YES, FOR U.S. SALE; The U.S.-spec Acura TSX is not only as tight as the European and Japanese versions, it's tighter.(News)

Byline: MARK VAUGHN

The grass is always greener on the other side of the Armco.

We in North America sit here and look longingly at car magazines from Europe and Japan and see the cars those guys over there get, then we look at the bloated, floaty things foisted on us here and think, ``Dang! How come they get all the good stuff? How come they get the lower, tighter suspensions and the higher-revving engines and the cool taillights and the nine-foot-tall skinny girlfriends with big pouty lips from the Piz Buin suntan ads while we here have, what, Oldsmobiles? It ain't right, dang it, it just ain't right!''

Well, Honda/Acura heard our pitiable cries and has taken mercy upon us. You know that European and Japanese Accord, the one smaller and sprightlier than the Accord we get here? Well, it's coming to the United States, fully federalized and ready for buyin' as an Acura TSX.

Now let's not blow it, fellow enthusiasts. If we don't get out there and buy up 15,000 TSXs a year, then the Honda/Acura guys, as well as any other manufacturer thinking of doing anything similar, are going to say, ``See? They don't want anything with real performance. They're not willing to compromise a little on size and maybe even a smidgen

on ride comfort in order to achieve a higher level of handling. So no more! Only big, fat, floaty cars for them from now on!''

So you get the idea how important this new car is.