2009 Acura TSX: Sporty DNA

PETER BLEAKNEY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

The exterior style of the 2009 TSX features added body creases and Acura's new chromed grille.

Peter Bleakney

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

The 2004-2008 Acura TSX may have looked a little plain-Jane, but lurking beneath its crisply demure flanks was a finely balanced front-drive sport sedan with a willing 2.4 L four-cylinder engine, a snickety-snick six-speed manual transmission and a healthy dose of luxury.

So when Honda's luxury division announced an all-new TSX for 2009 (the Honda Accord in overseas markets), I feared they might screw it up.

After spending a week behind the wheel of a top-line 2009 Technology tester ($39,000), I can say that the TSX's virtues remain mostly intact. Mostly.

The TSX starts at $32,500, with the Premium model filling the middle spot at $36,200.

No surprise, the '09 TSX expands dimensionally, exceeding the previous model in width by 80 mm and length by 60 mm, and sees a wheelbase stretch of 35 mm. This translates to a wider track and appreciably more shoulder room, although rear leg room still feels like it's at a premium. The trunk has actually shrunk marginally, but the 60/40 back seats flip down, making this four-door a useful tool for those runs to Ikea.

The new body loses some of the old car's simplicity, gaining chunky fender blisters, extra creases, chromed door handles and Acura's new Joker-esque chromed maw. Very eye-catching, but is this car laughing at me or with me?

The 2.4 L four-cylinder engine is a carry-over, although it gains variable intake-cam timing and a bump in compression ratio. While the horsepower is down by four to 201, torque increases by eight to 172 lb.-ft. (170 lb.-ft. with the $1,300 five-speed SportShift auto) and the peak comes on lower in the rev range and sticks around a little longer. Shorter second and third gear ratios help compensate for the 2009's additional 75 kg.

That said, this is still a Honda, so for maximum progress the tach needle needs to be swinging well to the right.

The TSX's cabin adopts Acura's sweeping layered design theme that the automaker likens to the radiating waves a rock creates when chucked into a pond. All the plastics and trim have a quality look and feel, and supple black leather seats – eight-way for the driver and four-way for passenger – are standard fare in the TSX Premium and Tech.

The LCD screen now sits in a binnacle atop the dash out of arm's reach. As a result, the touch-screen function of the old TSX is gone. Myriad buttons pepper the dash, console and steering wheel with a large central rotary knob below the screen as the primary controller. As with all human/luxo-auto interfaces, familiarization is the key, and this one is relatively easy to learn.

With the TSX Technology you get navigation, XM satellite radio, back-up camera, 10-speaker 415-watt surround-sound audio with six-disc in-dash audio/DVD changer, and bilingual voice recognition that, when the commands are mastered, will have the TSX doing everything for you short of wiping your nose.

Inside the centre armrest live an auxiliary input and a USB port. Plug your iPod into the latter and your playlists come up on the LCD screen.

Homelink and Bluetooth connectivity are both standard across the TSX line.

Yes, this is a plugged-in, high-tech environment, but there is one glaring fault (literally) with this interior: the LCD screen washes out in bright sunlight, rendering it essentially useless.

Down the road, the 2009 TSX retains the zingy DNA of its predecessor. It goads you to take the four-pot to the 7000 r.p.m. red-line, heel-and-toe downshift, negotiate corners faster than you should and whip up and down through gears just because the clutch and shifter are such a joy to operate.

Peek under the hood, and the brace between the front struts suggests Acura's engineers are serious about this car's dynamics. The rear multi-link set up has been reworked for sharper handling and improved comfort. For a front-drive car, the TSX is very good, and the modestly powered engine is actually an asset here as the front wheels never feel overwhelmed.

The car's overall refinement is greatly improved as well, but sadly the new electro-mechanical steering puts a big damper on the party – it lacks the tactile connection found in the old car. Plus the 201 hp four seems to be working a little harder here – not much thrust can be found south of 4000 r.p.m.

So what to make of a four-cylinder, front-drive near-luxury sport sedan that lives at the same price point as such starter-Germans as the BMW 323i and Mercedes-Benz C230 – both six-cylinder and rear-wheel-drive? A tough sell?

I don't think so. The 2009 Acura TSX Technology stands on its own merits. It is stylish, comfortable, great fun to drive and is loaded to the gills with cool tech. And it's a Honda. The fact that this ULEV (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) four-banger returned a very impressive 8.7 L/100 km won't be lost on shoppers either.

Freelance writer Peter Bleakney can be reached at pebleakney@sympatico.ca

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