Response to Comments on Passat and TSX.

I received an anonymous comment about my Post entitled "Acura TSX". This Post is in response to the comment. First regarding the pricing. The car I priced out included the Leather Package (which in turn includes the Cold Weather Package). The price is $1915. I also added ESP for $280 and Onstar for $700 bringing the total of the Passat to $28,600. Granted, none of the options are "necessary", and admittedly the Passat comes with a laundry list of very prime stock features. However, I enjoy leather, and it will help with resale as well. Further, heated seats are appreciated by anyone living in a cold climate. At any rate, whether you want leather and heated seats or not, I truly believe that ESP is a worthwhile investment, especially for $280. I completely agree that the Passat is a solid car. However, every review I have read (about most VWs in general, with perhaps the one exception being the new R32) about the Passat is that it is soft. Granted, the body structure is solid as stone, but the chassis set up is directed more towards comfort rather than sporty handling. So, to put it on the same handling level as the Mazda 6, you would need to add in at least springs and anti-roll bars (and ideally, struts, strut-tower braces, and a wheel and tire package). Even assuming the base price of $25,700, adding these suspension components on to the price tag would increase the bottom line significantly. Let me make myself clear. I am not at all saying that I think the Passat is a bad choice or even a "lesser" car than the 6. I am merely saying that in terms of "off the lot" performance, the Mazda 6 is a hands-down winner, both in terms of straightline performance (has 50 more horsepower than the Passat) and in terms of handling--a univerally stellar Mazda trait. That being said, you would definitely have to take into account the long-term power potential of the 1.8T, already discussed ad naseum. Put that adds a whole other level to the price range. If you're willing to put money into the Passat, I think that it has the potential to be an all around better car than the 6, but out of the box, I think you have to give the nod to the 6.

As far as the TSX goes, I agree that it is a great car. I am not sure I can justify the price, given what other cars are in its price range, but it is certainly a viable option. As far as the aftermarket goes for the TSX, I turned to Comptech USA, a noted Honda/Acura tuner. Here is what they offer in terms of engine performance:

Comptech TSX numbers:
Includes: intake, cat-back exhaust, and headers
Cost: $1633 (plus S&H)
horsepower: 214
torque: 170
(new) power to weight ratio: 15.1 (16.1 for stock, 15.6 for AEM Short Ram)

To me, this is a collosal waste of money. If you recall the earlier post, the AEM Short Ram by itself made 207 horsepower and the same amount of torque as the three Comptech components (170). I really can't see spending the extra $1400 for only 7 additional horsepower. I would probably go with the AEM, and then wait for either (1) a supercharger (which, by the way, I hear is in the works), or (2) some high compression pistons and additional internal engine modifications (which means a lot of $$$).

As far as the components for the new (American platform) Accord and how they would relate to the TSX (European Accord) platform, in short, they don't at all. The two cars are on completely different platforms, so the 'swapability' of components is nonexistent. That being said, the K24 (the engine designation for the TSX) is a honey of a motor, and it is just a matter of time before a large number of aftermarket companies come out with some really cool components for it. Just for general information purposes, the K24 is closely related to the K20A2 (the engine in the Acura RSX Type S). In fact essentially the K24 is just a "stroked" K20A2. The two engines have the identical 3.4" bore, but at 3.9", the K24's stroke is 0.5" longer than the RSX's. Point of all that being, that there is right now a plethora of aftermarket goodies for the RSX, and so really with the TSX what you're getting is a RSX with (1) more torque (because of the additional 400 ccs of displacement) and (2) more power potential (also because of the 400 ccs of displacement) because you won't have to put as much stress on the 2.4 liter as you would on the 2.0 liter to get the same amount of power out of it. Sure, the parts for the TSX are not yet available, but given the demand for Honda/Acura aftermarket parts, you can be sure that many companies are doing a ton of R&D to get some TSX parts out on the street. I don't know if that answered the question regarding the relationship between the Accord and the TSX or not, but I hope so.

On a (sort of) related topic: as far as the potential for the TSX goes, currently in the Speed World Challenge Series (Touring Car Series) there are two TSXs that are 3rd and 7th in the point standings (behind a bunch of BMWs and a Sentra SE-R). That tells you what a great platform it is to build on.