2010 Acura TSX

nyccarguy · September 2009

Thanks bro! I actually left the Prelude at home and drove the TSX to work this AM. I'm still breaking it in, so I've just been taking it easy, trying to vary engine speed & not floor the throttle. Once I pass the 1K mark, all bets are off. Great car.

1bythesea · September 2009

I was more than happy with the 2010 base model as it comes with so many, many things standard. It actually has 4 things my 2007 RDX base didn't: memory driver seat, power passenger seat, auto dimming mirror, auto headlights.

Since I already have a Garmin I really didn't need GPS. The base stereo compares to what most other manufacturers put in as their upgrade, but I must admit I'd love to have the surround sound! Acura's back-up sensor runs $255 MRSP if you think you really need it. I agree, try to get at least two of these thrown in-trunk liner, mud flaps, all season mats, side body molding.

So far I just can't seem to drive my 2010 white/black TSX enough! Great car.

nyccarguy · September 2009

How come you got rid of the RDX? Was it a lease?

White/Black was actually our first color combination. Best of luck to you!

1bythesea · September 2009

Yes, it was a lease. But hey, they wanted it 6 months early and I came out ahead $600. They made me an offer I couldn't refuse on the TSX. And I suppose it didn't hurt there were no RDX's on the lot and people were requesting them. Hee, hee! (It sold within a couple of days of being put on the lot.)

I must say, the turbo engine and SH-AWD were sweet! However, I do enjoy the better fuel economy the TSX has to offer as well as the other goodies not on the '07 RDX (black/black). Plus the ride is slightly less firm.

bvdj84 · September 2009

The TSX is the car I truly want. It seems to me, you can get a better lease on the TSX than the Accord. One of these days I will drive an hour to test drive a TSX. But, I would sign a lease before even driving one. I have a 08 GM car, and I want out!
I am so lost on what to do.

1bythesea · September 2009

Why do you want out of the '08 GM? Is it leased? Is the GM in high demand? As a general rule of thumb on cars...buy if depreciation is low (TSX), lease if depreciation is high (e.g. most KIAs). Do you know the depreciation rate on your GM vehicle? (intellichoice.com or internetautoguide.com are good sites to check.) Whether leasing or buying you don't want to be up side down with a trade in. But you already knew that. How would you come out selling it yourself? Do you have a Carmax near you? They tend to buy higher than dealers trade in. I sold a Highlander for $3 K more than a dealer would give on trade in. Just some food for thought; hope it helps. It can be torture stuck in a ride you're unhappy with.

fedlawman · September 2009

"buy if depreciation is low (TSX), lease if depreciation is high (e.g. most KIAs)."

I somewhat disagree.

When you lease a car, you are paying the predicted depreciation (the purchase price minus the residual). A car with higher depreciation (lower residual) will cost more to lease than a car with lower depreciation.

For example, take 2 cars that both cost 25,000 to purchase (after negotiation). After 36 months, the 1st car has a residual value of 15,000 (60%) and the 2nd car has a residual value of $11,000 (45%).

The lease payments on the 1st car could be $100/mo less.

This is very generalized, of course, to illustrate a point. Tax, incentives, cap cost, money factor, etc. all play a part in determining your monthly lease payment. And unless the manufacturer has aggressive lease incentives, it is almost always better - from a financial standpoint - to purchase rather than lease a new car.

1bythesea · September 2009

We're on the same page. Something to keep in mind though, residual values tend to be artificially inflated when leasing to keep monthly payments lower. So you may not be stung as hard financially leasing versus buying a higher depreciating vehicle.

Yes, I agree it is generally better to buy than lease.

nyccarguy · September 2009

it is advantageous to buy a car with a high residual value like the TSX. Someone posted last week they paid $20K for an '06! That's a 3 year old car (technically 4 because the '10s are out).

nyccarguy · September 2009

But so far I'm impressed. Since last Saturday, we've put a 470 something miles on our 2010 TSX. The trip computer still says we have 30 miles to go. The car rides solid & comfortable without being soft & wallowy. The dash & interior materials are well laid out & beautiful. I can't yet comment on the acceleration because I'm still breaking the car in and don't want to let it loose yet. The NAV is spectacular. I love the XM radio. The bluetooth in the car is simple to set up & sounds fantastic.

