2010 Acura TSX V6 Test Drive: The Drive

THE DRIVE
Plant your right foot in a four-cylinder TSX and you'll wait until the tachometer hits high noon before you feel the grunt of the motor. Flat-out, the four-cylinder isn't slow, it's just not sport sedan quick. The experience in the TSX V6 is markedly different. The V6 model leaves the line with a torquey thrust as the steering wheel dances in your grip ever so slightly and the traction control attempts to limit wheelspin. It's quick. Acura says the V6 TSX will hit 60 mph in around 7 seconds, but it feels quicker–especially after driving a four-cylinder TSX.

On our drive through some of the best roads in the Santa Monica Mountains we noticed the steering feels a bit heavier and a touch quicker than the four-cylinder TSX too. And that, along with the additional weight makes the car feel more substantial. The TSX V6 drives a lot like the previous generation TL. And since the new TL has grown slightly from its predecessor, some Acura loyalists might view this TSX as it's proper successor. Bend the TSX into a tight corner or a gentle sweeper and this sedan generates serious smiles. And that's really what separates a good sport sedan from an average one. Did you enjoy the last 17 hairpin turns, or did it seem like work? The Acura TSX V6 is quite fun to drive hard.

The V6 experience is also more serene than the base model TSX. The four-cylinder car generates a fair amount of engine noise when it's working hard. But the V6 is smooth and comparatively silent. There's enough exhaust note to let you know it's a six. But don't expect to hear a sonorous wail comparable to a V6 Infiniti. Perhaps Acura will offer a Type-S model with a more vocal exhaust note.

I wonder if what the new acura suv and acura rdx will be like, I hope it's reved up just like the tsx.

More on the acura sedan.....