I was in a 2020 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium. I loved it, but sold the 4Runner and bought a 2012 TSX wagon with the Technology package for the better gas mileage and a lower payment as I was about to start my own business. An awesome car and a MUCH better daily driver! Love my TSX wagon! I put crossbars and a roof box on and it looks pretty spiffy.
LOL bro I just left a comment above! I have a 4runner I want to get rid of so badly. Just been gathering knowledge/info about these acura's and other peoples experiences. Glad to know you're stoked on the choice! Exactly what I needed to hear lol
The thing that I rarely see discussed about the K24/5AT combo is the extreme reliability. I sold my 2012 Wagon to a friend 6 years ago and he he still has it. It's currently at over 190,000 miles and has never needed a single piece of maintenance outside of tires, oil changes, transmission fluid changes, 1 set of brake pads and 1 new battery. Hell, even the interior looks brand new.
Great points that current owners have shared here. As a 2012 owner myself i would highly encourage you to check/look out for roof leaks by the A pillar. Clean the sunroof drains AND keep an eye on seam sealer cracking by the A pillar, causing a roof leak as well.
2013 TSX Sportwagon owner (2nd hand) there are a couple recommendations I'll pass onto you and your family: 1. VERY IMPORTANT - regularly clean-out the rocker panels immediately behind the front wheels. Only takes 10mins a side, but crud + salt get shoved in back there and the rocker panels will start rusting at the seam between the fender-rocker and the actual rocker panel. If you can treat it with anti-rust paint back there I highly recommend it. 2. Every year or so, reset your transmission ECU. It's super easy, throw the key and turn the car into ACC-Mode. Hold down the gas pedal for ~35seconds. Let go the gas. Turn off car and remove key. Put key back in and start up car. It will erase all the driving behavior learning the TSX does. If you do any manual paddle shifting up/down for engine braking the transmission is quick to incorporate that into regular driving behavior. Annual reset puts you back to square 1. 3. Go get yourself a full-spare tire off Ebay. Under the rear floor is a felt/plastic tub that can be fully removed and there is plenty of space to store a 17" full size spare with a scissor jack and associated tools. 4. Replace your rear-hatch lift-cylinders for $20 and your hatch will open fully without any effort by the person opening it. The old hydraulic lift cylinders get really weak with time. Honestly takes 10minutes to swap out the old ones for new ones, but remember that hatch is heavy so only do 1 side at a time. 5. Rattling empty passenger seat can be fixed by a little piece of rigid foam. If you insert it between the passenger bolster and the center console seemingly solves the problem and you can tuck the foam far enough down it's not easily visible. 6. Grab some LED headlight bulbs and LED interior bulbs - really brings up the feel of the car to something closer to the 2020's. Short money and definitely worth it. 7. Unless you like it, don't use the auto-mirror down feature. If you rely heavily on mirrors for backing up, keep the mirror sensor in the middle-position (not the right position) you might clip your side mirror on a pole or something. Nice feature for parallel parking, but for longer backing up purposes - risky. Otherwise, enjoy the wagon!! Mine has over 136,000miles and people still come up to me asking "What is that!?" and "Does Acura make a wagon!?" It's a cool car, super easy to work on, really reliable, inexpensive, practical, efficient, and somewhat fun (2.4L is a bit sluggish but it's fun in corners). ALSO, if you're wondering I never put Mid-Grade gas in my fuel tank --> regular + knock sensor has been totally fine for me. No noticeable drop in power or anything.
Incredible tips! I did a quick video on exterior LEDs which has already made a world of difference, interior lights are on the to do list. And I totally agree on the type of fuel.
I fortunately have noticed a difference in fuel grade from 93 to 87. So I stuck with 93 on my sportwagon. It DID take 3 or tanks though. Now that I'm tuned, 93 all the time. Very very good points as well
@@Darylrb1983do an e40 blend in it. I'm tuned as well. Mpg is surpriingly better and it has a bit more power down low. With the blend stock injectors are still under 80% duty cycle.
It’s crazy I seen a Acura tsx wagon yesterday and I liked it a lot now that I searched them up on RUclips I seen another one in white lowered on some nice wheels going to Home Depot
I might want to get one as a 2nd car. I have a 2020 Civic Sport Hatchback which I paid off early. I’ve driven a first gen TSX and a 2nd gen model many times before and enjoyed them both. To have a wagon would be something quirky for the design but also fun and it won’t break the bank
First mod - upgrade grille with a euro Accord grille and swap in an Acura emblem. A little bit of creative modding is needed to fit the Acura emblem, but it's worth it. I did this on my 2010 TSX and it transformed the looks of the car.
This is something I’ve really looked into! I don’t love the Acura “beak” from this era and think the Accord grille looks much better. Where did you source your grille from?
