Video: 2009 Acura TSX

om editor Mike Hanley walks you through the ins and the outs of the TSX in a separate video. Here, we're gonna talk about how it drives. Acura has always been wanting to try to outdo its competition with technology, not necessarily brute force. And so where most other cars in this class use a six-cylinder engine, the TSX has a high tech four. This is the same 2.4 liter engine as last year's TSX. It's been groomed to make a little more torque this time around to help everyday drivability. As a result, of horsepower is down slightly to 201. Now a five-speed automatic is optional. Our test car has a six-speed manual. Acura really knows how to build a good manual transmission, and all you automatic drivers out there are really missing out. The stick throws smoothly from gate to gate. You never have to worry about which gear you're in. The stick shifts in the Saab 9-3, even the 328 BMW, feel a little sloppy in comparison. But if you're a serious performance junkie, the TSX's engine does come up a little bit short. It puts out decent power. It's even energetic at times, but you never get that real fluid sense of acceleration you do in a 328 or to a much greater extent in Infiniti G35. The same goes for handling. The TSX is front-wheel drive. Many competitors are rear-wheel drive. That means it's very nose heavy as far as weight distribution. You can really kind of feel it sling its weight around when you're putting it through tight corners. The brakes do have a take a little bit of pedal travel before they really clamp down. But our biggest issue is definitely with the steering. Acura adopted an electric power steering set up this year instead of the hydraulic steering in last year's TSX. It's tuned for a lighter feel, so the steering wheel really kind of flicks easily to the left and right, much easier than in a 3 Series or a G35. I don't actually take any issue with that as long as its precision is good, and this is where Acura comes up short. There's a little hint of delay as you're going around. It doesn't feel quite as precise as you're gonna get some of these other sports sedans. So if you're a real sports car enthusiast, the TSX may only seem 7/10 of the way there. Everyday drivers will probably think otherwise. Because the TSX is a little bit softer than some of its competitors, it's very easy to drive. The steering and transmission make it just really easy to cruise through traffic. And in absolute terms, it is certainly sportier than a regular family car, like a Toyota Camry or a Honda Accord. Having four cylinders instead of six also means the TSX gets slightly better gas mileage than some of the others out there. Unfortunately, Acura, like most other luxury automakers, does recommend premium fuel. So there you have it, two schools of thought that make the TSX either a winner or a loser, depending on who you are. The real question may come down to this, all those car commercials you see where a car is driving up and down a winding mountain road, you do a lot of that, or do you just sit in traffic? <v Announcer>For additional information on this car or any other, go to Cars.com and our blog Kicking Tires.