I have found a few nits to pick. These are minor & perception is everything. The doors are light and don't have the same thunk as the German cars do. The door handles inside the car feel really light. The lock/unlock button for the doors is in a strange place. Almost hidden. I prefer BMW's center mounted lock/unlock button. As I said above, the bluetooth works great, but does NOT upload your phone book into the car. Again, these are nits & I understand that the TSX costs a lot less than a comporably equipped BMW.

1bythesea · September 2009

Happy to hear you are enjoying the new car!

I just turned over the 1 K mark on my car, so I know how you feel about the break-in period. Although Acura says 600 miles, it never hurts to be gentle the first 1,000.

In regards to acceleration. I found the TSX has nice take off, but lacks mid grunt when accelerating hard. But I knew this going in from the '09 TSX loaner. For the most part it is not a problem for me. There seems to be plenty of power when you really need it such as in hyw. passing. Actually, I was impressed a 4-banger had that much get up and go. A friend mentioned the engine doesn't sound stressed, as in many 4 cyl. engines when you press them. And who can complain about the mpgs?

Nit picks...you're correct everyone has different preferences. Personally, I thought the BMW door lock location was odd. I have a couple of picky things on the TSX also; such as on the XM (base) you always have to hit the title button as it automatically resets to station title once the car is turned off. The RDX (base) radio left it where ever you set it. Why doesn't the heater go all the way up the back on the passenger side like other cars? But the good stuff by far out weighs these little picks. Every vehicle I ever owned there was always something I could nit pick. So to each his own...

I thought I read in the manual with the tech pkg. your phone was supposed to upload. Hmmm...

nyccarguy · September 2009

Gas mileage is super-impressive. This is on a green car without a broken in engine. We got 475 miles on our first tank of gas. I calculated we averaged over 26.5 mpg.

1bythesea · September 2009

It may have been on another Acura site that people were saying the mpg reading is 2-3 miles higher than actual. Today I began doing the mileage by hand so we'll see. What ever...it's still much better than the RDX and I'm a happy camper!

cdnpinhead · September 2009

certainly has been that the MPG computer on my '08 TSX is consistently 2-5 mpg higher than actual. My last six fills yield the following: computer 29.5, actual 26.8; comp 29.1, act 26.9; 28.4/26.5; 38.2/33.3; 35.1/33.7; 37.6/32.5. The big numbers are from a road trip to Colorado, the first three are around town.

Everything else on the car is bang on, from the outside temperature indicator to the speedometer to the odometer to the tire air pressures. I don't think it's a coincidence that the mpg computer is the only thing that's off, given that very few people go to the trouble of actually calculating their fuel mileage.

I'll be interested in hearing what your hand calculations show.

1bythesea · September 2009

Will do. It will be about a week before my next fill-up.

maxbeta · September 2009

YES! YES! YES!
Now THAT is how you report mileage!! I have actually seen posts here where someone asked what MPG people are getting and several just reported what the computer said. I have never had a car that had that feature and could get it very close to reality.

cdnpinhead · September 2009

if there were a 2-3 mpg excursion above and below actual. What makes it smell is that it's always on the plus side, making the car look better than it actually is. It actually is pretty good, just not that good.

Being a statistical pinhead by profession, I'd expect 30 samples of actual and mpg computer values to average out about the same, with excursions one way or the other along the way.

Sadly, it doesn't work like that.

nj2pa2nc · September 2009

In the first year or when we were on roadtrips we would manually calculate the gas mileage. Quite a few times we had matching or very close results. After 90,000 miles now we are now lazy and look at the MPG-One of the many features I like about owning a tsx.

1bythesea · September 2009

Hand calculated mpg = 25 vs 27 on computer. Yes, there appears to be a distinct difference. (See post under real world mileage for details.)

funnyfox · October 2009

my budget is 25k, do you think I have any possibilities to get a tsx pre-owned 2009? Cause when I test drive tsx 2010, I don't want to get an accord/carmy ...

I'm in Florida, 6.5% tax

It is way better~!!!!!!!!

sanish · October 2009

http://www.acura.com/FutureVehiclesTSX.aspx#/FutureVehiclesTSX

fedlawman · October 2009

Good find Sanish!