Austin excellent choice bro! My partner has a 2020 Crosstrek and shes loves it. I have a 2014 4runner I'm starting to realize I just don't need. For similar reasons; Commute to work or practicality and especially repetitiveness (seeing the same car you drive every 20 ft) We're out Western Oregon, not a whole lot of snow or need for 4WD. I've been thinking about Subarus myself, or even Honda Fit/Toyota Prius but they aren't big ENOUGH for weekend use and we also have 3 dogs lol. There are a total of 3 different TSX wagons within 150 miles of me :) Two under 100k miles for $15k, the other $18k at 51k miles. I trust Honda/Acura reliability more than Toyota any day so I feel like I should make a decision already lol. So jealous you have the white one... I want that color or the blue is clean. Only have silver and black to chose from lol. BTW does your have a panoramic moonroof?! The ones I see are only standard
It's funny, I was just thinking about how the two vehicles I would own are an NC MX-5 and a Honda Accord wagon (Same thing but offers lower spec options)
Great video. I am considering getting rid of my BMW F11 for the Honda Accord Wagon of this era (don't think the Acura came to the UK). Does anybody know if its possible to replace the headunit in these with something more modern (to get carplay etc)?
I did a bit of research into this topic, and the consensus I found is this: premium fuel will benefit nearly any car, but it will run just fine on lower grade fuel. I've ran mine on mid-grade fuel and it's been phenomenal over the last 5k miles.
This car "recommends" premium for optimum mpg and power. Itll just pull timing on 87. It's not exactly the same engine as the usdm accord. Higher compression ratio and more power are a couple differences. Knock sensors will keep the car safe either way
A wagon is always the answer. Great call on a vehicle.
Some viewers on this channel might argue that Miata is always the answer, but I agree! Thanks!
I was in a 2020 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium. I loved it, but sold the 4Runner and bought a 2012 TSX wagon with the Technology package for the better gas mileage and a lower payment as I was about to start my own business. An awesome car and a MUCH better daily driver! Love my TSX wagon! I put crossbars and a roof box on and it looks pretty spiffy.
Very nice! Roof boxes make everything cooler 😎
LOL bro I just left a comment above! I have a 4runner I want to get rid of so badly. Just been gathering knowledge/info about these acura's and other peoples experiences. Glad to know you're stoked on the choice! Exactly what I needed to hear lol
So excited for all the things coming from Austin’s side of Flywheel Films this year!! What a great channel!
I also got one of these a few months ago and love it so far. I got it as a fun daily to pair with my NB miata haha. A solid two car solution
I've loved my 2012 TSX Wagon for 8 years, now with 80k on the clock. It's vault solid and reliable, and very rare.
The thing that I rarely see discussed about the K24/5AT combo is the extreme reliability. I sold my 2012 Wagon to a friend 6 years ago and he he still has it. It's currently at over 190,000 miles and has never needed a single piece of maintenance outside of tires, oil changes, transmission fluid changes, 1 set of brake pads and 1 new battery. Hell, even the interior looks brand new.
Great points that current owners have shared here. As a 2012 owner myself i would highly encourage you to check/look out for roof leaks by the A pillar. Clean the sunroof drains AND keep an eye on seam sealer cracking by the A pillar, causing a roof leak as well.
2013 TSX Sportwagon owner (2nd hand) there are a couple recommendations I'll pass onto you and your family:
1. VERY IMPORTANT - regularly clean-out the rocker panels immediately behind the front wheels. Only takes 10mins a side, but crud + salt get shoved in back there and the rocker panels will start rusting at the seam between the fender-rocker and the actual rocker panel. If you can treat it with anti-rust paint back there I highly recommend it.
2. Every year or so, reset your transmission ECU. It's super easy, throw the key and turn the car into ACC-Mode. Hold down the gas pedal for ~35seconds. Let go the gas. Turn off car and remove key. Put key back in and start up car. It will erase all the driving behavior learning the TSX does. If you do any manual paddle shifting up/down for engine braking the transmission is quick to incorporate that into regular driving behavior. Annual reset puts you back to square 1.
3. Go get yourself a full-spare tire off Ebay. Under the rear floor is a felt/plastic tub that can be fully removed and there is plenty of space to store a 17" full size spare with a scissor jack and associated tools.
4. Replace your rear-hatch lift-cylinders for $20 and your hatch will open fully without any effort by the person opening it. The old hydraulic lift cylinders get really weak with time. Honestly takes 10minutes to swap out the old ones for new ones, but remember that hatch is heavy so only do 1 side at a time.
5. Rattling empty passenger seat can be fixed by a little piece of rigid foam. If you insert it between the passenger bolster and the center console seemingly solves the problem and you can tuck the foam far enough down it's not easily visible.
