made for 2005 Acura TSXs for problems with a coil wire inside the fuel pump relay may break, causing the fuel pump to lose power and the engine not to start.

The Truth About Cars names the 2007 Acura TSX to its top ten best cars list, saying "this was badge engineering done right".