Goodbye Z, Hello TSX-Tech

After almost 6 years of driving and enjoying my Nissan 350Z, I decided that it’s time to replace it and move on to a more “adult” car. I’ve been doing some research and tested different cars. I even considered getting a small SUV, but then decided that you live only once and you might as well enjoy it while you can.

I liked the Acura cars from the beginning. What I like about Japanese luxury cars is that their “standard” trim comes loaded with more toys than any other car including their European competitors (a.ka. “Ze Germans”). Unlike other car companies that have more options than cars on the lot, the only “option” you have here is the “Technology Package”. Simple, clear – You get what you want for the price you see instead of starting with one price and ending with $10,000 more out the door by time you get everything a luxury car should have.

I tested both the TSX and the TL. The technology in both is pretty similar (the TL has a few little things to its advantage). The TL has 2 inches more of leg space in the backseats and a little bigger trunk – the driver space is exactly the same. The TL has also a bigger engine (3.5L V6 vs. 2.4 4 Cyl) which means more fuel consumption and it drives more like a sedan while the TSX reminded me more of the 350Z. After some thinking and consideration I decided to go with the 2009 Acura TSX and also add the technology package (with the current economical situation you can get a great deal).

image

The Acura is a technology heaven for gadget freaks. The “standard” model comes with more technology than even the Lexus. When you add the Technology package, you make sure you’ll enjoy the ride even more and have enough toys to play with Nerd.

image

These are the main things you get with the Tech package:

  • Acura Navigation System with voice recognition and Zagat Survey ratings and reviews.
  • Rearview camera
  • Acura/ELS Surround 415-watt 10 speaker audio (instead of 6 in the standard) system with 6-disc in-dash CD, DVD-Audio, MP3, WMA and DTS changer, Dolby Prologic II.
  • AcuraLink satellite communication system with real-time traffic and weather.
  • GPS linked, solar sensing, dual zone automatic climate control system.

I must say that the buying experience in Acura is great. The sales consultant spent probably an hour with us in the car going over all the features and how to use them. This included pairing my BlackBerry with the Bluetooth hands free system. It was a “quick” training to get me started. I’ll keep on posting on my experience with the TSX and its different toys.

1 comments:

Ariel said...

Congratulations!
Have fun with it