First, my background. I bought a 2004 TSX NHBP/Ebony TSX as soon as the car was introduced. I saw it at the Dallas Auto Show and immediately loved it. I have driven that car for 11 years and put 175K miles on it... best car I have ever owned by far. About a week ago I picked up my BWP/Ebony 4 Tech - pics below. I did not like the 17" wheels/tires, so I worked out a deal to get them swapped out with the 18" that come on the 6. (They had a set in house because they put together a TLX race car inspired config with Enkei wheels.) Although there are a few issues that I will get into, I love the car so far and look forward to driving it everyday.
Pros:
* Very attractive car in person. The Acura build your own page does not do it justice... they really need to put a 360 on that. Its wider stance (almost 4 inches vs 04 TSX) results in a sportier look.
* The ride is much more refined.
* Minimal body lean... I can take 90 degree corners at 40 miles an hour and the only thing that doesn't stick to the road is me :-). This never gets old.
* Like the TSX, its shifts silky smooth 95% of the time (see below)
* Feels very light on its feet... not quite as light as the TSX but surprisingly close given its size.
* Steering wheel controls are fantastic.. being able to pull up call speed dial, history, etc. all in your line of site is great. I will be using this over voice control in most cases.
* This has probably been on other Acuras before now, but if you turn the compass on between the tach and speedometer, it shows the road name you are traveling on. It is right in your line of vision and this is very convenient when traveling to new places. I realize the Nav also shows this, but you have to look to the side for it.
* Option to automatically rotate one of the side mirrors down when backing up. I love this.. do it all the time when parking near curbs so I don't accidentally scratch the rims.
* I know we don't have an official 0-60 yet, but I can assure you the car is plenty quick enough. There is no way that Motor Week number is correct as I still have my 04 TSX (giving it to my stepson for college) and the TLX is at least as fast as it is (I have been alternating driving the two vehicles to see the differences I notice most).
Mixed Bag:
* Audio system. Connectivity options are great even for us Android users. Lacking in bass... and I am not a bass nut, but I would like more. Both bass and subwoofer are working, just doesn't bring as much as I would like to the party. The HDD for CDs is great, but would be nice if I could load from other sources. Not sure what the thought was there. I guess I should not be too critical here... at least the system remembers what you were playing last regardless of source... unlike the head unit on the Mazda 6.
* Voice control is very similar to the TSX... My Moto X has much better recognition under the same driving conditions.
Cons:
* As has been reported, there is some shift jerkiness as lower speeds. I need to run some more experiments because it doesn't seem to do it all the time. It definitely seems to happen more if you are slowing down to a stop but then don't quite stop and then speed up. I'm wondering if they have some logic like this... if you are breaking and you are between 10-15 mph stay in 2nd, and only move down to 1st when you get below 10mph... but maybe the recipicoal logic when you have your foot on the gas doesn't quite match... i.e. let's say our are breaking and your are at 12mph in 2nd... then you put your foot on the gas and the logic wants to kick it down to 1st. I have been driving in normal mode during the break in period for the most part, so I need to run more tests in different modes. Once I have more info I will definitely report the findings to my service department. Note: I don't want to make this sound like a bigger issue than it is, but I bet it would be annoying if you were stuck in stop and go traffic.
* Lack of a spare tire - Many luxury sedans (S60, ATS, etc) have gone this way to save weight for fuel economy, but still annoying. At least there is an option on this car... albeit a seriously over-priced one.
* Not a fan of the 17" wheels/tires on the 4... They should have thrown in the 18's if you get the tech package. I realize they probably did this to keep the price down, but to me, the 17"s are just too small for the design of the car.
Other Thoughts:
* I have seen a lot of discussion on this and other forums that obsess about 0-60 times. If you are truly fixated on this, I recommend you buy another car. There are faster cars out there for a lot less money. There are also faster cars in this segment for a similar price but they are smaller or have less tech or both. This car is a compromise - it balances size, quickness, ride, luxury, tech and price. To me, that is what this car is about.