Ooooh, I like it. I would love an I-4 6MT version...

greenice · October 2009

Great news (but bad timing for me, just bought a new car in August). I'd nonetheless buy one if they offered the 6MT V6 combination. I still may buy a 6MT I4 version. No stick - no sale, however!!

tundradude · November 2009

My car has constantly averaged over 30 mpg. This was my main reason for getting it. Replaced an Element.

yfans · November 2009

when a new car is delivered to dealer, there is some thing on the hood like paper. Also some sort of plastic protector on each door. Does anyone know how to call those things?

cmks02 · November 2009

I have no idea how to call them...I believe the number is unlisted.

bvdj84 · November 2009

All I know, is that I would prefer to have all of that on the car when I pick the car up, so that way the dealer doesn't mess the finish all up with their dirty detail shop. One of the things to look for when buying a car that has been on the lot for a long time.

bodble2 · November 2009

"I would prefer to have all of that on the car when I pick the car up..."

Huh? You don't want the dealer to remove the shipping protective plastic and clean the car prior to delivery? :confuse:

nyccarguy · November 2009

I surpassed the 4000 mile mark on our 2010 TSX today on the way home from work. Overall, I'm extremely happy with our purchase. I've scheduled our 1st service appointment for Wednesday morning. I had to pretty much beg the guy to take my car. He must have told me 3 times that if the car doesn't prompt you for service that I don't need to bring it in. I said I don't need to, but I WANT to. I'm anal about vehicle maintenance. I'm going to have them put full synthetic oil in from now on.

I plan on keeping the TSX for the better part of 10 years & waiting until 7K miles to do the 1st oil change doesn't seem like the way to do that.

fedlawman · November 2009

Actually, I seem to remember the 1st oil change was no earlier than 10,000 miles. Something about additives from the factory for engine break-in...

I'd check with the manual/dealer.

robr2 · December 2009

Huh? You don't want the dealer to remove the shipping protective plastic and clean the car prior to delivery?

Some people prefer to remove it and prep the vehicle themselves. Many times in prepping the vehicle, swirl marks can work into the paint which can drive some owners nuts.

nj2pa2nc · December 2009

As the proud owner of a 06 tsx I follow the maintenance minder (oil life) When it shows 15% it lets you know what service needs to be done. How many miles a year do you drive and what kind of driving do you do. My mom owns a 08 Honda Accord that she drives very little (to the grocery store, etc averaging less than 5 miles) She does not go by the MM but gets the oil changed every 6 months. I average 30,000+miles a year and now have almost 96,000 problem free miles on my now 3 year old car. Love it.

nyccarguy · December 2009

nj2pa2nc & fedlawman:

Both points well taken. I remember reading in the owner's manual that the car needs servicing when the light comes on... Didn't say anything about mileage. The dealer I called tried to convince me that if the car didn't tell me I need an oil change, then I don't.

I'd just rather be safe than sorry. My '01 Prelude Type SH (purchased new in April 2002) gets 5 quarts of full synthetic every 3K-4K miles. It currently has over 116,000 miles on it.

After this oil change, then I'll go by the factory maintenance reminder.

My wirfe drives the car mostly around town & some highway. If we go by her X3, she averages over 17K miles per year.

fedlawman · December 2009

I think you'll be fine whichever way you go. For the record, I generally go 7500 miles between oil changes on both my Volvo and BMW.

Here's an interesting read on the subject. It's an internet forum, so take it with a tablespoon of salt...

http://www.vtec.net/forums/one-message?message_id=718157

nyccarguy · December 2009

There were definitely some informative posts. It also makes me realize my Prelude's 116K miles are nothing.

Whatever break in additives were in my TSXs oil had a good run through the engine during its first 4K miles. Now I'm going to follow the Maintenance Minder Intervals (especially with the synthetic oil).

I'm pumped - Friday is my day to drive the TSX.

bvdj84 · December 2009

Exactly!! Dealers do not seem to understand that they do not need to use a stiff brush on a new car. Its only sitting there! Only a nice power wash here and there.
I cringe when I see them scrubbing away at the new cars on the lots.

I want the TSX V6! Absolutely beautiful!!

hdjcpa · December 2009

Sorry for the late reply, but I need to comment on the first oil change for the TSX. I have a new 2010 TSX4-cyl auto with about 5,700 miles on it. When I approached about 4500 miles, I also wanted to take it in for its first oil change (at that time I believe I had 50% or 40% oil life left). The dealer told me to wait until I had 15% life left. After further research, I realized that the break-in oil that comes with the car has special additives that are very beneficial to the engine. Therefore, I am waiting until I have 15% left to have the oil change. I too plan to keep this TSX for quite a while and I want the best for the engine. I have been buying new accords since 1984 and this is my first Acura. This TSX is the greatest car I have ever owned.

