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Find out more about Dan: Dan Roth has had a lifelong fascination with automobiles. From wrenching to writing, he's built a base of knowledge and experience. These days, Dan and family relish road trips around New England to evaluate the latest vehicles on the market. |
Let's ring in 2009 properly, shall we? Being an auto pundit affords me frequent seat time in some of the latest iron, which is surely of interest to auto enthusiasts. Let's keep everyone in the loop about what lands in my driveway, shall we? The holiday schedule a short one, so there will be a new car here soon.
This week, it's the Acura TSX, and the car's a charmer. First of all, it's a relative bargain in its segment. $32,000 is a substantial chunk of money, for sure, but the TSX comes well equipped for that price. The test car has navigation, leather, xenon headlamps, satellite radio, and plenty more. Try finding a 3 series this tricked out for 32 grand.
The best part of the TSX isn't all the stuff it comes with, but the way it drives. It's light on its feet and tossable. It also proved unflappable in snow, driven with a modicum of care. A full set of snow tires would make the TSX pretty unstoppable. Steering is very chatty at speed, delivering the driver's hands a delightful direct line to the front tires. The ride is fantastic, firm and absorbtive at the same time, a difficult trick to pull off. The 2.4 liter four cylinder is smooth and plenty powerful, though its 201 horsepower may fail to impress in these days of heady outputs. An 11:1 compression ratio is high, enabling the good naturally aspirated output, as well as sensible fuel economy. The TSX has left me somewhat smitten. It may be heresy, but this car's a heck of a value, and for every day use, it's satisfying enough that I'd pick the TSX and its FWD layout over the 3 series; the BMW's RWD layout isn't worth the premium for a diet of mostly commuting.
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