The 2009 TSX reflects and reinforces Acura's advanced design direction. Forceful and muscular but at the same time sleek and elegant, the styling clearly sets the tone for the new TSX's driving dynamics – agile and invigorating for performance oriented drivers, and quiet and comfortable for those with luxury intentions. The new model introduces several body advancements and improvements, including:

Firsts for TSX model

• Dual balance shafts
• Direct ignition system
• Larger body width (72.4 in.)
• Slimmer A-pillars
• Auto up/down front passenger window
• Reverse-linked passenger-side door mirror
• Widest trunk opening and lowest trunk lift-over height

Firsts for Acura Division

• Inside frame rails
• Closed-channel cross-braced roof structure

BODY OVERVIEW

The 2009 Acura TSX body design represents a new direction in Acura styling. The TSX was styled in Acura's Wako design studio (located just outside Tokyo) and is assembled at the Sayama Factory in Japan. With a wider body that provides more agile handling and greater interior roominess – along with a lower seating position – the new TSX aims to be the best handling front-wheel-drive vehicle in its segment.

Inside, the new TSX is significantly quieter and more refined than the previous-generation TSX and its European competitors. Advanced aerodynamic treatments such as inside frame rails, underbody air deflectors, and a chiseled aerodynamic body shape help the TSX move through the atmosphere with a minimum of drag – thereby reducing fuel usage and lowering emissions, while enhancing quietness and high-speed dynamic stability.

Carefully styled to provide equal measures of aggressiveness and luxury, the 2009 TSX reestablishes the previous model's relationship with image-seeking successful educated young professionals. The TSX's dynamic styling is designed to appeal to a wide range of customers. These customers are active, regularly hitting the gym and participating in outdoor activities. Thus, they want a vehicle that reflects their passion for performance and athleticism while also supporting their active social lifestyle with roomy, comfortable seating for five and ample storage space.

KEEN-EDGED STYLING

The 2009 TSX represents the second generation for Acura's entry-level sedan. In evolving the first-generation vehicle into the new TSX, Acura designers sought to retain its crisp, dynamic design elements and enhance them by projecting the wheels outwards to achieve more muscular and distinctive cues to create a keen-edged sports sedan. The key focal point for designers was to create an aerodynamic design that evokes both emotion and tension with a decisively sporty flair – as if a solid piece of billet material was shaped with a sharp knife.

In front, the strong grille is new for Acura, and advances the strong, emphatic appearance that the current design direction of Acura vehicles. Inside the grille's bold, chamfered chromed surround trim is a satin-black parallelogram "honeycomb" mesh that adds a look of power and performance. The headlight arrays, containing reflectors on the outside edges, piercing projector-style low-beam headlights, and sculpted halogen high-beam headlights, all reside behind a smooth contoured lens. Standard fog lamps are located in the outer edges of the front fascia.

Sharp contour lines run alongside the body and connect the front and rear of the new car together in a strong, windswept line that promises both agility and performance. Bold wheel arches that frame the big 5-spoke, 17-inch aluminum wheels and 50-series tires emphasize strength and muscularity. Chrome door handles and chrome trim surrounding the side windows adds a look of substance and quality.

In back, sculptured taillights compliment large turn signals at the outside edges of the trunk lid. Twin reflectors are low-mounted on the rear fascia near the 3.2-inch diameter exhaust finishers.

WIDER BODY DIMENSIONS

The body width for the 2009 TSX is a full three inches wider than was the previous-generation model. This increase, along with the 2.6-inch wider track and the 1.4-inch longer wheelbase, considerably improves interior roominess. There's a dynamic upside to the wider track: enhanced handling agility and stability. The seating position is also 0.4-inch lower than in the previous generation TSX, helping to create a sportier driving experience.

SLIMMER A-PILLARS

To improve the field of view for the driver, the 2009 TSX has thinner A-pillars, which permit a broader field of forward view without compromising structural strength. While a robust interior structure helps ensure the necessary structural rigidity, at 4.2 inches wide in their interior dimension, the new pillars are an inch narrower than the previous TSX A-pillars. The outside of the pillar is just slightly (2 mm) wider than before at about 2.9 inches wide. Importantly, the difference in the inner dimension means that from the driver's point of view, the overall width of the pillar is now 0.9 inches thinner. This change in A-pillar width increases outside visibility by a significant 4.3 degrees overall and becomes one of the best in class for outward frontal field of view.

CLOSED-CHANNEL CROSS-BRACED ROOF STRUCTURE

In another important first for the Acura division, the 2009 TSX uses a strengthened roof section designed to significantly reduce flexing and vibration, resulting in less noise in the passenger compartment. Whereas the roof section on the previous TSX used open-channel stiffeners, the new TSX's roof section uses two closed-channel crossbeams that help create a structure that is highly resistant to flexing and vibration.

The installation method of the roof structure is also revised. With the previous TSX, the roof panel and its open-channel stiffeners were welded onto the rest of the unit body as a unit. For the 2009 TSX, the new roof frame assembly is first welded in place without the roof panel, allowing full access to the ideal welding locations. The roof panel itself is then attached. This process creates stronger joints and a stiffer overall roof and body structure – 35 percent greater rigidity in front and 20 percent greater rigidity in back. The end result for the TSX owner is markedly decreased noise and vibration inside the car.

FRAME RAIL SYSTEM

The 2009 TSX's internal frame rail system is a first for Acura. By positioning the stamped steel frame rails above the floor of the passenger compartment – instead of below it – the bottom of the vehicle can be made much flatter. The result is lower aerodynamic turbulence and drag, a quieter ride at highway speeds, and enhanced crash safety (please see Safety section).

CIRCULAR-TYPE REAR BULKHEAD STRUCTURE

A new circular-type rear bulkhead structure significantly improves structural rigidity of the rear area of the passenger compartment, measurably reducing noise and vibration experienced by passengers.