2007 Acura TSX NAVI Road Test

A reasonable accommodation

Let's talk openly. Without getting into a fiery debate, I think we can all agree on one thing: we easily accommodate certain things that come from foreign countries, while others seem scandalous. If we wouldn't allow any kind of accommodation, we wouldn't bust our belts in Chinese buffets, we wouldn't decorate our houses with the Feng Shui technique, and we would find our adrenaline rushes elsewhere than by playing Russian Roulette.

The TSX is known as the Honda Accord everywhere else around the globe.

I don't know anybody who ignores the existence of the Honda Accord. An award-winning mid-size sedan, it has become a reference in its category. But since Americans buy between 300,000 and 400,000 of them every year, we must satisfy their needs and, ahem, desires for bigger vehicles.

As a smaller market, Canada almost always has to put up with the USA's tastes even if, like in the rest of the world, we usually buy smaller cars. So, Honda had to develop two distinct Accords, in order to please everybody.

The TSX, offered in North America for the last 4 years, is a perfect example of a reasonable accommodation. For those who still ignore it, this Acura is a more luxurious version of the Accord that's sold everywhere else besides America.

Family traits
The TSX shows off a serious look, and the company had little to do for the car to look like the rest of the family. Svelte, muscular and aggressive, the TSX looks pretty good, in my humble opinion.

There are numerous small details that improve its luxurious and sporty appearance: the chrome trim on the door handles, the horizontal taillamps, the dual exhausts and the jewel-case headlamp clusters. Everything was designed in good taste.

The cockpit is also a place that transpires luxury. The silver trim is a nice contrast on the dashboard, and each control leaves us with an impression of solidity. The illumination of the gauges is very nice. When getting out of the car, however, the doors close with a sound that imitates dropping a metal garbage can cover on the ground, which hints at thin sheetmetal.

Interior fit and finish is state of the art.