The 2010 Acura TSX V-6 fills a gap between the base sedan and the TL, which recently moved upscale.
While virtually every luxury automaker has adopted some alphanumeric variation, Acura seems to have gone particularly out of its way to challenge potential buyers to keep up with its product line-up. It’s too bad so many folks find it difficult to distinguish a TL from an RL and an RDX from a TSX, because they may simply turn to another brand entirely. But these days, Acura has plenty of reasons to check out its offerings.
Indeed, the upcoming launch of the 2010 Acura TSX V-6 is all the more reason for sorting through the brand’s confusing nomenclature. The base model in the Japanese brand’s line-up, the I-4-powered TSX has been a solid and appealing offering, affordable, well-equipped and reasonably sporty. But Acura had a yawning gap in its line-up, after moving the latest version of its larger and more expensive TL up-market, a breach it is about to fill by adding a second version of its base model, the 2010 TSX V-6.
While some makers might have gone out of their way to ensure you could spot the new model at a distance, Acura has taken a surprisingly conservative approach with its styling, doing little more than making the lower air intake functional and bolting on a V-6 badge. It’s what you can’t see that makes the real difference, it turns out.
The heart of the new sedan is a 3.5-liter V-6 – shared with the larger, front-drive version of the TL – making 280 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque. Significantly, you’ve got more torque, right off the line, than the old inline-four made at peak, and when you add in the extra 70 horsepower, the difference in performance is significant, the TSX V-6 turning 0 – 60 times of about 7 seconds, a full two seconds faster than with the base engine.
The heart of the beast is a 3.5-liter V-6 shared with the Acura TL. It will hit 60 in 7 seconds, a full two seconds faster than the I-4 version of the Acura TSX.
The six-banger is mated to a five-speed automatic with sequential speed shift and paddle shifters. You can put it in sport mode and operate the gearbox manually. In normal automatic mode, you can still use the paddles to briefly up or downshift, say, when going into a corner, but after a few seconds it will return to auto mode.
We can understand Acura skipping the manual gearbox option. It just doesn’t get much demand with the I-4. But we’re more than a little surprised to see Acura stick with a 5-speed – even one that shifts so seamlessly – when so many of its competitors are adding 6s, even 7s and 8-speed automatics to their line-up. Oddly, Acura is only beginning to roll out a new 6-speed – on the 2010 MDX – and won’t even confirm one is coming for the smaller TSX anytime soon. (But we’d bet on it in a model-year or two.)
Surprisingly, Acura has done little more than bolt on a new badge to visually distinguish the 2010 TSX V-6 from the base I-4.
The new powertrain is an impressive package – with an asterisk. It’s quick yet surprisingly smooth, and responds almost intuitively to your right foot’s commands. There’s just one notable drawback: the dreaded torque steer. In fact, we were quite surprised, when we did our first power launch, to feel the sedan jerk to the left and then reverse direction. We noticed it mostly on off-camber or torn up pavement, the last quite common in Michigan, and it didn’t last long and was easy to bring under control, but torque steer is something that has largely vanished, even from more mainstream front-drivers, these days.
The V-6 drivetrain adds about 210 pounds to the TSX’s weight, so Acura engineers have taken a number of steps to accommodate, starting with upgraded springs and dampers, as well as upgraded brakes, tires and a new brake booster. The ’10 is shot with 18×8 Michelin Pilots.
The sedan’s electric power steering system, meanwhile, is one more reason why we’ve cautiously changed our stand on EPS. Early systems were numb and notchy. On the TSX, the EPS delivers a consistent road feel and dead-end on-center feel.
Acura has been pushing into Volvo territory, in recent years, putting an emphasis on safety. And the 2010 TSX V-6 maintains its ability to brag that all Acura models meet federal five-star crash ratings, as well as earning top ratings from the IIHS.
The 2010 Acura TSX is a reasonably well-refined entry-luxury sedan, as reflected by its interior finish. The V-6 version gets new paddle shifters.
The automaker likes to say that high-tech is a brand “hallmark,” and there are a number of significant features on the 2010 Acura TSX V-6, including Bluetooth, an integrated iPod audio link and an optional navigation system with XM Satellite Radio and XM’s real-time traffic and weather advisories. You can even note a particular song you like, making it easy to order later on. But some other popular new features are notably absent, including blind spot detection.
On the fuel economy front, the sedan delivers 18 mpg City, 27 highway, three less, in both columns, than the 201-horsepower I-4.
When the 2010 TSX V-6 rolls into showrooms, in the coming weeks, look for a price tag of $34,850, with a heavily-loaded sedan at $37,950. That’s about $5,000 more than the I-4, but $5,500 less than a comparable Audi A4 3.2 and $4,500 less than the Lexus IS350.
The TSX is competent sedan, and that’s not a backhanded compliment. It’s solid, dependable and safe. With the addition of a V-6 it adds a sporty component that should click with potential buyers. While there are a few points we could nitpick, the 2010 Acura TSX V-6 is, on the whole, a car worth considering if you’re looking at the entry-luxury segment.