Acura TSX.

My friend Ryan wrote me a note that he was able to drive a TSX around all this past weekend. I am jealous. When my brother was car shopping, he originally was looking in a higher price range and cross-shopped a TSX, the Mazda 6(s), and the VW Passat. Here are my thoughts/notes on these three fine automobiles: (here, just for current and future reference, I will always give weights of manual transmission automobiles (if available), and the price will be that of a car equipped the way I would prefer if I were buying it)

Acura TSX:
2.4 liter in-line four cylinder
front engine, front wheel drive
7100 rpm redline
200 horsepower (6800 rpms)
166 lbs-ft of torque (4500 rpms)
6-speed manual transmission
3230 lbs
power to weight ratio of 16.2
34.2 inches of rear leg room
passenger volume: 91.0 cubic feet
cargo space: 13.0 cubic feet
$31,000 (loaded the way I would like)

Mazda 6:
3.0 liter V6
front engine, front wheel drive
220 horsepower (6300 rpms)
192 lbs-ft of torque (5000 rpms)
5-speed manual
3241 lbs
power to weight ratio of 14.7
36.5 inches of rear leg room
passenger volume: 111.3 cubic feet
cargo space: 15.2 cubic feet
$26,900 (loaded the way I would like)

Volkswagen Passat:
1.8 liter turbo in-line four
front engine, all wheel drive
170 horsepower (5900 rpms)
166 lbs-ft or torque (1950 rpms)
5-speed manual
3491 lbs
power to weight ratio of 20.5
35.3 inches of rear leg room
passenger volume: 92.3 cubic feet
cargo space: 15.0 cubic feet
$28,600 (loaded the way I would like)

Other interesting (aftermarket) options:
APR Stage I chip for Passat:
208 horsepower
245 (!!!) lbs-ft of torque
(new) power to weight ratio of 16.8
price: $780 (with options I want)
total (modified) Passat price: ~$29,400

AEM Short Ram for TSX:
207 horsepower
170 lbs-ft of torque
(new) power to weight ratio of 15.6
price: $245
total (modified) TSX price: ~$31,300

AEM CAI for Mazda 6:
228 horsepower
201 lbs-ft of torque
(new) power to weight ratio of 14.2
price: $193
total (modified) 6 price: ~$27,100

Conclusion: I think in terms of right off the lot I would have a very hard time choosing between a Passat and a 6. The 6, it is clear, is the value leader of the bunch. With the CAI, it has a power to weight ratio of 14.2, and it costs only $27,100. Add a lightweight flywheel, cat-back exahust, possibly headers, and I think close to 250 (flywheel) horsepower for probably less than $30,000 (including installation costs) is doable. However, again as you will come to learn, the 1.8T from VW/Audi group is one of my favorite engines, mainly because of its tuning potential. APR has a Stage III kit for $4500 (plus installation) that puts out 280 horsepower. Add to that fact, the (new) availability of 4Motion (all wheel drive) with the four cylinder, and in terms of long term performance, the VW is pretty appealing. But again, we're talking nearly $30,000 ($35,000 with the APR kit), for less power, even if it has what most car magazines consider to be one of (if not THE) best interiors on the market. Unfortunately not a solid answer here. If I had $35k to budget for a car and I had to choose one of these three cars, it would probably be the 4Motion Passat with the APR kit and possibly a FMIC. The all wheel drive really appeals to me, and the interior in Volkswagens is second to none. However at $35k, that brings a LOT of cars into the picture (see G35, STi, Evo MR, R32, not to mention my SC300/2JZ-GTE project). Difficult choices all. Obviously I think it is what you are looking for in a car and what you are willing (or unwilling) to live with (harsh ride, lack of interior space--particularly rear leg room, etc., etc.). Speaking of the G35, one of my good friends has a 2003 G35 sedan, 6-speed with a few sick mods. I'll tell you more about that later.