1bythesea · December 2009

Darn it! I just bought my TSX this August. A TSX wagon will most definitely be on the short list next go around especially if Acura puts the SH-AWD on it!!!

cdnpinhead · December 2009

I just bought my TSX this August. A TSX wagon will most definitely be on the short list next go around especially if Acura puts the SH-AWD on it!!

Don't hold your breath.

Part of why I bought the TSX I'm driving now is that they were advertising the possibility of a diesel '09. Well, there was no diesel then, and there's no sign that there ever will be, in the land of CARB & EPA and all the other joy that we endure here. That diesel TSX/Acura (in the rest of the world) has been available forever elsewhere, but I doubt that it ever will be here.

I think your wagon is in much the same situation.

Good luck.

bodble2 · December 2009

Why? You figure the Acura announcement is bogus?

gbosil · December 2009

Purchased a new 2010 TSX w/Tech and noticed recently when turning the steering wheel it sounds like bolts or something loose... rattling around inside my steering wheel ? ? ? Huh? I will re-post when I find out from Acura what it is ? ? :mad: Great quality control Acura!

sbrodie · December 2009

I can thank this forum for saving me around $900.00. I bought a used 2004 TSX around a year ago. I noticed all along moisture in one of the headlights. It rained for a few days here in SCal(much needed).. The other night, while driving, pulled over, and noticed the right headlight was out. Checked fuses, which were fine. Took car next day to my normal independant mechanic. They called me an hour later, and quoted me $900.00 for all new parts.....The headlight was full of water, and fried it.

Around 3 months ago, I took the car to dealer to redeem a free oil change coupon, and I remember asking them, "any recalls on my car?" answer--no, without looking at computer or my VIN..

After mechanic gave me quote, I remember reading somthing here about a headlight moisture recall, called Keys Acura, and sales lady looked it up, and told me yep, they had to fix it on a recall. I had to pay my mechanic $80.00 to put ot all back together. Car is now at keys acura, to be picked up tomorrow, with one headlight to be replaced, maybe the other too. They will at least put clips on the other one, but the service guy did tell me he will try to replace that one too. They even offered me a free loaner, which I did not need. The rain did get into one of my aftermarket fog lights, and fried a connection, but I'll figure that out later...So, I guess I owe the forum $820.00,

bodble2 · December 2009

I will accept cash or money order. :P

sbrodie · December 2009

Just picked up car with new headlight. They put a clip on the other. Also, to my surprise, they got the fog light to work again. Gave a list of things it needs, mostly BS. Sorry, can't send the cash or money order, also got dental bill in mail today, for around $400.00.

blueiedgod · January 2010

It would be sweet if Acura woke up and offered the TSX Wagon with cTDI and 6 apd manual AWD.

Maybe, they will wake up, one day. Honda diesel does not require urea, while most diesels out of Germany require urea, blue solution, with the price tag of gold, to be refilled on a regular basis.

biker4 · January 2010

Be thankful that they offer the wagon at all. The diesel will eventually come - when Honda comes to its senses.

1bythesea · January 2010

I don't much care if the TSX wagon is offered in a diesel; I'm more interested in the extra space without having to go the route of a CUV/SUV. But I'd sure like the SH-AWD on it!

robr2 · January 2010

The diesel will eventually come...

Honda has basically said it's not coming. My understanding is that their urea-free system doesn't work outside the lab and further development isn't worthwhile as long as fuel prices stay low.

biker4 · January 2010

The diesel works just fine - it has been in use in the Euro Accord (the TSX) and CR-V in Europe for years. The MT TSX has already passed the EPA test. The problem is not the diesel - it's the, I think, political motivations of Honda to go the hybrid route that has delayed the use of diesels.

cdnpinhead · January 2010

The diesel works just fine. . .

That's what I'd heard, but it's nice to get some reinforcement. I bought my '08 TSX (manual, no nav) mostly because I thought it'd be a good vehicle to have when the diesel TSX came out -- good trade-in and all that.

Doesn't look like it's going to happen.

Sad. :sick:

2010 Acura TSX

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