6. Grab some LED headlight bulbs and LED interior bulbs - really brings up the feel of the car to something closer to the 2020's. Short money and definitely worth it.
7. Unless you like it, don't use the auto-mirror down feature. If you rely heavily on mirrors for backing up, keep the mirror sensor in the middle-position (not the right position) you might clip your side mirror on a pole or something. Nice feature for parallel parking, but for longer backing up purposes - risky.
Otherwise, enjoy the wagon!! Mine has over 136,000miles and people still come up to me asking "What is that!?" and "Does Acura make a wagon!?" It's a cool car, super easy to work on, really reliable, inexpensive, practical, efficient, and somewhat fun (2.4L is a bit sluggish but it's fun in corners). ALSO, if you're wondering I never put Mid-Grade gas in my fuel tank --> regular + knock sensor has been totally fine for me. No noticeable drop in power or anything.
Incredible tips! I did a quick video on exterior LEDs which has already made a world of difference, interior lights are on the to do list. And I totally agree on the type of fuel.
I fortunately have noticed a difference in fuel grade from 93 to 87. So I stuck with 93 on my sportwagon. It DID take 3 or tanks though. Now that I'm tuned, 93 all the time. Very very good points as well
2011's came with a spare tire kit, you can still get them From Acura, there is a thread with part numbers on Acurazine.
@@Darylrb1983do an e40 blend in it. I'm tuned as well. Mpg is surpriingly better and it has a bit more power down low. With the blend stock injectors are still under 80% duty cycle.
It’s crazy I seen a Acura tsx wagon yesterday and I liked it a lot now that I searched them up on RUclips I seen another one in white lowered on some nice wheels going to Home Depot
Crossovers & suvs- they don’t do anything very well; brake, handle, feel or go….
Yer wagon does all of those n more🎉👊 good score mate
Agreed! Thanks!
I might want to get one as a 2nd car. I have a 2020 Civic Sport Hatchback which I paid off early. I’ve driven a first gen TSX and a 2nd gen model many times before and enjoyed them both. To have a wagon would be something quirky for the design but also fun and it won’t break the bank
First mod - upgrade grille with a euro Accord grille and swap in an Acura emblem. A little bit of creative modding is needed to fit the Acura emblem, but it's worth it. I did this on my 2010 TSX and it transformed the looks of the car.
This is something I’ve really looked into! I don’t love the Acura “beak” from this era and think the Accord grille looks much better. Where did you source your grille from?
@@FlywheelFilms That was 13 years ago, but I bought the parts from eBay . I'll see if I can search my purchase history and find the part numbers.
Austin excellent choice bro! My partner has a 2020 Crosstrek and shes loves it. I have a 2014 4runner I'm starting to realize I just don't need. For similar reasons; Commute to work or practicality and especially repetitiveness (seeing the same car you drive every 20 ft) We're out Western Oregon, not a whole lot of snow or need for 4WD. I've been thinking about Subarus myself, or even Honda Fit/Toyota Prius but they aren't big ENOUGH for weekend use and we also have 3 dogs lol. There are a total of 3 different TSX wagons within 150 miles of me :)
Two under 100k miles for $15k, the other $18k at 51k miles. I trust Honda/Acura reliability more than Toyota any day so I feel like I should make a decision already lol. So jealous you have the white one... I want that color or the blue is clean. Only have silver and black to chose from lol. BTW does your have a panoramic moonroof?! The ones I see are only standard
It's funny, I was just thinking about how the two vehicles I would own are an NC MX-5 and a Honda Accord wagon (Same thing but offers lower spec options)
NC MX-5 might be coming soon… 👀
Great video. I am considering getting rid of my BMW F11 for the Honda Accord Wagon of this era (don't think the Acura came to the UK).
Does anybody know if its possible to replace the headunit in these with something more modern (to get carplay etc)?
Stay tuned for a video coming in the next week...
I bought 2012 accord tourer manual in UK, what a car - outstanding engineering and fantastic engine. had car for nearly 10 years and zero problems
I sense a 6 speed manual swap coming
It’s a surprisingly good auto, but if the transmission needs work, you can bet I’m not putting an auto back in 😈
Smart financial move... With good maintenance that TSX should easily last you into 200k miles
Does this version of K24 require premium gas?
I did a bit of research into this topic, and the consensus I found is this: premium fuel will benefit nearly any car, but it will run just fine on lower grade fuel. I've ran mine on mid-grade fuel and it's been phenomenal over the last 5k miles.
This car "recommends" premium for optimum mpg and power. Itll just pull timing on 87. It's not exactly the same engine as the usdm accord. Higher compression ratio and more power are a couple differences. Knock sensors will keep the car safe either way
Buy a Miata
👀