What an outstanding engine and gearbox combo—there could be a decade-old chassis on top of it (and come to think of it, there might be), and the powertrain alone would make the Acura TSX 2012 Special Edition a strong contender in the near-luxury sports-sedan market. I'm not prone to gushing, but the six-speed manual in this Acura is hands-down the best stick shift I've driven in years. Combined with the smooth, zingy four-cylinder engine, the TSX is an example of the mechanical mastery of which Honda is capable when it tries.
Fortunately, the rest of the car is pretty damn good, too. Chassis: rock solid and stable, with beautiful, linear steering and outstanding brake-pedal feel. The interior is attractive and functional, in the Americanized Japanese luxury idiom. In other words, you're not going to mistake the TSX cockpit for that of a Jaguar, but everything is where you'd expect it to be and it all works well. My one gripe, especially at this price point, is the lack of a rearview camera, a feature I can get in a Kia Rio.
So, at $31,000 and change, where does the Acura TSX fit in the market? It costs thousands less than a similar Audi A4 or BMW 3-series (perhaps not on the Web configurators, but up against the ones you'd find on dealer lots), but it feels a couple grand less upscale, too. The Ford Fusion Sport, or possibly the Infiniti G25, then? Both cars have very different driving dynamics than the Acura, and it's unlikely that a buyer attracted to one would also be attracted to the other.
In the end, the Acura TSX appeals mainly to buyers with fond, positive memories of what the brand stood for in the past, or those who truly love Honda cars but want something a bit more upscale. Why the TSX can't just become the Legend (yes, I realize it's more at the Vigor size/price point) and its baby brother ILX the Integra is beyond me. But name recognition might give some folks a reason to walk into an Acura dealer and discover this great sedan.
ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: If I was in the market for an everyday driver, I would end up with an Acura TSX with the four-cylinder and the six-speed manual transmission. The unfortunate thing is that you can't get the six-speed manual with the Technology package anymore. If you want your TSX with three pedals, you need to go with a Special Edition model.
There are some trick features to the Special Edition model, such as the more aggressive fascias, side sills and rims with gunmetal-paint spoke insets. On the inside, you get suede seat inserts that help keep you in place during corning, red stitching on the seats and steering-wheel and aluminum pedals.
I've gone on record countless times with my admiration for this K24 engine. It's been around for a while, but I still think it's the smoothest four-cylinder on the market. There's a 7,000-rpm redline to work with, and it happily dances up at the top end of the rev range all day long, which is required because peak power is made at 7,000 rpm. As for the six-speed manual, it's my favorite manual transmission available, with short, fluid shifts. If there is a better manual gearbox out there, I haven't found it yet. Clutch take-up is in the middle of the pedal stroke, which is just the way I like it.
Being a front-wheel driver the TSX will understeer, but the limited-slip differential is there to help. The car responds well to being thrown around hard and you can carry a lot of speed through bends. One thing that some will people will have to get used to is the hyperactive steering response, which I like a lot. It's so quick to respond that it will most likely catch you off guard at first, but it sure makes placing the car where you want it quite easy.
The ride is smooth and the suspension offers good damping to absorb most bumps. When running down the expressway, the cabin stays quiet and mostly free from wind noise and tire noise. I also moved a couple of long items that required putting the rear seats down, and the large pass-through from the trunk into rear cabin is wide.
The most common complaint about the TSX is the button-laden center stack, which I understand. Personally, I'll take hard buttons over some iDrive-type system any day. Buttons are easier to get acclimated to, in my opinion.
Another real-world argument is my observed mileage. One of my fill-ups yielded an average of 25.6 mpg and the other was 26.0 mpg. That's on mixed driving, and I can assure you that I was keeping the revs up there, so those readings are pretty darn good.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: I agree with Andy and Jon's notes above. The six-speed in the 2012 Acura TSX is one of the top three in the market, if not No. 1. A few that are close are the Mazda RX-8 (which is technically done, but it wouldn't shock me if there was a new one still sitting at a Mazda dealership somewhere), the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, and that's about it.
When Acura changed the body style of the TSX a few years ago, I think it lost some buyers. Now the company is slowly ditching the beak/shield look for something a little more restrained. This one in particular looks great in fire-engine red.
The TSX has the right proportions, the wheel selection fits and it has just enough room to compete with small luxury sedans such as the Audi A4 and the BMW 3-series, especially the new 3-series with the four-cylinder engine. But the TSX can be had for less than those guys. Anyone shopping for one of the Germans should take quick look at Japan.
There's good power from the 2.4-liter engine, and when you're really getting on it, it has a throaty sound from the exhaust. The fact that Jon got 25 mpg makes it even sweeter.
Acura interiors used to appear busy. Now that everyone else has caught up, there's no more intimidation factor with all of those buttons on the dash. I like the dual-material seats, cloth and leather. I might even prefer it to full leather. The cloth seems to hold my rear end better around turns. One of the few dislikes of our long-term Subaru Impreza WRX STI was the slippery seats that couldn't keep me stationary.
All of the important options are included on the Special Edition. If you need more than power seats, windows and locks, a sunroof and an iPod connection, you might have to upgrade to the V6. Unfortunately, it has no manual option. That would be taking away the best part of the car.
Acura TSX 2012 Special Edition
Base Price: $31,695
As-Tested Price: $31,695
Drivetrain: 2.4-liter I4; FWD, six-speed manual
Output: 201 hp @ 7,000 rpm, 172 lb-ft @ 4,300 rpm
Curb Weight: 3,400 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 24/25.8 mpg
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120629/carreviews/120629809#ixzz2CTIc6ghy
