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Kicking Tires: Love/hate relationship with 2010 Acura TSX

By Amanda Wegrzyn, Cars.com, Source: Cars.com

I've had the opportunity to drive a few luxury sedans over the past month, making it easier than usual to see how the Acura TSX stacks up against its competitors. After spending some time in the more expensive Infiniti G37x recently, I wasn't expecting to be wowed by the TSX. The V-6 engine in our test car, however, won me over.

Love: V-6 performance

The TSX looked nice enough at first glance. The exterior is sleek, and the interior is well-appointed without being fussy. Before I realized this car had a V-6, I figured the driving experience would be similarly understated. What I discovered is that this car can move. Acceleration to highway speeds was incredibly smooth and made merging onto the interstate fun. What I initially thought of as a straightforward luxury sedan began to look a whole lot more sporty to me. The V-6 engine increases the price significantly, though, so shoppers may want to keep that in mind when comparing cars in this segment.

Hate: Digital display

The center LCD screen in the TSX can be used to display satellite radio, CD and iPod information, assuming the driver isn't using the navigation screen. If the navigation screen is in use, you're stuck with a narrow digital display bar below the screen that is crammed with the time, cabin temperature and satellite radio station number, among other information. Unless you've memorized the station guide, it may take a minute to ascertain exactly what station or song you're listening to. Sure, it's a minor inconvenience (or major nuisance if Miley Cyrus' music makes you see spots), but other systems have a nice split-screen that shows both map and stereo information.

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