Educate me on the Acura TSX wagon

"BadgerSpeed" (BadgerSpeed) 03/09/2015 at 19:55 • Filed to: None

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Okay, I need to be educated on the Acura TSX wagon. Drove a Mazda 3 for nearly ten years and loved the driving experience and utility of the hatchback. I was originally thinking of going with the new Mazda 3 2.0L hatchback as my next car. Even though you can get a 2.5L with a manual, I have a hard time swallowing paying $25k for the car (although I could be convinced otherwise).

So I saw an Acura TSX wagon on the highway and thought I should check them out. Turns out you can get a used ~2012 with about 30k miles for low $20k!? Am I crazy in thinking that this seems like a pretty good deal for quite a decent car. What am I missing? Reliability, timing belt, gas mileage? I don't know much about them and was hoping some of you have had the experience. Would appreciate the help. Thanks.

Love the blue color.

asindhidude > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:00

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auto only. else all good.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:01

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Honda Civic SI wagon

There, that's it.

Brian Silvestro > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:01

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Auto. FWD. Meh.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:02

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Offered in automatic only. Which is a tragedy because the rest of the car is fantastic.

XJDano > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:02

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I would have thought you had seen the one get smashed on the FP And wanted more info.

N51fanatic > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:03

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they only come in auto, and its not a DCT. Thats the only negative. Oh, it only comes with the 4 banger in wagon trim.

Steve in Manhattan > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:05

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Nice enough little wagon. Do they sell the Mazda 6 wagon where you live?

dogisbadob > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:06

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Well it's a Honda so it's reliable, it has VTEC, a wagon for utility, nice 4-cylinder engine for good gas mileage and low repair costs, and the prestige of Acura. It's an Accord with some more luxury and prestige thrown in.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:07

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We drove one. It's a fully-loaded 4-cylinder Accord wagon. No more, no less.

Also it is susceptible to surprise attacks by old Volvos

BadgerSpeed > Steve in Manhattan 03/09/2015 at 20:11

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Not any more.

BadgerSpeed > Brian Silvestro 03/09/2015 at 20:13

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While I get the Auto hate, with the long commute I have of 2.5 hours total per day, there is something to be said for an automatic. How is it to drive though. Saying it drives like an Accord doesn't mean much to me as I've never driven a modern one. Does it have the same 'vibe' like a Mazda 3 or is it really that boring? I drove one of the new Mazda 3's and I must admit I liked it.

Brian Silvestro > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:14

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Just because it's asian doesn't mean it'll drive anything like a Mazda3. They're from completely different manufacturers and in completely different segments.

deekster_caddy > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:36

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See if you can find a '08-'13 Passat Wagon to test drive. The 2.0T has a timing chain, so no worries there, and the 6 speed MT with the turbo is a pretty fun combination to drive! 110K miles on my wife's with very few issues and very little maintenance required. Even with the kids beating it up it's been a surprisingly reliable DD. Easy to get or beat the rated 24/29 MPG. I regularly get 30+ on long highway drives. It's a very light clutch and easy shift. Higher milage models might be close to needing a clutch, so factor that in...

Where have all the lightweights gone? > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 20:56

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The TSX was basically the Euro-spec Honda Accord—more upscale, better driving dynamics than the one sold here in the US. I had a friend from college have a sedan, and she loved it before she upsized for expanding family reasons.

Murray > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 21:02

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I (well I should say my wife) own one. 2012 tech pack.

Overall its a great car. It's been flawless thus far. Decent utility for a car its size (the exterior dimensions are actually smaller than the car it replaced, a 2007 accord). Fuel economy is decent not fantastic (about 26 combined) and I would recommend just running it on 87. The boost in performance from premium just isn't worth the money (seat of the pants says a barley noticeable amount of power and less than a mpg improvement). The suspension and chassis are actually very good. It was wayyy more chassis capability than the k24z + auto rewards it with. While I'm on that, honestly the car feels pretty slow. 200 N/A 4 cylinder horsepower in a 3500ish pound wagon is pretty blah. If it had a manual it would at least "feel" better but overall the 2007 accord basic 2.4l auto feels just as capable and a bit more linear. Tech pack is worth every penny.

