That's too bad because the few wagons that remain are pretty spectacular, and the Acura TSX Wagon is among the brightest stars.
The Acura is a sporty-looking, luxury wagon with a near perfect blend of power, comfort and cargo room. It handles like a sedan, rides like a sedan and is an absolute pleasure to drive. As if that's not enough, the TSX gets decent gas mileage, too.
The TSX wagon is long, low and lean with crisp styling that gives it a sporty sedan profile and carlike nose and tail.
Power is good with Honda's 2.4-liter, iV-TEC I4 engine creating 201 horsepower. That's coupled with a 5-speed automatic transmission with SportShift, which allows you to shift manually, if you prefer. I did occasionally, but the 5-speed is so smooth that it handles the engine's power well during normal city driving.
TSX is quick to highway speeds, and while you'll hear a bit of engine noise in the lower gears, it calms down quickly after third gear.
TSX rides on a 106.5-inch wheelbase and weighs 3,623 pounds. The car feels nimble and responsive. Handling is smooth and fluid with good steering feedback from the power-assisted unit, which delivers a near ideal wheel feel.
Ride is well controlled with excellent suspension damping so you feel in tune with the road, but never more than a moderate bump to passengers, even on poor roads. TSX features four-wheel independent suspension with a multi-link setup in back and it works well.
Braking is first rate from four-wheel discs, ABS and a stability control system. Inside, TSX is one of the most comfortable cars and best laid out interiors I've seen all year.
The test car, which was the Tech model featuring a full navigation system with voice recognition and a rearview camera, featured black leather seats with a matte gray trim, including the rings around the gauges.
Acura's seats are mildly contoured with a soft leather feel, and firm cushions. Front seats are powered and the driver's seat has two memory settings. The Acura has two-speed seat heaters.
Leg and headroom are substantial front and rear and the wagon easily carries four adults. A fifth could sit in the middle, but the bottom seat cushion is less comfortable. Being a wagon, there is a plenty of room behind the rear seat for gear, or if you need to carry long items, the rear seats split and fold flat quick and easily. There's also an extendible cargo cover in back, and a power rear tailgate/hatch with an inside release.
Gauges are simple and the car's dash layout is extremely logical. All buttons, and there are quite a few, are big, so you can both see and use them. TSX also has a tilt/telescope steering wheel with cruise and radio controls on the hub. The trip computer is accessed via larger buttons on the lower part of the hub.
Unlike many cars, the TSX's navigation screen is not touch-screen and is located high on the dash, up near the windshield. That makes for easier viewing while driving, plus there is voice recognition for the system.
Climate controls, like the radio and navigation, are big and simple to use, including a toggle for the dual temperature controls.
Because this was the Tech model, the starting price was $34,610 and after delivery hit $35,495.
A base TSX wagon starts at $30,960. Gas mileage was good, and it was at 26.2 mpg during my drive, a fairly even mix of city and highway driving. The EPA rates this at 22 mpg city and 30 highway. SUVs and minivans rarely average more than 20 mpg.
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