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2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon (photos)

Acura gives its TSX model new practicality with its wagon body. This attractive car features middling performance tech, but the cabin has the latest hard-drive-based navigation system and audio.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
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The TSX Sport Wagon is based on the standard TSX sedan, with the same engine and cabin tech. The only differences are that the TSX sedan can be had with a V-6 or a manual transmission, neither of which is available for the wagon.

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Grille styling is the same between the sedan and Sport Wagon, with the "Transformers"-like, angular face made up of grille and headlights.

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The only engine available for the TSX Sport Wagon is this 2.4-liter four cylinder. Producing 201 horsepower, it feels eager, making the car leap forward quickly.

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Acura designers did an excellent job fitting the wagon back to the TSX sedan. The roofline stretches back naturally, with a slight curve, while the side windows remain well-proportioned.

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Without an active suspension, Acura tuned the TSX Sport Wagon for a compromise between comfort and stability. The car exhibits a little body roll in the turns, but it can still be fun.

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The cargo area has typical wagon utility, with plenty of space both in depth and height. Fold down the rear seats, and that space really opens up.

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The TSX Sport Wagon is a comfortable car, with a somewhat utilitarian interior. Materials are generally soft touch in the cabin, but it falls short of a real luxury feel.

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Acura uses an electric-power-steering unit in the TSX Sport Wagon, which helps fuel efficiency. This unit is also well-tuned, giving lots of road feel.

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The only transmission available is this five-speed automatic, which could do with an update. Most other automakers have gone to six-speed gearboxes for improved fuel economy.

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Acura has always been too prolific with buttons. On the steering wheel, buttons adorn the lateral spokes and the lower edges of the hub.

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Acura sticks to analog gauges, with only a small LCD in the center of the tachometer. But the gauges have a good, sport-oriented look.

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The cabin tech in the TSX Sport Wagon is excellent, with hard-drive-based navigation. These maps look much better than those found on older-generation Acuras, and include traffic information.

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The cabin tech interface uses this format throughout, each screen showing menu items in a circular design. The graphic treatment also looks quite nice.

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All alphanumeric inputs are made using the central knob, dialing in each letter.

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A Zagat restaurant guide incorporated into the navigation points of interest is very helpful.

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A traffic data feed is used by the navigation system to dynamically adjust the route.

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Weather forecasts are another data feed into the car.

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The Bluetooth phone system is very good, downloading a paired phone's contacts and making them available through voice command.

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The iPod and internal hard drive use this library format, making it easy to find music by artist, album, or genre.

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Bluetooth audio is another audio source in the TSX Sport Wagon.

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The ELS audio system uses eight speakers, including this subwoofer, to produce rich, full sound.

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