Reciprocating Mass
rino
– December 09, 2007 05:14AM
As started by Binky in land of old ...
Quote
Binky
A place to discuss your wheels!
"Use your wheels, that is what they are for." - Hawkwind
Jeff Cooper
– August 23, 2011 12:07PM
Just passed 100,000 miles in my 2005 Acura TSX. I wish it had a manual transmission. I wish it got better gas mileage. I wish my ex-wife hadn't repeatedly opened her car door into mine in our garage. But, damn, I love that car.
Mokers
(Moderator)
– August 23, 2011 01:56PM
Formerly Remy Martin
Just passed 150K in my 03 TL. If they new ones weren't so ugly, it would probably be the only thing I would buy. TSX has resisted the ugly stick a little more than the TL though.
DDT,
Very true. Another problem is that they don't make enough money to have lots of separate platforms, so you are limited to the amount permutations you can have of any platform. Much like all cars are enigneered to meet california emissions in the US (California being the biggest market), manufacturers just aren't going to put money in for a car like that. I mean, even future Gallardos are going to make some compromises because they know the chassis will have to accommodate what thost uptight Audi engineers want to do with an R8. Just look at how dumpy the Mazda 6 looks now.
El Jeffe
– August 24, 2011 12:53PM
What a journey.
John Willoughby
– August 25, 2011 10:38AM
Homo Sapiens Sedentarius
El Jeffe
– September 24, 2011 03:21AM
What a journey.
Mokers
(Moderator)
– December 06, 2011 02:52PM
Formerly Remy Martin
If you are looking to kill some time:
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/
Great nostalgia if you like cars. Mostly owners looking back with fond memories of their cars. Although it does sometimes get into the Ford/GM/Mopar bitchfest, it doesn't get too bad.
Jeff Cooper
– December 19, 2011 04:36AM
Acura has fixed the TSX. Sort of.
I have a 2005 TSX (which I adore), and when I take the car in for service I often get a loaner car. Sometimes it’s a TL; for one extended loan it was an MDX (which I hated). But usually it’s a newer TSX. And so I’ve had a number of chances, over the last few years, to see how Acura took a car I loved, the first-generation TSX, and nearly ruined it in the second generation. The car grew in exterior dimensions and weight, and its driving character seemed Buick-ified: smoother, softer, more isolated, with steering that seemed to drift, requiring constant small corrections. The clean, organized instrument panel of the first generation exploded with a proliferation of buttons and rocker switches of different shapes and styles; it was busy and bewildering. And as for the exterior, ugh. The basic shape didn’t change all that much, but it was ruined by the cartoon-style headlights (and, to a lesser degree, taillights) and the ridiculous “power plenum” prow.
This morning, when I took my car in for its 105,000 mile service, I was given a 2012 TSX. And there’s no question that, after a mid-generation refresh, the car is much improved. The 280-hp V-6 in this car is smooth and powerful. The chassis seems to have been rebalanced--it feels nimbler and more connected to the road (though still not as tossable as my 2005). The steering still feels overly assisted at low speeds, but at speed it now tracks properly--no more drift, no more need for constant, small corrections. The instrument panel has been rethought--there are still more kinds of switches than really are necessary, but it’s better organize and less busy. And the exterior quirkiness has been toned down: the headlights are still gimmicky--they have tear ducts, for goodness’ sake--but at least the power schnoz has been sanded down to inoffensiveness, no longer overwhelming the car’s pleasant (if still somewhat generic) shape. The only step backward I see is the front seats, which seem broader and flatter, perhaps a better fit for the average American physique, but less comfortable and supportive for wiry me.
So the TSX is undeniably better than it was, but I also wonder about the car’s future. I can’t see anyone who can afford the V-6 choosing the four-cylinder instead: there’s a big difference in power and smoothness, and not much difference in rated gas mileage (3 mpg). Yet the V-6 is nearly as expensive as the identically-engined TL, which is somewhat larger and is positioned as the more up-market vehicle. It’s always been a bit odd that Acura has had two vehicles built on Accord platforms--the TL based on the American Accord, the TSX based on the smaller Eurpoean Accord--but the previous generation had a greater size difference, and the TSX’s smaller size and lighter weight allowed Acura to pitch the vehicle as the sportier alternative, even if it was restricted to a 201-hp, four-cylinder engine. Now, the four-cylinder TSX, with its greater size and weight, has lost the drivability advantage it once had, and the V-6 model seems a lot like a slightly smaller TL. I would choose it, because I prefer smaller vehicles, but I suspect most buyers wouldn’t. At this rate, I’ll be surprised if the TSX stays around for another generation.
El Jeffe
– December 19, 2011 05:19AM
What a journey.
Did you hear they will be making the Civic-'based' (loose term?) Acura ILX here in Indiana?
http://goo.gl/edO3Q
http://goo.gl/aCBnT
Like I had mentioned in an earlier post, I think a couple of us will be going up (driving) to Detroit for the NAIAS Saturday Jan 14th maybe Saturday 21st.
