Manual Transmision

Road Test 2006 Acura CSX

Anyone questioning whether Acura would continue forward building its EL with the dawn of an all-new Honda Civic, despite it only being available in Canada, can rest assured that a revised version of the popular model has just arrived on the market as part of Acura Canadas 2006 lineup.

But this said we can all say goodbye to the EL nameplate, a designation thats been part of the Canadian auto industry since its inception in model year 1997.



I suppose therefore, the CSXs slightly more conservative approach (and some would say the more pleasingly styled car) in mind, that it makes sense for Honda to have chosen to go with the Canadian design when introducing its home market Civic in Japan. Yes, contrary to a popular misconception, Acura Canada didnt merely re-badge a Japanese Civic with an Acura label, but rather designed the car from scratch, more or less, at which point it was adopted by Honda Japan, as its new Civic; Japanese buyers traditionally being more conservative than North Americans and/or Europeans when it comes to design.

On another note, the CSXs unique side-view mirrors, which integrate an unorthodox triangular turn signal, may have first appeared on the Civic Hybrid but were originally designed for the compact Acura, and were only adopted by the Hybrid later on, in order to give the car a more modern, space-age character.

Styling

OK, its obvious that the CSX is a Civic in a tuxedo. It has the same overall modern shape, but with different front and rear fascias, and some luxury features you cant get in the Honda. In front, the headlights and grille of the CSX have a slightly different design than the Civic, and the nose also sports a light crease running down the hood and bumper. The front corners look like theyre barely stretched out more, but maybe thats an optical illusion. The flanks of both cars are pretty much identical, including the lower-body crease and high beltline. The CSX has chrome trim on its door handles, as well as turn signals integrated in the side mirrors, a feature only the Civic Hybrid has. The rear of the Acura looks classier, with its taillights that include circular lighting patterns and dual chrome exhaust tips.

The choice of colours is limited to the same 6 available on the Civic so, once again, not much exclusivity. There is so little difference between the CSX and the Civic that I cant really decide which one I prefer in regard to its looks. Ill say the Acura looks best, maybe only because theyll be a lot less on the road than the Honda.

Mechanical
At last, something notably exclusive. Under the hood is a DOHC, 16-valve 2.0-liter engine that produces 155 horsepower and 139 lb-ft of torque. The Civic sedan, by the way, makes do with a 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter single-cammer. This CSX Premium test car is also equipped with the optional 5-speed automatic with paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel spokes. This powertrain is good for 0-100 km/h times of 10.2 seconds. It could be better.

The engine is typical Honda; a good amount of horses, but a modest amount of low-rpm torque. As for the paddle shifters, theyre useful when burning up back roads, because you can hold a gear to keep the engine in its rev range. In city or highway driving, however, you wont squeeze more performance by shifting yourself. Expect a fuel consumption average of about 9.5 L/100 km.

The suspension setup, recalibrated for a sportier ride, is fairly competent on winding roads, but is still a tad soft. Drive quickly in a tight curve with imperfections in the pavement, and youll step off the gas. Otherwise, the car is comfortable and stable during highway and city driving. Also, the 205/55R16 tires on the CSX are the same size as on Civic LX and EX models; a little fatter rubber wouldve been nice.

Interior

The CSX interior isnt that much different than the new Civics, which just happens to be exemplary in execution. Actually, the Civic cabin is so far above its compact competition that, with few upgrades, it now fits right in with other Acura products; something the previous EL couldnt claim. Like the Civic, I particularly like the double-binnacle instrument package, and find the large digital speedo that sits up high in the top-level cluster easy to read no matter the lighting conditions outside. Interior switchgear is also superbly crafted, with no play in between audio or HVAC buttons, unlike some other premium brands.

The seats are superb; supportive in all the right places, at least for my body type, even after a few hours behind the wheel. I really like the steering wheel, which is ideally suited for hooking the thumbs over the left and right spokes; what Ive been taught is the correct way of holding the hands so that Im always ready to react with whatever inane activity might occur around me.

I also appreciate having ancillary controls on the steering wheel, and the CSX includes well-placed volume, channel and mode buttons for the audio system on the left spoke plus cruise functions on the right. The audio system itself is pretty decent; not of the 650-watt variety like in some rival Japanese and domestic vehicles, but good enough for most peoples expectations. Base models get a 160-watt system with a single-CD player integrated within the dash interface, compatible with mp3 and WMA formatted discs, plus an AM/FM tuner, of course.

Oh, and if you have an external device, like a Creative Labs mp3 player (I just had to say that as Im getting sick of saying iPod all the time), Acura will install a jack for a nominal fee. The top-line audio system doesnt up wattage but does increase CD capacity to six into the dash head unit - try that in your 3-Series. Oddly, however, if you opt for the navigation package the six-disc CD changer is replaced with a single-CD player, obviously due to a lack of room behind the interface, but a handy Digital Audio PC Card slot is added in, which might be of greater use than all of the above.

That satellite-linked navigation system, incidentally, like all Acura/Honda nav systems, is amongst the best in the industry. It is graphically superb, features handy little insets that depict upcoming turnoffs in an extremely user-friendly way, and delivers bilingual voice recognition. I also like the way the 165-mm (6.5-inch) screen pivots forward automatically, exposing a DVD-nav slot and one for an audio CD - very slick.

The little Acuras wide range of additional luxury and convenience features is probably too long to go over at this time, but I should mention the cars standard automatic climate control system. And by the way, if you choose to add the optional nav system, you can make adjustments to HVAC controls just by saying the word - it is voice recognition activated. The CSX ventilation system also includes a micron filter for cleaning outside air, critical for asthmatics and allergy sufferers.

Conclusion

A standalone CSX is a great car. Stack it up against some luxurious compact competition though, like the VW Jetta and the Volvo S40, and it starts to show its little shortcomings. And when you consider it as a "luxury Civic", which many of you already do, it does look pretty expensive. Still, as Homer said, taking a successful product and adding something onto it is a good and cheap way of creating a product that targets another audience. And using a model as good as the new Civic as a starting block isnt a bad idea, either.

Just like the EL it replaces, the CSX is stuck trying to constantly justify itself, since there are so many Civics on the road. Thats especially the case when looking at this loaded, $31,900 CSX Premium. Still, for a luxurious, well-equipped, compact sedan, the CSX makes a lot of sense, and the Touring model is available starting from $25,400. Personally, I would like a sportier approach to this little Acura: minimal equipment level, the Civic Sis 197-horsepower engine and a tighter suspension. Call it the CSX Type S.

All I can say is that its too bad our American friends dont get the CSX. While the market south of the 49th hasnt shown the same eagerness to buy into compact luxury models as we do here at home, theyre slowly warming up to the idea every time fuel prices rise or their leader promotes lowering dependence on fossil fuels. Yes, its quite possible that the CSX wont be exclusive to Canada forever. It is now, however, so lets enjoy the fact that the tables are turned, and that we have access to a car which cant be bought in the U.S. And now, compared to years prior, its a car that truly deserves the Acura label.