- Acura has introduced the 2012 TSX Special Edition, a sportier version of its sedan.
- The exterior boasts an aggressive front spoiler, a new rear bumper fascia, unique side sills and a "Special Edition" badge on the trunk lid.
- It goes on sale in late September and with a public debut at the Orange County International Auto Show on September 22.
TORRANCE, California — Acura is drawing on its past to influence its future version of the TSX sport sedan for the 2012 model year. Designed to evoke the fun-to-drive four-cylinder Acuras of the past the TSX Special Edition adds even more sportiness with numerous exterior and interior upgrades for Acura's entry-level sedan.
The most notable to the exterior is a more aggressive front spoiler, a new rear bumper fascia, unique side sills and a "Special Edition" badge on the trunk lid. Also exclusive to the Special Edition model are 17-by-7.5-inch, five-spoke aluminum wheels that sport a polished finish with dark gray background.
Inside, texture, color and sport-minded appointments come together for a youthful look. The seating surfaces are perforated black Lux Suede® inserts with red backing. Unique red stitching, used for the seats, steering wheel and the shift knob, plays off the red lighting used for the instrument cluster gauges, overhead lighting and footwell lighting. Aluminum pedal covers with a race-inspired look jazz up the driver's footwell. Bright silver plating for the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters along with black headliner material — rather than the standard gray — add to the pizzazz.
Under the hood is Acura's K24 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. It is available with either the close-ratio six-speed manual or Sequential SportShift five-speed automatic transmissions.
"The Acura TSX has long been known for its high-revving four-cylinder engines and sporty driving nature," said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales, in a statement. "With the new Special Edition, the TSX becomes even more youthful and sporty in character, furthering its appeal to performance-minded buyers."
The TSX Special Edition goes on sale in late September and will make its public debut at the Orange County International Auto Show on September 22.
Inside Line says: Not that much in the way of truly "special" equipment on this TSX, but if you're already thinking about a TSX, this wouldn't be a bad choice.
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aglamedia says:
04:57 AM, 10/11/2011
Cool!!!Thank you for this information!
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litewerk says:
03:43 AM, 08/31/2011
I'm gonna agree with the notion that this is rather like a Civic Si for the a bit more mature crowd.
Second, I'm inclined to agree that it, perhaps, should have had the monochrome treatment.
At the very least, the grille and (large chrome) grille surround need replaced. Frankly, that's the only part of the car I still find unappealing. For the most part, I like what they've done. As others have noted, it still seems a tad lacking for it to be a Special Edition. I like the idea of at least having a turbocharger as an option. Was a fan of the original, 1st gen. TSX, and still rather like the current one.
deathtollwrx says:
05:39 PM, 08/30/2011
Kia Optima and the Hyundai Sonata are better than this car in every possibly way. Those two brands aren't even Luxury.
pathos says:
03:29 PM, 08/30/2011
Maybe someone forgot to add the turbocharger at the very last minute. That man should be fired.
jmnewyorkcity says:
11:12 AM, 08/30/2011
Acura has abandoned its loyal TL owners. The new TLs are nearly identical to the RL and as such, too big .And the TSX which looks like the old TL is priced more than the TL on leases (because it doesn't hold residual value-what does that tell you) unless you want a joke of a V4.
k55 says:
09:48 AM, 08/30/2011
The 2012 TSX "Notso" Special Edition
typer_801 says:
08:54 AM, 08/30/2011
This 'sporty' TSX looks like a pig with lipstick. No functional performance improvements (brakes, shocks, springs, sways, LSD, wheels, or tires) and stuck with all that obnoxious chrome. Couldn't they have at least made the door handles and trunk garnish body color and darkened up the window trim and grill to make it at least look sporty even if it isn't?
Just another in the string of dissapointments from Honda & Acura.
quickster007 says:
08:01 AM, 08/30/2011
I can see the day when Acura will be rebadge back into a Honda. Why, Hyundai and Kia are offering the same equipment for a lot less. Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima turbo are much better looking than the TSX for a lot less. Honda, if you keep this up you will be out of business in 5 to 10 years.
lookatmyshoes says:
06:32 AM, 08/30/2011
I's surprised how the old TL looks better than the TSX, in fact this TSX looks like Acuras models from the 90s.
IMO the new TL will never fill the gap left by the old one, all my friends that had the TL didn't switched to another brand. They were very disappointed of ACURA design.
If am sure that if we had the old TL rebadged as TSX with some design updates (except the grill) and mechanical updates will be one of the best looking cars.
zoomzoomn says:
05:34 AM, 08/30/2011
BORING. Zzzzzzzzzzz. Too understated. Should have been monochromed. The wimpy looking wheels suck what little life the other dress up did for it. It's a shame, too. The TSX is my favorite Acura at this point.