Acura TSX or A3?

[CA19100]

Based on my brother's experience with a brand new A3 a few years ago, I'd get the Acura by default.

The Audi was in the shop constantly. At least once a month, sometimes more.

Under warranty, that's a pain in the neck, but when it's out of warranty, it was going to be an unbelievably expensive pain. He traded it before the warranty was up.


Enjoy that S60!

 

[evident]

you need to test drive the Lexus IS.

 

[Mide]

I got the T5 which has the newer: Drive-E 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo w/ 240hp and gets 25/37 (city/hwy). I am very curious to see if the car can get anywhere near those numbers.

Although I didn't test drive the newer IS, I did ride in a few from the last generation. I really didn't like it for one reason or another. Interior materials were terrific but yeah I never really felt much for the IS. (Although yes I know it would be top-notch in terms of reliability)

 

[DaTT]

Nice. I hope you enjoy it!

 

[JMapleton]

That S60 Cross Country looks really sweet. OP, did they have one of those on the lot? I heard they are being imported in small numbers.

 

[Mide]

That S60 Cross Country looks really sweet. OP, did they have one of those on the lot? I heard they are being imported in small numbers.

Nope this was the one and only S60 they had for this year. I think they might've had a 2005 but I wasn't looking at it. I don't see many newer Volvos anywhere.

 

[drbrock]

Good job on the S60. that car looks great. I would have avoided the Acuras too. Too many transmissions problems and they are stupid expensive to repair or buy new. My girlfriend had the IS. Nice car a little too small for me though. NEVER had a problem with it.

 

[Midwayman]

A lot of the new volvos are actually pretty nice. Just don't buy new as depreciation is a bitch on them.

 

[RampantAndroid]

Well I test drove the A3, TSX, ILX, and S60 today.

TSX was good, but the one the dealership had was a little bit too scuffed up. Driving dynamics were good though.

The ILX was pretty much the same as the TSX in terms of feel but it was lacking in power relatively speaking.

A3 was solid, with a good interior but yeah I had my concerns.

S60 came home with me 🙂 Price was only a few thousand more than the TSX and it felt so much better inside. I know people rarely get Volvos anymore so I hope the decision was a good one. Regular warranty is for 4 years so we'll see!

Thx for all the feedback

I'm late to the thread but...I think you dodged a bullet. I owned a 2010 TSX (sedan, tech package) and it was nothing but a nightmare. I fought the oil burn issues, had an oil pressure light coming on (read, pressure, not level) and was told "we can't find what's wrong" - in the end, I got tired of pulling over every time the oil light flashed for 5 seconds. I got an A4 instead...it will be many years before I think about owning a Honda car again.

(Also, you needed to burn something like a quart every 1k miles for service to care. I burned a quart every 2k miles, so I was told "normal" - sure, it's normal that by the time I'm due for an oil change, I've put in 3-4 quarts of oil and aside from the oil filter, *DON'T* need an oil change. Righttt....)

 

[Mide]

I'm late to the thread but...I think you dodged a bullet. I owned a 2010 TSX (sedan, tech package) and it was nothing but a nightmare. I fought the oil burn issues, had an oil pressure light coming on (read, pressure, not level) and was told "we can't find what's wrong" - in the end, I got tired of pulling over every time the oil light flashed for 5 seconds. I got an A4 instead...it will be many years before I think about owning a Honda car again.

(Also, you needed to burn something like a quart every 1k miles for service to care. I burned a quart every 2k miles, so I was told "normal" - sure, it's normal that by the time I'm due for an oil change, I've put in 3-4 quarts of oil and aside from the oil filter, *DON'T* need an oil change. Righttt....)

Wow thanks for that bit of info. I had read a few postings about oil burning issues but most of them were with the early 1st gen TSX. Sucks to hear that it still existed in the early 2nd gens. How is your A4 doing?

 

[evident]

saw the S60/V60 at the philly car show earlier this year. definitely nice cars, congrats

 

[RampantAndroid]

Wow thanks for that bit of info. I had read a few postings about oil burning issues but most of them were with the early 1st gen TSX. Sucks to hear that it still existed in the early 2nd gens. How is your A4 doing?

There is FINALLY a class action that I believe was won for the second gen TSX motors. The engine between the first and second gen is more or less the same, I think. There was a TSB out for the cylinders getting scratched three years ago, but it was only out for manual transmissions...despite you know, the problem not being with the transmission but with the engine. Either way, it was a pretty awful situation (caused by VTEC I think) that I'm happy to be done with.

For comparison, my A4's service intervals are every 10k miles. I'm about 800 miles away from an oil change, and according to the electronic dipstick, I'm about 1/4 above the low line for oil.

Otherwise, the steering on the A4 is odd to get used to, esp since I have 19" wheels that tramline easily. It's super responsive though. My BIGGEST problem is the *AWFUL* audio that comes stock. I've swapped everything out except the center speaker: Audiocontrol LC6 to integrate with the stock radio, Phoenix Gold SX1200.5 amp, Morel Virtus front 2 component speakers, Morel Maximos for rear fill...and I may rip out the center speaker soon/think about a replacement soon - it runs off the factory amp still. A final improvement will be some MiniDSP 2x4s that will let me EQ the whole system (I'll need at least two of them.)

Long story short: the A4 is everything that the TSX wasn't for me...way more sporty, more reliable, WAYYYY better service (with Barrier Audi, now owned by Auto Nation) and the best AWD to boot. Me happy :awe:

 

[Mide]

Long story short: the A4 is everything that the TSX wasn't for me...way more sporty, more reliable, WAYYYY better service (with Barrier Audi, now owned by Auto Nation) and the best AWD to boot. Me happy :awe:

Great to hear! There's nothing worse than having a defective car. At least you didn't have an Acura back in the early 2000s with their problematic trannies.