The Acura TSX is an entry-level luxury car manufactured by Acura. Introduced in April 2003, it was sold only in the United States and Canada, but from the 2009 model year on it will also be available in Mexico. It is sold in North America under the Acura luxury marque, where it filled the gap as Acura's 4-door, entry-level sedan when the Integra sedan was discontinued in 2001 (1996 in Canada since the EL was the Integra sedan's replacement there). The TSX would also eventually replace the Acura RSX in the US (which in turn succeeded the Acura Integra coupe). As of 2008, the TSX is the smallest vehicle in the Acura model line, other than the Civic-based CSX (and the preceding 1.6/1.7EL) sold only in Canada. All TSXs are built in Sayama, Saitama, Japan.
The TSX is badge engineered from the CL-series Accord (also known as the European Accord or JDM Accord) sold in Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The TSX initially had a restyled interior and different suspension tuning than the European Accord when it was introduced; however since 2008 the interior is now standardized for all three markets. In Australia & New Zealand, the CL-series is sold as the Accord Euro in the smaller mid-size bracket, where the American-market Accord is sold in the large car category. In North America, the TSX is sold alongside the mid-size luxury Acura TL, which is based on the American-market Accord.
The new TSX uses a base engine similar to that of the 2008 TSX. The engine is a 2.4-litre in-line 4 cylinder engine reaching 201 hp (150 kW) and 172 lb·ft (233 N·m) torque. While the rated power of the new TSX engine is 4 hp (3.0 kW) lower than that of the 2008 model, Acura says the new engine distributes power across a much wider rpm range, which along with the increased torque, provides an increased feeling of power for the driver. The transmission choices remain 5-speed automatic and 6-speed manual, though the automatic version now comes with steering-wheel paddle shifters for optional manual shifting.The TSX is badge engineered from the CL-series Accord (also known as the European Accord or JDM Accord) sold in Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The TSX initially had a restyled interior and different suspension tuning than the European Accord when it was introduced; however since 2008 the interior is now standardized for all three markets. In Australia & New Zealand, the CL-series is sold as the Accord Euro in the smaller mid-size bracket, where the American-market Accord is sold in the large car category. In North America, the TSX is sold alongside the mid-size luxury Acura TL, which is based on the American-market Accord.
Engine
The TSX was slated to receive a high performance 2.2-litre i-DTEC clean turbodiesel engine in the 2010 model year; however, it was later announced that Honda had abandoned its plans to bring diesel engines to the U.S. and Japan in favor of hybrid gasoline-electric powertrains. Instead, a 280 hp 3.5-litre V6 will be available in the 2010 Acura TSX. The TSX V6 will only be available with the 5-speed automatic transmission.
The Acura TSX has a narrow price elasticity, as the base model 4-cylinder TSX is considered a good deal for a luxury car, however higher trims (particularly the V6 powered models) are considered too expensive as they compete directly with sport luxury cars such as the Audi A4 and Infiniti G
