2006 finallly has all the TL toys to compete

Author's Rating:

Pros: Supple leather, homelink, ample storage compartments, navigation, programmable dash inputs for lighting-locks-wipers

Cons: few seat squeaks, door panel vibrations from bass (known TSB), pointy rear door swing.

The Bottom Line: 
All the inclusive amenities that this car offers, the gas-sipping peppy engine, Honda/Acura reputable quality, Japan build quality, 17" thick tires, 5 star crash rating, ALL make this worthwhile.

Author's Review
I have seen so many reviews bashing the TSX against brand X car or it fails to go this X fast in the slalom, or it wont X this compared to....forget all that! The TSX is a preppy sedan meant to haul around family, friends, and co-workers with style and luxury class. It is not meant for drag-strips and slalom courses (although it takes twists and turns exceptionally well!).

I eagerly traded my 2003 RSX Type S for the larger sibling TSX due to lack of headroom and cramped passenger accomodations. My first impression of the TSX was immediately greeted by exceptional fit & finish of both exterior and interior. The paint is a hard enamel black with high polished deep clearcoat that brings out the blue speck coating in the paint. All doors and handles are laced with chrome. The seam line of the fenders, sills, and door jams exudes quality.

When the doors shut tight, they actually provide you with a vacuum noise "Whooomp", something that Honda/Acura admits in press releases that they spent alot of $$ perfecting. Door gaskets contain triple layers of pliable gasket material that seals tight around the doors. Once inside, the front doors have courtesy curb lights, deep cargo pockets, and leather elbow rests. When the doors are opened, the LED dash comes to life with a bright white and blue illumination and the information display greets you with an inviting "welcome". The tach and speedometer needles are a bright red glow and face downward like a race car. The fonts are sharp and crisp which make it inviting and extremely pleasing to the eye.

The windshield pillars are thick and covered in a light grey cloth as well as the headliner. Each person, including the driver, has access to a handle that rolls back into the headliner in a precise spring controlled swing. The moonroof glass is one of the largest openings that Acura has ever offered. The control oddly sits to the left of the steering wheel, assuming, for child safety reasons.

The leather is exceptionally soft and supple. For 2006, the driver seat provides 2 person memory seating. The padding is thick in both the bottom and backside portions of the seatback.The driver has a manual lumbar system and flexible 8-way adjustable power seat. The passenger seat is also powered. Both front seats are heated and offer backlit switches within easy reach near the shifter, with both HI and LO settings.

The middle console houses a deep well for cargo, phones, notepads, pens, coins, etc. A 12 volt power outlet is also installed deep inside alongside a new feature. New for 2006, the MP3 jack allows you to tap into the AUX portion of the stereo and play your favorite playlists.

Towards the center of the console lies two deep cupholders that are covered by a spring-lock retractable cover. The 06 black trim is now covered in a subtle carbon-fiber pattern. The E-brake also sits atop the console next to the cupholders. The center dash is trimmed with a continuous center stripe of brushed aluminum from each end of the doors where it meets in the center for the audio or navigation unit controls.

The car can be equipped with a crisp shifting 6-speed manual transmission or 5 speed automatic. The auto shifter is well placed and covered by brushed aluminum trim. The shift knob simply requires stepping on the brake to release the lock - no annoying button to clamp tight on these cars. The gated shifting can somewhat be annoying with the zigzag pattern. The automatic also offers manual mode shifting. To engage, the driver flicks the shifter to the left and can then tap the shifter forward or back to change gears. The transmission will automatically fall back to 1st gear in manual mode once the car reaches a stop. The car will also never downshift into a gear that exceeds the 7900 RPM redline.

At night, the adjustable gauges are one of the brightest cockpit designs I have ever seen. Truly thrilling to see them in action. Crisp and pleasing. The headlights illuminate the roadway in a 180 degree sweep of the road and about 4 feet high and I estimate about 1/4 mile in depth. The light line from the headlights looks like this "----/ ----/", in which they leave a sharp bluish tint line on illuminated objects. Truly amazing HID's. Standard integrated bumper fog lights are an additional improvement for the 2006 year. At night, the courtesy light console beams down a blue LED backlight against the brushed metal trim providing a quality feel to this entry level luxury sedan.


The navigation system offers a large bright screen complete with intuitive controls to zoom in or out on a destination. For 2006, the system features a must faster processor boot time during startup. Alot of the features are programmable to preference such as male or female voice, keyboard type, etc. You can either speak the address one character at a time or speak it in a natural tone to input the destination. Destinations are saved and can be re-located based on previous destinations. Anytime an intended exit is missed, the system quickly recalculates the next instruction. A manual touchscreen keyboard option also exists. Controls are intuitive and all buttons are firm and dials seem to turn in a fluid motion.

The navigation screen also controls the audio and climate control menus. Commands can be given after toggling a small button on the base of the steering wheel such as speaking "XM channel eighty-one". The system will repeat the command and execute the request. The system microphone works best during a stop and/or with the fan at low volume. Radio will not affect the performance as the radio is automatically muted when a command request is about to be provided by the driver.

The car offers a drive-by-wire throttle which offers smoother acceleration and precise computer controlled cruising. The acceleration peddle is bottom hinged which means less strain on muscles and tendons at the top of the foot. I didn't quite notice at first until I had a 2005 loaner car, but the 2006 drivetrain is definitely peppier and responsive. The 2005 loaner was gutless and somewhat racy just to keep pace with my typical launch from a stoplight. The steering wheel is also changed for 2006 with meatier grips and perforated leather. The day I drove the 2006 TSX, the roads were packed with snow and ice. Although I don't recommend this, the salesman insisted on punching the gas around a twisting curve and the suspension handled it extremely well with no wheel slip or sliding. The VSA light flickers on the dash to let you know it was performing and to alert you of the situation. Not once do you feel it taking hold or interrupting the drive.

The Multi-Information-Display, for 2006, can be customized to the driver keyfob. Items such as automatic trip reset after a fuel fill-up, memory seats, speed-sensor wiper settings, headlamp illumination time, and re-lock time, are all customizeable to driver preference. The MID also shows you instant MPG statistics to help you curb any leadfoot habits.

On my TSX, I chose to install the front spoiler lip kit which accentuated the fog and headlamp units. The spoiler flares out a bit further than the newly redesigned 2006 bumper giving a thicker, bolder look to the front-end style that I thought was exceptionally complimentary to the rest of the unclad body. In addition to 2006, the wiper blades have been trimmed down and sit closer to the windshield. The black wiper arms are streamlined and clad with some plastic sheathing that exudes quality design.

In summary, I have tried to describe the interior feel of this car rather than external as most car photos focus on the exterior review and not from the internal driver viewpoint. Not only that, but I am high from all the textile materials, leather, and headliner glue from this car that I am extremely happy to own it!!! :P