The Acura TSX is an entry-level luxury car manufactured by Acura. Introduced in April 2003 as a 2004 model, it was sold only in the United States and Canada, but from the 2009 model year on it will also be available in Mexico. It is sold in North America under the Acura luxury marque, where it filled the gap as Acura's 4-door, entry-level sedan when the Integra sedan was discontinued in 2001 (1996 in Canada since the EL was the Integra sedan's replacement there). The TSX would also eventually replace the Acura RSX in the US (which in turn succeeded the Acura Integra coupe). As of 2008, the TSX is the smallest vehicle in the Acura model line, other than the Civic-based CSX (and the preceding 1.6/1.7EL) sold only in Canada. All TSXs are built in Sayama, Saitama, Japan.
The TSX is badge engineered from the CL-series Accord (also known as the European Accord or JDM Accord) sold in Europe, Japan,South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The TSX initially had a restyled interior and different suspension tuning than the European Accord when it was introduced; however since 2008 the interior is now standardized for all three markets. In Australia & New Zealand, the CL-series is sold as the Accord Euro in the smaller mid-size bracket, where the American-market Accord is sold in the large car category. In North America, the TSX is sold alongside the mid-size luxury Acura TL, which is based on the American-market Accord. The Accord Euro was launched in China at the end of 2009,where it is built by Dongfeng Honda,and is called the Honda Spirior.
Named as Touring Sportscar eXperimental. The 2004 model year TSX's powertrain consisted of a 2.4-litre inline four-cylinder engine, a six-speed manual transmission (which featured a special casing, to reduce weight), and a front wheel drive layout. A five-speed automatic transmission was a no-cost option in the U.S. based on MSRP; however such was not the case in Canada.
2005 was the second year of the TSX and Acura updated it with XM Satellite Radio, heated door mirrors, a four-way power passenger seat and illuminated the steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls. In 2006, the TSX was updated with slight tweaks to the engine (adding 5 hp); a sportier exterior styling featuring a slightly new front and rear treatment, standard side skirts, and standard, integral fog lights; and restyled wheels. Interior tech features were added, including a Multi-information Display (MID) in the instrument panel, and luxury features such as a two-position memory for the driver's seat adjustments, auxiliary MP3 player input and Bluetooth-compatible HandsFreeLink (for cellular phones). In 2007, Tire Pressure Monitoring System and an improved electronic rear view mirror were added, and the 2008 model year brought a new color option.
In testing conducted by the United States based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Acura TSX received an overall rating of "Good" for frontal offset testing, an overall rating of "Poor" rear crash protection, and an overall rating of "Acceptable" for side impact testing.
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