* For the life of me, I do not know why Acura has not offered the paint and wheels that were on the prototype. Truly boggles my mind. I saw the prototype in person and it looked amazing. I would certainly have paid up for that.
![Click the image to open in full size.]()
![Click the image to open in full size.]()
![Click the image to open in full size.]()
![Click the image to open in full size.]()
Pros:
* Very attractive car in person. The Acura build your own page does not do it justice... they really need to put a 360 on that. Its wider stance (almost 4 inches vs 04 TSX) results in a sportier look.
* The ride is much more refined.
* Minimal body lean... I can take 90 degree corners at 40 miles an hour and the only thing that doesn't stick to the road is me :-). This never gets old.
* Like the TSX, its shifts silky smooth 95% of the time (see below)
* Feels very light on its feet... not quite as light as the TSX but surprisingly close given its size.
* Steering wheel controls are fantastic.. being able to pull up call speed dial, history, etc. all in your line of site is great. I will be using this over voice control in most cases.
* This has probably been on other Acuras before now, but if you turn the compass on between the tach and speedometer, it shows the road name you are traveling on. It is right in your line of vision and this is very convenient when traveling to new places. I realize the Nav also shows this, but you have to look to the side for it.
* Option to automatically rotate one of the side mirrors down when backing up. I love this.. do it all the time when parking near curbs so I don't accidentally scratch the rims.
* I know we don't have an official 0-60 yet, but I can assure you the car is plenty quick enough. There is no way that Motor Week number is correct as I still have my 04 TSX (giving it to my stepson for college) and the TLX is at least as fast as it is (I have been alternating driving the two vehicles to see the differences I notice most).
Mixed Bag:
* Audio system. Connectivity options are great even for us Android users. Lacking in bass... and I am not a bass nut, but I would like more. Both bass and subwoofer are working, just doesn't bring as much as I would like to the party. The HDD for CDs is great, but would be nice if I could load from other sources. Not sure what the thought was there. I guess I should not be too critical here... at least the system remembers what you were playing last regardless of source... unlike the head unit on the Mazda 6.
* Voice control is very similar to the TSX... My Moto X has much better recognition under the same driving conditions.
Cons:
* As has been reported, there is some shift jerkiness as lower speeds. I need to run some more experiments because it doesn't seem to do it all the time. It definitely seems to happen more if you are slowing down to a stop but then don't quite stop and then speed up. I'm wondering if they have some logic like this... if you are breaking and you are between 10-15 mph stay in 2nd, and only move down to 1st when you get below 10mph... but maybe the recipicoal logic when you have your foot on the gas doesn't quite match... i.e. let's say our are breaking and your are at 12mph in 2nd... then you put your foot on the gas and the logic wants to kick it down to 1st. I have been driving in normal mode during the break in period for the most part, so I need to run more tests in different modes. Once I have more info I will definitely report the findings to my service department. Note: I don't want to make this sound like a bigger issue than it is, but I bet it would be annoying if you were stuck in stop and go traffic.
* Lack of a spare tire - Many luxury sedans (S60, ATS, etc) have gone this way to save weight for fuel economy, but still annoying. At least there is an option on this car... albeit a seriously over-priced one.
* Not a fan of the 17" wheels/tires on the 4... They should have thrown in the 18's if you get the tech package. I realize they probably did this to keep the price down, but to me, the 17"s are just too small for the design of the car.
Other Thoughts:
* I have seen a lot of discussion on this and other forums that obsess about 0-60 times. If you are truly fixated on this, I recommend you buy another car. There are faster cars out there for a lot less money. There are also faster cars in this segment for a similar price but they are smaller or have less tech or both. This car is a compromise - it balances size, quickness, ride, luxury, tech and price. To me, that is what this car is about.
* For the life of me, I do not know why Acura has not offered the paint and wheels that were on the prototype. Truly boggles my mind. I saw the prototype in person and it looked amazing. I would certainly have paid up for that.
