- sedan 109,403
- 7,981 high price
- Austin, TX
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- autoshopper.com
- sedan 109,403 gasoline blue
2004 acura tsx review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Sporty new sedan from honda's european market. introductionacura felt it should have a car to compete with the bmw 3 series and audi a4, so it came up with the tsx, an intriguing car that does much with little. That execution is what the tsx pits against the benchmark bmw 325. honda's 200-horsepower engine boasts a broad torque curve that responds immediately to the drive-by-wire throttle and quick work with its sweet gearbox. The suspension dances to the tune of a european sports sedan. The brakes scrub off triple-digit speeds without drama and the pedals are set up well for effortless heel-and-toe braking and downshifting. For an enthusiast, the 2004 acura tsx eliminates the lust for european-market cars. . lineupthe lineup for the honda tsx couldn't be simpler. There is a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed automatic with sequential sport shift, for $26,490. The only option is a $2000 navigation system, in which acura takes pride: it's intuitive, thorough and fairly easy to operate. notable standard equipment includes a 200-horsepower version of the 2. 4-liter double-overhead-cam ivtec engine, vehicle stability assist (vsa) with traction control, 17-inch alloy wheels with v-rated performance tires, perforated leather seating, side curtain airbags, moonroof, hid headlights, and 360-watt acura premium audio system with six-disc cd changer and eight speakers. . walkaroundacura tsx shares sheetmetal panels with the european honda accord sedan, although the grille and bumper fascias are changed. The nose is clean and sharp, although the grille is wider than the accord's. The headlights are more narrow and horizontal than the accord's, streaking aggressively back along each fender. Invisible to the eye are aerodynamic undertrays, strategic bellypans that help bring the coefficient of drag down to an impressive 0. 27. The backlight (rear window) slopes to meet a short trunk lid, which helps air separate cleanly off the back of the car at speed. the seven-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels complement the car's clean lines, and the p215/50 tires are low-profile but not radical. There are discreet business-like chrome exhaust tips tucked under the rear fascia at each edge. They give the car attitude. Its eyes and mouth are the sound system, and its wooden wings arc out on the dash. The driver gets all the luck. There's plenty of bolstering in the eight-way power seat, the rubber-coated pedals feel good, and there's a solid dead pedal. The 8000-rpm tach is as big as the 160-mph speedo, because the tsx is all about using the tach. The bright red needles give it just the right neon touch. still for the driver, there's a tidy three-spoke steering wheel, wrapped skin-tight in perforated leather, just small enough. The shift knob is right, blending function and style with leather and polished aluminum, without compromising the function. The seat fits great and there's good legroom. A fingertip away is a 360-watt sound system with a six-cd player. Fact is, with the acura tsx it really is 'get' to change gears, not 'have' to change gears. That's a big improvement over the torque of the 200-horsepower, 2. 0-liter rsx-s engine. The acceleration is linear from the drop of the gas pedal, without strain or surge. But smooth power delivery comes mostly from the i-vtec engine, using honda's latest variable vale timing and lift system. it's simply a wonderfully tuned engine. Never got the good cars. European drivers appreciated good handing more than we did, so they got the cars with the tightest suspensions, at the least. They got more powerful engines too, often because of lower environmental standards. But nowadays that's much less true. The tsx is the state of the art of building the perfect little european sports sedan (never mind that it's japanese), as revealed by the suspension. Double a-arms support the front, with a multi-link system in the rear. It's heavy for its size, but it's delicate to handle. It's sweet, but not touchy. We would have liked some aural attitude commensurate with the engine's capability and the tailpipes' promise. the suspension says no sweat to patchy roads. It swallows the worst of it with no bouncing or tipping or jolting. It usually takes a softish suspension to deliver a comfortable ride on roads like this. The suspension's combination of firm for the curves and comfortable on the street is exceptional. It can get a little twitchy on uneven surfaces at very high speeds, though. we pushed the tsx through some curves, and it came out the other end flying its colors. Understeer has not been inherited from other, bigger acuras. The broad range of third gear again was useful, tremendous, even. Braking and downshifting was idiot-proof, thanks again partl. summarythe acura tsx is an exceptional car for the superb qualities it draws out of the honda accord platform. CD Changer✔ Heated Seats✔ CD Player✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Navigation System✔ Alloy Wheels
7,981 Austin, TXAustin, TX at autoshopper.com