BadgerSpeed > Brian Silvestro 03/09/2015 at 21:37

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I'm confused, am I coming across like a total moron? I do appreciate your effort to try and class me as one though. Yes, I understand they are different manufacturers and different segments. I get that. Psssttt, 'we' are here on a car enthusiast site, which generally means the people who visit here, you know, understand a bunch about cars. I'm trying to find an opinion from someone who has actually driven one extensively. I get you don't like it, thank you for your opinion.

BadgerSpeed > deekster_caddy 03/09/2015 at 21:39

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Thanks for the information. What issues did you have with reliability? Expensive or piddly?We've had some bad experiences with VWs in the past and wondering if all the current online bitchin' is legit.

BadgerSpeed > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 03/09/2015 at 21:43

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What did you end up getting for a purchase instead and why? Thanks.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 22:27

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So far, nothing, however I would recommend looking at cars such as the Volvo V50, VW Golf and Jetta Sportwagon, Audi A4 Avant, BMW, or 3-Series Estate. Maybe even the Infiniti EX.

RiceOwl > BadgerSpeed 03/09/2015 at 23:04

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Ignition coils tend to go at relatively low mileage on the 2.0T, but the fix isn't prohibitively expensive, and they're pretty solid engines otherwise. I've driven an '09 Passat wagon a bit (with an auto, unfortunately), and it's a surprisingly fun car. It'll chirp its fronts off the line pretty easily, and at speed it feels very small and light.

The interior quality is top-notch even in the base models, and the stock sound system is one of the best unbranded systems I've ever heard, if that matters to you.

Viggen9er3 > BadgerSpeed 03/10/2015 at 01:50

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I hear you, autos are good practical cars for long driving commuting or city driving.

deekster_caddy > BadgerSpeed 03/10/2015 at 10:05

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I said 'surprisingly reliable' because I think it's been pretty reliable. The issues we had I considered really minor. The power tailgate stopped working right early on which led to a BCM under warranty. The intake manifold flapper has some inherint defect in it's design and can limit performance if it's not working right. They covered ours at 90,000 miles, said the TSB actually included their part and labor. I was prepared to replace the intake manifold myself - researched it and was about to buy the intake for $150 and decided to call the dealer on a whim - they said bring it in and if it was this issue it was covered, so that was a nice surprise. Otherwise it's been 10,000 mile oil changes and premium fuel.

There is an issue with the throwout bearing in the clutch - it groans when it's cold. Ours has done this since new. If I had pushed while it was under warranty I could have gotten it fixed apparently. They "couldn't duplicate the problem" ha ha... but from what I read the VW throwout bearing has been revised and when we do get the clutch replaced someday it will stop the groaning.

It does go through headlight bulbs somewhat regularly, but they are cheap. Not sure why they burn out every few months but I've gotten to keeping one in the glove box. Fortunately it very nicely tells you from the inside if a bulb is out somewhere!

Everything else still works great. Ours is at 110,000 miles and we are due for a big service, replace antifreeze, gearbox oil, brake fluid etc. I love the way it drives and will try to maintain it as long as it doesn't rust out. Been in salty new england since new in 2008 and no signs of any major rusting spots underneath, so I expect it to last a long time. Have taken it on many long trips, Boston to northern Michigan a few times, Pittsburgh and back many times, skiing in the mountains of New England many many times, have no concerns at all taking this on a long trip even with it's high miles.

One more note - I went into this car thinking 'if it shows any signs of gremlins/all the other stuff I hear bad about VWs I will just get an extended warranty....' and I never bought the extended warranty and here we are at 110K and haven't spent anything significant with VW for repairs. The expensive item I know coming up will be the clutch. I'm estimating by feel we have about 25K left in it... going to plan to do it myself this summer.

BadgerSpeed > deekster_caddy 03/10/2015 at 10:45

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Thank you for taking the time to write that up. Very helpful.