2013 Acura TSX Road Test and Review: Design
What’s New:
- No changes for 2013
When the second-generation TSX arrived for the 2009 model year, it was the first Acura sedan equipped with the brand’s now signature Keen-Edge design theme. At the time, the car’s appearance was shocking, but after everyone got a good look at the 2009 Acura TL’s beak a few months later, the TSX appeared relatively tame. Sane, even. Today, the TSX is a familiar yet distinctive entry-luxury model. But is it genuinely good looking? Not exactly.
The TSX’s cabin, however, is a different story. It looks, feels, and works like a proper car interior should, mixing quality materials with clear displays and controls that are easy to understand and operate. The three-dimensional gauge cluster exhibits style without sacrificing clarity, the screen atop the center of the dashboard is used only for navigation and only for display, and the array of large buttons on the center control panel is clearly marked and logically grouped. Everything is located where you expect it to be, and nothing is placed on the center console to remove the driver’s eyes from the road ahead except for the gear selector, heated seat controls, hand brake, and cupholders.
The TSX even requires that a key be twisted in an ignition lock, a charmingly old-school design that ensures that the car isn’t going anywhere without the key, and that a driver like me need not have the key stuffed into my pockets along with a smartphone, a money clip, a wallet, and house keys.
I know that I sound like some crazy old man lamenting the loss of the good old days, but Acura’s simple approach with the TSX is, at this point, a refreshing approach. I mean, this is a car, and the driver is expected to drive it, not stab futilely at an unresponsive touchscreen or capacitive touch panel. There’s little cause for distraction or confusion in this car, little reason to crack open the owner’s manual, and for that, I applaud, loudly.