Acura TSX Ames IA

In Douglas Kott's First Drive of the new TSX in our May issue, he guesstimated that the all-new 2009 Acura (based on the European Honda Accord) would hit 60 mph in less than 8 seconds and speed through the quarter mile in the mid-15s.

Well, Kott can keep his job. In our testing, this front-driver — though significantly wider and a bit heavier than the last TSX — did just that, hitting 60 in 7.5 sec. and the quarter mile in 15.5 sec. at 91.1 mph. That's a respectable performance for a 3385-lb. car whose 2.4-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine produces 201 bhp at 7000 rpm and 172 lb.-ft. of torque at 4400. For the record, our test TSX had the slick-shifting 6-speed manual gearbox, not the 5-speed automatic, a no-cost option.

Acura's goal with the new TSX was to keep the sporty traits of the outgoing model while luring additional buyers with more refinement. For the most part Acura has succeeded, creating a TSX that's only 0.2 mph slower in the slalom (perhaps due to its extra 3 in. of width) but circles our skidpad at 0.84g (versus 0.78g for the previous TSX). And inside, the new TSX clearly has moved upmarket, now nearly as spacious as a TL and fitted with leather front seats that offer excellent lateral support, especially in the shoulder area. Acura's Technology Package — which teams a fantastic voice-activated nav system with a 10-speaker DVD-Audio sound system that puts most home stereos to shame — dramatically ups the TSX's luxury quotient.

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