Article: Acura TSX Wagon Is An Experiment
The Acura TSX Wagon USA is the Americanized Euro-market Accord Tourer. As Honda — Acura’s parent company — tells it, this Acura TSX Wagon is an experiment. Wagons haven’t sold well in America for years, and Honda expects to move just 4,000 of Acura TSX Wagon here annually; for perspective, consider that Acura sold 3,824 examples of its MDX SUV in May of 2011 alone. The goal of releasing the Acura TSX Wagon, it seems, is to figure out whether or not Americans will actually pony up for a premium, European-style sport hauler.
Because the Acura TSX Wagon is essentially a rebadged version of the European Honda Accord, this can be done cheaply, without racking up huge development costs. And because most journalists love wagons, Acura was virtually guaranteed positive press for the Acura TSX Wagon. The best part is the Acura TSX Wagon deserves it.
The Acura TSX Wagon specs is identical to the TSX sedan underneath — same wheelbase and track width — and specifications for headroom, legroom and so forth are all-but-identical to the sedan’s, so the wagon doesn’t give you more space to sit in, just a spacious cargo compartment.
The Acura TSX Wagon isn’t a substitute for a small crossover SUV, because its hunkered-down design and sporting intent dictate a ground clearance of 5.9 inches (or a mere 4.3 inches fully loaded) instead of 7 to 9 obstacle-clearing inches in a similar-size SUV. For $31,820, you get an Acura TSX Wagon, good-looking hauler that offers a spacious, modern interior and a strong, efficient powertrain.
As with the TSX four-door, the Acura TSX Wagon back seat is comfortable for full-size adults and the chassis is a nimble, corner-dancing companion on winding roads. You tend to forget that the Acura TSX Wagon ample rump is there, so willingly does the car bound and leap over twisty pavement. Still, every wagon is defined by its way back, and this Acura TSX Wagon is no exception.
The Acura TSX Wagon cargo capacity will swallow 61 cubic feet of stuff with the seats folded, 26 with them up. The Acura TSX Wagon rear load floor is flat, and there are tie-down points out the wazoo; thanks to all the rear glass, visibility is even decent. You could ask for more than this for the Acura TSX Wagon, but you’d probably be asking too much.
The Acura TSX Wagon is, some might say, old-fashioned despite changes for 2011. That is, the Acura TSX Wagon pre-dates the complicated-is-good theme of electronic gadgetry, and the over-accessorized engines and gazillion-speed transmissions that reign today. We applaud that, and credit it for much of what made the Acura TSX Wagon test car a delight every mile; the drivetrain was a star.
The Acura TSX Wagon engine made its satisfying power not from turbo charging, but by being designed to maximize the engine’s high-revving abilities (7,000 rpm redline), yet not require that it be driven flat-out to perform well. Thus, fun to flog and satisfying in the stop and lurch of crowded suburban traffic.
The Acura TSX Wagon five-speed automatic — how quaint in this age of eight-speed gearboxes creeping like choking vines into more and more machines — shifted brilliantly, changing gears briskly and without pausing first for consultation with the fuel-economy overlords. The Acura automatic shifted so nicely it was heartbreaking to realize what gearbox mediocrity satisfies some other automakers.
Source: dhybridcars.org
Website collected information from Ardevcamp