Unless something big comes up there is a high probability a few of us will be going. So, let me know if you're interested. I have to warn you I drive the speed limit, though.
This year's Detroit show looks to be the BEST in many years. And Honda/Acura sounds like they are REALLY bringing some good stuff.
Here is an interesting, convenient link to all of Honda's previous Detroit Auto Shows news
http://world.honda.com/motorshow/Detroit/
Jan 14 – 22
Detroit (NAIAS) Auto Show
http://www.naias.com/
$12 Admission
El Jeffe
– December 19, 2011 05:26AM
What a journey.
Oh, don't forget to follow NAIAS on Twitter. They have some good stuff about now/this time of the year.
https://twitter.com/#!/naiasdetroit
Jeff Cooper
– December 19, 2011 05:52AM
I did hear about the ILX, and there's a chance that it will be an interesting car. I once had a 1988 Integra,which was based on the Civic platform, and it was a terrific car, a perennial on the Car and Driver 10-Best list. Underpowered by today's standards, but I was coming off a 1983 Civic hatchback (67 hp, I think), so the Integra seemed positively zippy. I loved that car and drove it until 1998, when an idiot ran a red light at the corner of Illinois and South and totaled it (I was unhurt). If Acura can capture some of that spirit, the ILX could be a good car.
I'd love to be able to go to the Detroit show this year, as it looks like there will be a lot of interesting stuff, but unfortunately I'm busy both weekends and can't get away. I'll have to make due with the much less interesting Indy show next week.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2011 05:53AM by Jeff Cooper.
Mokers
(Moderator)
– December 19, 2011 06:30AM
Formerly Remy Martin
One of the requirements for being a big reader of automotive forums is that you have to love wagons. One reason to get the TSX 4 cylinder is that you can't get the wagon with the V6. It's surprising that Honda does not offer the turbo 4 they have in the RDX in the TSX. A slightly detuned model with 225 HP or so would seem to be the perfect thing for the TSX buyer, assuming they can still get the MPG around 30 highway. More low-end oomph and lighter weight for the chassis.
El Jeffe
– December 19, 2011 07:01AM
What a journey.
In 75? or so we had an Olds Custom Cruiser with a 455 !
Took it on tour around the USA. To California (only time I've been there) and then back up and around the northern states. Got in a rockslide, and had to wait for repairs on it, too. Nice cruising car. We had like the first TV in a car that I know of. Bought a portable 4 or 5" tv that used car/batteries, or AC. Pain, though as you'd come into a broadcast area, then go through and out in very short order. Back window was pretty cool, went up into the roof.
Cloudscout
– December 19, 2011 07:35AM
˙pɹɐoqʎǝʞ ʎɯ ɥʇıʍ ƃuoɹʍ ƃuıɥʇǝɯos sı ǝɹǝɥʇ ʞuıɥʇ ı ?ɹǝʇndɯoɔ ʎɯ ɥʇıʍ ǝɯ dlǝɥ ǝuoǝɯos uɐɔ
We had one of those TVs, too. I think my dad bought it around '77 or '78. It was a JC Penney brand TV. I still have it, actually. I remember that same frustration of losing stations as you passed out of each broadcast area.
James DeBenedetti
– December 19, 2011 08:14AM
I hadn't heard about the ILX. I hope it works out for them. My Integra (2000 GS-R) is burning through a quart of oil every month, but I wrote off Honda years ago as the only options seemed to be gutless Hondas with lame interiors, or ugly, numb, and expensive Acuras.
Jeff Cooper
– December 19, 2011 08:41AM
Good thing I think the 2012 TSX is okay, as I'm stuck with it for another day. The dealer had to order a part for me; it's supposed to come in tomorrow.
El Jeffe
– December 19, 2011 09:55AM
What a journey.
Yeah, the ILX will be the logical successor to the Integra, it appears.
ddt
– December 19, 2011 11:48AM
One of the requirements for being a big reader of automotive forums is that you have to love wagons.
Really? I guess I should go read more automotive forums, then. Love me four doors with hatches. Though I now have small(er)-car envy, as I'm tired of parking my Mazda 6 wagon.
ddt
Jeff Cooper
– December 20, 2011 09:10AM
Driving the 2012 TSX over the course of 30 hours brought one fact unmistakably home: my car is definitely not new. And I began to like the feeling of newness. And then I got my 2005 TSX back, and the appeal of the new immediately slipped away. My car just feels so much lighter and more nimble than the new one (and it isn't *that* much lighter). It isn't as powerful as the V-6 2012, but it has a "let's go!" quality that is numbed in the newer car.
My plan is to stay put for 18 months (which would get the car up around 125,000 miles) and evaluate where I am then.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/20/2011 09:11AM by Jeff Cooper.
El Jeffe
– December 20, 2011 09:16AM
What a journey.
It should't take you 18 months to do that. Get a GPS Nav system - it can tell you where you are at in a couple of minutes, tops. :)
