GROWING UP; Acura's entry-level TSX gets bigger and offers more features for '09.(News)

Byline: ROGER HART

Complaints are often logged in these pages about how customers in the United States are given short shrift when it comes to models sold elsewhere, primarily in Europe. We whine and moan about the Europeans getting all of the good cars while we get the dregs.

Well, here's a twist. The 2009 Acura TSX that goes on sale here this month is pretty much the same as the Honda Accord sold in Europe . . . only better! Yep, better, as in more content and a more powerful engine. Take that, you Euros.

Honda engineers in Japan spent more than three years working on the car that makes up a large chunk of U.S. Acura sales-as many as 38,000 cars last year-as it plays a significant role for parent company Honda worldwide (Acura is not a brand in Europe yet). Paying attention to details such as ride, handling, noise, vibration and harshness, not to mention sharper styling, a larger, more comfortable cabin and maybe the best sound system on four wheels, the '09 model is a step up from the outgoing model.

That's not to say the TSX is perfect. While the U.S. model is more potent than the Euro version, the car is not a screaming sports sedan. The 2.4-liter dohc i-VTEC four is a smooth powerplant, making 201 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque, and it easily propels the 3419-pound car. With either a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, the powertrain is smooth and efficient, delivering 23 mpg in manual mode, 24 mpg in automatic. Still, in the first few minutes behind the wheel of a preproduction model, we felt that more power-specifically, more torque-would have been welcome.

For a car that wants to play in the sporting field with BMW's 3 Series (and its 230-hp six) and Audi's A4 (with its optional 3.2-liter four making 255 hp), the TSX is anemic. The 2.4-liter is a fine base engine, but offering more power for customers wanting it would seem natural.

A simple solution would be to add a turbocharger to the fuel-efficient four-cylinder, or maybe the TSX will be one of the models to get Honda/ Acura's new diesel engine announced a few months ago. Honda officials said no plans are in place for more power but did admit there is room under the hood for either a turbo or a bigger engine, and it would not rule out possible upgrades down the road. Nor are there any plans to offer all-wheel drive, another feature available in some competing models.